The Games of Moriarty
by Ragnarok777
Summary: Xana is gone. Victory has been achieved by the Lyoko Warriors. But a simple test to understand William's nightmares of Xana unveils a new enemy: Moriarty. This evil entity wishes to play a series of games that shake the Lyoko Warriors to the core.
1. Chapter 1

**The Games of Moriarty- Season Five **

**Part 1**

_William and Jeremie appear in the factory. Jeremie starts up the supercomputer. He returns to the control room while William heads for the scanner. _

**Jeremie: **William, are you in the scanner? I'm about to begin the test.

**William: **I'm getting in now. _He gets in_. And for the record, thanks.

**Jeremie: **No problem William. As soon as we are done with this test, I'm shutting down the supercomputer again. Just don't tell the others. If they knew I had started up the supercomputer, well…they might get the wrong idea.

**William: **Do you really think this might help me understand or even better…find a way to cure my nightmares?

**Jeremie: **I have no idea but we have to try. It's possible that there might be a tiny fragment of Xana, just a memory, imbedded inside your head. Although..

**William: **What?

**Jeremie: **If the problem is psychological, then you are beyond my help. Remember you were possessed by Xana for months. I'm going to be honest, there's no telling how much damage it did to you. If that's the case, I'm afraid you will have to battle your own demons.

**William: **I just want it to stop.

**Jeremie: **You could ask for help.

**William: **And who could help me? If I told the school psychologist the truth, he'd think I'm crazy.

**Jeremie: **I know William. I am sorry for you, but remember, when you became a Lyoko Warrior, we warned you of the risks. You could have said no.

**William: **No use dwelling on the past. Let's get this over with.

**Jeremie: **Alright, I'm starting the procedure. _Presses buttons on computer_. Initiating scan.

_Virtualization process begins on William spontaneously. Jeremie stops in horror_

**Jeremie: **What the…What is going on here?

**William: **Jeremy, is that you? What's happening? I …I think I'm being virtualized.

_Jeremie tries to stop the process, but fails. William is transferred to the Mountain Sector. He is in his old uniform, the one he had before he was possessed. Error exclamation points appear on the computer screen over William's virtualization sequence. _

**Jeremie: **This is totally absurd, I…I'm not doing this!

**William: **Jeremie, what am I doing on Lyoko? This was NOT part of the plan!

**Jeremie: **I wish I knew William. It started all on its own. I am not doing this! And to make things worse, the devirtualization program has been screwed up somehow. I can't send you back!

**William: **What? This is not funny Jeremie. I HATE THIS PLACE! Get me out of here!

**Jeremie: **I am trying but.. this is so weird. There's no reason the computer should be acting this way…Unless

_Spherical Map of Lyoko near the computer disappears and is replaced by a glowing purple symbol, similar to the Xana eye. _

**Moriarty: **Hello Jeremie

_Jeremie begins to sweat and coils back in horror. _

**Jeremie: **No…impossible….Xana…..I destroyed you!

**Moriarty: **I AM NOT XANA! Rest assured your little multi-agent program was a huge success. You did destroy Xana. Congratulations.

**Jeremie: **Who…What…are you?

**Moriarty: **Oh, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. Oh well, one forgets things when one is trapped in a VIRTUAL NIGHTMARE FOR MORE THAN A DECADE!

**Jeremie: **What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **The name's Moriarty. Just call me Moriarty.

**Jeremie: **Moriarty? What are you doing in the supercomputer?

**Moriarty: **Patience, patience Jeremie. All will be revealed in good time. But first, I must thank you for destroying my enemy.

_Jeremie scratches his head_

**Jeremie: **Enemy? What enemy? Wait…Xana was your enemy?

**Moriarty: **Correct! And for that I must thank you. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

**Jeremie: **This makes no sense.

**Moriarty: **Why do you think Xana was created? It wasn't just to remove an enemy communications project I assure you. No, Xana was created to destroy me.

**Jeremie: **What? But why? Who are you? Are you human?

**Moriarty: **I was, at one time. Until a certain Waldo Schaeffer CONDEMNED ME HERE!

**Jeremie: **Franz Hopper?

**Moriarty: **Don't mention his name to me! He sent me here, and then he created Xana to destroy me for good!

**William: **Jeremie, what's happening?

**Moriarty: **Oh pitiful William

**Jeremie: **Did you send him to Lyoko?

**Moriarty: **Guilty as charged

**Jeremie: **Then send him back!

**Moriarty: **I'm afraid I can't do that Jeremie. He led Xana's armies against me. Do you think I would forgive such an offense?

**Jeremie: **He was fighting us! I am sick of this nonsense. Tell me what's going on!

**Moriarty: **My, my, you are impertinent. Well, I guess I must explain. During your friend's possession, he and Xana were fighting a two-front war. One with your little bunch of fighters, and one with me. This must be very confusing for you.

**Jeremie: **That's putting it lightly, but you've got my attention.

**Moriarty: **You see, more than ten years ago, Waldo and I ran into a little disagreement about our Lyoko project.

**Jeremie: **But Franz created Lyoko alone.

**Moriarty: **WRONG! We BOTH created Lyoko to dismantle Project Carthage. We were partners

**Jeremie: **That's impossible. Franz….Waldo couldn't have had a partner. I've been through all his notes and through his diary, and there wasn't a single mention of any..

**Moriarty: **Of course there wasn't! That egotistical scum wouldn't mention anything about me! He wanted all the credit. But I was the only one to see Lyoko's true potential. I told him, "Imagine all the information we could gather from our enemies! Every nation on Earth would cower before us! No one would be able to threaten us ever again!"

**Jeremie: **That…That's insane!

**Moriarty: **That's exactly what Waldo said. But I continued anyway, until he finally figured out what I was really doing with Lyoko. Then he tricked me into one of his scanners, inventions that I told him from the start were not necessary. He said it was to work "directly with the system in case of malfunction". He told me that since I was his partner, I should be the first to go.

**Jeremie: **And he sent you to Lyoko?

**Moriarty: **Trapped me here! I never should have gotten into that scanner! As soon as I was virtualized, I realized that I wasn't coming back. "I'm sorry friend," he told me. "But I can't allow you to continue. Your plans would have ruined the peace we have tried so desperately to achieve." Oh the treachery! I wanted to tear his eyes out!

**Jeremie: **_whispers _I'm starting to see why Franz did it.

**Moriarty: **I heard that. You are not so quiet as you think Jeremie, I hear all. Little did Franz know that I learned how to use Lyoko to my advantage. I figured out how to control towers, create my own monsters. Oh the things you can do in Lyoko after such a long time! I started to get very powerful. But Schaeffer had one last trick up his sleeve. He created Xana to put a final end to me. Battles raged all over Lyoko. But Xana ultimately forced me to flee into the digital sea with the remains of my scattered forces. Xana continued to hunt me, even after he became sentient and turned against Schaeffer. But I stayed alive. I even managed to corrupt Schaeffer and his daughter's virtualization programs when they fled to Lyoko.

**Jeremie: **That was you?

**Moriarty: **Oh yes. I laid low for a very long time, quietly sneaking out of the supercomputer and spreading throughout the Internet once Xana (and I) were released from the supercomputer. That's when things really got fun. I learned how to destroy some of Xana's replicas throughout the network and observed you and your group's progress. Xana continued to fight me through your friend William, but fighting both of us at the same time proved too much for him.

**Jeremie: **So we did what you wanted all along!

**Moriarty: **Yes, and then Franz was destroyed. Pity…I wanted to kill him myself. Oh well, I guess I'll have to settle for his daughter.

_Jeremie gets up and fumes in anger. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita? Look Moriarty, if that is your real name, I don't care who you are. You are not hurting Aelita, and I demand that you bring William back right now!

**William: **That would be nice! Jeremy, where have you been? I would like to go home some time today!

**Jeremie: **Let him go!

**Moriarty: **I'm sorry Jeremy, but William is a bit of a threat to me. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get rid of him.

_Humanoid Smoke monsters with Moriarty Symbols appear on the Lyoko screen, beginning to surround William. William clutches his giant sword nervously. _

**William: **Jeremie, I'm surrounded by monsters, and I'm pretty sure these things can kill me with the scanners offline. There's no way I can fight them all off.

**Jeremie:** Hold on William. I'm trying to fix the devirtualization program.

**Moriarty: **Hurry Jeremie, there's not much time.

**Jeremie: **Moriarty, you're as evil as Xana! No wonder Franz trapped you in Lyoko. I don't care how powerful you are. If you are trying to hurt people, my friends and I will fight you just like we did with Xana!

**Moriarty: **Funny you should mention your friends. I have a little surprise for you. Would you like to play a game?

**Jeremie: **Not unless the game involves you shutting yourself down.

**Moriarty: **I'm afraid not, but don't worry, this will be fun. It's called 'Who am I going to save?'

_Jeremie looks up from his computer in shock. _

**Jeremie: **I don't like the sound of this game.

**Moriarty: **Nonsense. And your friends will be playing the game too. Let's start with Odd. How does Odd fit into our little game? Well, let's just say that he's sung his last air guitar solo in the shower.

_Moriarty shows him a screen on the computer monitor of the boys' shower in Kadic. Steam is coming from one of the shower cubicles and Jeremy can hear Odd's voice over the water. _

**Odd: **_Singing _Oh Babyyyy…Don't ya think I'm sexy…I know that you want me Oh…Owah Owah I'M JUST SO SVELTE YOU CAN'T RESIST ME! _Transmission pauses_

**Moriarty: **Oh, my audio receptors! That was painful. I thought about sparing him for my own amusement. He would make an excellent pet. I could make him watch as the world burned around him. I wonder if he would think that was funny. But I'm afraid he's hit one too many bad notes for my liking.

**Jeremie: **What are you going to do to him? _Jeremie is freaking out at this point. _

**Moriarty: **Let's just say his shower is about to get a bit…shocking.

**Jeremie:** You monster!

**Moriarty: **Why thank you, but I'm not done yet. We have more friends to add to the game. How about the adorable couple, Yumi and Ulrich? Ah yes, I believe they are in the rec room right now.

_New Transmission shows Yumi and Ulrich playing foosball in the rec room. No one else is in the room except for them. Yumi scores a goal. _

**Yumi: **10-5, I win again!

**Ulrich: **Good job. _He's smiling, mind clearly not on the game. _

_Yumi gives him a sly look. She's sensing something's up._

**Yumi: **Alright Ulrich, what's on your mind? You didn't invite me to the rec room for me to beat you every single time in foosball. Usually you put up a better fight than this. What's wrong?

_Ulrich turns a little red. _

**Ulrich: **Well, about the dance tonight, you know, the one Aelita is DJing for?

**Yumi: **Yes

**Ulrich: **Well I wondered …if ..you wanted to go with me.

**Yumi: **Of course Ulrich _She's confused _I mean…I thought we were doing that anyway…At least, we always have.

**Ulrich: **Yes, but …_he's getting redder (much redder)_ Oh I might as well say it. Yumi, can we sit down for a second?

**Yumi: **Of course _They sit on the couch in the rec room. He puts his hand on her hand, and at first they both blush and Ulrich starts to draw back his hand, but he decides to keep it there. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, these past six months without Xana have been great, and I uh…was wondering….uh

**Yumi: **_she's clearly excited _Yes, go on.

**Ulrich: **Now that Xana's gone, and everything has been great between us, I ..wanted to know, if you were still wanting us ..to be..to be just friends. I mean you and me as..

**Yumi: **Yes

**Ulrich: **If you say no, that's fine, but I can't live with that 'What if I asked her?' feeling anymore.

**Yumi: ** Yes

**Ulrich: **I mean, if you want to stay friends…

**Yumi: **Ulrich, I said yes

**Ulrich: **Wait, what? You did? Wait… yes to being just friends, or yes to us being..well ..going out and stuff like that?

_Yumi holds his hands up and keeps it tight in hers._

**Yumi: **Yes…yes to us.

_Ulrich nearly falls off the couch. _

**Ulrich: **I… Yumi, I don't know what to say. _He's ecstatic_

**Yumi: **You don't have to say anything. _They embrace. Transmission paused. _

**Moriarty: **How touching. Looks like someone finally grew a spine. Too bad it will have to be cut short.

**Jeremie: **No, NO! This can't be happening!

**Moriarty: **Ah, young love. I was in love once, until Schaeffer stole her from ME! I'm going to enjoy watching them burn

_Cold sweat is pouring down Jeremie's face. _

**Moriarty: **I can imagine the headlines of tomorrow's paper. The star-crossed lovers tragically dying in a fire due to a random short circuit, and for some reason the door was locked and they were burned alive in each other's arms.

**Jeremie: **You're worse than Xana!

**Moriarty: **Why thank you Jeremy, I'm flattered. But we have one more. How could I possibly forget your darling Aelita?

**Jeremie: **No, NOO! Anything but that! DON'T HURT HER!

**Moriarty: **Ooo this is getting FUN!

_Transmission shows Aelita preparing for the dance with her equipment. One of the volunteers comes to her. _

**Volunteer: **Aelita, where do you want the speakers?

**Aelita: **Over on stage right should be fine.

**Volunteer: **Alright thanks.

_Transmission pauses and then zooms in on the heavy light structures above her. _

**Moriarty: **It would be a shame if one of those screws came loose and the whole thing came crashing down.

**Jeremie: **IF YOU DO IT I SWEAR YOU WILL PAY! I…Aelita..Please…no _He's shaking, desperate_

**Moriarty: **So know you understand the game. You have to choose who you are going to save.

_William has been trying to avoid the monsters but now they have him cornered against a mountain ledge. _

**William: **Jeremie, if you have a way to get me out of this, now would be a good time.

**Moriarty: **So who's it going to be? Do you stay and find a way to devirtualize William? Do you warn Odd before he gets the shock of his life? Do you save Yumi and Ulrich from a fiery death? Or are you going to be the handsome prince who rescues the princess while the rest of your friends DIE?

**Jeremie: **I've got to warn them! _He tries to call them via cellphone, but there is no signal. _What? No, not now!

**Moriarty: **Oh dear the cellphone towers are out. How…inconvenient for you.

**Jeremie: **You'll never win! I will find a way! I'll save them all!

**Moriarty: **A noble gesture but I'm afraid it will do no good. I will give you twenty minutes. If you hurry, you might be able to save two of them.

**Jeremie: **Why are you doing this? Why are you forcing me to choose?

**Moriarty: **Because I am not Xana. I don't just want to kill you, I want to BREAK you. I have the advantage of being human, so I know exactly how to bring each of you down.

_William starts to fight for his life. He is losing lifepoints. _

**William: **Jeremie!

_Jeremie is overwhelmed. He is completely torn. _

**Moriarty: **Tick, tock Jeremie. You don't have much time. William is about to die.

**Jeremie: **There's no way I can clear this bug in time! _He takes a deep breath, trying to calm down. _Unless.. _He begins typing _Where is it?

**Moriarty: **What are you doing?

**Jeremie: **Saving William! _He presses a series of keys_

_William disappears in a green light and reappears next to a tower. The confused monsters try to follow him. _

**Moriarty: **How? How is this possible?

**Jeremie: **William, get in the tower! _William ducks to the safety of the tower just in time. _Odd's old teleportation program. Good thing I cleared out all the bugs.

**Moriarty: **Very well Jeremie, you exceeded my expectations. It was a tad unfair to have five people to save. But the others are still at my mercy.

_Jeremy rushes to the elevator. _

**Jeremie: **William, stay there. I will figure out a way to devirtualize you later.

**William: **Jeremie, if Yumi's in danger, save her first do you hear? Save her please!

_But Jeremie's already in the elevator _

**Jeremie: **I'm coming Aelita! Oh please let it not be too late!

**Moriarty: **Oh Jeremie, how predictable. Oh well, I apologize Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi, but it looks like love comes before friendship.

**Part 2 **

_The infirmary. Ulrich lies on one of the beds with a bandage over his head. He is sleeping. Yumi is watching over him. She has minor cuts and burns but not as bad as Ulrich's. Jeremie, Odd, and Aelita watch further back. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi….please, you have to understand. I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do. _He puts his face in his hands. _

**Yumi: **We could have died.

**Jeremie: **I did my best. I …I just panicked! I couldn't be at three places at once.

**Yumi: **Jeremy, not now.

**Jeremie: **I just went for the closest opportunity.

_She turns around with tears in her eyes_

**Yumi: **The rec room is closer than the gymnasium!

_Jeremie pauses and puts his head in his hands again. Yumi keeps her merciless gaze until she sees Aelita, who seems horrified and ashamed. Yumi realizes she was insinuating that Jeremie should have left Aelita to die, and turns away. There is a tense silence_

**Odd: **Uh, Jeremie, thanks for setting off the fire alarm. If I hadn't heard that and gotten out of the shower, I would have been toast…literally. _Jeremy doesn't respond_

**Aelita: **Whoever this Moriarty person is, he seems worse than Xana. He wants to torture us for his own pleasure. It's just…sick.

**Odd: **Aelita, do you remember anything about your dad having a partner?

**Aelita: **No, nothing.

**Odd: **What if we shut down the supercomputer again? Would that help?

**Jeremie: **No….just like Xana he's not tied to the supercomputer. It wouldn't do any good, and besides, we need to materialize William.

**Aelita: **Then we shouldn't waste any time. Let's go to the factory. Waiting here won't do any good.

_They start to walk out the door, except for Yumi. _

**Odd: **Yumi, are you coming?

**Aelita: **You heard the nurse Yumi. He's going to be fine. He just needs some rest.

**Yumi: **You go on ahead. I'll…meet you there later.

**Aelita: **Alright.

_Everyone walks out except Jeremy. He starts to head towards the door. . _

**Yumi: **Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **Y…yes?

**Yumi: **You said Moriarty showed live videos of us to you to scare you. Wh…what exactly did you see…in the rec room?

**Jeremie: **He showed me enough. _Blushes a little at the thought. _I wish I had found out about it in better circumstances. I don't have any excuses. Yumi…I'm so sorry.

_She clenches her fists._

**Yumi: **It's not fair! Everything was going so well, and ..and now I learn that a new threat is here and I can't take it. It's like I'm in a nightmare and I can't wake up!

**Jeremie: **I know Yumi. We're all in the same nightmare. Why don't you go to class? We will handle William.

_He leaves. The scene shifts. Yumi has finally left Ulrich's side and gone to science class instead of going to the factory. The bell rings and Yumi takes a long time leaving the classroom. Even the teacher leaves before her. As she heads for the door, it slams shut and locks. She tries to open it. _

**Yumi: **What, what is this? It's locked! Help! Let me out, I'm trapped!

_Symbol of Moriarty appears on school projection screen. _

**Moriarty: **Now Yumi, let's not start a scene. It would spoil the fun. Besides, I just want to talk.

_Yumi double takes in shock, staring at the projection screen. _

**Yumi: **You. You're…Moriarty?

**Moriarty: **Oh I'm starting to become famous! Next thing I know, the paparazzi will be all over me! But don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you.

**Yumi: **You…You tried to kill us!

**Moriarty: **Kill is such a strong word, Yumi.

**Yumi: **Ulrich and I barely made it out of that fire alive!

**Moriarty: **Yes and I must admire your resolve. Using the foosball table as a battering ram to escape…hmmn…you were persistent. Too bad Ulrich had a bit of a rough exit.

**Yumi: **You are going to pay for that!

**Moriarty: **Oh that reminds me. I suppose congratulations are in order. After all, the boy of your dreams has finally asked you out.

_Yumi turns red_

**Yumi: **That's none of your business!

**Moriarty: **Oh but it is Yumi. You see, this is going to play nicely into my next game. Would you like to play a game, Yumi?

**Yumi: **No! I want you to shut down!

**Moriarty: **Funny, that's what Jeremie told me when I played the game with him. But Jeremie was a poor sport. Using the alarm to warn you, Odd, and your little boyfriend of approaching danger while simultaneously rescuing his beloved was just plain cheating. But this new game is even better.

**Yumi: **I don't want to play a game! I want you to let me out! _Pulls on the door some more. _

**Moriarty: **Oh but Yumi, you have no choice. To start, let me direct your attention to the projector screen

_Screen reveals Nurse's office. Jim and Yolanda are gingerly putting Hiroki on a bed right next to Ulrich, who is still sleeping. _

**Yumi: **Oh no, Hiroki!

**Yolanda: **Ok Jim, what happened?

**Jim: **He was climbing the rope's course in my class and the bar holding the rope up just collapsed all of a sudden. He fell and got knocked out cold. It was so bizarre! First the rec room fire, and now this!

**Yolanda: **Alright, I will take care of it. I don't think anything is broken. He's lucky. Hopefully he will wake up soon. You can go now Jim. I need to call the Ishiyamas about the accident.

_Jim leaves and Yolanda begins to tend to him. Meanwhile Moriarty turns the screen's attention to an electrical socket in between Ulrich and Hiroki's beds that is flickering with electricity, as if waiting to strike. _

**Moriarty: **Oh dear, isn't it a shame when those random rope accidents occur. How unfortunate!

**Yumi: **AS IF HURTING ULRICH WASN'T ENOUGH!

**Moriarty: **Now Yumi, let's not get testy. It's all part of the game. It's similar to the game I played with Jeremie, except a little different. It's called "Who Do I Kill?"

_Yumi backs up, shaking. _

**Yumi: **What did you say?

**Moriarty: **It's quite simple. I am ready to strike both Ulrich and your brother at any given moment. You get to choose who I am going to kill. The other one shall be spared. I give you my word.

_She's horrified_

**Yumi: **And if I refuse?

**Moriarty: **Then I kill them both. It's up to you.

**Yumi: **DON'T YOU DARE HURT THEM!

**Moriarty: **I'm afraid anger will do you no good Yumi. You are only playing into my hands. So who's it going to be? Will it be your little brother? Oh what would you parents think? 'I'm sorry mother and father but I chose Ulrich instead of Hiroki'. I'm sure they would take that very well. I don't know much about Japanese culture, but I'm pretty sure killing your kinsmen is a big no-no. But we can't forget Ulrich. Oh how has that boy fought for you, stayed by your side when you were trapped under a tree slowly freezing to death, saving you from Xana when you were kidnapped, and never hesitated to put his life on the line for you! Is this how you are going to repay him? Not to mention you two finally are open about your feelings. I don't know much about relationships, but I'm pretty sure executing your boyfriend isn't the most romantic of gestures. So who do you love more? Your only brother, or your significant other?

_Yumi collapses in shock. She closes her eyes, trying to convince herself that this really isn't happening. _

**Yumi: **Please, …I beg you…Don't make me do it.

**Moriarty: **I could kill them both if you don't want to pick.

**Yumi: **NOOO!

**Moriarty: **No? Very well, then choose. Ulrich or Hiroki, it's very simple.

_Yumi is beside herself. She cries and pulls her hair in utter despair. _

**Moriarty: **Come on Yumi, I'm not going to wait all day. But then again, watching you writhe in agony is the best part, so you can take your time.

**Yumi: **You're …..sick!

**Moriarty: **I'm afraid compliments won't save them either. Once again I ask, who's it going to be?

**Yumi: **I can't …choose

**Moriarty: **Then you force me to kill them both.

**Yumi: **You can't!

**Moriarty: **I can and I will! You have made your decision, they both must die.

**Yumi: **No, wait, I didn't mean that!

**Moriarty: **You said you couldn't choose.

**Yumi: **I…..

**Moriarty: **Oh, so you CAN choose. So go ahead, I'm not going to wait forever.

**Yumi: **I…will….destroy you for this.

**Moriarty: **I suppose I should be afraid, but unfortunately for you, you won't be able to do it before I kill one of them.

_Yumi goes face down on the floor, crying while trying to consider this impossible option. _

**Moriarty: **If it helps you decide, you always did say your brother was incredibly annoying.

**Yumi: **That doesn't mean I want to kill him!

**Moriarty: **And how many times has Ulrich entertained Sissi's affections for him just to make you jealous?

**Yumi: **Shut up!

**Moriarty: **Even I get bored with emotional suffering after a while. Enough. Decide now or they both die.

_Yumi digs her fingernails into her head until it leaves a mark. She slowly gets up. _

**Yumi: **Forgive me Ulrich

**Moriarty: **Ah, so your decision is made. Very well, although I feel I must tell you, it is hard to forgive someone when you're dead.

**Yumi: **Just don't hurt Hiroki..

**Moriarty: **Hiroki will be spared, but first, I want to hear you say it.

**Yumi: **Say what?

**Moriarty: **Say, "I want you to kill Ulrich"

**Yumi: **YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MIND!

**Moriarty: **Schaeffer always said that I was never IN my mind to begin with. But no matter, since I'm feeling polite, I will kindly ask you again. Please say, "I want you to kill Ulrich."

**Yumi: **NEVER!

**Moriarty: **DO IT OR HIROKI DIES!

_She says it softly, with tears streaming down her face_

**Yumi: **I want you…to…kill Ulrich.

**Moriarty: **I'm sorry, my audio receptors are a little weak. Can you say that again? Louder?

**Yumi: **I will kill you for this.

**Moriarty: **LOUDER OR WATCH YOUR BROTHER DIE!

**Yumi: **KILL ULRICH!_ She's reached the breaking point. _

**Moriarty: **That's more like it! _The electrical outlet buzzes to life and an electrical arm streams out. Yolanda turns and screams, then faints from the shock. Hiroki's still out. Ulrich wakes up and sees the electricity monster prepared to strike. _

**Ulrich: **AAHH! _He braces himself for the worst. _

**Yumi: **I can't watch! _She turns away. _

**Moriarty: **Oh but you MUST! _A science chair comes to life and hits Yumi, causing her to sit down in the chair and get a front row seat to the horror. She is terrified, but she can't turn away. In typical death montage fashion, the electricity monster disappears at the last second. _

**Moriarty: **What? ..NO!

_The screen goes black and the door to the science room unlocks itself. Yumi is utterly speechless and distraught. She gets a call. _

**Yumi: **..Yes?

**Jeremie: **Yumi, GREAT NEWS! Moriarty is just like Xana. He needs towers to launch his attacks, and Aelita can deactivate them as usual. The tower was in the Desert Sector and Odd and Aelita made quick work of his monsters. They aren't near as strong as the ones Xana used to have. Or at least, not yet. With the tower gone, the bug that screwed up William's devirtualization program was removed. He's back safe and sound.

**Yumi: **That's…great news _She's still shaking _

**Jeremie: **Uh, Yumi, are you ok? You sound like you just saw a ghost.

**Yumi: **I nearly did. Jeremie, can we talk later? I….I need some…alone time.

**Jeremie: **Of course Yumi. _She hangs up. _

_Yumi closes the door to the science room, goes into a back corner, and cries bitterly. _

**Part 3**

_Jeremie's room. Everyone in the group has been called to this meeting to understand the new situation with Moriarty, including William. The atmosphere is tense. _

**Jeremie: **Although I will be the first to admit that I was a little bored after Xana was defeated, I hoped that this day would never come.

_Silence. _

**Jeremie: **I know all of you were looking forward to having normal lives. I understand if this new development is too much for you. If you don't want to fight Moriarty, I will not hold it against you.

_Still no one responds. _

**Jeremie: **If there is anyone here who does not want to continue this fight, please speak up.

_Long pause. _

**William: **I proved to be a greater enemy than an ally during Xana's time. I think it would be best if I opted out. I will only be a liability.

**Jeremie: **I appreciate your honesty William, but in your case, you may not have a choice. Moriarty is determined, for whatever reason, to kill you. He said you were a threat to him.

**William: **How could I possibly be a threat to him?

**Jeremie: **You may not remember it, but you fought Moriarty during your Xana possession. There may be some distant memories in your subconscious that could help us. Your nightmares could be important clu….

_Jeremie realized he has accidentally revealed William's personal secret. William is obviously embarrassed and gives Jeremie a condescending look. _

**Aelita: **You're having nightmares?

**William: **…Yes, nightmares of Xana controlling me and torturing me. It happens almost every night. I dread going to sleep. I'd rather not go into details. I told Jeremie because I was desperate. I didn't know what else to do.

**Jeremie: **That's why we started up the supercomputer in the first place. I wanted to run a test on him to see if there was something wrong.

**Yumi: **So you started the supercomputer without telling us?

**Jeremie: **I know…I'm sorry. But William needed help, and I swore to keep his problem a secret. Until just now at least. Sorry William, I got carried away.

**William: **It's fine.

**Jeremie: **Ok so for better or worse, William has to stay with us. But I still need an answer from the rest of you. Odd, are you ready to become a Lyoko Warrior again?

**Odd: **Are you kidding me? I was starting to get bored. Having six months off to do sports and write music and play hilarious pranks on Jim was nice and all, but I was starting to get tired of my vacation from Lyoko. Moriarty better watch out. No one threatens to make a pet out of me!

**Jeremie: **Thanks Odd. I was pretty sure you were going to say yes. Ulrich, what about you?

_Ulrich is sitting on Jeremie's bed. He still has a bandage on his head, but looks mostly good now. He sits in silence for a moment. _

**Ulrich: **I nearly died twice today. Even if I said no, Moriarty is clearly out to get me. He has declared this war, and I intend to answer. I will fight him with every ounce of my being just like I did with Xana. He will regret the day he made an enemy out of me.

**Jeremie: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **This man was my father's enemy. He is partly responsible for his death, and I can never forgive him for that. He is consumed with revenge and is determined to kill me. You know my answer Jeremie. Besides, how else could we deactivate the towers? I have to stay.

**Jeremie: **Well, then I guess it falls to you Yumi. I know that you were the most eager to leave your Lyoko life behind. Do you want to stay?

_Yumi is leaning against Jeremie's closet, still upset. Except her feelings have transformed from sadness into rage. _

**Yumi: **I will destroy him.

_The others are kind of shocked at Yumi's anger. They don't know about the science room incident. _

**Jeremie: **Um, are you sure?

**Yumi: **He will pay for what he has done.

**Jeremie: **Uh Yumi, is there something we need to talk about?

**Yumi: **…No

**Jeremie: **Um, ok. Well it's decided. Moriarty is our new enemy, and he should be treated as such. The question is how? I have scanned the network, and Moriarty hasn't constructed any replicas. I think he is trying…a different approach. He will probably still launch attacks through Lyoko. The problem is, the super scanner wasn't made to detect Moriarty attacks. It will take some time to reprogram the super scanner, meaning we will not get immediate warning when Xana…I mean Moriarty, is attacking. Other than that, it's business as usual.

**Ulrich: **What about long term goals?

**Odd: **Yeah, how do we destroy Moriarty for good? Are you going to modify the multi-agent system?

**Jeremie: **Well… it's not so easy as you think.

**Aelita: **What's the problem? Do you think it might be hard to find a multi-agent program for Moriarty?

**Jeremie: **No, with time, I think I might be able to. But I mean from a moral standpoint, it's difficult.

**Odd: **What do you mean?

**Jeremy: **Xana was just a computer program. But Moriarty is…or at least was…human. If we try to destroy him, we are basically well….murderers. No matter how evil Moriarty is, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we'd be destroying human life.

**Odd: **Oh, …I forgot about that.

**Yumi: **Any humanity he had before has been lost. The supercomputer has made him just as much a machine as Xana. He is evil to the core.

**Ulrich: **Yeah, besides, we have seen what he can do. His destruction is for the greater good. He is determined to kill us and wreak havoc on the world. We don't have a choice. What are we supposed to do? Find a way to materialize him and then send him to the Hague for crimes against humanity?

**Aelita: **I agree, it's kill or be killed. We can't reason with him, and we can't stop him any other way.

_Jeremie considers this for a moment. He doesn't like the idea, but he sees their reasoning. _

**Jeremie: **Ok. I hope I can live with myself for this, but I will start the research. In the meantime you all need to get some rest. With Moriarty against us, we're going to need all the sleep we can get.

**William: **There's just one thing I don't understand.

**Jeremie: **What's that?

**William: **I can understand why Moriarty is out to kill Aelita and me, but why does he want to kill the rest of you? Xana's destruction was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. You did him a big favor.

_Jeremie pushes his glasses higher up on his nose_

**Jeremie: **William, I wish I knew. It's possible that we have done something to upset him without realizing it. But we have to understand that Moriarty's goal is world domination, and since we destroyed Xana, he has every reason to believe we would do the same to him. But he could simply just be evil. Do you remember reading _Othello _last year?

_Ulrich scratches his head _

**Ulrich: **Uh…vaguely.

**Jeremie: **Iago hated Othello for absolutely no reason. He ruined his Othello's life and eventually caused him to commit suicide. Literary critics argue to this day whether or not Iago ever had a motive to destroy Othello. Some think Othello's decision to make Cassio standard-bearer instead of Iago prompted him to revenge. But Iago might not have needed a motive. Just like Moriarty, he wanted to destroy someone just for the sake of reveling in another person's suffering.

_The room is quiet. _

**Aelita: **Well if there's nothing else…

**Ulrich: **Uh.. _Ulrich is trying to make a certain announcement _

**Jeremie: **One more thing. I don't need to tell you to be careful. You already know that. But Moriarty is different than Xana. He wants to break you before he kills you. He knows a lot about us. He knows our weaknesses. Take the game he played with me. I have a…tendency to believe that I can solve anything. He tested me by putting me into an impossible situation in which I couldn't possibly save all of you. We have to believe that Moriarty will do the same to all of us. He will probe your deepest regrets, your darkest secrets, and your worst fears.

_Odd gasps _

**Odd: **NO MORE POTATOES!

**Jeremie: **Uh…most likely worse than that Odd. So far I have been the only victim of his games.

_Yumi looks away. _

**Jeremie: **So you all have to be on your guard. Try to face the inner demons you have been struggling with, before Moriarty takes advantage of them.

**Ulrich: **Um, …_blushes _I have something to say.

_Jeremy grins_

**Jeremie: **Yes Ulrich.

**William: **Um, I got to go. I just realized, I…I'm way behind in physics.

_He exits the room, clearly sad. He knows what the announcement is. _

**Yumi: **William, wait. _He doesn't _

**Odd: **Hmmph. Well, what is it?

**Aelita: **Yeah tell us.

_Ulrich looks to Yumi for her go ahead, but finds none. Instead Yumi looks away, seeming to dread this announcement. Ulrich frowns, but musters courage and says it anyway. _

**Ulrich: **Well, I might as well go ahead and say it. Yumi and I….well… are officially dating.

**Odd: **Yahoo!

**Aelita: **Took you long enough.

**Odd: **Yeah really, what took you so long?

**Jeremie: **We are all very happy for you two.

**Ulrich: **Yeah…

_Applause from the other three. Ulrich takes her hand, but Yumi withdraws. _

**Yumi: **Please Ulrich, not now.

_Everyone stops. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, what's wrong? Aren't…aren't you happy?

**Yumi: **I should be Ulrich... I really should be.

_She walks out of the room. _

**Ulrich: **What just happened?

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, I don't claim to be an expert in women, but something is deeply troubling her. Something must have happened to her today after the rec room incident.

**Odd: **Her brother did have a bad accident today.

**Aelita: **Yeah, but I heard he's fine now.

**Ulrich: **I don't know what it is. But I'm going to find out.

**Odd:** You go get her Ulrich! _He walks out of the room. _Well I thought he would never do it. At least, I always thought you two would beat him to it!

**Jeremie and Aelita: **ODD! _They both blush. _

_As Odd continues to make Aelita and Jeremie feel uncomfortable, Ulrich chases down Yumi in the courtyard. It is night. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, what are you doing?

**Yumi: **What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going home.

**Ulrich: **You know that's not what I meant.

_Yumi sighs. A single tear streams down her cheek. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, please. If something's bothering you, you can talk to me.

_She doesn't respond. _

**Ulrich: **Did I do something wrong?

_More silence. Finally Yumi responds_

**Yumi: **…No. I did. You did nothing. It's not you, it's me.

**Ulrich: **Are you…regretting our decision in the rec room?

**Yumi: **No, well yes…I mean, oh I can't explain it Ulrich. I've done something awful.

**Ulrich: **Yumi, it couldn't have been that bad.

**Yumi: **…You have no idea.

**Ulrich: **Whatever you have done, I don't care. I forgive you.

**Yumi: **Ulrich, I'm not sure you can. But you've proven me wrong so many times. Ulrich, you're wonderful. But even if you can, I can never forgive myself.

**Ulrich: **Talk to me. It's the only way to help.

**Yumi: **Some things are too awful to mention. I…I can't do it.

**Ulrich: **So what does this mean…for us?

_Yumi stops in her tracks. More tears come down her face. _

**Yumi: **I don't know Ulrich, I honestly don't know. Everything happened so fast, then Moriarty came. I just need time to think.

**Ulrich: **So….?

**Yumi: **I'm not changing my mind from this morning. I just…need some space for right now…until further notice.

_She walks off the campus. Ulrich walks back to the school, heartbroken and stunned. In an isolated hallway, he stops to let it sink it. He punches the wall in frustration. _

**Ulrich: **Just when things were going good! Six months, six months just gone! Why does she do this to me? It's always one step forward and two steps back! I can't take it anymore! Why? Why? WHY?

_He sinks to the floor in despair. He stays there for a few minutes, then heads to the room. He comes in without a word to Odd and immediately goes to bed. Odd stays silent. At one point during the night, Odd wakes up to her Ulrich crying softly. Odd rolls over to face the wall, leaving Ulrich to deal with the issue alone. At the Ishiyama's house, Yumi likewise cries herself to sleep. _

**Part 4**

_The factory. Jeremie sits at the computer typing alone. The elevator door opens and Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita walk in. _

**Odd: **So let me get this straight…we're taking the Skid again?

**Aelita: **That's right.

**Odd: **But why? And more importantly, how? I thought the Skid was destroyed.

**Jeremie: **Because Moriarty's plans aren't limited to ruining our day. He is doing something in the network, and I intend to find out. If we are going to defeat him, we got to hit him hard. Moriarty has sent us a clear message; he means business, and we should answer him in kind. And as for the how, I started a repair program for the Skid right before we destroyed Xana and shut down the supercomputer. I thought it was a waste of time at first, but now it seems like I made the right decision.

**Odd: **Sweet! Can I drive?

**Jeremie: **No Odd, for the last time, you're out of practice. Aelita knows how to pilot the Skid better than anyone.

**Odd: **Yeah, well, I'm a fast learner. Just give me a chance to refresh my memory.

**Aelita: **How many scratch marks on the Skid will it take to refresh your memory?

_Jeremie and Aelita laugh, but Yumi and Ulrich remain awkward and silent. The two stop immediately. _

**Jeremie: **So where's William?

**Yumi: **He's at the pool. He'll get here when he can.

**Jeremie: **Alright, we'll start without him. Go to the scanner room and get ready. But be careful, we have no idea what Moriarty is planning. We have to be ready for every-

_Without warning, electrified wires shoot down from the ceiling and wrap around Odd, Jeremie, Aelita, and Yumi. They have hardly time to cry out before they are pulled upward and left dangling helplessly in midair. Their screams are muffled out by the wires wrapping around their mouths. Ulrich stares at them, completely shocked. _

**Ulrich: **Guys, don't move! _Realizes the stupidity of what he just said. _Uh well, I guess you can't. Don't worry! I'll get you down somehow! _Searches the room for anything that might be useful. _

**Jeremie: **Mmm-mmmphmm!

**Ulrich: **That's not really helping me Jeremie. Oh, you guys are too high up! How in the world am I going to do this?

_Moriarty symbol appears on the computer. _

**Moriarty: **Why hello Ulrich. I must say, your friends seem to be in a bit of a jam.

**Ulrich: **Moriarty…_he says it with unrestrained loathing in his voice. _

**Moriarty: **My, my you seem rather angry. I don't see why you should. Why, this is the first time we've met. I'm sure you've heard dreadful things about me from your friends, but really you must make the judgment for yourself. I can be quite civilized occasionally.

**Ulrich: **You tried to kill me…TWICE!

**Moriarty: **Oh you're not going to let a little thing like that get between us are you?

**Ulrich: **Getting killed is a little thing?

**Moriarty: **Well you do make a good point. I suppose I have been rather beastly to you. Is there anything I can do to make up?

**Ulrich: **Well, for starters you could let my friends go.

**Moriarty: **Oh I'm so sorry, but if I did that, it would ruin the little game I had planned. Would you like to play a game Ulrich?

**Jeremie: **Mphmmmh! _Possible translation: Oh S****_

**Ulrich: **No, but you're probably going to make me do it anyway.

**Moriarty: **You're right, but a little courtesy makes everything better. But in all seriousness, you are going to like this game Ulrich. It's called "Who Betrayed Me?"

_Yumi's eyes widen. She can sense where this is going. _

**Ulrich: **Who betrayed me?

**Moriarty: **Ah that is for you to figure out. I can't tell you. But let me ask you something. These friends I have hanging like insects in a spider web, do you trust them with your life? Do you think they would ever do anything to hurt you?

**Ulrich: **No! They would never…well then again, Odd might do something stupid…

**Odd: **Rmmph!

**Ulrich: **…but no. They would never betray me.

**Moriarty: **Really? That is …interesting, because believe it or not, one of your friends up here is a TRAITOR! One of them has stabbed you in the back.

_Ulrich pauses. _

**Ulrich: **I don't believe you. You're crazy if you think I am going to buy into your absurd lies.

**Moriarty: **Believe what you want, one of them is. And you have to guess which one.

**Ulrich: **I don't follow.

**Moriarty: **It's very simple. One of your friends betrayed you, and you have to guess which one. If you guess incorrectly, all of them die except the one who actually betrayed you. If you guess correctly, your betrayer dies and everyone else is spared.

_Brief pause as Ulrich thinks over this. _

**Ulrich: **You're TWISTED!

**Moriarty: **I was hoping for "You're brilliant Moriarty!", but I guess I will have to do with that. And don't try to play the "I don't want to play" card. If you do, all of them die.

**Ulrich: **You'll never get away with this.

**Moriarty: **I already have. So who's it going to be. Is it Aelita, always so sweet and innocent? How could she have turned against you? Then again appearances can be deceiving. Or how about Odd? He may be your roommate, but you've seen before how he can ignore the rest of the group to pursue his own devices. He has always been the comedian, but could he be your betrayer? Then there's Jeremie. Don't forget you and Yumi almost died as a result of his negligence. If he has shown that he's willing to let you die, who says he is not ready to turn his back on you? Oh, and what about Yumi?

**Ulrich: **Enough. I don't know what to think right now, but Yumi would never betray me.

_Yumi turns her gaze away from Ulrich. _

**Moriarty: **Really? Are you sure? Well, that leaves three. That should make things easier for you.

**Ulrich: **This is a trick. My friends would never betray me. You are just trying to drive us apart.

**Moriarty: **I may have…ulterior motives, but that does not negate the fact that someone betrayed you. Whether you believe me or not is not important. You have to guess someone or they all die.

_Ulrich helplessly looks at his friends. He can't find a way out of this. _

**Ulrich: **Guys, I'm sorry. What am I supposed to do? He's going to kill you one way or another. You know I hate doing this.

**Jeremie: **Mmmmph!

**Moriarty: **Time's running out Ulrich. I'm not going to wait forever.

**Ulrich: **This isn't right. This is just a matter of probability.

**Moriarty: **And considering how bad you are at math, I'm afraid your friends are doomed. But don't sell yourself short. Perhaps you noticed it already. Think hard Ulrich. Has any one of them acted rather …strangely towards you lately?

_Ulrich sticks one hand in his pockets and leans against the computer monitor, struggling to find an answer. _

**Ulrich: **No, of course not! They've all been normal. At least…I think so.

**Moriarty: **Are you sure? Think outside the box Ulrich. You are ignoring the obvious.

**Ulrich: **Nothing about this stupid game is obvious! Everyone has been fine except for Yu…._ Ulrich stops in horror. He remembers Yumi's words last night "I've done something awful." _ No…no…it can't be.

**Moriarty: **Oh I believe we have a winner!

**Ulrich: **You're lying!

**Moriarty: **I haven't said anything. You are the one accusing her.

**Ulrich: **I'M NOT ACCUSING HER!

**Moriarty: **You're not? All the signs seems to point to her.

**Ulrich: **She is completely loyal to the group and wouldn't betray anyone. We may have had our problems but she wouldn't do anything to hurt me. She is not a traitor.

**Moriarty: **If you are so convinced I am mistaken, by all means, prove me wrong. But why don't you take a look at Yumi. Look into her eyes and tell me she is innocent.

_Ulrich does so. Yumi looks back at him, unable to speak but tears streaming down her face. Ulrich is immediately crestfallen. _ _He goes to his knees in shock. _

**Moriarty: **The truth hurts doesn't it Ulrich? But if you need any more evidence, I'd be happy to provide it.

**Ulrich: **What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **Just watch….

_Moriarty shows him a clip on the monitor of Yumi telling Moriarty to kill Ulrich. He only shows him the parts where Yumi is screaming for Ulrich to be murdered. Nothing about Hiroki or her internal struggle is shown. Yumi closes her eyes and continues to cry, while Ulrich looks at the computer screen in complete disbelief. _

**Ulrich: **This…this is a hoax. A trick! _He's trying to hold onto to the last string of doubt in his mind. _Kill me? Why? This is absurd! Why would she ever want to do it?

**Moriarty: **People can do desperate things to save their own lives, Ulrich.

**Ulrich: **What?

**Moriarty: **Oh my are you slow! You just don't get it, do you? It's very simple. I played a game with her. I gave her a choice: die, or have you die in her place. She just wanted to save herself.

_Yumi struggles when she hears this bit of erroneous information, but Moriarty tightens the grip across her mouth and gives her a pretty painful electrical shock. _

**Moriarty: **Had Odd and Aelita not deactivated the tower just in time, you would be dead.

**Ulrich: **No….

**Moriarty: **Yes. It's not fair Ulrich, isn't it? You have never hesitated to put your life on the line for her, and the one time she is expected to do the same, she leaves you to die. How does that make you feel?

_Ulrich lowers his head, trying to come to terms with this. Yumi continues to try to show him that the last bit is not true, but to no avail. _

**Moriarty: **I understand if you still don't want to kill her. After all, you have proven to be loyal to your friends even when they are at their worst. But now your loyalties are divided. Do you spare your beloved, whom you know is guilty and kill the others by accusing one of them, even though you know they are innocent? Or are you going to limit the damage by sparing those who were loyal to you and condemn your traitor to death?

_Ulrich doesn't respond. _

**Moriarty: **I just need to hear the words: "Moriarty, I accuse Yumi of betraying me, and condemn her to death."

**Ulrich: **Never…

**Moriarty: **Then you have doomed them all…

**Ulrich: **You were the one who tried to kill me, not Yumi! She was probably…just…scared and panicked. You will prove nothing by killing them! Their deaths will be on your head, not mine!

**Moriarty: **Play the blame game all you want Ulrich. It won't save them. Yumi has betrayed you, and she deserves to die.

**Ulrich: **NO SHE DOESN'T!

**Moriarty: **You may not be an expert in history Ulrich, but humor me. In the olden days, what was the penalty for treason?

**Ulrich: **…Death…

**Moriarty: **Exactly. With such a horrendous crime, death must be administered. Someone must pay the ultimate price.

_Ulrich pulls his hair in frustration as he struggles with feelings of betrayal, confusion, and the horrible decision he must make. Then, suddenly, he gets an idea. _

**Ulrich: **Someone must pay the ultimate price eh?

**Moriarty: **That is correct. So who is going to die?

_Ulrich pauses, resolving himself to the current course of action. _

**Ulrich: **Me.

_Everyone stops. The others look at Ulrich in disbelief, especially Yumi. _

**Moriarty: **What?

**Ulrich: **You heard me, I will die. I will take her place.

**Moriarty: **You were not one of the options. You aren't following the rules of the game!

**Ulrich: **Maybe not, but would you like to play my game?

**Moriarty: **No! Decide on MY terms or they all die!

**Ulrich: **You told me to think outside the box, and I am. I don't see the problem. You don't want to kill them all do you?

**Moriarty: **I will if you refuse to play!

**Ulrich: **But I am playing. I am playing my game.

**Moriarty: **This is outrageous! This is your last chance Ulrich. Yield or they die.

**Ulrich: **Pity, and this game was going to play right into your favor.

**Moriarty: **What are you talking about? Why would I take you when I have four of my enemies at my mercy?

**Ulrich: **Because you know you don't want to kill them yet. You see, you are threatening to murder everyone, with one odd man out forced to psychologically suffer as the others plead for mercy. It's effective I will admit, but to what end? You enjoy seeing us suffer. You enjoy playing these games with us. You want to drag out this fight as long as possible. If you really wanted to kill them, you would have done it immediately. If you kill them all, you will only have me. My trauma from the experience would initially please you, but eventually you will realize you have made a mistake. You probably had other games in mind for the others, but you will lose that chance once they are dead. All your games will be finished, and then what joy would you get from having total victory over humanity? But kill me, and everything is possible. I have shown that I can resist your little games, which is dangerous to you. You'd be better off killing me. The others however, would witness everything and be permanently traumatized. Imagine the guilt Yumi would feel for being responsible for condemning me to death twice! You will break them completely, and you can keep your little games going as long as you want. You could kill them later. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

_Long pause. Moriarty is starting to see the reason in Ulrich's game. He is astounded how Ulrich turned the tables. The others watch in shock. Yumi desperately tries to send him signals not to do it. _

**Moriarty: **You are willing to die for her, after she refused to do the same for you?

**Ulrich: **…Yes.

_Moriarty is flabbergasted. He can't believe what he is hearing. This is the first time Moriarty has been truly caught off guard. _

**Moriarty: **How can anyone be so devoted, after being so horribly mistreated?

**Ulrich: **Why don't you take my offer, and you will find out how devoted I am.

**Moriarty: **You offer is…tempting.

**Ulrich: **You know this is much better than what you had in mind.

**Moriarty: **I don't understand you! This sacrifice…. it's not… logical.

**Ulrich: **Human nature does not always follow logic. Perhaps you forgot that after being in the supercomputer for so long.

**Moriarty: **I have forgotten nothing! Your insolence is beginning to get on my nerves.

**Ulrich: **Then what are you waiting for? Do it.

**Moriarty: **How dare you defy me!

**Ulrich: **What's wrong? Upset that someone finally beat your game?

**Moriarty: **You have proven nothing! I AM IN CONTROL! I could kill them RIGHT NOW!

**Ulrich: **But you won't, and you know it.

_Long pause_

**Moriarty: **Perhaps it is best to just kill you. We can't have any cheaters in my games.

**Ulrich: **So you accept my offer?

**Moriarty: **Give me a moment to think over this.

**Ulrich: **Going once…

**Moriarty: **A decision like this requires thorough consideration Ulrich…

**Ulrich: **Going twice…

**Moriarty: **Alright! You have a deal! Now prepare to suffer the consequences.

_The others are released and are dropped (not so gently) on the floor. Yumi immediately gets up and rushes to Ulrich in tears._

**Yumi: **Ulrich!

_Before she can get to him, wires come out of the floor and completely wrap around Ulrich. One end of the wire is sparking with electricity, ready to kill. _

**Yumi: **NOO! I won't let you take him away from me again!

_She tries to pull the wires off, but she is electrically shocked and thrown backwards. Odd grabs a loose piece of metal from the floor and tries to cut the wires, but suffers the same result. Jeremie and Aelita watch in horror. _

**Moriarty: **GAME OVER ULRICH!

_Ulrich forces out a few words from his strangulation. _

**Ulrich: **Not… if…. William gets to you first!

**Moriarty: **WHAT?

_Suddenly the wires contract and the holomap of Lyoko disappears. Ulrich is freed and collapses to the ground. He gasps for breath. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich! _She embraces him._

**Ulrich: **Not…too…hard…can't _He gasps…._breathe!

_She lets go and lets him catch his breath. The others gather around. _

**Odd: **You're alive! But how?

_Suddenly the elevator door opens and William comes out. When he sees everyone, he breathes a sigh of relief. _

**William: **You guys had me scared to death! I thought I was too late!

**Aelita: **William? But where did you…how did you..?

**Jeremie:** How did you stop Moriarty?

**William: **Simple. I shut down the supercomputer.

**Jeremie: **What?

**Ulrich: **Moriarty's attack was launched through Lyoko. The only way we could have stopped him without Aelita was to shut it down, cancelling the attack. William shut it down to save us.

**Odd: **Alright William! Way to go!

**Jeremie: **A temporary solution, but it worked. But how did you know that we were in danger?

**William: **Ulrich texted me.

**Odd: **What? Ulrich never sent any text. Moriarty would have stopped him if he tried.

_Ulrich pulls out his phone from his pocket. _

**Ulrich: **If there's one thing I'm good at, its texting with my phone in my pocket. Moriarty never noticed.

_Yumi hugs him again, this time with tears of joy. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich….I'm so sorry.

**Ulrich: **It's alright Yumi, you were just scared. Moriarty is responsible for trying to kill me, not you.

**Yumi: **No Moriarty lied to you. I wasn't trying to save myself. He made me choose between you and Hiroki.

**Ulrich: **Hiroki?

**Jeremy: **Oh that explains the freak accident he had. I thought it was too strange to be a coincidence.

**Aelita: **If there was any doubt that Moriarty was completely evil, it's gone now. The thought of making you choose between Ulrich and your own brother! He will pay for that.

_Yumi helps Ulrich up. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, what I did was awful, but I didn't know what to do. He made me say it. I hated doing it, I loathed every second of it, but he was threatening to kill Hiroki if I didn't. I cracked under the pressure….I'm so sorry.

_Ulrich puts his hands in hers. _

**Ulrich: **I forgave you when I thought you were trying to save yourself, and I forgive you now. No one should be forced to decide whether or not to spare or kill a loved one. It wasn't your fault.

_More tears come down her face. _

**Yumi: **When I was tied up, I was waiting for you to tell Moriarty to kill me. I honestly thought I deserved it, and I wasn't willing to let Odd, Jeremie, and Aelita die for my mistake. But then…even when you were told a terrible lie…you refused to do it. Oh Ulrich, how could you offer yourself in my place? I couldn't bear the thought of losing you again! Ulrich…I just…don't deserve you!

**Ulrich: **No. You couldn't be farther from the truth. It's not me you don't deserve. You don't deserve to be mercilessly tortured by Moriarty into being forced to kill me. He was trying to drive us apart, but we are stronger than that.

_The others quietly watch this moment. William is a little sad, but smiles. Odd keeps motioning to Ulrich to make a move already, but Jeremie elbows him in the ribs. _

**Yumi: **I told you that you might prove me wrong, and you did. You're amazing…and please…don't scare me like that EVER again.

_Ulrich blushes. _

**Ulrich: **Uh so does this mean….I mean what you told me last night…do you still want a…break?

_Yumi gives him a sly look. _

**Yumi: **Let me answer that in the following way…

_Without warning she kisses him. It isn't a deep kiss, but it is forceful and passionate. Ulrich nearly falls over. _

**Yumi: **Does that answer your question?

**Ulrich: **Duh…I….uh…think so.. Break over…got it.

_The others clap for them. Both of them blush. _

**Odd: **Finally! I was wondering when your little soap opera would end. It's about time you guys got together!

**Ulrich: **Odd, if I wasn't so happy right now, I'd knock your teeth in.

**Odd: **Well there's no denying it anymore. You two are officially together! Every Kadic girl is going to be crying their eyes out Ulrich, especially Sissi. Oh well, more for me!

**Jeremie: **Well I hate to interrupt this moment, but we've got to start up the supercomputer and deactivate the tower Moriarty was using. Let's get going!

_The others head for the scanner room. Ulrich and Yumi are laughing with each other, but Yumi notices William is still sad. Hours later, in the dorm hallway, Yumi runs across William. William tries to walk by without a word, but she stops him. _

**Yumi: **Hey can we talk for a second?

_William shakes his head. _

**William: **Can't hide anything from you, can I?

**Yumi: **Nope. You have never been good at hiding your feelings.

**William: **So then what's the point? You know everything already.

**Yumi: **Because despite what you may believe, I do care about you, and I don't want to see you miserable all the time.

**William: **Well then, I'm sorry, but I am miserable. I can't help the way I feel about you and no matter how many times I try to get over you, you just keep coming back.

**Yumi: **I know William. But I can't feel the same way. I think you are a great friend and a great guy, and one day some girl is going to be very lucky to have you. But that girl just isn't me.

**William: **You're crazy if you think I'm going to find anyone better than you.

**Yumi: **Oh come on now. There are plenty of great girls out there. I'm sure you can find someone here at Kadic who would love to go out with you.

**William: **Who, Sissi?

**Yumi: **Granted, she's probably not the best choice. But don't worry, you will find her, just give it time.

**William: **I wish I could believe that. I just want to know one thing right now.

**Yumi: **What?

**William: **Are you happy with Ulrich?

_She blushes and smiles_

**Yumi: **Very happy.

**William: **Well then that's that. If I love you, I should want what's best for you. I want you to be happy, and if that means I can't have you, then so be it.

**Yumi: **Thank you. But promise me you won't lose hope, please?

**William: **Even if you're right that there is some girl out there better than you, I still have to suffer in the meantime. I'm not looking forward to it. _He lowers his head. _

_She tries to hug him. _

**Yumi: **Come here.

_He tries to push her away. _

**William: **I don't want any pity affection from you. I'm fine.

**Yumi: **I'm not doing this out of pity. I'm thanking you for saving the day.

_She kisses him on the cheek and walks away. William blushes and smiles. _

**Part 5 **

_A battle rages in the Desert Sector of Lyoko. Twelve Humanoid Moriarty monsters stand between Team Lyoko and the purple activated tower. The Humanoid monsters are grey, with the Moriarty symbol on their chest. Three holes formed together in the shape of a triangle are on their heads. These holes shoot a three-pronged laser blast. They have human shaped feet, but the foot is one unit, there are no toes. Instead of arms, they have two long tentacles that help smack around an opponent. These monsters are not particularly strong. Their only strength is that they can run as fast as a normal human, unlike some monsters. One shoots a laser at Ulrich. He deflects it, and promptly cuts the monster in half with his two swords. Some yards away Yumi cartwheels, dodging some of the lasers. She throws one of her Tessen fans, but misses and it returns to her like a boomerang. William is still inexperienced, pinned up against a rock by two Humanoids, but his giant sword allows him to hold his own. After blocking a volley of lasers, he lowers the sword and charges it straight into the chest of one of the monsters. Odd swoops in on his Overboard and shoots a laser arrow that finishes off the other one. Aelita cautiously approaches the tower, taking out monsters with her pink energy fields but waiting for the path to be cleared. Jeremie is heard speaking to them from the computer. _

**Jeremie: **Watch out guys. You have five Vultures on the way!

_Large monsters flying above the Desert surface appear. They are maroon red, with a long black beak that shoots semi-automatic laser fire. The Moriarty symbol is on their dorsal side, much like the Mantas Xana used to create. Yumi slices one Humanoid monster with her fan and takes a moment to assess the situation with the Vultures. _

**Yumi: **Aelita!

**Aelita: **I'm on it! _Her pink angelic wings come out and she takes to the air. _Come on Odd!

_Odd and Aelita begin the counterattack from the air. _

**Odd: **Hey you ugly pigeons! Which one of you wants to be first? _Vultures respond by shooting at Odd. Aelita and Odd succeed in destroying two of them. _

_Meanwhile William has taken the strategy of drawing the monsters away from defending the tower by slowly retreating, knowing that he isn't strong enough to defeat them with the direct approach. Six humanoids have cornered Yumi and Ulrich, and they accidentally bump into each other when they are backing up. If it was possible to blush in Lyoko, they would have. The monsters have the two cornered. _

**Yumi: **Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

**Ulrich: **That depends on what you're thinking. _An obvious flirtatious sarcasm is in his voice. _

**Yumi: **Plan Delta-G?

**Ulrich: **Got it. _He uses super sprint and runs around in a triangle, creating two extra clones of himself. Yumi takes advantage of the monsters' temporary confusion by jumping above Ulrich's yellow triangle display and launching her two Tessen fans in a wide boomerang arc. The fans take out three monsters, and the rest are taken care of by the three Ulrichs. Ulrich fuses back together and smiles at Yumi. She returns it. _

**Yumi: **I love Delta-G.

**Ulrich: **Why? Because you get to see three versions of me?

**Yumi: **One of you is enough. _She gives him a sly smile. _We just make a good team.

**Ulrich: **I couldn't agree more.

**Jeremie: **Less flirting, more fighting!

**Ulrich: **Who says we can't do both? _They draw their weapons and return to the fight. Meanwhile, Odd has been shot by one of the Vultures and falls from his Overboard onto the Desert floor. He looks up to see two Tigers staring at him. They are black with white stripes and very large, with a Moriarty symbol on their head. Lasers shoot out of their mouth, which is full of sharp teeth. They growl at Odd. _

**Odd: **Uh…nice kitties! _He falls back while shooting laser arrows from his wrist. The tigers give chase. _Guys, a little HELP HERE! _He runs across William, who is still retreating from the Humanoids. They switch places. Odd takes out the Humanoids, and William throws his sword like a Frisbee and cuts the tigers to pieces. Ulrich and Yumi clean up the rest of the Humanoids while Aelita finishes off the Vultures. The battle is over. The others wait as Aelita enters the tower to deactivate it. _

**Odd: **Thanks for the save William.

**Yumi: **Yeah you're getting better and better at this.

**Ulrich: **Way to go. Now that we have five fighters, Moriarty doesn't stand a chance on Lyoko. He can send us as many monsters as he wants, but he's still going to lose.

**William: **Thanks. I am glad I got a second try at this. The last time well…didn't go so well… as you already know.

**Odd: **Oh that's ancient history. What matters now is that we are giving Moriarty a run for his money.

_Aelita exits the tower. _

**Aelita: **Well it's over. Jeremie we're all good on this end.

**Jeremie: **Alright job well done. I'm going to materialize you.

_Out of the digital sea a black and red smoke cloud emerges and suddenly envelops Aelita. Before the others can react, the cloud pulls her toward the digital sea. _

**Aelita: **JEREMIE!

**Jeremie: **Aelita! _He can't understand what he's seeing on his computer monitor. _What's happening?

_She is pulled into the digital sea. The cloud sinks deep into the abyss, below the World Network. Suddenly the blackness of the abyss is broken by the light of a bright red digital sphere, which is connected to red data streams. Aelita and the cloud descend into the sphere. In the virtual world of the sphere, Aelita is placed on a large crystalline platform that lights up the deep blackness that surrounds the platform. Aelita begins to regain consciousness and looks around. _

**Aelita: **What…where am I? What is this place?

**Moriarty: **A little piece of real estate I've staked out in the digital void. Do you like it?

_Aelita looks up in shock. Before her is a massive black-red cloud that frequently expands and contracts its disorganized and shapeless form. Large tentacles come and go from the black and red mass. Suddenly in the middle of the cloud a dark red cloud the shape of a human skull emerges. The sockets glow with a kind of deep, glowing fire. It looks down upon Aelita with a cold and wicked stare. _

**Aelita: **…Moriarty?...

**Moriarty: **In the flesh. Well, at least as much as I can muster. Your father didn't perfect the virtualization program until you came along. Though I must say, I prefer this form, don't you?

_Aelita is terrified. Moriarty seems to reach into her mind and penetrate her deepest fears and bring them to vivid clarity in her mind. She summons two energy fields. _

**Aelita: **…I…I'm not afraid of you Moriarty. If you brought me here to kill me, I won't go down without a fight.

**Moriarty: **Kill you? Oh Aelita dear, why would I want to kill you?

**Aelita: **You have tried twice already. Besides, you want revenge. You won't rest until I'm dead.

**Moriarty: **Oh Aelita, one says things one doesn't mean to say when one is upset. Jeremie took my words…out of context. It's true your father and I did not always get along, but why would I dishonor his memory by killing you?

**Aelita: **You have dishonored EVERYTHING! My father, Lyoko, your country, and all of humanity. I have every reason to believe you want to kill me.

_Moriarty leans closer to her. She backs up in horror. _

**Moriarty: **Such vicious slander coming from such a pretty girl. Is that any way to treat the last living person from your old life?

_Aelita summons energy fields again. _

**Aelita: **You are responsible for my father's death, and you WILL pay.

**Moriarty: **Oh the lies! You and I both know that Xana killed your father.

**Aelita: **You screwed up our virtualization programs so my father and I couldn't return to Earth! You left us there to die at the hands of Xana!

**Moriarty: **Let's not throw stones Aelita. Your father condemned me to this prison and set his attack dog Xana on me. Besides, you're wrong. Your father is not dead. There is still hope.

_Aelita pauses. She can't believe what she is hearing. Her mind keeps telling her that Moriarty is lying to her, but her heart leaps with joy at the faintest possibility of being able to rescue her father. _

**Aelita: **What are you talking about? I…I saw it happen…myself.

**Moriarty: **True, but have you ever heard of a backup file?

**Aelita:** …Yes, but there's no way…Jeremie has searched everywhere for him on the Network. There are no files…he's gone.

**Moriarty: **Oh but you're wrong Aelita. There is a file, a little tiny piece of your father's genetic code that I have saved for a rainy day such as this one. Jeremie couldn't find it because I wanted to keep it my little secret. Of course, now that I have you alone, I couldn't wait to tell you the good news.

**Aelita: **Stop it! I'm not going to fall for any of your tricks! My father is dead.

**Moriarty: **Your lack of faith in me is simply killing me inside. Aelita, don't you trust me? Oh well, I knew you would have to have evidence to believe me.

_A panel appears near Aelita, showing a screen displaying a rotating DNA sequence. Aelita cautiously approaches and examines it. The more she sifts through the data files, the more she realizes that what she is looking at is real. She rapidly checks again, looking for any sign that it is a hoax. A picture of Waldo Schaeffer appears on the screen, and she backs up in shock. _

**Aelita: **Daddy…

**Moriarty: **Do you believe me now?

**Aelita: **His genetic sequence, it's all intact. Jeremie…he…we could bring him back.

**Moriarty: **And of course I want nothing but for you two to finally be reunited. I am ready to hand over this data to you. However, such a precious commodity is not free. I require a little something from you first.

_Aelita closes her eyes. She knows what is coming. _

**Aelita: **I was afraid you would say that.

**Moriarty: **Yes. At the risk of repeating myself, Aelita, would you like to play a game?

**Aelita: **I have been dreading this day…

**Moriarty: **But it has come. Aelita, as I have said before, I am willing to give you this data, and I am a man of my word. However, I need you to do me a favor.

_Another panel appears right next to Waldo's genetic sequence panel. _

Are you familiar with Sector 5?

**Aelita: **…Yes…

**Moriarty: **Well, Xana so rudely locked me out of this sector. Although he is dead, the program he created to lock me out is still functioning, and I am forbidden to enter Sector 5. The information I could have from Carthage is simply irresistible, but I can't get to it. But you have the keys to Lyoko. Enter your genetic sequence on the panel I have here, and that program blocking me will die. Do this little favor for me, and I give you your father.

_She is shaking and boils with rage. _

**Aelita: **Let me guess, if I don't, you kill my father, right?

**Moriarty: **I'm afraid I'm becoming a tad too predictable. Let's just say if you refuse, my fingers might…accidentally hit the 'DELETE' button.

**Aelita: **YOU MONSTER!

**Moriarty: **No thanks are necessary.

**Aelita: **You and your horrible games!

**Moriarty: **Oh Aelita, I'm simply hurt. I went to such great lengths to make this game for you, and this is the thanks I get? That is no way to convince me to release your father.

**Aelita: **You expect me to betray my friends and endanger the world to save him?

**Moriarty: **In a nutshell, yes. And I have every reason to believe you would.

**Aelita: **Oh yeah, and why's that? Because you think I'm weak?

**Moriarty: **Oh Aelita, it has nothing to do with your weakness. It doesn't matter how strong or weak you are. Take Yumi for example. She is one of the strongest in the group, and look what I did to her. She was on her knees begging for mercy by the time I was done with her. No Aelita, I think you will do it because you love your father, and people will sacrifice the world and everything to save the ones they love. It's only natural.

**Aelita: **You're wrong.

**Moriarty: **Am I? What about Jeremie? He risked the safety of the world by refusing to kill Xana when you were trapped on Lyoko. What do you call that? And let's think on more recent terms. Did he not rush to your aid when you were in danger and left Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi to die at my hands?

**Aelita: **Leave Jeremie out of this!

**Moriarty: **Oh what would he think if you betrayed everyone to save your father?

**Aelita: **Enough!

_She's desperately trying to block him out. _

**Moriarty: **Aelita, I know you are overwhelmed, but it really isn't that hard. I'm not asking you to _murder _your friends or anything. I just want that key to get into Carthage, that's all. I know it's asking a lot, but it is your own father.

**Aelita: **Just when I thought I was over it….

**Moriarty: **But you never did lose him dear. Or at least, not yet. He is still alive. Whether he remains that way is up to you.

**Aelita: **Please… no…

**Moriarty: **To kill my father or not to kill my father, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the intellectual genius of Moriarty or to take arms against a digital sea of troubles, and by opposing..

**Aelita: **Stop it!

**Moriarty: **Oh how rude! I was on a roll. You know I used to be a Shakespearean actor back on Earth. And on a completely unrelated note, my digital hand is having an uncontrollable spasm in the direction of the DELETE button.

**Aelita: **Daddy…what do I do?

**Moriarty: **Unfortunately your daddy can't answer at the moment. Do you want me to leave a message?

_Aelita balls her fists in anger. She's had enough of Moriarty's taunting. _

**Aelita: **Just what are you trying to prove, huh? What is the point of this? These awful games? Are you so evil that it's the only way to feel any joy? You were human once. What happened to you? Has all this time in the supercomputer drained you of your humanity? We could have helped you. Instead you made us your enemies.

_Moriarty's face contorts a little bit. He hadn't expected this retort. He seems to ponder this. _

**Moriarty: **Oh you are quite right! What have I DONE! To think I would have stooped so low! Perhaps my grudge against your father clouded my judgment. Oh Aelita, you have reached my human side! …Oh… wait a moment. Oh dear, I'm afraid it just died. What a shame. I was just about to release your father.

_Aelita shoots a energy field at Moriarty for spite. Moriarty's cloud withdraws away from the attack and he laughs. _

**Moriarty: **Temper, temper! That little stunt is not improving your father's chances.

_She goes to the crystalline floor in despair. _

**Aelita: **You can't take him away from me! YOU CAN'T! He's…he's the only one I have left.

**Moriarty: **Well then decide dear. Who is more important? Your father, or your friends and the security of the world?

**Aelita: **This is impossible!

**Moriarty: **Your friends have proven that they can choose, and so can you.

**Aelita: **You mean like Ulrich?

**Moriarty: **I would choose another subject if I were you if ever want to see your father alive. I assure you he will pay for his insolence. But this is your battle, and there are NO easy ways out.

**Aelita: **You think you can rob us of our loved ones and get away with it?

**Moriarty: **Hmmn…yes. But it truly pains me to see you suffer. I know how to make it better. I could tell you how much your father loved you. After all, I was his partner for quite a long time, and he occasionally shared things about his personal life.

**Aelita: **He…he did?

**Moriarty: **Oh yes. I can show you.

_A vision envelops Aelita and she is brought back. She sees her father in the factory, working on the computer. _

**Moriarty: **Are you _trying _to get us caught?

_Attention turns to a nearby man in a lab coat. He is bald on top, with grey hair around the sides of his head. He is thin, and although he is well into his middle-age years, he seems to have not lost any mental or physical vitality. His eyes are dark, blue, and cold. Aelita realizes with shock that she is looking at what Moriarty looked like as a human. _

**Schaeffer: **I'm not in the mood to hear your complaints. We have gone too far to stop now.

**Moriarty: **Why don't you just put up a sign that says, "Hey, government agents, renegade scientists working together in an abandoned factory. Come and get us!"

**Schaeffer: **Now is not the time.

**Moriarty: **The energy from the supercomputer is a giant giveaway. There are going to find us if you're not careful. We need to cover our tracks.

**Schaeffer: **You seem to be forgetting that we are supposed to be working for the _good _of mankind. We are not criminals.

**Moriarty: **There are about three dozen government agents currently looking for us that would offer you a second opinion.

**Schaeffer: **They are the ones who are mistaken, not us. I refuse to be chased around France like a hunted animal.

**Moriarty: **So you are being reckless on purpose to prove a point? What about our safety? …What about your daughter?

**Schaeffer: **How dare you accuse me of not wanting to protect my own daughter! That is on my mind every waking moment _He looks at a photo of her from his wallet. She is just a child, carefree and playing with her toys. He sighs_

She is the only one I have left, and I would sacrifice everything to protect her from this mess. I will make sure that NOTHING brings her any harm!

_The vision is gone and Aelita is left on the platform. If it were possible to cry on Lyoko, she would have. _

**Aelita: **Why…Why?

**Moriarty: **So what's it going to be?

**Aelita: **I can't…do this.

**Moriarty: **Oh but you must.

**Aelita: **I can't….I won't…do it.

**Moriarty: **Refusing to make a decision is equivalent to refusing to giving me the keys to Carthage. Ergo, your father must die.

**Aelita: **NO!

**Moriarty: **Oh YES! You should be ashamed of yourself, dooming your own father. Why even Yumi wouldn't stoop to that level. After all, how could he ever forgive you? You will only delay me by refusing. I will find my way into Carthage one way or another. You will doom your father, and gain nothing.

_Aelita puts her face in her hands in despair. _

**Moriarty: **Unless of course, you change your mind. This is your last chance. Give me the key, or lose your father forever. You will be all alone in the world, with no family to turn to.

_She's at the breaking point. She withdraws deep into herself, trying to avoid reality. Then she thinks of something and gets up. _

**Aelita: **You're wrong. I DO have a family.

**Moriarty: **I'm sorry, come again?

**Aelita: **My friends are my family now. Odd, Yumi, Ulrich, William, and …._she smiles _Jeremie. They have been my family ever since Jeremie started the supercomputer. And I will fight WITH my family no matter what you try to do to me.

**Moriarty: **Interesting…but…

**Aelita: **And what's more, my father would never allow you to win. He wouldn't be willing to let me destroy everything to save him. He would willingly die if it meant stopping your madness. For all the time you two worked together, you know nothing about him.

_Moriarty's smoke face burns in anger. _

**Moriarty: **You have sealed your father's death, Aelita. I hope you can live with it. As for you Waldo, if you can hear me, I have been wanting to do this for such a LONG TIME! I am going to enjoy EVERY SECOND OF THIS!

_Schaeffer's genetic code begins to delete. Aelita runs to the panel and tries to stop it. _

**Aelita: **DADDY NOOOO!...I'm…I'm so sorry…. _The panel disappears. Her father is gone for good. She collapses to the floor in utter shock. She can't move, she can't even process what she's just seen. _

**Moriarty: **Well that was fun. No then, since I have already gotten rid of one Schaeffer today, I might as well finish the job. Prepare to join your father Aelita!

_Moriarty edges closer to attack. The fire in his socket flares up, as if he's ready to launch it at her. Aelita crawls backwards, trying to avoid him. But right before Moriarty strikes, torpedoes strike Moriarty in the head. The smoke temporarily dissipates and he reels back. Aelita turns to see the Skid arriving to the rescue, with Odd driving while the others are in their smaller Nav Skids. Odd is clearly enjoying driving the Skid. _

**Odd: **YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

**Moriarty: **What is the meaning of this!

**Odd: **Moriarty, is that you? Boy are you UGGGGGGGLLLLLYYYYYYY!

**Yumi: **I'll say! Are we too late to join the party?

**Ulrich: **Whatever the case, we're crashing it anyway.

_Odd fires off two more torpedoes that explode in Moriarty's face and he roars in pain and anger with the explosion. _

**Odd: **DIRECT HIT!

**Moriarty: **How? How could you have possibly….?

**Jeremie: **Moriarty, you really didn't think I wouldn't notice an enormous trail of pulsating energy in the digital void that would lead directly to your little hideout, did you? You really should cover your tracks better.

**Moriarty: **If you think you're going to GET AWAY WITH THIS…

**Jeremie: **Maybe not….but for the time being, release Aelita, or I will tell Odd to personally rearrange your face.

**Odd: **And believe me, I would be happy to oblige!

**Moriarty: **I will not be intimidated! AELITA DIES!

_Moriarty tries to reach his smoke arm around Aelita_

**Aelita: **NOOO!

_But the Skid torpedoes begin to tear him to pieces. The other Nav Skids break off and start attacking Moriarty on all sides. Yumi gets in two particularly good shots, and Moriarty howls in pain. _

**Yumi: **You have NO IDEA how much I enjoyed that.

_The others overwhelm Moriarty, and he retreats deep into the digital void. _

**Odd: **Yeah, run you COWARD!

**William: **He's not as tough as he looks.

**Ulrich: **He's definitely ugly though.

**Yumi: **No question about that.

**Odd: **I wish he had stayed. I wanted to knock a few more holes in his head.

**Jeremie: **Alright guys, that's enough. We need to get Aelita home. Aelita, are you alright? Did Moriarty hurt you?

_She closes her eyes. _

**Aelita: **More than you could ever know…

**Jeremie: **One of his games?

**Aelita: **Yes…

_Silence consumes the small dark sphere. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, take her home.

_Scene shifts. The others are being devirtualized and are coming out of the scanners. Aelita is the last to exit. Jeremie waits for her outside the scanner. She comes out, with the smoke enveloping her crestfallen face. She stares at Jeremie, and he returns her gaze. There is a brief moment of silence. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita….I….I was so worried.

_She leaps into his arms and cries with wild abandonment. She goes to the ground but Jeremy holds her and lowers himself with her. The others watch and listen as Aelita, through her tears, tells them the awful story. Scene shifts to the others walking back to the factory with the feeling that they have won a Pyrrhic victory. No one speaks. Aelita is walking at the back of the group. Jeremie gives Aelita her space. But Yumi comes back to have a girl-to-girl talk. _

**Yumi: **Hey...

**Aelita: **…Hey

_Brief pause. _

**Yumi: **What you did…in the void. That sacrifice… I'm not sure if I could have done it. It took a lot of courage to stand up to him. I just wanted to say that…if it's any consolation.

**Aelita: **It isn't.

_Yumi frowns. She regrets being too blunt. _

**Aelita: **But thank you anyway.

**Yumi: **He won't get away with it.

**Aelita: **No amount of revenge can bring him back.

_Yumi sighs_

**Yumi: **…True. I just wanted to say, if you needed someone to talk to, I'm here.

**Aelita: **Thank you…_she smiles_

**Yumi: **You fared far better with Moriarty than me. He made me a traitor…

**Aelita: **Can you make me a promise?

**Yumi: **What?

**Aelita: **NEVER call yourself a traitor again. You have been one of the bravest in this fight. Anyone else who suffered what you did wouldn't be able to handle it. I don't want to hear you say that about yourself ever again.

_Yumi is a little surprised at this reaction and turns away with this compliment/admonition. _

**Aelita: **Besides, look what became of it. You and Ulrich are together now.

**Yumi: **Yeah…_she smiles _

**Aelita: **So why is it that you are here, and he is way over there? _There is a little sarcastic tone in her voice. _

**Yumi: **Because I wanted to talk to you. Besides, you have no room to talk.

**Aelita: **How so?

**Yumi: **Jeremie is way up there, and I see no pink-haired girl with him….

**Aelita: **Should have known you would turn the tables. _She blushes. _

**Yumi: **Do you know what he did for you?

**Aelita: **No, what?

**Yumi: **When Moriarty captured you, he went on the rampage. He immediately made us start the search, and wouldn't rest until he had found you. At several points we tried to tell him that searching for you in the digital void was impossible since we didn't know where to start, but he was persistent. Even when we found the digital sphere, we couldn't enter it. But Jeremie wasn't about to let that stop him from saving you. He tried every hacking technique he could think of until we finally could get in. The guy spent the whole afternoon killing himself to find you. We weren't the real ones who saved you, he did.

_Aelita pauses and lets this information sink in. She blushes again. _

**Yumi: **He really cares about you.

**Aelita: **I know…

_Yumi puts her arm on Aelita's shoulder. _

**Yumi: **Then why don't you act on it?

**Aelita: **Why didn't you for such a long time?

**Yumi: **Touché. Do as I say, not as I do.

**Aelita: **You're right. But I don't want it to seem like I am pressing the issue because I am upset over my father's death. I don't want it to look like I need him for consolation.

_Yumi stops her in her tracks. _

**Yumi: **You're wrong. He's the one that needs you. He's a guy, so he won't admit it. But he still needs you. He may not show it, but he's worried. He doesn't know how to beat Moriarty yet, and he's afraid that the next fight with Moriarty might be his last. The weight of the world is on his shoulders, and he needs someone to help him carry it.

_Aelita smiles. _

**Aelita: **Thank you Yumi. I will…think about what you've said.

**Yumi: **Good to hear. Now if you will excuse me, I have a sulky boyfriend to deal with…

_She walks up to Ulrich. The scene shifts. This time Jeremie is walking Aelita to her room. _

**Jeremie: **If there's anything you need…anything at all, just let me know.

**Aelita: **You've done so much for me today already Jeremy. What I want is for you to take a break and get some sleep. Moriarty can wait.

**Jeremie: **I hope so. I'm worried. Moriarty has played games with all of us except for Odd and William. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be them right now.

**Aelita: **What could Moriarty possibly do to Odd? He's unbreakable.

**Jeremie: **Maybe threaten to reveal Odd's smelly feet secret.

**Aelita: **Yes but…everyone knows about that.

_They laugh. Then a moment of silence ensues. _

**Aelita: **I was thinking…

**Jeremie: **About what?

**Aelita: **The night you walked me to Yumi's house, the night after you materialized me.

**Jeremie: **Oh really…._he scratches his head and turns red. _

**Aelita: **I was scared…about Xana's virus, about living in the real world and what it would be like. But I remember thinking, "It's going to be ok."

**Jeremie: **How did you get so optimistic?

_They reach the door to her room. She leans close to him. _

**Aelita: **Because I knew you would be there with me.

_She kisses him and Jeremie though initially shocked, returns the kiss. She stops and holds his hand. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita…I…uhhh

**Aelita: **Thank you for saving me. Moriarty has taken a lot from me today…but not everything.

_She enters her room and Jeremie stops dumbfounded for a moment. Then he heads back to his room with a beaming smile on his face. _

**Part 6**

_The Kadic cafeteria, lunchtime. It's a beautiful sunny day. In the lunchline, Ulrich is confronted by his not so secret admirer, Sissi Delmas. She begins to do what she does best. _

**Sissi: **Why hello Ulrich dear…

_Ulrich cringes and rolls his eyes. _

**Ulrich: **I should be used to you calling me that Sissi, but now you have no excuse. I am in a relationship, and you need to respect that.

_She feigns shame and forgetfulness. _

**Sissi: **Oh of course! How silly of me. You and Yumi have gotten together. I completely forgot.

**Ulrich: **Considering that you are the first to hear any gossip at Kadic, and since Odd promptly spread the news like wild fire, I find that hard to believe.

**Sissi: **I'd be lying to you if I said that the news has not killed me inside…

**Ulrich: **My heart is simply breaking for you….

**Sissi: **Oh so now you're mocking me?

**Ulrich: **What was your first clue?

**Sissi: **Very well, have it your way. _She leans in close to whisper something in his ear. _But this really hasn't changed anything. In my mind, you and Yumi have been together from the moment you two met, and I was just as determined to get you. The only difference now is that you two admit it. The game hasn't changed.

_Ulrich stares at her with contempt. _

**Ulrich: **If you think for one second that I would ever cheat on Yumi…you're out of your…

**Sissi: **Oh NOO! I would never dream of you doing such a thing. But then again…they do say forbidden love is the most romantic.

_Ulrich is starting to get annoyed, but suddenly his face changes and he smiles. _

**Ulrich: **Really? So humor me, exactly what is your plan to get me this time?

**Sissi: **Oh it's rather simple. Everyone knows couples are bound to get into fights. All I need is the right opportunity when you two are at each other's throats, and you will leave her for me.

**Ulrich: **That's interesting. What if we don't break up?

_Sissi gives her a sly look_

**Sissi: **Then what Yumi doesn't know, won't hurt her.

**Ulrich: **I will give you one thing, you are persistent.

**Sissi: **For you, I would be a fool not to be.

**Ulrich: **Of course, you may not be alive much longer to try.

**Sissi: **What? What are you talking about?

**Ulrich: **Turn around…

_Sissi turns around and realizes with horror that Yumi has been behind her for the last bit of the conversation, hearing every word. Anger and hatred are clearly evident in the look she is giving Sissi. _

**Sissi: **Oh, Yumi….I uh…didn't see you there. Uh…how long have you been behind me?

_She doesn't answer but intensifies her hateful glare. _

**Sissi: **I just remembered, Daddy wanted me to stop by his office. I…got to go..

_Sissi runs away. Ulrich chuckles to himself. _

**Yumi: **You enjoyed that way too much.

**Ulrich: **I'd be lying if I said I didn't.

**Yumi: **Can I claw her eyes out now?

**Ulrich: **I'm pretty sure Delmas wouldn't appreciate that.

**Yumi: **It would be worth it.

_They sit down at the lunch table with Odd, Aelita, and Jeremie. William is not with them at the moment. Aelita and Jeremie are talking and laughing. They have clearly become closer since Moriarty's last game. Odd is trying to engage them in conversation, but they seem too preoccupied with each other. _

**Jeremie: **Hello

**Yumi: **Hello.

**Jeremie: **You look a little tense Yumi, is something wrong?

**Yumi: **No…

**Ulrich: **We just might want to keep her away from Sissi for a while.

**Yumi: **Do you enjoy watching me react like that?

**Ulrich: **Maybe a little bit…

**Odd: **Hey, I was wondering, now that you two are together, how come we don't see you holding hands and stuff on campus?

**Ulrich: **Uhh…we've already…discussed that.

**Yumi: **It's not that we want to keep it secret...

**Ulrich: **We just aren't openly romantic people.

**Yumi: **We prefer to keep it to ourselves, you know.

**Jeremie: **Fair enough

**Aelita: **That makes sense.

**Odd: **Killjoy

_They ignore Odd's comment. _

**Yumi: **So, I have a funny story about Ulrich at my parents' house last weekend.

**Ulrich: **Oh no….

**Yumi: **What's the matter? Don't want me to tell them?

**Ulrich: **You're going to anyway….

**Aelita: **What is it?

**Yumi: **So Ulrich has been learning basic Japanese from me to impress my parents when he visits, and he tried it out at my house last time.

**Jeremie: **Yes…go on.

**Yumi: **So after dinner he tried to thank my mom for the food in Japanese. Unfortunately he screwed it up a little bit…

**Jeremie: **What did he say?

**Yumi: **Instead of saying, "Thank you for the food Mrs. Ishiyama." He said, "My pants taste like salami."

_Everyone laughs except Ulrich. _

**Yumi: **Hiroki laughed so hard milk came out his nose.

**Jeremie: **How did her parents react?

**Ulrich: **Uh…let's see, Yumi's dad drank his coffee the wrong way and began coughing and I'm pretty sure Yumi's mom nearly dropped a plate of food.

**Aelita: **I hope you corrected yourself.

**Ulrich: **Yumi rectified the situation. But it was still kind of embarrassing.

**Odd: **I'll say. Just don't make that mistake near Kiwi. He might take it literally.

**Ulrich: **Yeah…yeah…

_Scene shifts to midafternoon. Odd approaches Ulrich in the hallway after class. _

**Odd: **Hey Ulrich

**Ulrich: **Yeah?

**Odd: **You ready for the big night tonight?

_Ulrich gives Odd a quizzical look. _

**Ulrich: **What big night?

**Odd: **Our jam session? Don't you remember? Delmas said it was ok if we used the gym tonight. It's going to be SWEET!

**Ulrich: **Oh….I…totally forgot. _He scratches the back of his head. _You see, I might have already made plans…

**Odd: **What? But Friday night has always been our jam session. It's tradition.

**Ulrich: **Well, we're going to have to break tradition. I'm going out with Yumi tonight.

**Odd: **Again?

**Ulrich: **Well yeah, it's kinda what you do in a relationship Odd.

**Odd: **You know, I hate to say it, but you have gotten kind of lame ever since you started going out with Yumi. All you do is hang out with her. Hello, best friend over here!

**Ulrich: **Look, I'm sorry, but I can't go tonight. But next week, I promise to do something with you.

**Odd: **Funny, I should believe that, but you said the SAME THING last week.

**Ulrich: **I did?

**Odd: **Yeah you did. I'm not an idiot Ulrich, I can see what's going on here.

**Ulrich: **Alright I get it! Look, I admit I have been a bit distracted, but I promise I will hang out with you …as soon as I can.

**Odd: **Don't bother. I wouldn't want to get between the two love birds. See you later

_Odd walks off. Ulrich feels a little guilty, but brushes it off. Meanwhile the scene moves to Jeremie's room. Odd walks in to see Jeremie working on the computer. _

**Odd: **Hey, Jeremie, can I come in?

**Jeremie: **Um… sure.

_Odd does. _

**Odd: **What are you up to?

**Jeremie: **I'm beginning a scan of the Network. I'm trying to see if there are any more of Moriarty's spheres out there.

**Odd: **Like the one Moriarty dragged Aelita too?

**Jeremie: **Exactly.

**Odd: **Any luck on how to destroy them?

**Jeremie: **The scan will also try to collect data for that. Alright just a few minor adjustments and bingo. It's ready. Now all I have to do is start the scan.

_He launches it, and the computer begins to process the data. _

There. It will take several hours, but soon we might know something more about Moriarty. There's nothing for me to do now but wait.

**Odd: **So let me get this straight, you have nothing Einstein-ish to do tonight?

**Jeremie: **Well no, not at the moment.

**Odd: **Good then you're free tonight. That's great. Ulrich is being so lame. How bout we hang out?

**Jeremie: **Uh…I'd love to, but I can't.

**Odd: **What? But I thought you said you had nothing Einstein-ish to do.

**Jeremie: **I'm going on …a date with Aelita…_he blushes. _

**Odd: **WHAT? Am I the only one in this group who's not falling over themselves with love? This is so ridiculous. Why don't you all just go on a double date while you're at it.

**Jeremie: **Uh, we are.

**Odd: **WHATTTTT?

**Jeremie: **Didn't Ulrich tell you? We've been planning it for a week now. We are hanging out, but it's still a couple's thing…

**Odd: **So all four of you are hanging out….without ME?

**Jeremie: **Well, sort of. You can come too I guess, if you bring a date or something…

**Odd: **First of all, every girl on this campus has already heard too much about me to even think about going out with me. Second of all, since all of you went behind my back, I don't even want to go.

**Jeremie: **I'm sorry Odd, but…well things just happen, and we need some time for ourselves.

**Odd: **Are you and Aelita even going out?

**Jeremie: **Uh…well things have definitely gotten more …intimate in the past week or so, but we prefer to just let things happen. We aren't going to define our relationship. That's what caused Yumi and Ulrich problems for so long. They were too concerned about strict definitions of romance.

**Odd: **So what am I supposed to do?

**Jeremie: **Oh, I don't know. Why don't you hang out with William? He's technically one of us now. Only Yumi really knows him very well. Why not try that?

**Odd: **I'd prefer not. He's probably writing poetry about how he can't be with Yumi…blah…blah blah. We don't really have much to talk about.

**Jeremie: **Well then, I don't know what to tell you.

**Odd: **Thanks for the help. _He starts walking out. _Hey, wait a minute. I see what's going on. You're taking advantage of Aelita's emotional state to make a move on her!

**Jeremie: **Uh….

**Odd: **Am I right?

**Jeremie: **You may be right but…

**Odd: **But what?

**Jeremie: **Sue me. You would do the same in my situation. Besides, she does need me, and that's that. Now if you will excuse me, I gotta get ready for tonight.

_Odd walks out of the room in a huff and comes to his own room. He enters to find Kiwi, his dog, waiting for him. He begins to pet Kiwi. _

**Odd: **Well at least you don't abandon me, my little diggity dog.

_But it does little to improve his mood. He stays cooped up in his room. Hours pass. He goes around the room doing various things such as playing guitar, listening to music, even reading, but it does no good. He lays on his bed staring up at the ceiling in despair. He closes his eyes and tries to rest. Suddenly he gets a call on his phone. He lets it ring three times, then finally answers it. _

**Odd: **Yeah, what is it?

**Jeremie: **Hey Odd. _Odd hears background noise of Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi laughing. _Sorry to bother you, but since you're still at school, I was wondering if you could… uh… check on my scan of the Network. It should be complete by now, and I'd rather not wait until I get home to find out. _More laughing. _It seems we might be staying out longer than we thought.

**Odd: **Are you serious? You want me to stop what I'm doing to check on your precious scan?

**Jeremie: **Come on Odd, it won't take but a few minutes. Be a pal, alright?

_Odd overhears Aelita talking to Jeremie. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, you better not be trying to work behind my back. You promised you wouldn't bother with the supercomputer tonight.

**Jeremie: **Uhh…of course not. I was just asking Odd to uhhh…pick up my laundry. If I don't get it picked up somehow, I will have to wait till morning.

**Aelita: **Oh, ok as long as its just that.

_Jeremie whispers into the phone. _

**Jeremie: **Text me the results.

_He hangs up. Odd yells at his phone. _

**Odd: **Why that little…piece of ….

**Kiwi: **Roof! Roof!

_Odd begins talking to Kiwi. _

**Odd: **I have half a mind to let you use his computer as a fire hydrant!

_Kiwi wags his tail at this idea. _

**Odd: **Well I guess I got to do it, "as a pal".

_Odd enters Jeremie's room and looks at the computer. He leaves the door open. He looks at the computer, but he's puzzled. _

**Odd: **What does he expect me to do? I can't understand all of this nonsense! For all I know, this data could be telling me that Moriarty is ordering a pizza!

_He stares at the computer for a little longer. Then he reaches for his phone to call Jeremie. But before he does, the door closes on him without warning. _

**Odd: **Huh…? _He tries to open the door, but it's locked. _What the? I'm trapped! What the heck?

_The Moriarty symbol shows up on Jeremie's computer. _

**Moriarty: **Why hello Odd. It's been a while.

_Odd looks at the screen with alarm. He is still holding the handle. _

**Odd: **Moriarty…

**Moriarty: **Surprised to see me?

**Odd: **A little… _He's afraid, but trying to hide it under his "taking nothing seriously" attitude. _So, you aren't still mad about me blowing a few holes in your face are you?

_An electrical current runs through the door handle and gives Odd a rather nasty shock. He falls to the floor. _

**Moriarty: **Of course not Odd. I would not DREAM of holding that against you…

**Odd: **Owww…

**Moriarty: **But where are your friends? It's Friday night, shouldn't you be together having fun?

**Odd: **In theory…

**Moriarty: **Oh I see, the lovebirds have gotten caught up in their little fantasy and have kicked you to the curb. Oh Odd, you have my deepest sympathy.

**Odd: **Shut up no one asked you!

**Moriarty: **To think that your friends would be callous…

**Odd: **I would have a good comeback to that if I knew what 'callous' meant.

**Moriarty: **My apologies. You must understand, my last game was with Aelita. I will try to limit my advanced vocabulary for your sake.

**Odd: **Hey, are you calling me stupid?

**Moriarty: **I prefer the term 'mentally challenged'.

**Odd: **Alright enough! I'm not an idiot, I know you haven't trapped me here just to insult me. So get it over with or let me out!

**Moriarty: **My, my, you seem very confident about our game. Aren't you afraid of what I have in store?

**Odd: **Unless it's my nightmare about the death of potatoes, I have nothing to fear. You got nothing on me!

**Moriarty: **I see. Well, I assure you I would never sink to the level of trying to exploit your quite…irrational fear of potato blight. I must admit you…were a difficult case.

**Odd: **Ha, I knew it! _He's got a beaming face of confidence. _

**Moriarty: **Not so fast…I said you WERE a difficult case. As in, my problem finding a game for has already been solved.

_Odd now looks a little more nervous, but he quickly puts on the macho countenance again. _

**Odd: **What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **As I said, you were difficult. You don't have the hubris of Jeremie, thinking you can solve any problem. You also don't have the conflict between love and duty such as the case with Ulrich and Yumi. Unlike Aelita, I can't use a painful family past against you. So the question was, what do I do with you?

**Odd: **And..?

**Moriarty: **I determined that the only way to get to you was some possible skeletons in your closet. I thought I wouldn't find any, but boy was I proven wrong!

**Odd: **What do you mean?

_A blurry traffic photo appears on the screen. Odd examines it. _

**Odd: **I can't even tell what I'm looking at.

**Moriarty: **Let me …clean it up for you. _Moriarty makes it clearer. Odd looks at it for a split second, and then his jaw drops. He is speechless and backs up in shock. In the picture Odd is driving an Audi A6. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, well I believe…isn't that YOU? Aren't you too young to drive? But what's this?

_He cleans it up more. _

**Moriarty: **Police cruisers. That's strange. Wait a moment…Odd, are you…RUNNING AWAY FROM THE POLICE?

_Odd's eyes are wide in terror. He is shaking all over. _

**Moriarty: **For shame Odd! I expected better of you. I thought you were a hero, not a criminal.

_Odd goes to his knees and puts his face in his hands, trying to make himself believe this isn't happening. _

**Moriarty: **I couldn't believe it myself. I naturally wanted to dispel any possible rumors about you, but when I checked the police logs, it seems that they are still looking for an Afro-French girl and a young male suspect with obnoxiously large spiked hair. How they didn't find you on that description alone is beyond me. You can imagine how devastated I was to learn this….I am truly disappointed in you.

_Odd gets up, his knees shaking. The room is spinning, and he braces himself against Jeremy's dresser. _

**Moriarty: **I'm intrigued…who is the girl in this picture? _The photo zooms in on Samantha in the passenger seat. _

_Odd tries to speak but fails. He digs his hands into his hair, trying to compose himself. _

**Moriarty: **What's the matter Odd? You seem pale. Are you sick? I would be too after I did a thing like that and thought I had buried it for good. You know, your case is still open. The police are still looking for you.

_Odd begins to break out into a cold sweat. _

**Moriarty: **Of course, the police have no evidence and no leads. Unless of course, a responsible citizen gives the police a tip that leads to that suspect's arrest.

_Odd is almost hyperventilating at this point. _

**Moriarty: **I'm sure you can see where this is going. This game is called: "How far am I willing to go?". Do what I say, or in 24 hours, the police are going to get a very helpful tip.

_Odd's anxiety attack is so severe that he reaches for Jeremy's wastebasket and throws up. _

**Moriarty: **I'm sorry to say you might get 2, maybe even 5 years, depending on whether or not they have mercy due to your age. But imagine the consequences! Do you know how much prison ruins a young person's future?

_Odd looks up feebly from the wastebasket. He does his best to control his breathing. Finally he is able to speak. _

**Odd: **What….what do you want?

_A CD pops out of Jeremie's computer. _

**Moriarty: **I have infected this CD with a rather nasty virus. Take it to the factory, put it into the supercomputer, and I will take care of the rest.

**Odd: **What will it do?

**Moriarty: **I suppose I must be honest. The virus will so damage the virtualization programs and the main computer that it will be impossible for Jeremie to make any progress or for you to travel to Lyoko. Even if Jeremie manages after several months or even years to remove it, I will have had free reign to increase my power.

_Odd sinks his head in despair. _

**Moriarty: **I know you must be crushed, being forced to betray your friends and the world for that matter. But then again, the alternative is just as nasty, at least for you.

_Odd covers his face in shame. _

**Moriarty: **Besides, your friends have already turned their backs on you. You have every reason to do the same.

**Odd: **Stop it…

**Moriarty: **What happened to all that confidence Odd? You seem…different. You know I make a good point. Why should you make such a horrible sacrifice for friends who have thrown you out like an old sock?

_Odd doesn't answer. _

**Moriarty: **Do we have a deal?

_Tense silence. Odd looks up with a face of cold resolution. _

**Odd: **I'll do it… _He takes the CD. _

**Moriarty: **Excellent. Remember, you have 24 hours. But I would go ahead and do it now. With your friends gone, it is an excellent opportunity to get it over with.

_Moriarty opens the door. Odd walks out, utterly broken and humiliated. He turns the corner and exits into a dark hallway. Moriarty mutters to himself before he shuts off his connection to Jeremie's computer. _

**Moriarty: **Oh how the mighty have fallen…

_Scene shifts to the front entrance of Kadic late at night. Yumi, Jeremie, Aelita, and Ulrich have returned from the double date. Everyone is in a good mood. The threat of Moriarty is far from their minds. Suddenly Jeremie gets a text. _

**Aelita: **Who is it?

**Jeremie: **Probably Odd.

_But it isn't. _

**Jeremie: **What the…what is this?

_The good mood is suddenly frozen over with concern. _

**Yumi: **What's wrong?

**Jeremie: **I don't recognize the number. Here's the message…It says: Dear Jeremie, Odd is going to destroythe supercomputer. Sincerely, M.

**Ulrich: **What? Did I hear that right?

**Aelita: **So that's Moriarty's next plan? Spreading outright lies to divide us?

**Ulrich: **Really bad ones apparently. Does he seriously expect us to believe something that absurd?

**Jeremie: **No hang on a minute guys….I'm not so sure about this..

**Aelita: **Jeremie, you don't seriously think that Odd would ever…

**Jeremie: **I don't know what to think Aelita. With Moriarty as an enemy, you have to expect the unexpected. No matter how outrageous this message is, we can't underestimate him.

_Yumi sees reason in this statement. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie's right. Besides, Moriarty hasn't played a game with Odd yet. We knew he would attack him eventually.

_Aelita and Ulrich don't believe what they're hearing. _

**Ulrich: **So let me get this straight…you BELIEVE HIM?

**Aelita: **You do realize you're talking about Odd, right?

**Jeremie: **Look, we're not accusing Odd. But we still can't take anything Moriarty does lightly. At the very least, we need to talk to Odd to dispel this rumor.

**Yumi: **Agreed.

_Aelita and Ulrich are on the verge of protesting again, incredulous that their respective guy/girl is throwing Odd under the bus. But before a fight can break out, Odd is seen walking slowly and cautiously through the dark Kadic courtyard. They others see him and stop in their tracks. They see him carrying a CD. Odd notices that the others have seen him and immediately becomes tense. No words are exchanged, but Jeremie and the others realize from Odd's guilty demeanor that there is truth in Moriarty's statement. Odd begins to back up, and the others look at each other in disbelief, not wanting to be the one to question Odd. Any doubt is eliminated when Odd panics and takes off in the direction of the factory. Jeremie's eyes go wide with concern. _

**Jeremie: **Sss….Stop him!

_Ulrich immediately takes off in hot pursuit. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi, take the gym entrance and cut him off! Ulrich's fast, but he may not be able to catch him.

**Yumi: **Got it.

_She runs to the gym. _

**Aelita: **What do we do?

**Jeremie: **Moriarty's done something to Odd, and I intend to find out what. Let's see go to my room and see if we can sort out this mess.

**Aelita: **Alright. _They run towards the dorms. _

_Meanwhile Ulrich is still on Odd's trail. They pass William as he is walking toward his dorm. William pauses and observes the scene with confusion. _

**William: **What the…Ulrich?

**Ulrich: **No time to explain we have to stop Odd! Take the sewer entrance to the factory! _Ulrich keeps running. William springs into action and heads for the sewer. _

_The chase continues. Odd takes the overland path to the factory with Ulrich close behind. Odd gets to the bridge but stops when he sees Yumi and William are blocking his path. Odd is cornered, but the three are unsure, waiting for Odd to make a move. _

**Yumi: **Odd what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?

_He doesn't answer but watches the other three like a wild, cornered animal. _

**Yumi: **Whatever Moriarty did to you, we're here to help you. Don't do this to yourself.

_Odd is starting to break out into a cold sweat again. Yumi can tell he doesn't want to do this, and decides to reach out in sympathy. She takes a few steps forward, lowering her guard. _

**Yumi: **Please…

_Odd takes the opportunity and heads straight for her, shoving Yumi out of the way. She falls and scrapes her knee badly. Odd almost gets free of the trap, but William grabs his arm. This gives Ulrich enough time to begin to grab Odd from behind and try to hold him back. But before Ulrich gets control of him, Odd takes a desperate unintended swing at William and punches him in the eye. William goes down. _

**William: **OWWW! My eye! Ah that hurt! _He grimaces in pain. When he removes his hand, both Ulrich and Odd realize he has a black eye. Odd stops struggling with Ulrich, goes to his knees, and begins to cry bitterly. The others pause for a moment and watch as Odd loses all composure. Later, in Jeremie's room, all of them have gathered with Odd in a chair, getting ready for nothing less than an interrogation. Ulrich bandages Yumi's knee, and Aelita takes care of William's eye. Jeremie processes the data from the infected CD Odd had, and turns to Odd with mixed feelings of anger, disappointment, confusion, and sadness. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, do you have any idea what you have…what you could have done?

_He lowers his head in shame and doesn't respond. _

**Jeremie: **This virus would have given Moriarty TOTAL victory.

_The others stare at Odd. One word clearly blazes through their eyes: Traitor. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, now is not the time to play games. Tell us the truth. Why did you do it?

_A tear goes down Odd's cheek, and he is clearly shaking._

**Jeremie: **Odd!

_Odd takes a deep breath. _

**Odd: **Moriarty found a skeleton in my closet. A really bad, scary skeleton.

**Jeremie: **Bad enough that it was worth endangering the world?

**Aelita: **Jeremie. _She gives him a look that says: "Have patience and hear him out."_

**Jeremie: **Well…

**Yumi: **We're listening.

_Odd digs his hands in his hair in despair. _

**Odd: **Alright. It all started a year ago, when we were still fighting Xana. I got to hang out with Sam for the first time in what seemed like forever. You remember her right?

**Ulrich: **Yes.

**Odd: **So this is what happened….

_Flashback to Odd's story. Odd is in the Audi A6 in an abandoned parking lot somewhere in downtown Paris. Odd and Sam are having "fun" when suddenly a slap is heard. Samantha sits up. _

**Sam: **For the last time, I'm not going that far.

_Odd sits up, blushing. _

**Odd: **Uh…sorry. I just got carried away.

_Yumi interrupts the story. _

**Yumi: **Wait….you two were doing WHAT in the car?

**Odd: **Uh…that's not important. What is important is what happened…later.

_Switch back to flashback. _

**Odd: **Look, I said I was sorry.

**Sam: **You're lucky you're cute, or I'd knock your teeth in.

**Odd: **Ehh…I have no doubt that you would. I'm guessing we're done then?

**Sam: **You got that right.

**Odd: **Alright, let me take you home.

_He starts the car. _

**Sam: **Just be careful.

**Odd: **Why are you so worried? Yeah I'm too young to drive, but as long as I'm careful, the police aren't going to notice.

**Sam: **Whatever… just don't do anything stupid.

**Odd: **Now Sam when have I ever…? _She gives him a sharp look. _Uhhh…point taken. I'll be careful.

_Suddenly police sirens are heard nearby. _

**Sam: **OHH NOO!

**Odd: **What the heck? I haven't even started driving yet.

**Sam: **Odd, we got to GET OUT OF HERE!

**Odd: **What's the big worry? We'll just tell them we borrowed your uncle's car for a spin, they give us a firm reprimand, and we're good to go.

**Sam: **Odd, I lied. This isn't my uncle's car.

**Odd: **It's not? Well then…what are we…._Alarm bells go off in his head as he connects the dots. _You-you mean this car is ssstolen? _He is horrified, scared out of his mind. _

**Sam: **I prefer the term 'borrowed'.

**Odd: **WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WE COULD GO TO JAILLLL!

**Sam: **And if you don't want to go to prison for the next few years, I suggest you punch the gas so we can lose these clowns.

_Odd's jaw drops. _

**Odd: **ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? YOU WANT ME TO RUN AWAY FROM THE POLICE?  
>!<p>

_She leans in close and gives him a hard stare. _

**Sam: **It's either that, or prison. I don't know about you, but I am NOT going to prison for this! So floor it already!

_Odd is torn. He looks at the wheel with uncertainty. The police sirens are getting closer. _

**Sam: **DO ITT!

_Odd panics and does what she says. He punches the gas right as the police converge on their position. A chase begins. Jeremie interrupts Odd's story. _

**Jeremie: **YOU…..DID…WHATT?

_Odd's already overwhelmed with this. _

**Odd: **I PANICKED ALRIGHT! LAY OFF! I….believe me…I'm just as shocked and horrified at what I did as you are.

_The others listen in complete silence. They can't believe what they are hearing. _

**Yumi: **Alright, how did you escape?

**Odd: **The chase didn't last that long. I caught a lucky break…

_The Audi races through the streets. Police are close behind. As Odd turns onto a main street with the police hot on his trail, he sees a construction related road block up ahead. The swift Audi allows him to turn quickly onto a narrow street. The army of police cars however, don't notice the roadblock until they're too late, and are forced to break to prevent from hitting the road block and each other. Odd takes several other turns through the alleyways until he feels he lost the cops. The two get out. _

**Sam: **Split up! If we hurry, the cops won't be able to find us.

**Odd: **Right.

_Both run in opposite directions. Odd still hears the police sirens, but he runs into a large crowd as the Parisian night life begins. He disappears into the crowd and takes back ways to reach Kadic. As he approaches the front entrance, he stops and whispers to himself: "What have I done?" Scene goes back to Jeremie's room. The story is over. _

**Odd: **After that, I told Sam I wanted nothing to do with her. The guilt was hard to bear, but I had no choice. For weeks, I was scared of my own shadow. After a while, I convinced myself that I was home free and as long as I played it cool, nothing would ever come of this nightmare.

_There is a pause. _

**Aelita: **But Moriarty found out about it, didn't he?

**Odd: **Yes. _He bends over and puts his face in his hands. _He gave me an ultimatum: Destroy the supercomputer, or I will tell the police everything.

_Another long pause. _

**Ulrich: **And you gave in…

_Odd flares up in anger. _

**Odd: **WHAT CHOICE DID I HAVE? IT'S EASY TO JUDGE ME IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE IN PRISON?

_Jeremie shakes his head. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, the consequences would have been far worse. The world would have been at his mercy. Were you willing to add that to your conscience?

**Odd: **I'M NOT GOING TO JAIL! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY! NONE OF YOU HAVE BEEN PUSHED TO THE EDGE LIKE THIS!

_Yumi stands up, clearly angry. She balls her fists. _

**Yumi: **You think we haven't been pushed to the breaking point? I was forced to kill!

**Aelita: **My father is DEAD!

**Jeremie: **Do you think it's easy knowing all of your friends are going to die, and you can only save one?

**Ulrich: **How about sacrificing your own life?

_All of them stare at Odd with little sympathy. Only William hangs back, watching what might unfold. Odd begins to cry. He feels like a cornered animal again. _

**Odd: **What….do…..you want from me? I couldn't take it, ok! I…just….I can't….I WON'T…go to jail. I'm…I'm so sorry…

_He cries again. The others' hard looks soften. They have never seen Odd so low, so vulnerable in their lives. The unbreakable one has been broken. _

**Odd: **Please….I beg you….HELP ME! I have 24 hours until Moriarty carries through with his threat.

_A pause. The others are considering their options. _

**William: **Wait. If Moriarty wanted to infect the supercomputer, why did he warn you guys that he was going to do it?

_Jeremie closes his eyes. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty never really wanted to infect the supercomputer. Remember, he wants to continue this fight. He just wanted Odd to be brought to his knees, accused as a traitor by all of us.

_Odd swears at Moriarty under his breath. _

**William: **Couldn't we deactivate the tower? Wouldn't that stop him?

**Jeremie: **That would only delay him. He will keep trying to use this against Odd until he succeeds. Besides, if we tried, he might send the message early.

**Odd: **Please…there must be something you can do.

**Yumi: **Jeremie?

_Jeremie rubs his glasses and shakes his head. _

**Jeremie: **What can I do? Moriarty is going to contact the police one way or another. I don't know how to stop his communications. His frequencies change often. I…I'm powerless.

_Odd is completely broken. _

**Odd: **It's all over. I should've known my past would come back to haunt me.

_The others are heartbroken. They are still hurt at Odd's betrayal, but they can't bear to see this. Ulrich lowers his head and curses to himself. He raises his head with a look of grim resolution. He stands up. _

**Ulrich: **There is….one way.

_Others look at him in shock. Odd looks up with a faint hope. _

**Jeremie: **There…there is?

**Ulrich: **It won't be pretty, but yes, there is a way.

**Odd: **I don't care! Anything to get me out of this nightmare!

**Aelita: **What did you have in mind?

**Ulrich: **I'd…I'd rather not say. All you need to know is, in a few hours, Odd's little problem will disappear forever.

_The others are confused. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, we're going to need more information than that. What are you going to do?

**Ulrich: **Don't worry about it. You're just going to have to trust me.

**Yumi: **Ulrich, we need to know.

**Jeremie: **The risks are too great for us to be left in the dark.

**Odd: **It's only my freedom we're talking about here!

**Ulrich: **I SAID I WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO DO! THE DETAILS ARE MY BUSINESS! LET ME HANDLE THIS!

_He storms out of the room in a huff. _

**Jeremie: **What the heck was that about?

_Yumi rolls her eyes. _

**Yumi: **Don't worry about it. I will deal with it later.

**William: **Do you think he really can take care of it?

**Aelita: **Well, Ulrich's never been one to lie.

**Jeremie: **I guess we're going to have to trust him. In the meantime, there's a tower to deactivate.

**Aelita: **Alright, let's go.

_Everyone stands up, including Odd. As they walk out, Jeremie blocks his path. _

**Jeremie: **Where exactly are you going?

_Odd gives Jeremie an annoyed look. _

**Odd: **To Lyoko with you guys. Where did you think I was going?

**Yumi: **No you're not.

**Aelita: **I'm sorry Odd.

**Jeremie: **Odd, you're going to have to sit this one out. I don't want to do this, but you're banned from Lyoko until further notice. You've lost our trust. We can't afford to make any mistakes with Moriarty. I'm sorry… William, Yumi, and Aelita are going to handle this one.

_Odd is speechless. He feels as if someone has stabbed him in the back. The others walk away. Odd walks slowly to his room and shuts the door. He lays on the bed and stares at the ceiling, withdrawing into his own world as he tries to avoid reality. Meanwhile, Ulrich finds a quiet place outside the building and makes a call on his cellphone. _

**Ulrich: **Dad…It's me. We need to talk.

**Part 7**

_The next day. The sky is cloudy and somewhat cold. Ulrich walks through the forest path, where he sees a man dressed in a very nice tailcoat. The man is stern and businesslike, and as Ulrich approaches him, he regards him with impatience. Ulrich stands a few feet away from the man but does not look in his direction. Instead, they both face west, with their backs against a large tree. _

**Ulrich: **Hello dad. Nice to see you.

**Ulrich's Dad: **Let's not waste time with shallow greetings. I know you called me here for a reason. What do you want? I'm a very busy man.

**Ulrich: **I am aware of that. You have only told me that about three million times.

**Ulrich's Dad: **I don't appreciate your tone. If you want something, that's not the way to go about getting it. First rule of business son.

**Ulrich: **Yeah…uh…whatever. Look, I called you here because….I need a favor.

**Ulrich's Dad: **If you want more money, you can forget about it. I have already been generous enough and have given you more than any student at Kadic needs.

**Ulrich: **I don't want your money, and you know that. Your people can check and see that I have spent very little.

**Ulrich's Dad: **Fine. Then what DO you want?

_Ulrich begins to swallow his pride. He knows he can't let his animosity towards his father endanger Odd's chances. He makes a decent effort at presenting the situation in a polite manner. _

**Ulrich: **My friend, Odd Della Robia, has run into some trouble.

**Ulrich's Dad: **You mean that clown you call your roommate?

**Ulrich: **Yes…that clown.

**Ulrich's Dad: **What kind of trouble?

**Ulrich: **With the law…

_Ulrich's dad shows signs of extreme disapproval. But it is more of a show. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **So what do you want? My sympathy for your friend? If he is in trouble, he gets what he deserves.

**Ulrich: **Not if you intervene.

**Ulrich's Dad: **What do mean 'If I intervene?'

**Ulrich: **Don't play dumb Dad. We both know you and Chief of Police Benoit have a very 'special' agreement.

_Ulrich's dad's eyebrows lower in anger. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **We agreed never to discuss this.

**Ulrich: **We did? Oh….I …..forgot. _He didn't. Ulrich's dad coldly absorbs this blatant insolence. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **I guess it was only a matter of time before you learned everything about my business. Fine. It's about time you did. The fact that you know tells me that you're not an idiot, even if your grades say otherwise.

_Now Ulrich is offended. _

**Ulrich: **Hey, I've gotten a lot better, and you know it!

**Ulrich's Dad: **A 79 average is not what I'd call impressive. I call it barely above failing, which unfortunately, is better than what you used to do.

**Ulrich: **Are you going to help him, or are you going to insult my intelligence?

_Ulrich's dad pauses. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **So let me get this straight. You want me to use my influence to keep your friend from going to jail.

**Ulrich: **In a nutshell, yes.

**Ulrich's Dad: **And why would I do that?

**Ulrich: **I was hoping out of the bountiful kindness of your heart.

**Ulrich's Dad: **Well, at least my sorry excuse for a son has a future career as a comedian. But you're going to have to do better than that.

**Ulrich: **Alright, fine. Do it, or mom finds out about that woman you met at the ski resort in the Alps.

_Ulrich's dad's face becomes red with embarrassment and rage. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **Why you little…

**Ulrich: **And the woman at the office, and the housekeeper, and the woman from Brussels…

**Ulrich's Dad: **You wouldn't dare…

**Ulrich: **Try me.

_There is a tense stare-down between the two. Finally his father relents. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **Fine. I guess you are becoming a good businessman after all.

_Ulrich's throat tightens with this assertion. _

**Ulrich: **So you'll do it?

**Ulrich's Dad: **I want to know one thing first. What did he do?

**Ulrich: **Does it matter?

**Ulrich's Dad: **I am not pardoning someone for MURDER!

**Ulrich: **Fine. He and a girl were messing around in a front seat and the police showed up. The girl told him the car they were in belonged to her uncle, but it turns out she stole it. She convinced Odd, who was panicking at this point, to run away from the police. He lost them in a chase, but within a few hours, someone who knows will tell the police.

**Ulrich's Dad: **Are you serious?

**Ulrich: **Come on Dad, you've gotten your cronies out of trouble for far worse.

_Ulrich's dad gives this one last consideration. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **Benoit is not going to like this. This was not part of our deal.

**Ulrich: **Then give him a larger carrot. You've done well this year, you can afford it.

**Ulrich's Dad: **Any other friends you want freed with this blackmail you have over me? What about Yumi?

_Now Ulrich's real mad. _

**Ulrich: **Don't bring her into this.

**Ulrich's Dad: **I was just making sure. After all, I initially thought the favor was for my son's girlfriend.

_Ulrich turns red. _

**Ulrich: **How did you….?

**Ulrich's Dad: **I have my sources. You aren't the only one who can figure things out without being told. I suppose it goes without saying that she is not what I envisioned for you.

**Ulrich: **Your blatant xenophobia simply warms my heart.

**Ulrich's Dad: **Any French girl with even an ounce of class would have been ok with us. I know for a fact that there are plenty to chose from at Kadic. But instead, you chose her. I will not try to stop you Ulrich, but know that your mother is very upset with your choice.

**Ulrich: **And she would be more upset if she figures out about the women. So are you going to do it or not?

**Ulrich's Dad: **Consider it done.

_Ulrich breathes a sigh of relief. He swallows his pride one more time. _

**Ulrich: **Thank you.

**Ulrich's Dad: **You're welcome. I'm glad we had this talk. I won't lie, you have impressed me son. You're almost ready to inherit all I have built. You're becoming more and more like me every day.

_Ulrich restrains the urge to vomit. _

**Ulrich: **I told you I want nothing to do with your business. Goodbye

**Ulrich's Dad: **We'll see.

_Ulrich walks off and whispers to himself: "And I am nothing like you."_

_Scene shifts to inside the Parisian police office. Chief of Police Benoit watches from his office a story above as one of his correspondents gets the call they've been waiting for. _

**Police officer: **So you're sure this Odd Della Robia was the suspect who fled the scene last year?

**Moriarty: **That is correct.

**Police officer: **May I ask who you are and how you know what you've told me?

**Moriarty: **I would prefer to remain anonymous, thank you.

**Police officer: **I see, well you have been very helpful. Thank you for your time. We will look into it.

_He hangs up and looks at Benoit, who walks down towards the officer's desk. _

**Police officer: **Chief?

**Benoit: **Pull up the case file on the Audi A6 theft.

_The officer does so. Benoit whispers to him so no one in the office can hear. _

**Benoit: **Now delete it.

**Police officer: **Yes sir.

_The file is deleted and the men carry on as if nothing happened. Scene shifts to the boys' bathroom, where Odd has just come out of the shower. He is still sulking as he comes to the sink and slicks back his hair. Herb and Nicholas approach from behind, up to no good as usual. _

**Herb: **Hey Odd, where're your friends? We saw them go off without you.

**Nicholas: **Maybe they finally got tired of his smelly feet.

_They laugh obnoxiously as usual. Odd balls his fists. _

**Herb: **What's the matter Odd, no witty comebacks today?

**Nicholas: **He's depressed cause his friends left him.

**Odd: **Lay off…

**Herb: **What's the matter Odd? You gonna cry?

**Nicholas: **Yeah you can see it in his face. He's probably been crying all night.

_Odd looks up. _

**Odd: **I said lay off.

**Herb: **Or what? You gonna take a swing at us? You can't take both of us. Ulrich's not here to be your bodyguard.

**Nicholas: **You're nothing without your group to protect you.

**Odd: **Lay off!

_He's clearly getting more upset. _

**Nicholas: **Looks like you were right Herb. He is going to cry.

**Herb: **If he does he's sunk to a new low. There's nothing worse than seeing a scrawny guy cry.

_Odd has reached the breaking point. He turns to them with rage. _

**Odd: **I'M NOT SCRAWNY!

_Without warning a blast of red electricity shoots from his hand and narrowly misses Herb and Nicholas. All of them, including Odd, freeze in shock. _

**Herb: **Did….did you just…?

**Nicholas: **Electricity shot from his hand!

**Herb: **Let's get out of here!

_Both hightail it out of the bathroom. Odd looks with shock at his right hand, which is still buzzing with electricity. _

**Odd: **What the…?

_He looks at his hand again in disbelief. The electricity starts to die. He balls his fist, and once again his hand erupts with pulsating red electricity. He immediately stops and stares at his hand in horror. He puts on his clothes and leaves the bathroom quickly. _

_Hours pass. The group meets up in the library. Odd sits on the farthest end of their table, still technically with them but at an uncomfortable distance. No one speaks. Ulrich comes in and sits down with them. _

**Ulrich: **Is the tower deactivated?

**Jeremie: **Yes. How did things go for you?

**Ulrich: **It's done.

**Jeremie: **It's done? Is that seriously all we are going to get from you?

**Ulrich: **Yes and you better deal with it.

**Jeremie: **Man you're stubborn!

**Odd: **Does this mean that….?

**Ulrich: **Yes Odd, you're off the hook. For good.

**Odd: **Uhh…thanks…I guess.

**Ulrich: **Whatever. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to take a shower.

**Aelita: **Why? Did you just work out?

**Ulrich: **No, let's just say I feel very…dirty.

_He walks away. _

**Jeremie: **I'm going to find out what he's done one way or another.

_Yumi stands up and brushes Jeremy's shoulders. _

**Yumi: **Don't worry about it. I will get it out of him.

**Aelita: **How exactly do you plan on doing that?

**Yumi: **The truth is not as hard to get from him as you think. He just needs a woman's touch.

_She walks away. William pretends to read a book, but he clearly didn't take that last statement very well. He rubs his black eye. The others watch her leave with curiosity_

**Aelita: **Do you think she can do it?

**Jeremie: **If she can't, who can?

**Aelita: **Good point.

_William absentmindedly flips through the pages of his book. _

**William: **I don't understand why you're so eager to know what Ulrich did. If he found a way, that's enough for me.

**Jeremie: **William, one of our good friends somehow stopped Moriarty's plan. Don't you think it's advantageous to know if Ulrich has tricks up his sleeve that we don't know about?

**William: **No and I don't care. It's his business.

**Aelita: **You know Jeremy, William may have a point. Ulrich's reasons for not telling us may be very personal.

**Jeremie: **Maybe, but I honestly don't care. Too much is at stake for me to have patience with Ulrich's stupid silent games. If we have an advantage I don't know about, I want to know it and I want to know it now.

_Aelita gives Jeremie a cold look, and he softens just a tad in response. _

**Jeremie: **Then again, I don't think Ulrich would hide something from us that would be vital to our mission with Moriarty.

**Aelita: **That's better.

_Odd's mood has improved now that he's free. _

**Odd: **Well I'm glad that's all behind me. So who's up for some ice cream? My trea…..

_Odd stops when he realizes that Jeremy and William are staring at him coldly. Odd can't bear William looking at him with his black eye. Their minds haven't changed about Odd's behavior. Odd hardens his look and stands up from the chair. _

**Odd: **Ok, I see how it is. See you later.

_He walks off. Jeremie lets out a low grunt. _

**Aelita: **Don't you think that was a little harsh?

**Jeremie: **Maybe. I understand that he was afraid of going to jail, but I can't ignore the fact that he gave in to Moriarty's demands so easily. That is a liability, and he needs to know it.

**Aelita: **I think he got it the first time Jeremie.

**Jeremie: **Be that as it may, he's not going to Lyoko until I feel like I can trust him again.

_Aelita's hard look returns. _

**Aelita: **When will that be? When we all graduate?

_Jeremie is thrown off guard by Aelita's hostility. _

**Jeremie: **Why are you suddenly on his side? Are you trying to excuse his behavior?

**Aelita: **I just want to know if you understand the definition of mercy.

**Jeremie: **Must you always question my decisions?

**Aelita: **Must you always be so cold-hearted?

**Jeremie: **What's that supposed to mean?

**Aelita: **Never mind! You're not listening to me anyway!

**Jeremie: **I would if there was anything of substance to listen to!

**Aelita: **Maybe if you weren't so full of yourself you would recognize substance when it was standing right in front of you!

**Jeremie: **Alright, that's enough. I'm done!

_He goes back to work on his computer, typing angrily. _

**Aelita: **Hmmph!

_She storms off. Jeremie stops, realizing how much trouble he is in, and tries to apologize. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, wait!

_She doesn't. Jeremie slaps his forehead with his hand. _

**William: **You are SO in the doghouse.

**Jeremie: **…I know.

**William: **Wouldn't want to be in your shoes.

**Jeremie: **Thanks. By the way, how did you explain the black eye?

**William: **A date gone horribly wrong.

**Jeremie: **Did they believe you?

**William: **Unfortunately, yes.

**Jeremie: **Oh….

_Odd heads back to his room, sulking over the last incident. As he closes the door to his room, he holds out his hand and his hand sparks with electricity. A grin appears on Odd's face. Scene shifts to the Ishiyama's house. Dinner has just ended, and Yumi's parents are cleaning up. Or more accurately, Yumi's mom is cleaning up while her dad ignores her mother's complaints that he never helps around the house. Yumi and Ulrich flee the coming disaster and go to her room to talk. They sit on the bed some distance away from each other. Ulrich lays back with his head on the mattress. _

**Ulrich: **It has been a LONG day.

_Yumi sees her chance. _

**Yumi: **Wanna talk about it?

**Ulrich: **Well first of all, I had to deal with my f…. _Ulrich realizes he fell into a trap. _Nice try. But you're not getting it out of me that easily.

_Yumi rolls her eyes. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. One way or another, you are telling me the truth before you leave this room.

**Ulrich: **I see….

**Yumi: **Well, what's it going to be?

**Ulrich: **That depends on what the easy and hard ways are.

**Yumi: **The easy way is that you give up under heavy persuasion and tell me everything.

**Ulrich: **And the hard way?

**Yumi: **I beat it out of you in a Pencak Silat match.

**Ulrich: **Interesting….but I'm pretty sure your parents wouldn't appreciate us having a Pencak Silat match in your room. We might break something.

_Arguing is heard downstairs. _

**Yumi: **They're pretty much having one downstairs themselves, so they have no room to talk.

**Ulrich: **Do they always argue like this?

**Yumi: **What day is it?

**Ulrich: **Saturday.

**Yumi: **It always gets bad on the weekends. But they always make up eventually. Don't your parents argue?

_Ulrich ponders this. _

**Ulrich: **Not…exactly. My dad is the final authority in the family. My mom's kind of a doormat. She's very passive aggressive with him. Not exactly the most ideal situation, but at least I don't hear them fighting.

**Yumi: **That sounds worse if you ask me. I'm sorry to hear that.

**Ulrich: **Well, my family situation is partly the reason that…_He did it again. _Never mind.

**Yumi: **So close… Ulrich, please tell me what's wrong.

_Ulrich turns his face away from her. _

**Ulrich: **Nobody is supposed to know…

_Yumi leans in close and puts her hands on his shoulders. _

**Yumi: **Not even me…?

**Ulrich: **That is SO NOT FAIR.

**Yumi: **Deal with it. It's either this, or Pencak Silat.

_Ulrich starts to weaken, but he's still holding back. _

**Ulrich: **I'm scared.

**Yumi: **Scared of what?

**Ulrich: **I'm scared that…._a rustling in Yumi's closet stops him. _Uh Yumi, is it just my imagination, or is there something moving in your closet?

**Yumi: **What the?

_She opens the closet to find her little brother Hiroki looking at her sheepishly. _

**Yumi: **HIROKI!

**Hiroki: **Hi Yumi. I wasn't spying on you…or anything.

**Yumi: **GET OUT!

_He leaves and Yumi slams the door shut and locks it. She goes back to Ulrich. _

**Yumi: **You were saying?

**Ulrich: **What? Oh yeah…I was just going to say that…I'm…I'm scared that you might…not like me if I told you the truth.

**Yumi: **Ulrich, it can't be that bad.

**Ulrich: **I'm not so sure.

**Yumi: **Ulrich, if you can forgive me for Moriarty's game, I can forgive you for just about anything.

_Ulrich considers this fact. It convinces him to back down at last. He stands up and walks toward her window. _

**Ulrich: **Well you see…the truth is….my father is a…..is a….oh how do I put this?

**Yumi: **A jerk? I already know that.

**Ulrich: **Yes…but more than that. You see, he runs a business….

**Yumi: **Is that the horrible part?

**Ulrich: **I wish. He runs a powerful marketing firm, at least on the surface. But his real empire is a business underneath that business which is….um….illegal.

_Yumi's eyes go wide. _

**Yumi: **Illegal?

**Ulrich: **Yes….

**Yumi: **Are you telling me….your dad is ….part of the Mafia or something?

**Ulrich: **Well no, not exactly. It is organized crime, but it's different.

**Yumi: **How so?

**Ulrich: **It's not violent, or…at least I hope not. My dad is in charge of an…illegal smuggling business.

**Yumi: **Smuggling? Smuggling what?

**Ulrich: **People…

**Yumi: **WHAT?

**Ulrich: **He and his cronies smuggle illegal immigrants into France. He's been doing it for years.

_Yumi starts to absorb all of this, but it's not easy. _

**Yumi: **Your dad's a crook.

**Ulrich: **I could think of a few stronger words…but yes.

**Yumi: **Well this is….shocking. But I guess it could be worse. At least he's giving some of these poor refugees a chance.

**Ulrich: **If you think he's doing it out of the goodness of his heart, you couldn't be farther from the truth. He despises them and charges them outrageous entry fees to get in. He's xenophobic and would rather see France populated only by the French.

**Yumi: **Then why does he do it, if he hates them?

**Ulrich: **One word: Money. The business is too profitable to give up.

**Yumi: **So your dad must be pretty wealthy, right?

**Ulrich: **Yes…

**Yumi: **Are we talking like a few million or…?

**Ulrich: **A little higher.

**Yumi: **Tens of millions?

**Ulrich: **Warmer…

**Yumi: **Around a hundred million?

**Ulrich: **That sounds about right…

_Yumi's jaw drops. _

**Yumi: **And you're …his…son.

**Ulrich: **Unfortunately.

**Yumi: **Doesn't that make you….I mean…that has to mean…

**Ulrich: **That I'm the heir to a massive fortune? Yes. And a fortune built on corruption and human suffering. It's not something to be proud of.

**Yumi: **Right….How long have you known this?

**Ulrich: **I started learning things by the time I was ten. Whispers among the servants, secret business meetings at our …rather large house in Amiens, and other things. When I eventually confronted him about it, we had a big argument, and then he sent me to Kadic. It was his way of trying to make sure I didn't ruin everything he had built. He wanted…and still wants me….to inherit the empire.

**Yumi: **So you knew this even before Xana and you never told us?

**Ulrich: **I was ashamed. I kept to myself at Kadic until you guys came along, because I couldn't live with myself, knowing that everything I had ever known was built on greed and corruption.

_Yumi looks at him with compassion. _

**Yumi: **Then Xana came along…

**Ulrich: **Yes, and it was somewhat liberating. I was happy that for once in my life, I could do something good, atoning for the world I was born into.

**Yumi: **But it wasn't your fault.

**Ulrich: **No, but that still doesn't make it easy… It's difficult knowing that your father runs one of the largest illegal enterprises in the country.

**Yumi: **Surely the police would catch on…

**Ulrich: **Oh they know…

**Yumi: **WHAT?

**Ulrich: **Dad's paid them off for years. Chief of Police Benoit has made a lot of money looking the other way.

**Yumi: **That's horrible! He's corrupted the police!

**Ulrich: **Yes, and that's where Odd comes in….

_Yumi is obviously puzzled at this point. _

**Yumi: **Wait, I'm confused. How does the corrupted police and your dad's business have to do with Odd?

**Ulrich: **Think about it Yumi. My dad has gotten some of his buddies off the hook by telling the police to drop charges. Yesterday…I…convinced my dad to do the same with Odd.

_Yumi takes time to process this. _

**Yumi: **So you got Odd off the hook using your dad's connections?

_She is clearly not comfortable with this. _

**Ulrich: **Yes. It was the only way. Believe me, I'm not proud of it, but it was the only way to keep Odd out of jail. Now do you understand why I didn't want to tell you?

_Yumi scratches her head, not knowing what to say. _

**Ulrich: **I was afraid of this. I knew you wouldn't take it well…

_He lowers his head. _

**Yumi: **Now wait a minute. I will admit this…is…kind of difficult to swallow, but you're clearly not anything like your dad.

**Ulrich: **He told me that I'm becoming more and more like him every day.

_She comes close. _

**Yumi: **He's wrong. You are not like him. You selflessly stood up to your Dad and saved Odd today. You were right. It wasn't pretty, but I still think you did the right thing saving Odd.

_Ulrich manages a smile. _

**Ulrich: **Thanks Yumi.

**Yumi: **I guess I can understand why you've been putting off letting me meet your parents. I'm sure they've been asking about me.

**Ulrich: **Uh…that is…if they knew about you…

**Yumi: **What? You mean… _She's a little hurt. _You haven't told them?

**Ulrich: **Didn't need to. They figured out on their own.

**Yumi: **Why didn't you tell them?

**Ulrich: **Yumi, what part of xenophobia did you not understand?

**Yumi: **But what does that…._She connects the dots at last. She stands there, hurt and stunned. _You mean…they don't…approve of me?

_Ulrich nods. _

**Yumi: **Just because I'm….

_He nods again. _

_Yumi sits down in shock. _

**Ulrich: **If there's one thing my dad can't stand, it's immigrants who have entered legally. All of the annoyance with none of the profit.

**Yumi: **My family…

**Ulrich: **Exactly.

_Yumi closes her eyes, very deeply wounded at this realization. _

**Yumi: **What did he say about me?

**Ulrich: **What?

**Yumi: **This morning. What did he say about me?

**Ulrich: **It's really not worth repeating.

**Yumi: **I want to know…

**Ulrich: **He said that he's not going to stop me, but he and my mom do not approve of my decision. And that….they would have been ok with any French girl with an…ounce of class.

_She is more upset now. _

**Yumi: **The jerk!

**Ulrich: **Glad we're on the same page.

**Yumi: **He doesn't even know me!

**Ulrich: **It wouldn't make any difference. In his mind, the Stern men only pursue French women. There are no exceptions. As for my mom, well, she has her issues as well.

**Yumi: **Does she know about your dad?

**Ulrich: **Oh yeah, she's known for ages, but she purposefully hides herself from some of the details.

**Yumi: **Why?

**Ulrich: **Like I said, passive-aggressive doormat.

_Yumi is silent for a while. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, are you alright?

**Yumi: **I'm fine. I just figured out my boyfriend's parents think I'm garbage. No big deal.

**Ulrich: **Forget them. I don't think that, and that's what's important.

_She smiles. _

**Yumi: **Thanks.

_They start to get close. _

**Ulrich: **I'm sorry you had to hear this. But it's the truth.

**Yumi: **Thank you for telling me anyway.

**Ulrich: **So can we keep this from the others?

**Yumi: **Your secret is safe with me.

**Ulrich: **Jeremie is so not going to be happy with that.

**Yumi: **He'll have to get over it.

**Ulrich: **And no matter how hard my dad tries, I'm not inheriting his mess.

**Yumi: **Now wait a minute. You should inherit his business.

_Ulrich can't believe what he just heard. _

**Ulrich: **Excuse me?

**Yumi: **Let your dad make you take over the business. And once you're in control….

_She leans closer. _

**Ulrich: **Yes?

**Yumi: **Demolish it.

_Ulrich smiles. _

**Ulrich: **Sounds like a plan.

_There is an awkward silence between the two. They start to get very close and ultimately get very close to kissing. But then there is a not so subtle knock on the door. _

**Yumi's Dad: **Ahem…you two have been awfully…..quiet in that bedroom.

_Yumi bolts up, completely red in the face. _

**Yumi: **DADDYY!

**Ulrich: **And the moment is gone…

_Yumi goes outside for a second to yell at her dad. Then she comes back. _

**Yumi: **Sorry about that.

**Ulrich: **No problem.

**Yumi: **My dad can be like that sometimes.

**Ulrich: **Still ten times better than my dad…

**Yumi: **Can't argue with that.

_She gets a phone call. Yumi is hesitant to answer at first, but Ulrich motions that it's ok. _

**Yumi: **Hello?

_She grimaces as Aelita's yelling reverberates through the phone. _

**Yumi: **Whoa…slow down Aelita. What did Jeremie do?

_More screaming. _

**Yumi: **Ok, ok calm down. I'm sure he didn't mean it.

**Ulrich: **What is it?

**Yumi: **Aelita's venting about something Jeremy did today.

_Ulrich gets a call. _

**Ulrich: **Hello?...Jeremie is that you?... What do you mean you're in the doghouse?

**Yumi: **Aelita…I know you're upset, but there was no reason to take your anger out on Sissi.

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, were you out of your mind? NEVER say that to a girl!

**Yumi: **You threw WHAT at her?

_Ulrich slaps his forehead. _

**Ulrich: **Man did you mess up. She'll be mad at you for weeks!

_Something like whimpering is heard on Ulrich's line. _

**Yumi: **Look, Jeremie has his faults, but he does care about you.

**Ulrich: **I don't know Jeremie. I'm not sure how I can help you out of this mess.

**Yumi: **I'm sure he will apologize soon…

**Ulrich: **I don't know…I'll ask Yumi. _He lowers the phone from his ear. _Jeremie wants to know if Aelita's still mad.

**Yumi: **So you're still really mad at him?

_A lot more screaming. _

**Yumi: **Yeah she's still mad.

_Ulrich goes back to his phone. _

**Ulrich: **Code Red.

_More pathetic whimpering. _

**Yumi: **Aelita, don't bring Jeremie's mother into this…please.

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, for the love of God, be a man and face the music.

**Yumi: **Yes…yes… I know men can be idiots sometimes.

**Ulrich: **The longer you put this off, the worse it will get.

_Complaining on both sides continues. Ulrich and Yumi look at each other. Without words they put their phones side by side and put them on low speaker. Argument now goes between both directly. Ulrich and Yumi stand up and stare at their phones. _

**Ulrich: **Wanna go for a walk?

**Yumi: **I thought you'd never ask.

_They leave the room as the argument with their cellphones continues. Back at Odd's room, Odd is experimenting with this strange power he know has. Kiwi watches Odd at a distance, whimpering, scared that his master doesn't seem like himself. Out of the shadows, a smoky spectre appears. Odd at first doesn't notice. Kiwi however, whimpers and hides under the bed. _

**Moriarty: **Do you like it?

_Odd looks up in shock and backs up, losing his breath for a second. But his initial fear is soon replaced by rage. _

**Odd: **You…

**Moriarty: **Surprise! Happy to see me?

_Odd grinds his teeth in anger. _

**Moriarty: **Apparently not… You aren't still mad about our little game are you?

**Odd: **YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!

**Moriarty: **Oh come now Odd, not EVERYTHING. The police are not after you anymore. Granted, that was not my doing, but I did give you a little apology present.

_Odd stares at his electrified hands. _

**Odd: **You…you gave me this?

**Moriarty: **When I gave you a little shock in Jeremy's room, well, let's just say I gave you more than just the shock…

_Odd's hands flare up with power as he aims his outstretched palm towards Moriarty. _

**Odd: **Give me one good reason why I shouldn't use your gift to blow you to pieces.

**Moriarty: **I'll give you two. First, the blast would go right through me and blow a hole in the wall. Good luck explaining that to the school. And second, I'm your only friend left in the world.

_Odd is real mad now. _

**Odd: **Some friend you are…

**Moriarty: **They call you a traitor. But who's the real traitor here? Who left you to deal with me alone? And then, when all was said and done, did they have mercy on you? No, they cast you out. Are these the people you call your friends?

_Odd keeps his hand outstretched, wanting to attack Moriarty but weakening under his manipulative words. _

**Odd: **It's…it's not like that.

**Moriarty: **Is it? Have they really ever respected you for who you are? You have been a loyal Lyoko warrior for years, and what has it gotten you? But did they ever respect you as an equal? Did they ever take your problems seriously? Or did they often laugh as you became the butt of their jokes? You of course, acted like that never bothered you, but we both know that's not the case.

_Odd lowers his hand, reluctantly letting Moriarty's words get into his head. _

**Odd: **That…that's not true.

**Moriarty: **You deserve better Odd. You should be honored as the hero you truly are. The world has no idea how much has been saved through your actions. Xana would have humanity enslaved by now if it wasn't for you. And yet, what have you gotten in return? The police hunted you like an animal for a minor offense, your older sisters treat you like the wimpy runt of the family, your supposedly carefree parents never take the time to get to know you, and your so called friends have thrown you out like a leper. Anyone in your shoes would be perfectly right to be…angry.

_Odd sits on the bed and covers his ears. _

**Odd: **Shut up…

**Moriarty: **There should be a statue of you in every central plaza in every major city in the world. They would probably do more for you if humanity knew the truth. But even your friends don't appreciate you. How many times have they messed up? And yet the one time you make a mistake, they immediately reject you.

**Odd: **I'm done with your lies. I'm not listening to this.

**Moriarty: **…Every girl in this school thinks you're a fool. You are the outcast in every one of their eyes. They should be coming to you in droves. The woman you loved nearly destroyed you and didn't feel an ounce of regret. Face it Odd, you are not a comedian….the reason they don't laugh at your jokes Odd, is that you ARE ONE.

**Odd: **MY FRIENDS DO NOT THINK I'M A JOKE! _But as soon as he says it, he starts to believe the exact opposite. _

**Moriarty: **Odd, I know this must be hard. But we both know that it's the truth. But there is hope. Look at you know….you are more powerful than ANY OF THEM.

_Odd gives him a quizzical look. _

**Odd: **What are you implying?

**Moriarty: **Sometimes the only way to get someone to respect you is to MAKE them respect you.

_Odd's eyes go wide. _

**Odd: **WHATT?

**Moriarty: **They'll never appreciate you as their equal unless you show them you mean business.

**Odd: **You're out of your mind. I know what you're trying to do, and I don't want any part of it.

**Moriarty: **Odd, things will never get better unless you let go of your inhibitions and trust me. Think about what you could have. The respect, the honor. I could give all of that to you…

_Odd stands up and stares down Moriarty. His resolve is weakening, but he is trying not to let Moriarty's words affect him. _

**Odd: ** You were the one who nearly put me in jail! Not them!

**Moriarty: **Oh Odd, I never REALLY wanted to do that. I just wanted to show you how easily your friends can turn against you. I was never going to do it.

**Odd: **You're lying!

**Moriarty: **Why would I want you in jail? That would spoil all the fun. You know that I don't want to destroy the group in one fell swoop. Where's the fun in that? If I threw you in jail, would good would that do for me? I wanted you to see how easily friends can turn into enemies.

**Odd: **You're the enemy, not them!

**Moriarty: **Am I? You and I aren't so different Odd. I too should have been honored as a hero. Before the Berlin Wall fell, I was indispensable in NATO's effort of stopping cyber attacks from the USSR. I can't tell you how many close calls were avoided on my account. And yet, what did I get in return? I was hunted by the very scoundrels I swore to protect. The love of my life was taken from me by the man who claimed to be my partner and friend. Then, when I was on the verge of making my country strong again, I was thrown into a digital hell. Under those circumstances Odd, would you not be driven to the point of madness?

_Odd is completely silenced by these words. _

**Moriarty: **Again I ask, who is the traitor here?

**Odd: **I….I…

**Moriarty: **Fight for the respect that you deserve, as I have.

_Odd lets his words sink in. Then a part of him that still knows Moriarty is the enemy fights back. He turns to Moriarty. _

**Odd: **You want to destroy the world…there is no getting around that Moriarty. You nearly made me lose everything. I am NOTHING like you. And I will NOT betray my friends. Not again…

**Moriarty: **I see…

**Odd: **Did you honestly expect me to join you?

**Moriarty: **Of course not…forget we had this little conversation. I just want you to…consider what I have said…

_Moriarty's spectre disappears. Odd takes a deep breath and lays on the bed. He rubs his eyes, trying to shake the feeling that Moriarty hit a deep chord with him. He pulls the covers over himself and has a fitful night of sleep. _

**Part 8**

_William finds himself floating in a limitless darkness. He calls out for someone, but there is no answer. He tries to swim out of the expanse. But there is no way out. Out of the shadows a massive red Xana eye approaches him._

**William: **No…

**Xana: **Slave….

**William: **I AM NOT YOUR SLAVE!

**Xana: **Release me!

**William: **You're dead! Leave me alone!

**Xana: **Your resistance is futile…I WILL have you under my power again.

**William: **Over my dead body!

**Xana: **Ulrich, Aelita, Yumi, Odd, and Jeremie. KILL THEM ALL!

**William: **NEVER!

**Xana: **Surrender weakling. I will rise again, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.

**William: **I will resist you! You have no power over me anymore!

_A shadow overtakes him, and he is now wearing his old Xana uniform. _

**Xana: **Fool. I never lost my power over you.

**William: **NOOO!

_A wicked laugh reverberates through the expanse. Suddenly William pops out of bed, still screaming. He finally stops. It was another nightmare. He realizes that he has broken out into a cold sweat. He lays back down in bed, rubbing his temples. He tries to go back to sleep, but fails. Scene shifts to the Kadic courtyard early in the morning. Ulrich and Odd are walking towards Aelita and Yumi, who are waiting for them on one of the benches. Odd still seems a little dazed after last night's encounter. _

**Odd: **So….how was last night?

**Ulrich: **Fine…

**Odd: **Good to hear…

**Ulrich: **Yours?

**Odd: **…Uneventful.

_Ulrich shrugs in response. _

**Odd: **I wanted to um…look…thanks again for saving me. I don't know what you did, but thanks.

_Ulrich's face hardens. Odd interprets it to mean that he hated doing it, which does not improve Odd's mood. _

**Ulrich: **No problem. There's no way I'm going to let someone as twisted and evil as Moriarty get away with something like that.

**Odd: **Maybe we don't understand him enough. If you weren't appreciated for what you had accomplished and were trapped in the supercomputer for a decade, wouldn't you be a little bitter?

_Ulrich stops in his tracks. _

**Ulrich: **I'm sorry, did I hear you right? If I didn't know better, I would say that you were….trying to defend him.

_Odd realizes his mistake. _

**Odd: **What? No, no not at all. He's evil, no doubt about it. I just think it might be helpful to know something about his past.

_Ulrich gives him a strange look, but he lets it go. They approach Yumi and Aelita. _

**Ulrich: **Good morning

**Aelita & Yumi: **Good morning.

_Ulrich leans over to whisper to Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **Have Aelita and Jeremie made up yet?

**Yumi: **Sort of…I'm not sure. It's still probably going to be tense.

**Ulrich: **Wonderful.

_William approaches the group at the bench. He is clearly still distraught. _

**William: **Hello.

**Yumi: **Hello.

_Awkward pause. _

**Yumi: **Another nightmare?

**William: **Yes…

**Aelita: **Is it getting worse?

**William: **A little…

**Yumi: **I'm sorry. I wish there was something we could do.

**William: **So do I…

_Conversation is interrupted when Jeremie is seen running towards them. He stops at the bench and pants. Aelita begins to give him the cold shoulder, but Jeremie is too preoccupied to notice. _

**Jeremie: **Guys..._gasps. _I just finished re-modifying the super scan.

**Yumi: **So we can tell if Moriarty has attacked?

**Jeremie: **Exactly, and what's more, as soon as I installed it, the super scan picked up an activated tower. If we hurry, we can finally stop Moriarty before he has chance to do damage.

**Ulrich: **Well, I guess that's that. Let's get this over with.

_Everyone starts to go except Odd, who begins to sulk away. Jeremie stops him. _

**Jeremie: **Odd…

**Odd: **Yeah…?

**Jeremie: **Aelita and I were talking last night…

_Ulrich whispers to Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **Talking?

**Yumi: **Shh!

**Jeremie: **And we think we might have been a little hard on you.

_Odd's face lightens up a little bit. _

**Odd: **So I can go to Lyoko now?

**Jeremie: **Well, not yet. We'd prefer to keep you as backup in the factory, in case something goes wrong. Besides, we have seen how one of us alone during a Moriarty attack is a recipe for disaster.

_Odd's face contorts in disappointment. _

**Jeremie: **It's nothing personal, but…

**Odd: **Whatever…let's go.

_They start to walk to the factory_

**Yumi: **Is that what you and Jeremie agreed on?

**Aelita: **More like…compromised. He could not be moved. Odd was going to Lyoko over his dead body. This agreement was the best I could do.

**Yumi: **Why is he so stubborn?

**Aelita: **Jeremie is slow to trust someone again…._she rolls her eyes. _And even slower to admit he was wrong.

**Yumi: **So how is it between you two?

**Aelita: **He apologized for being an idiot and agreed to be nicer to Odd, although not willing to ease all of his punishment. So I guess I've forgiven him….somewhat.

**Yumi: **Well at least you're making progress.

_Aelita coughs a little in response. Scene shifts to the factory as the group arrives. When they get to the edge of the drop-off, they see an army of miniature robots blocking the way to the elevator. They are very similar to the ones seen in robot battle tournaments. The group pauses to consider their options. _

**Ulrich: **Well…didn't see that coming…

**Aelita: **It isn't like Moriarty to stoop to Xana's old tactics. This is strange…

**William: **I got a bad feeling about this…

**Yumi: **Moriarty must have produced them on the old assembly line. Any ideas?

**Jeremie: **Someone's going to have to hold them off while we deactivate the tower, just like old times.

**Odd: **Say no more…

_He swings down the rope to confront the robots. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, wait!

**Odd: **You said I was backup right? Well, let me be backup. Besides, I have a little score to settle with Moriarty.

_He runs up to the robots. _

**Odd: **Hey you pieces of junk! You're as ugly as your master!

_Odd leads the robots toward himself, away from the elevator, which clears the path. The others take their chance and head for the elevator. _

**Jeremie: **Alright, let's go!

_They disappear down the elevator shaft. Odd grins and stares at the robots. _

**Odd:** Moriarty, you're an idiot! Giving me this power was the worst mistake you ever made.

_Odd's hands ignite with red electricity. He holds nothing back now. He fires one blast and a robot is blown to pieces. The battle has begun. Meanwhile Yumi, William, Ulrich, and Aelita are virtualized onto the Ice Sector of Lyoko. They take some time to examine their surroundings._

**Jeremie: **Any monsters yet?

**Yumi: **No, everything's fine for now Jeremie.

**Jeremie: **Ok, the tower is southwest of your position. Hurry, and we might be able to clean this up with little resistance.

**Ulrich: **Ay, ay boss.

**Aelita: **Wait, what's that?

_A strange black monster with six long legs similar to Xana's old Krabs approaches. But unlike Xana's Krabs, it has a thorax and abdomen instead of only having one round surface on top. The white symbol of Moriarty shines on top of its thorax. At the end of the monster is a scorpion-like tail, which is glowing light blue. _

**Yumi: **Never seen that before.

**Ulrich: **Doesn't matter, let's get rid of it!

_He charges it. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, look out! That monster has friends!

**Ulrich: **What?

_Three more Scorpions appear hiding from blocks of ice. They take his attention of the main one, causing him to drop his guard. The original monster fires a blue beam which encases Ulrich in ice. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich!

_All four monsters take aim at the rest. Yumi blocks the blasts with her fans. William is able to hold them off with his sword. Aelita blocks one with her energy fields, but another she isn't ready for heads straight for her. Yumi dives in front of her and takes the hit, becoming frozen as well. _

**William: **Yumi, no!

_The Scorpions charge the two remaining warriors. Aelita and William are separated. Aelita is pushed to the edge of the ice overlooking the digital sea. Two scorpions are prepared to strike. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie!

**Jeremie: **Aelita! NOO!

_It's too late. The scorpions freeze her. _

**Jeremie: **I'm…I'm sorry….

_William is the only one left. The four scorpions have surrounded him, but none of them make a move._

**William: **Well, what are you waiting for? Do it already!

_Instead the monsters back up. A black-red smoke comes out of nowhere and grabs William's leg. It drags him away. _

**William: **What the…? Jeremie, help! What's Moriarty doing?

**Jeremie: **I…I have no idea! Hold on, I'll…think of something.

_The smoke drags William to a yellow simulation bubble. He tries to resist being pulled in, but he is quickly absorbed by the bubble. _

**Jeremie: **Oh, this is a disaster! _He calls Odd. _Odd, things have taken a turn for the worse, how are you holding up?

_Odd holds cellphone in one hand and blasts with the other. _

**Odd: **Me? Oh, I'm fine. Nothing too bad yet.

_He throws a ball of electricity, taking out three robots. _

**Jeremie: **Uh…Odd, what was that?

**Odd: **Uh…nothing. The robots are chewing on the elevator wires, that must be the sparky sound you heard. So it looks like I'm stuck up here.

**Jeremie: **Well, Moriarty has started a game with William, and right now he's the only one who can save Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita from being thrown into the digital sea.

_The monsters are edging the frozen warriors toward the edge of the ice, waiting for Moriarty's command. _

**Odd: **That sounds really bad Einstein. But don't worry about me. These robots aren't a problem.

**Jeremie: **Alright, just hold on as long as you can.

**Odd: **No problem. _He hangs up. His hands spark with power. _Who's next?

_Jeremie rubs his forehead. _

**Jeremie: **Nothing to do now but hope William is ready for whatever Moriarty is doing.

_William wakes up to find himself in his regular clothes at Kadic in a very dark, large chamber. It resembles a tomb, with cobwebs and eerie candles adorning the room that suggests former opulence and beauty that has been tragically lost. The only light comes from a nearby fireplace. Two chairs sit very close to the fire. The chair to the right spins toward William, revealing a bald middle-aged man with grey hair on his sides. He is thin, and wears a lab coat. The figure is exactly like the one Aelita saw in her visions. His dark blue eyes penetrate William's soul. _

**Moriarty: **William, how nice to see you…

**William: **Moriarty?

**Moriarty: **Of course. You didn't think I looked like a black and red smoke cloud on Earth did you?

_William backs up with obvious trepidation. _

**Moriarty: **Please, have a seat. May I offer you a drink?

**William: **No thanks…

_The other chair comes to life and knocks William into the seat. The chair returns to its original position by the fire with William sitting in it. A wine glass near William fills up with grape soda. William stares in wonder. _

**Moriarty: **That is your favorite, isn't it? Me, I'm more of a coffee person myself.

_William stares at Moriarty, trying to prepare himself for anything. _

**Moriarty: **Not going to try it? Oh how rude…

_A mug appears in front of Moriarty and he starts to drink coffee. _

**Moriarty: **It's been such a long time, William.

**William: **I don't know what you're talking about.

**Moriarty: **Right. Your memories were erased after Jeremie found a way to free you from Xana's possession.

_William tenses when Moriarty refers to his past possession. _

**Moriarty: **You were a real threat to me back in the day. Such a good little Xana soldier.

_William digs his fingers into the chair's arms. _

**William: **Those days are long behind me… I'm not his slave anymore.

**Moriarty: **True, and look what it's done to your fighting skill. You are just a shadow of your former self.

**William: **I'd rather be a shadow then the general of Xana's army any day.

**Moriarty: **Interesting…but I'm intrigued….how does it feel to be the weakest link?

_William's angry now. _

**William: **I am a Lyoko Warrior. I may not be the best fighter, but at least I'm on the right side now.

**Moriarty: **My apologies brave and powerful Lyoko warrior. But I wonder…would you even be a Lyoko warrior if it weren't for… extenuating circumstances?

**William: **What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **The only reason they allowed you back into the group is that Jeremie believed you might hold the key to destroying me. You're nothing more than the old version of Aelita: an annoying weight they have to carry in case you might be useful.

**William: **That…that's not it at all.

**Moriarty: **Really? Is there any other reason you should be in the group? You admitted it yourself, you are a greater enemy than you are an ally.

_William does not have an answer to this. _

**Moriarty: **By the way, how are your nightmares?

**William: **That's none of your business.

**Moriarty: **Oh but it is. You see, if there is a memory of Xana inside your head, I need to destroy it. I can't have that pest rearing his ugly head ever again. We can help each other out William.

**William: **How so?

**Moriarty: **Simple. I remove your nightmares and kill what's left of Xana. Everyone wins.

_William isn't fooled. _

**William: **Just what game are you trying to pull here?

**Moriarty: **Good question. This game is called "Who am I?"

**William: **Who am I?

**Moriarty: **I can't answer that question for you. It's for you to find out.

**William: **I might as well ask. How do you play this game?

**Moriarty: **This game gives you two options. Number One: Give up as a Lyoko warrior for good and I will take care of your nightmares.

**William: **And number two?

**Moriarty: **Take your chances and face what you dread most. If you lose, your friends die.

_Moriarty shows him an image of the frozen figures of Aelita, Yumi, and Ulrich near the edge of the digital sea. _

**William: **Yumi….

**Moriarty: **So what's it going to be?

_William ponders his options. He stares at his helpless friends. _

**William: **Do all my friends die if I give in?

**Moriarty: **Of course not….just one. And you get to choose which one. That is, if you chose Option Number One.

**William: **WHATT?

**Moriarty: **I have a good feeling it won't be Yumi.

**William: **I will not kill any of them!

**Moriarty: **William, are you really going to play the hero and try to save them all? Number Two is all or nothing. Besides, are you really willing to sacrifice yourself and endure nightmares that are probably only going to get worse?

_A tremor goes down William's spine at this thought. _

**Moriarty: **You could solve your nightmare problem and save two of them. And that's not all.

**William: **What?

**Moriarty: **You could finally be with Yumi.

**William: **…What did you say?

**Moriarty: **Hear me out. Imagine you take Number One, and one of my scorpions has a sudden leg spasm and poor Ulrich goes off the edge, lost forever.

_Moriarty shows one of the scorpions pushing frozen Ulrich closer to the edge. _

**Moriarty: **Yumi would be beside herself. Of course you could not be blamed for such a tragedy. It could be our little secret. With Ulrich out of the way, your chances would be infinitely higher….

_William is stunned at what he is being offered. There is a slight temptation. _

**William: **No way….I won't do it.

**Moriarty: **Just say the words William, and all your problems will be solved.

**William: **I could never forgive myself!

**Moriarty: **How long are you willing to play the role of the suffering romantic, loyal to his scornful beloved to the very end? Does she even bother to look in your direction?

**William: **I said no…

**Moriarty: **You never liked Ulrich anyway. He has what you can never have, unless you yield to me.

**William: **I want her to be happy, no matter how hard it is to accept…

**Moriarty: **Oh how selfless, but it will get you nowhere. What about Yumi? Does she really want you to be happy? What does she think of you?

_Smoke rises and the specters turn into images of Yumi and Ulrich. _

**Yumi: **Did you really think I could ever love you?

**William: **Stop it…this isn't real.

**Yumi: **You don't hold a candle to him…

**William: **Shut up…

**Yumi: **I know who you really are. You are nothing but a womanizer in disguise. You can't fool me with your romantic poetry.

_William, as if in a trance, gets out of his chair. He approaches Yumi and goes to his knees. _

**Yumi: **You're pathetic. I knew from the very beginning that adding you to the group was a horrible idea. You were too weak…

**William: **Please…stop.

**Yumi: **And I was right. You weren't strong enough to fight Xana, and Moriarty is no different.

**William: **You are not Yumi…

**Yumi: **Your weakness will doom us all…

**William: **I'm not weak…

**Yumi: **I feel sorry for any woman who's dumb enough to fall in love with a loser like you…

_The words are hitting home. _

**Yumi: **And yet, you had the NERVE to try to win me over. You have no idea how many times I wanted to slap you for even trying.

**William: **Go away…

**Yumi: **My heart belongs to someone else. And he is more than you can ever be.

_The shadow Ulrich and Yumi kiss in front of William. He becomes enraged. _

**William: **ENOUGH!

_He knocks the shadows away. _

**Moriarty: **Now if that isn't rejection, I don't know what is…

_William lowers his head. _

**Moriarty: **And yet, all of that could be avoided with one simple request…

_William is still silent. _

**Moriarty: **Come on William. It's not that hard…

_William wrestles with what he's just seen, battling insecurity and temptation. He thinks about the possibilities…entertaining the idea. But he catches himself and his better self fights back. He puts his foot down. _

**William: **The answer is no. My friends are coming back with me…all of them.

**Moriarty: **A noble gesture…but a foolish one. You give me no choice…Number Two it is.

_The fire in the fireplace flares up and turns black. Out from the flames emerges an image of William as Xana's servant. He is clothed in William's old battle gear from his Xana possession. _

**William: **No. Anything but that…

**Moriarty: **You had your chance William. Now all of your friends' lives are on the line.

**Xana William: **Die…

_Xana William takes a swing and knocks over one of the glasses on the table. William backs up. _

**Moriarty: **Oh I completely forgot. There is no devirtualization possible from this channel. If you lose, you also die. Good luck…

**Xana William: **This will be too easy… _The Xana image lowers his sword_

**William: **At least give me a fighting chance! I need my sword!

**Moriarty: **Of course. _Moriarty snaps his fingers and William's sword materializes in his hands. _But it won't do you any good.

_Xana William's sword connects with the real William's. The shock nearly throws William backwards and he is barely able to hold his ground. The surroundings change into a gladiatorial arena. The two fight while Moriarty watches from his special seat, like a Roman emperor waiting to see who dies. _

**Xana William: **Kneel slave!

**William: **Never!

_Xana William goes on the offensive. William is barely able to defend himself. Xana William is too fast, too skilled for William to fight. Xana William swings in a wide arc. William ducks and sees his chance, striking for Xana William's torso. Xana William dissolves into smoke and moves to the other side of the arena. _

**William: **What the?

**Moriarty: **Did I forget to mention that you had the power to dissolve into smoke when you were possessed?

**William: **Not good…

_Xana William charges again. Swords clash and William is once again at Xana William's mercy. Any lucky shot William has is defeated by Xana William's smoke ability. William is starting to get tired. William musters enough strength to shove off Xana William when they are pushing sword to sword. Xana William circles him like a predator waiting to pounce. _

**Xana William: **You will die….

_William is very scared. But he knows he can't afford to lose. He grinds his teeth and forces himself back into the fight. _

**William: **Then I will die fighting!

**Moriarty: **Ooh this is getting exciting!

_Fight resumes. William puts up a good fight, but his adrenaline rush begins to wear off. He can't keep this up for much longer. Finally Xana William takes him down with the butt of his sword. William falls and drops his sword a few feet away. He tries to grab it but Xana William steps on his arm and looks down on him. William is helpless. Xana William looks to Moriarty, and Moriarty gives the thumbs down. Xana William prepares to strike. _

**Xana William: **All of your friends will die. And all because you were too weak…

**Moriarty: **Well I guess we've answered the question to "Who am I?". You are the weakest link.

_Xana William raises his sword, and William gets ready for the end. But then he realizes something, and takes one last desperate grab at life. _

**William: **If I'm so weak, why did you want to take my nightmares away? If I'm so weak, why bother offering me a way out of being a Lyoko Warrior if you could so easily crush me?

_Moriarty is taken off guard. Before Xana William strikes, Moriarty holds out his arm to make him stop. _

**Moriarty: **It was…just part of the game.

**William: **The nightmares do mean something don't they?

**Moriarty: **Only psychological damage, that's all…

**William: **You said so yourself, Xana could be alive in me.

**Moriarty: **Yes, he could. Not that he can harm me at this point. I just want to finish the job.

**William: **It's more than that, isn't it?

**Moriarty: **William, these questions won't save…

**William: **From day one you've wanted to kill me, but why? You wanted to play games with the others, to continue to draw out this fight. But you've shown with this game and the past that you want to get rid of me one way or another. If I'm the weakest link, why kill me?

**Moriarty: **I…

**William: **You're afraid of me…

_Moriarty turns to Xana William in rage. _

**Moriarty: **KILL HIM!

_Xana William tries to strike again, but William regains his fighting spirit. He uses his feet to take out Xana William's legs. He gets up and grabs his sword, swinging at Xana William. Xana William turns into smoke and retreats. But before Xana William can reform on the other side, William launches his massive sword with all of his strength like a javelin. As Xana William reforms, the sword goes through him and Xana William dissolves permanently into smoke. _

**Moriarty: **NOOOO!

**William: **You want to know who I am, Moriarty? I AM A LYOKO WARRIOR!

**Moriarty: **Impossible….

_William points his sword at Moriarty._

**William: **Moreover, I'm your greatest threat, and you know it.

_Moriarty is fuming. _

**William: **I won. I beat your game. No let me and my friends go. We had a deal.

_Moriarty forces himself to regain his composure. _

**Moriarty: **Fine. I am a man of my word. But know this. You have been a great help today William. The auditions are over.

**William: **Auditions?

_William is pulled out of the bubble. He is back on Lyoko again. He sees Ulrich, Aelita, and Yumi becoming unfrozen. The scorpions guarding them are caught off guard. William charges from behind and cuts off their legs. Yumi launches her fans into their Moriarty eyes. Ulrich cuts off legs and puts several fatal blows in the scorpions. Aelita finishes off the last with her energy field. _

**Yumi: **We're…we're free. But how?

**Jeremie: **Aelita…are you…are you ok?

**Aelita: **Yes… but how did we get out of this?

**Jeremie: **It was William! I don't know how, but he beat Moriarty's game.

_All eyes turn to William. They seem concerned at first, wondering what Moriarty did to him. But their doubts are eased when they see William is confident and smiling. _

**Ulrich: **Way to go William!

**Aelita: **You saved us!

**Yumi: **How did you do it?

**Aelita: **Yeah…how did you beat Moriarty's game? What did he try to do?

_William plays it cool. _

**William: **Let's just say I might sleep easier tonight…

**Jeremie: **Details later, we got a tower to deactivate.

_A few minutes later Aelita enters the tower. _

**Yumi: **How's Odd holding up?

**Ulrich: **He's got to be in trouble by now.

**Jeremie: **I'll check on him. I hope we're not too late.

_He accesses the factory's cameras and sees Odd destroying the robots. His mouth drops. It isn't a battle, it's a massacre. Odd has wiped out the entire army with his electrical powers. Odd mercilessly picks out the stragglers. Jeremy watches dumbfounded as Odd's hands light up and destroy a nearby robot. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, is Odd alright? Is he hurt?

**Jeremie: **Quite the contrary…

**Ulrich: **What are you talking about?

_Jeremie still can't believe what he's seeing_

**Ulrich: **Jeremie!

**Jeremie: **I'll…I'll tell you later. I… don't worry about Odd. He's fine.

**Yumi: **Ok.

_Jeremie takes off his headset. _

**Jeremie: **Too fine.

_Scene shifts to Odd in the factory. _

**Odd: **Is that all you got Moriarty? I was just getting warmed up!

_A voice whispers to Odd in the abandoned factory. _

**Moriarty: **Did that feel good?

_Odd is startled. _

**Odd: **What? Who said that?

**Moriarty: **The rage. The raw power. It's fun taking out your anger on something…or someone…

**Odd: **If that's you Moriarty, you made the worst mistake ever giving me these powers.

**Moriarty: **I disagree. It's worked wonderful so far…

**Odd: **What are you talking about? I destroyed all of your robots!

**Moriarty: **I know. But didn't all of that power and destruction feel…intoxicating?

**Odd: **Yeah…what's your point?

**Moriarty: **Oh nothing…._The voice disappears. Odd feels a slight bit of discomfort, but it's immediately gone when he remembers how fun it was using all of his power without restraint. Scene shifts to the others walking back from the factory through the park. William talks to Jeremie in the back, while Ulrich and the others are up front. _

**Ulrich: **So let me get this straight, you took out all of those robots…with a crowbar?

**Odd: **Uh…yeah.

**Yumi: **Seriously?

**Odd: **You'd be surprised how easy it is to defeat those pieces of junk. Moriarty must not be that powerful yet.

_William and Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **That makes sense. Moriarty strikes where it hurts. He tried to make you feel like the weakest link, but he failed.

**William: **It felt great. I feel like I'm a real Lyoko warrior now.

**Jeremie: **You are a Lyoko warrior, and this game of yours proves it.

**William: **Yeah…_but he still looks worried. _

**Jeremie: **Something wrong?

**William: **Something Moriarty said…it bothers me.

**Jeremie: **What did he say?

**William: **He said the auditions were complete.

_Jeremie stops in horror. _

**Jeremie: **Au…auditions?

**William: **Yes…something wrong?

**Jeremie: **Emergency meeting…NOW. Round up the others.

**William: **Ok..

_He starts to go but Jeremie grabs his arm. _

**Jeremie: **Wait…everyone…but Odd.

**William: **Why?

**Jeremie: **I can't explain right now.

_The two notice storm clouds on the horizon. They hear distant rumbling. _

**William: **That's strange. Storms aren't common this time of year.

**Jeremie: **No, they're not. But it's coming anyway.

**Part 9**

_Principal Delmas is walking away from Nicholas and Herb, who are following close behind. _

**Delmas: **One more word of this nonsense and both of you are getting detention!

**Nicholas: **But it's true sir! Odd nearly fried our brains!

**Herb: **He's a danger to this school!

**Delmas: **The only danger to this school is the ridiculous gossip I hear on a daily basis! In all of my career, I have heard some strange things, but this one takes the cake!

**Herb: **We know it sounds scientifically improbable.

**Nicholas: **But we saw it! You have to believe us!

**Delmas: **Odd with superpowers? Have you two lost it?

**Herb: **Sir…

**Delmas: **I have had enough of this!

_Odd walks down the hallway near the principal's office. Herb and Nicholas cringe in fear. _

**Nicholas: **There he is!

**Herb: **Run sir! He's dangerous!

**Delmas: **THAT'S ITT! Six hours detention for the both of you! I will not tolerate such outrageous slander against my students!

**Herb: **But…

**Delmas: **One more word and you'll be suspended!

_They are quiet as Delmas storms off. They stare at Odd, who has been watching this entire thing, grinning. _

**Herb: **Don't play dumb with us Odd. We know what we saw!

**Nicholas: **You're a freak!

**Odd: **Look who's talking.

**Herb: **Laugh all you want, but we know your secret!

**Nicholas: **We know you have sparky fingers!

**Odd: **You mean like…this?

_Odd grabs Herb's collar and presses him against the wall. Odd's hands sparks with electricity and brings it close to Herb, who begins to panic. Nicholas runs off in fear. Odd is toying with him. Meanwhile Ulrich approaches Odd and sees what's unfolding. _

**Odd: **Was this what you were talking about?

**Herb: **PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!

**Odd: **My fingers are getting closer!

**Ulrich: **ODD!

_Odd stops what he is doing and drops Herb. Herb runs off, terrified. _

**Ulrich: **WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

_Odd tries to downplay it. _

**Odd: **I was just messing with him. I wasn't _really_ going to hurt him.

**Ulrich: **Sure didn't look like it!

**Odd: **Well sometimes if you want respect from people, you got to make them respect you.

_Ulrich stares at Odd, shocked at what he is hearing. _

**Ulrich: **What has happened to you?

**Odd: **What are you talking about? It's me, the same old Odd.

**Ulrich: **I beg to differ…come with me. Jeremie and the others want to see you.

**Odd: **Uhh…ok….by the way, how much of that did you see? Because if you saw something well…out of the ordinary…

**Ulrich: **Save it….let's go.

_Ulrich and Odd enter Jeremie's room. Odd enters to find another inquisition waiting. Ulrich takes his place with the others near the computer. _

**Jeremie: **Odd…we need to talk.

**Odd: **Uh sure…what about?

**Jeremie: **How did you defeat all of those robots in the factory?

_Odd is a little nervous, but he keeps up the appearance that nothing's wrong. _

**Odd: **I told you…I used a crowbar.

**Yumi: **And you destroyed them all?

**Aelita: **Without any help?

**Odd: **Uh yeah…why do you ask?

_Jeremie turns on his computer and shows the camera clip that he saw in the factory of Odd destroying the robots. The others have obviously already seen the clip, and are staring at Odd. Outside, thunder rumbles and rain begins to come down. Odd freezes. He knows he's been caught. _

**Jeremie: **Care to explain?

**Odd: **Uh…you'd be surprised what a lot of fiber in your diet can do.

_Jeremie gets up and stares Odd down. He's deadly serious. _

**Jeremie: **The time for jokes is over.

**Aelita: **You have superpowers.

**Yumi: **You knew it and didn't tell us…

**Ulrich: **And we DEMAND an explanation.

_Lightning flashes and temporarily lights up the room._

**Odd: **Ok ok it's true. I do have superpowers. But I didn't ask for it. It just happened…

**William: **Then how did it happen?

**Odd: **Beats me…

**Jeremie: **You're lying!

**Yumi: **Enough is enough Odd. OUT WITH IT!

**Ulrich: **We can do this the easy way or the hard way…

_Odd backs up with fear. He is trying to find a way from telling the truth. _

**Odd: **Alright, alright! Moriarty gave it to me! Are you happy now?

_The others do not take this well. Jeremy adjusts his glasses. _

**Jeremie: **I was afraid you were going to say that…

**Odd: **Yeah he gave me this power. So what? It's his loss, not ours.

**Yumi: **Odd, don't you think Moriarty gave you that power for a reason?

**Ulrich: **He's messing with your head…

**Jeremie: **I'm going to have to find a way to remove it…

_Odd's eyes go wild with this last statement. He backs up more. _

**Odd: **Whoa! …What? Remove it? Are you insane? _His hands at his sides spark with red electricity for everyone to see. His facial expression becomes undeniably malicious. _I've NEVER felt better in my life!

_The others tense. _

**Jeremie: **Odd….

**Odd: **Don't you see? This is the chance we've been waiting for! Moriarty has made a TERRIBLE mistake! We can beat him!

**Yumi: **Odd listen to us!

**Odd: **I can FEEL my power growing. Soon I will be more powerful than Moriarty could ever hope to be. I will CRUSH HIM! Nothing will be able to stop ME!

**Ulrich: **Odd listen to yourself!

**Aelita: **This power is driving you mad!

**Odd: **You're wrong. My mind has never been so clear…my eyes have been opened to so many possibilities.

**Yumi: **Odd, we're here to help you…

_Odd's look becomes more sinister._

**Odd: **I don't need any help!

**Jeremie: **Odd, you're not yourself.

**Odd: **You're right….I'm BETTER.

**Ulrich: **No, you're not..

**William: **Ever since Moriarty's game you haven't been the same.

**Yumi: **And you NEED our help…

**Odd: **No. You need mine. That robot slaughter was only the beginning…a fraction of what I'm capable of. I will bring Moriarty down, and you will finally RESPECT ME AS AN EQUAL!

_Others are thrown off guard with this statement. _

**Aelita: **Odd, when have we ever….?

**Odd: **You're all trying to bring me down! You're just jealous….

**Yumi: **We're not jealous….

**Ulrich: **Your power isn't a blessing, it's a curse…

**Aelita: **We're really worried about you…

_Odd is getting angrier. The electric flare from his hands becomes stronger. _

**Odd: **The only thing you should be worried about is standing between me and my moment of glory!

_The die has been cast. Odd has gone too far with this threat. _

**Jeremie: **Alright, that's it Odd. We're going to the factory right now and removing your powers. It's too dangerous to let you keep them.

_Odd becomes almost animal-like. _

**Odd: **NOO! IT'S MINE! YOU CAN'T TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME!

**Ulrich: **Do what he says Odd!

**Yumi: **For your own good!

**Odd: **THIS IS MY GOOD!

_Jeremie approaches Odd. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, that is an order!

_Odd blows Jeremie back with an electric shock._

**Odd: **I DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU! _Another flash of lightning and thunder. _

_Jeremie goes to the floor and the others rush to his aid. Jeremie struggles to breathe for a moment, but finally manages to breathe. The others are deeply shaken, avoiding looking in Odd's direction. Odd finally starts to come to himself, realizing what he is doing. _

**Odd: **Jeremie….I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me…

_Jeremie rises and gives Odd the death stare. _

**Jeremie: **That is the LAST STRAW ODD! I tried to give you a second chance, but you have turned on us again. You are banned from the group….PERMANENTLY!

_The others look at Odd with sad but resolute agreement. The news makes Odd revert back to his new nature. _

**Odd: **You are the ones who have turned on me! All of you have been against me from the start! Moriarty was right!

**Aelita: **Odd, wait!

_Odd storms out of the room. He flees outside, into the storm. He is soaked to the bone, but he doesn't care. He rushes to the factory. As he enters inside, his body dripping wet, lightning behind him illuminates his wild and angry face. He begins a countdown virtualization process and virtualizes himself onto the Mountain Sector. He takes his rage out on Moriarty's monsters, ripping them to pieces with his arrows and new powers, which he can use on Lyoko. He mercilessly eliminates three Humanoids and looks around him. There aren't any more monsters. _

**Odd: **WHERE ARE YOU MORIARTY? Are you going to keep hiding behind your monsters?

_Moriarty's smoke cloud rises above the digital sea behind him. _

**Moriarty: **No Odd…it's just you and me…

_Odd turns around and fires laser arrows blindly into Moriarty's smoke cloud. They go through him without any effect. Moriarty's skull face gazes menacingly at Odd. _

**Moriarty: **You've come to me at last.

**Odd: **What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **I honestly didn't think it would be you, but you have exceeded all of my expectations. Congratulations.

**Odd: **I'm more powerful than ever before! I don't need the others. I CAN DEFEAT YOU MYSELF!

_Odd's hands spark with electricity and he fires at Moriarty, but it has little effect. In fact, it seems to only make him stronger. _

**Moriarty: **I'm afraid you can't. But you will make a powerful ALLY.

_Odd is taken by surprise, but then replaces it with anger. His hands flare up again. _

**Odd: **I WILL NEVER JOIN YOU!

_But before he can launch an attack, the electricity spreads from his hands to his arms to the rest of his body, until he is engulfed in red electricity. The power he so cherished is consuming him. _

**Odd: **What…what's happening?

_Moriarty approaches Odd and stares into his eyes. Moriarty's sockets flare with red light. Odd is overwhelmed by the hate and raw power of Moriarty's glare. Odd's eyes become red. He approaches Moriarty, as if in a trance. Moriarty's smoky arms grab Odd and pull him close to his skull face. _

**Moriarty: **Never join me? Why Odd…you already have.

_Moriarty swallows Odd whole into his smoky body. Meanwhile, as the storm rages, Jeremie's super scan goes off. _

**Jeremie: **Activated tower! Go warn the others.

**Aelita: **Got it.

_The others race through the storm, arriving at the factory soaking wet. They are virtualized onto the Forest Sector. _

**Jeremie: **Everyone present and accounted for?

**Aelita: **Well, yes and no…._She frowns. _

_Jeremy sighs. _

**Yumi: **It's not your fault Jeremy. You had no choice.

**Jeremie: **I know…but I can't help thinking…

**Ulrich: **We can't focus on that right now. What's done is done.

**William: **He's right. We can deal with that later. We have a tower to deactivate.

**Jeremie: **Alright, the tower is northeast of your current….

_A voice penetrates the Lyoko forest. _

**Moriarty: **Ah my friends, right on time.

_The others grab their weapons, ready for anything Moriarty might throw at them. _

**Moriarty: **I hope you didn't catch cold from that dreadful rain on the way to the factory. Here, this should warm you up.

_Tigers, Humanoids, and Scorpions surround them on all sides. _

**Yumi: **Is this the best you can do Moriarty?

**Ulrich: **Send as many monsters as you want. They're no match for us.

**Moriarty: **Oh you're right. I'm afraid my army is not in tip top shape. But I did gain a recent recruit that will help…level the playing field.

_Warriors look at each other in confusion. _

**Aelita: **What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **Allow me to show you…

_A smoke arm reaches out of the Digital sea. It deposits something on the forest floor. The others don't recognize it at first, but suddenly all of them recoil in horror. _

**Aelita: **Is that..?

**Yumi: **It can't be…

**Ulrich: **This…this must be a trick.

**William: **Please tell me I'm imagining things…

**Jeremie: **What is it? I can't tell what I'm looking at from the screen…

_The figure rises and faces the warriors. The recruit is none other than Odd Della Robia. But he has changed. In place of Odd's purple uniform is a black and red one. Kiwi's image has been replaced with a purple Moriarty symbol. His face and appearance is by far the greatest change. He is no longer a "cat". He has become an animal, a beast. His eyes are widened, his face covered in wild purple paint like a savage, and his teeth transformed into that of a carnivore. He glares at the warriors with animal-like hate. _

**Aelita: **Odd..?

_Odd growls and goes on all fours. _

**Moriarty: **Didn't I tell you Jeremie that he would make an excellent pet? Ladies and gentlemen, meet Odd Della Robia….your new enemy.

**Part 10**

_The others stare dumbfounded. _

**Aelita: **No, no it can't be him…

**Moriarty: **Don't believe me? Why don't you ask your friend Jeremie to check the virtualization logs?

_Jeremie hears this and does so. When he sees it, his hands freeze and a chill goes over him. _

**Jeremie: **Guys…it looks like Odd virtualized himself….not too long ago.

_The warriors' hearts sink. _

**Yumi: **Which means….

**Moriarty: **He's the real deal!

_Odd and the monsters steadily approach the group. _

**Moriarty: **What did you think my games were for in the first place? They were just auditions. I'm afraid all of you failed yours miserably. But Odd, the pupil in whom I had the least confidence, passed with flying colors!

**Ulrich: **No…

_Odd and the monsters attack. A ferocious battle begins. William and Aelita are able to take out a few humanoids, but pretty soon it is clear that the battle is one-sided. Odd charges Ulrich, who is barely able to block his laser arrows. _

**Ulrich: **Odd it's me. Stop this! Don't obey Moriarty!

_Odd growls and lunges toward him. Ulrich takes a swing with his sword but misses. Odd goes behind Ulrich and blasts him with electrical energy, devirtualizing him. He turns on the others. Yumi is trying to hold off two scorpions, but Odd approaches her from behind. She throws her other fan behind her to stop Odd but misses. Her distraction allows the scorpion to score a direct hit on her. She collapses to the forest floor, with Odd staring down on her. She reaches out to him. _

**Yumi: **Odd, please no!

_He fires an arrow and she is devirtualized. Next he heads for William, who has just defeated a tiger. William turns to face him and swings, but Odd's enhanced agility allows him to jump and land on one of the trees, then pounce from behind. His claws grow, and he digs them into William's back, devirtualizing him. Aelita finds herself surrounded, with Odd leading the pack. _

**Aelita: **Odd…please…if you can hear me….don't do this.

_Odd gets up off his four legs and starts walking like a human. _

**Aelita: **We never should have abandoned you…

_Odd growls and aims his wrist at her. _

**Aelita: **Fight him Odd! Don't let him do this to you!

_Odd bares his teeth. _

**Aelita: **Please Odd don't…

_Three laser arrows devirtualize her on impact. Odd gets up on top of a scorpion and roars, announcing victory. The other monsters shoot into the air in celebration. On Earth, the four go up the elevator and approach Jeremie, who is staring into the computer, absolutely devastated. _

**Jeremie: **What have I done?

_No one says anything for a very long time. William approaches Jeremie and stares into the monitor intently. He places his hand on Jeremie's shoulder. Jeremie places his head in his hands. Aelita sits near the holomap, hugging her knees close to her body. Ulrich withdraws to a corner and puts his hand against the wall, as if bracing himself. Yumi tries to approach Ulrich, but decides against it and leans her back against the factory wall. She stares at the floor. William closes his eyes and asks what must be asked. _

**William: **What about the tower?

_Jeremie hesitates to respond. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty shut it off himself. He only did it to lead us to the factory…for us to see what he did.

_More oppressive silence. _

**Aelita: **Are you going to create ….a clone?

_Jeremie takes his glasses off. _

**Jeremie: **What other choice do I have? He's….he's gone…

**Ulrich: **I have to share a room….with a clone…This is just…not right.

_Silence again. _

**Jeremie: **I need to start…searching for a way to bring him back.

_Without a word or general consent, they all start heading back to the school. There isn't a word on the way back. The storm is gone. In its place is a cold chill in the air. Finally they reach the school. As Jeremie heads to his room, William stops him by grabbing his shoulder. _

**William: **Don't lose hope…

_Jeremie turns away. _

**William: **We will get him back. I promise you. You never gave up when I was possessed by Xana, and I owe the same to Odd. This fight has gotten personal now. I will not rest until we get him back.

_Jeremie brushes off William's arm. _

**Jeremie: **Thank you William, but rest is exactly what you need right now. We're going to need it.

_Jeremie enters his room. William leaves his room and heads to his with a look of sad but grim resolution. Jeremie sits on his bed and stares at the ceiling. He takes off his glasses. He is so distraught he hardly even notices when Aelita comes in. _

**Jeremie: **This is all my fault!

_Aelita sits down next to him. _

**Aelita: **Don't talk like that.

**Jeremie: **I drove him away! If it wasn't for me…he would still be here..

**Aelita: **Jeremie…

**Jeremie: **What have I done?

_He begins to cry. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita I'm sorry….for everything…

**Aelita: **We all drove him away Jeremie. We all left him vulnerable. We are all responsible.

**Jeremie: **How can I live with this?

_Aelita stares him in the eyes. _

**Aelita: **You need to carry on Jeremie. For Odd's sake. We all have to keep fighting, if there is to be any hope.

**Jeremie: **Odd….poor Odd…

_They both start crying bitterly. They embrace each other and try to bear the pain together. Ulrich enters his room, which is his now, his and his alone. Kiwi approaches Ulrich, wagging his tail, but immediately his tail lowers. He senses something is wrong. Ulrich goes down to his knees in front of Kiwi. A tear drips down his face. _

**Ulrich: **Kiwi….I'm so sorry….he's gone..

_Kiwi begins to whine and lowers his head. Kiwi goes off to a corner to grieve for his master. Ulrich gets up and stares at the wall. He hears a knock on his door. _

**Ulrich: **Go away! _He doesn't want anyone see him this weak and vulnerable. _

_Ulrich starts to hear slow footsteps away from his room. Suddenly Ulrich changes his mind. _

**Ulrich: **Wait! _He opens his door and looks to see Yumi slowly walking away. _Yumi…

_She turns to him. She has tears in her eyes. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich….

_There is a brief moment in which neither does anything. Then Yumi rushes toward Ulrich and embraces him. She cries profusely. They go into his room to prevent anyone from hearing the scene. Ulrich likewise loses his manly composure and cries as well. _

**Ulrich: **We're going to get him back…we're going to get him back. I promise you.

**Yumi: **When will this nightmare end?

**Ulrich: **I don't know. Believe me…I want to wake up. I want to wake up so badly….

_They continue to cry for a long time. _

**Part 11 **

_Rain falls steadily on Kadic as the early morning fog thickens the chill and lifeless air. Students hurry from building to building, either to grab breakfast or to get ready for their upcoming classes. Yumi, Ulrich, Aelita, and William take shelter from the rain underneath the portico to one of the buildings. They wait in silence, all with heads lowered in despair. _

**Aelita: **I won't be able to look at him…

_Ulrich raises his head_

**Ulrich: **Look at him? At least you won't have to room with him…

_Pause_

**Yumi: **He's going to have to be with us a lot…if we are going to avoid suspicion…

_They don't take this too well. _

**Aelita: **What a mess…

**William: **It has to be done…just like it was for me…

**Yumi: **We'll all have to pretend…for his sake.

_Ulrich looks at his phone to tell the time. _

**Ulrich: **What's taking him so long?

_Aelita begins to pace back and forth_

**Aelita: **I wish he would just come and get it over with.

**Yumi: **Patience…it's not easy creating a program so complicated in one night. He's probably just working out the kinks.

**Ulrich: **From what I remember, the last one still had plenty after Jeremie was done.

**William: **Exactly how….many kinks?

**Ulrich: **You don't want to know…

**William: **Did I make a fool of myself?

_Yumi gives him a sarcastic look. _

**Yumi: **No more than usual.

_Others laugh a little, but it dies quickly. They hear footsteps coming towards them. Ulrich looks over to his right. _

**Ulrich: **Here they come.

**Aelita: **I can't look…

_Jeremie and a virtual clone of Odd approach them. The others hesitate to look at this fabrication, but eventually do so. The Odd clone has a dazed look and looks at his surroundings constantly, like a newborn trying to fill his empty mind by observing the reality of his existence. Jeremie sighs. _

**Jeremie: **Ladies and gentleman, I present to you….Odd Della Robia…at least until we get the real one back.

**Odd's Clone: **Subject, Odd Della Robia: Reason for existence; 15 years old, spiked hair, average student at Kadic Academy, prisoner of Moriarty. Parents' occupation: artists. Siblings: Four sisters, all older. Roommate Ulrich Stern. Must imitate subject until given further instructions.

_All look at Odd's clone baffled. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, what the heck was that?

_Jeremie rubs his forehead. _

**Jeremie: **Well, after my last clone turned out to be a complete idiot…

**William: **Yes…wonderful…

**Jeremie: **I tried to make this one smarter by giving it a lot of information to work with. But now he just spits it out like a machine. I don't know how to stop it. You wouldn't believe how much useless information I heard about passing cars as we walked from the factory. I thought I was going to go crazy…

**Aelita: **Any way to fix him?

**Jeremie: **No. At least he will be able to handle himself in science and math classes. For now, we must stick with the status quo…

**Odd's Clone: **Subject, Status quo: Language of origin, Latin. Meaning: the existing condition or state…

**Jeremie: **Oh not again….

**Yumi: **How is this supposed to pass off as the real thing?

**Jeremie: **We'll have to pretend Odd is playing one of his ridiculous jokes and is messing with everybody. Hopefully his reputation will make it believable…

**Aelita: **I can't take this…this isn't right… _she walks off. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, wait!

**Yumi: **Give her some space Jeremie. This is a lot to take in.

_He shakes his head. He turns to Odd's clone. _

**Jeremie: **Ok Odd. You have gym class next. Do you understand?

**Odd's Clone: **Subject, gym class: First period of the day for Odd Della Robia. Time of expected attendance, 8:30 a.m. Building 60 meters south-southeast from current position. Locker 23; Combination 16-8-32

**Jeremie: **Yes, gym, with uhhhh…Jim.

**Odd's Clone: **Subject, Jim Morales. Occupation: gym teacher and inefficient disciplinarian at Kadic. Health status: obese. Intelligence level: low. History: unknown.

**Jeremie: **Yes, yes Jim. Just don't tell Jim…what you just said. Keep it a secret, ok.

**Odd's Clone: **Subject, secret: Definition…

**Jeremie: **JUST GET TO GYM CLASS ALREADY!

_Odd's clone leaves. _

**Ulrich: **We gotta get Odd back.

**Jeremie: **Hopefully before the end of today. The clone just can't function.

**Yumi: **We have no other choice.

**Jeremie: **Keep an eye on him. Try to keep everyone's suspicions…as low as humanly possible.

**William: **No problem. If you could get away with a clone of me for several months, we could handle this, right?

**Jeremie: **Famous last words…

_Several hours pass. Yumi, Ulrich, and William sit in the lunch room. As Odd's clone approaches the table, he accidentally bumps into a girl named Arianne . _

**Arianne: **Hey Odd, watch where you're going, you klutz!

**Ulrich: **Oh no, this can't end well.

**Yumi: **Shh! We can't attract attention.

**Odd's Clone: **Subject, Arianne Blanc. Female student at Kadic Academy. 14 years old. Interests: art and poetry. Intelligence level: very high.

**Arianne: **What the heck was…wait…you think I'm…smart?

**Odd's Clone: **Processing question. Response: Affirmative.

_Arianne laughs. _

**Arianne: **I always thought you had a bad sense of humor Odd. But you're pretty funny.

_Odd's clone gets that dazed look again. _

**Odd's Clone: **Advanced human emotional interaction. Must approach with caution.

_Arianne laughs again. _

**Arianne: **Wow, what's happened to you Odd? You've changed.

**Odd's Clone: **Warning. Mission failing. Must humor female subject to secure imitation.

_She laughs and blushes. _

**Arianne: **I never knew you took an interest in my art and poetry.

**Odd's Clone: **Considering social responses. Subject's quality of extracurricular pursuits suggests strong creativity and skill.

**Arianne: **Wow, no one's ever complimented me like that before. Do you want to eat lunch with me?

**Odd's Clone: **Offer accepted. Objective: Continue human social behavior.

_She laughs again. _

**Arianne: **Oh stop it! You're too much!

_Yumi, Ulrich, and William watch in utter disbelief. _

**Ulrich: **Did Odd's clone just….?

**Yumi: **Yep…

**William: **I will never understand women….

_They continue eating. _

**Ulrich: **At least he's fitting in….

**Yumi: **Against all odds, our new Odd is…passing off as the real thing.

**William: **Did my clone get girls?

**Yumi: **No, why do you ask?

**William: **No reason, just wondering…

**Ulrich: **So where are Aelita and Jeremie?

**Yumi: **They wanted some alone time.

**Ulrich: **For what?

**Yumi: **To process things. Aelita wanted to talk about their feelings.

**Ulrich: **Talk about their feelings? Oh poor Jeremie, I can't think of a worse…._Ulrich notices Yumi is giving him a mean glare. _I mean…better idea than a guy openly sharing his emotions with his girlfriend.

**Yumi: **Nice save.

**William: **Remind me again how you fell for this guy?

**Yumi: **Sometimes I ask myself the same question.

**Ulrich: **Hey…

**Yumi: **Oh will you lighten up? I was joking.

**Ulrich: **Yeah…yeah. Look, I'll see you later. I have a quiz to study for.

_He leaves. _

**William: **Does he always get offended that easily?

**Yumi: **He can be very…difficult at times.

**William: **Tell me about it. He should chill out and remember that he is lucky enough to go out with you.

_Yumi gives him a sly look. _

**Yumi: **Speaking of which, you never told me about your game with Moriarty.

**William: **Oh yeah…

**Yumi: **So?...

**William: **Do I have to?

**Yumi: **It would be nice. Was I involved?

**William: **Uh…. _He blushes. _

_Scene shift to the wooded campus area. Aelita and Jeremie are talking on a park bench. The rain has stopped, but it remains cloudy and cold. _

**Jeremie: **I know you miss him…we all do.

_She turns her head away. _

**Aelita: **That clone….

**Jeremie: **I hate the idea of making someone take his place as well. But what else can we do? We can't have people questioning why he's not here.

**Aelita: **I know….that doesn't make it any easier.

**Jeremie: **We will get him back…

**Aelita: **Before he devirtualized me, I tried to reach him. I hoped that there was some part of him that hadn't been consumed with Moriarty. I was hoping to find some traces of resistance in him.

**Jeremie: **I'm afraid that won't happen. Odd has fallen into darkness. It's up to us to free him from it.

**Aelita: **I know he's still in there, fighting.

_Jeremie pauses. He doesn't want to interfere with her optimism. _

**Aelita: **I know you think I'm being naïve.

**Jeremie: **I never said that.

**Aelita: **The truth is…besides….you, I don't think I've been closer to anyone as much as I have been with Odd. He's funny, he's kind. Or at least, he was. Before Moriarty began destroying him.

_Jeremie listens. _

**Aelita: **He was the one who really defended me from Sissi when I first came to Kadic. True, he is…was very goofy, but sometimes he put me more at ease than Yumi and Ulrich. It was just…easier to talk with him.

**Jeremie: **Probably more than me. Especially since I was more focused on the mission. I should have been focused more on you.

**Aelita: **Well, yes and no. It's different with you. I needed a guy whom I didn't have feelings for to sort of…well… be there for me. Odd was that guy.

**Jeremie: **I understand….

_Aelita's quiet. Jeremie puts his arm around her. _

**Jeremie: **But I'm here for you…

_She smiles and the situation becomes suddenly romantic. _

**Aelita: **But I told you…I need a guy I DON'T have feelings for.

**Jeremie: **Really…_he raises an eyebrow. _What are you implying?

**Aelita: **You're the genius, why don't you figure it out?

**Jeremie: **The only way to do that is an…experiment.

_They kiss. But Aelita decides after a few seconds to quit and gets up off the bench. _

**Jeremie: **Is something wrong?

**Aelita: **Is this right?

**Jeremie: **Is what right?

**Aelita: **Us. Together. Isn't that how Odd got into this situation in the first place? We were too preoccupied with our feelings to have any room for Odd in our lives. Look what became of that.

_Jeremie considers this. _

**Jeremie: **I agree…but…

**Aelita: **I don't see how I can be comfortable doing something that I know is partly responsible for the irreparable damage to Odd.

_Jeremie frowns. He sees her logic, but at the same time, doesn't want to lose what they have. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, I…

_Jeremie is saved by his laptop beeping. He checks it and sees that there is an activated tower. _

**Jeremie: **Activated tower, Mountain Sector.

_Aelita sighs. _

**Aelita: **We shouldn't waste any time.

**Jeremie: **I'll call the others.

_In the Kadic Courtyard, Yumi and William are killing time near the vending machine. William grabs a hot chocolate, but he quickly spits it out. _

**William: **I swear, this stuff tastes like dirty laundry!

**Yumi: **Dare I even ask how you know what that tastes like?

_Yumi's phone rings. _

**Yumi: **Hello? Jeremie? Uh huh. Yeah. Yeah William's with me. We're on our way. _She hangs up. _Well, you know the drill.

**William: **Well, I guess I got nothing better to do.

_Ulrich walks through the hallway. He comes across a gaggle of girls following Odd's clone. They are all laughing. _

**Girl 1: **Do it again!

**Girl 2: **Alright Odd, what is the end unit of pi?

_Odd's clone grabs head in pain. _

**Odd's Clone: **Warning. Error. ERROR! Insufficient memory capacity! CANNOT COMPUTE!

_The girls laugh and continue to follow Odd. _

**Girl 3: **You're a scream!

**Girl 2: **Say Odd, are you doing anything Friday night?

**Odd's Clone: **Checking schedule. Internal calendar indicates periods of leisure from 3:30 P.M. to 11:00 P.M.

**Girl 1: **You wanna hang out?

**Girl 2: **Hey, I asked first!

_Argument erupts as the group exits the hall. Ulrich shakes his head in wonder. His phone rings. _

**Ulrich: **Hello? Jeremie? Got it. I'm on my way.

_Ulrich starts to go when he hears Kiwi barking in his room. _

**Ulrich: **Oh…what now?

_He opens the door to see Kiwi doing the potty dance. _

**Ulrich: **You've got to be kidding me! Why didn't Odd take?…._He stops himself. _Alright Kiwi, let's go for a walk before you make a mess….again.

_He rushes Kiwi outside. _

**Ulrich: **Look's like I'm going to be a little late.

_Switch to factory. Jeremie and Aelita have already arrived in the monitor room, waiting for the others to arrive. William and Yumi swing down the ropes hanging from the factory ceiling and walk towards the elevator. William pushes the button and receives a nasty electric shock, shoving him back onto the floor. _

**Yumi: **WILLIAM!

_She tries to help him up. He's had the wind knocked out of him, but at last manages to bring in a few staggered breaths. He's badly shaken. _

**Yumi: **Are you alright?

**William: **I'm….fine. Say Yumi, since when have you had four eyes?

**Yumi: **Oh boy….

_She calls Jeremie. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie. We got a problem. Moriarty's short-circuited the elevator.

**Jeremie: **It was working just fine for Aelita and me. Are you sure it's a short circuit?

**Yumi: **Let's say I can still smell William's hair burning.

**Jeremie: **Oh…I see. You're going to have to find another way down. But BE CAREFUL. Moriarty is surely up to something.

**Yumi: **We'll go through the assembly room.

**Jeremie: **No. Bad idea. We've made that mistake before. All that old electrical equipment? No way. It's a walking death trap. Your best bet is the boiler room.

**Yumi: **Ok. _She hangs up. _Come on William. Nap time's over.

**William: **Uh…..five more minutes….

**Yumi: **No….now.

_She helps him up and they start to head towards the boiler room. William has to lean on her for help at some points. As they enter the boiling room, a subtle hiss is heard coming from the boiler. Other than that, everything is quiet. _

**William: **I don't like this.

**Yumi: **Let's get to the scanner room as soon as possible. The more time we give Moriarty the worse the situation will get.

**William: **Ok.

_They make a run for it, but William trips and falls on one of the pipes. Yumi stops to help him, but notices a black smoky presence approaching him from behind. _

**Yumi: **William, look out!

**William: **What? Ahh!

_The smoke envelops him, and he begins coughing uncontrollably. Another smoky arm surrounds Yumi, and she likewise begins to cough. Eventually both of them pass out from the gas. Jeremie and Aelita continue to wait….impatiently. _

**Jeremie: **What is taking them SO LONG?

**Aelita: **Jeremie…we're going to have to be patient.

**Jeremie: **We can't afford patience! Not with Moriarty.

_She pauses. _

**Aelita: **Do you think….do you think he…?

_A look of awful worry encompasses Jeremie's face. _

**Jeremie: **….I hope not. But….

**Aelita: **They would have been here by now….

**Jeremie: **Maybe if we give them a little longer…

_Aelita stands up. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie. You know as well as I do what's happened.

_He grimaces. _

**Jeremie: **You're right...we're alone. The others…they must be at Moriarty's mercy.

_Aelita becomes suddenly determined. _

**Aelita: **Then virtualize me. We have no time to waste.

**Jeremie: **You?...Alone?...Are you out of your mind?

**Aelita: **We don't have any other choice.

**Jeremie: **Have you ever considered that this is exactly what Moriarty wants you to do? For you to go alone?

**Aelita: **But Jeremie….

**Jeremie: **May I remind you that you are the daughter of his sworn enemy? He'll throw you into the digital sea! You'd be lost forever!

**Aelita: **Jeremie….

_She approaches him. He lowers his head as she puts a hand on his shoulder. He raises his head and gives her a pleading look. _

**Jeremie: **It's...it's too risky.

**Aelita: **It's a risk we have to take. I won't leave to others to suffer under another one of Moriarty's games.

_Jeremy pauses. _

**Jeremie: **You know who's waiting for you on the other side, right?

**Aelita: **I know. And I have to face him. No matter the consequences. I have to try again.

**Jeremie: **Aelita, I'm sorry, but he's….

**Aelita: **Even if there is the slightest chance that Odd can fight Moriarty's grip, I have to try.

_Jeremie gives in. _

**Jeremie: **Alright. But please….be careful.

**Aelita: **I will.

_She hugs him and then heads for the scanner. Jeremie virtualizes her into the Mountains. _

**Jeremie: **Head south southeast. The tower shouldn't be far.

**Aelita: **Got it. Can I have one of the vehicles?

**Jeremie: **Of course.

_Overwing materializes. _

**Aelita: **Thank you. _She speeds off. _

_Jeremie gets a call. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich! Where in the world have you been? We need you!

_Ulrich is running on the bridge to the factory. _

**Ulrich: **Sorry I had a little issue with Kiwi to deal with. But I'm here now.

**Jeremie: **Aelita really needs your help on Lyoko. She's there alone!

**Ulrich: **Where are Yumi and William?

**Jeremie: **I don't know. Last time I heard from them they were in the factory. I think Moriarty may have gotten a hold of them.

_Silence on Ulrich's line. _

**Jeremie: **So get here as soon as you can. Don't use the elevator though, it's short-circuited. …Ulrich…are you there?

_More silence. Ulrich hangs up. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich? Did you hear me? Aelita needs your help! What in the world are you?...OH NO!…This is no time to be the knight in shining armor and come to Yumi's rescue! You hear me Ulrich! Aelita is the priority! She desperately needs….Oh what's the point? Jeremie….you idiot! Never tell Romeo that Juliet is in danger and expect him to help you instead of her.

_Yumi and William come to. They are both standing, tied up to the boiler with heavy metal chains. Both of them are very confused at first. Yumi tugs on the chains. _

**Yumi: **What the?..._She struggles more. _Oh you have got to be kidding me…William?

_She looks to her side and sees William start to slowly regain consciousness. _

**William: **Let me guess….we're Moriarty's prisoners….

**Yumi: **Yep.

**William: **Wonderful.

**Yumi: **Any ideas?

**William: **Nope….

_The boiler behind them starts to hiss and churn. The noises increase, signaling that the pressure is building. _

**William: **Is the boiler…supposed to do that?

**Yumi: **No….

**William: **I was afraid you would say that.

_Ulrich enters the room and immediately rushes to them. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi! Don't worry, I'll get you out of there!

_A voice emanates from the ceiling. _

**Moriarty: **One more step, and you can kiss both of them goodbye.

_Ulrich stops. _

**Moriarty: **Hello Ulrich. It's been a while.

**Ulrich: **Too soon, if you ask me.

**Moriarty: **Nonsense. I've been so busy with the others, I have almost forgotten about you. I truly apologize. But I'm here to make it up to you.

**Ulrich: **You're going to play a game with me? But it's not my turn.

**Moriarty: **You didn't honestly expect me to go in order, did you? That would be so…boring…so….predictable. Rest assured, the others will get theirs as well.

**Ulrich: **And so will you.

**Moriarty: **Oh, I'm simply shaking in my skin. But more of that later. Ladies and gentleman, the moment you've all been waiting for: Ulrich, would you like to play a game?

**Ulrich: **Sure….Are you ready to lose….again?

_An electric shock strikes Yumi and she screams in pain. _

**Ulrich: **YUMI!

**Moriarty: **Another snide comment like that and I will personally scramble her neurons.

_Ulrich fumes. _

**Ulrich: **What do I have to do?

**Moriarty: **As you can probably tell…._The boiler hisses and William and Yumi look at Ulrich with fear in their eyes. _The boiler is getting a little…..cranky. Eventually, the poor thing will go cahoots. But you can shut off the pressure and save them.

**Ulrich: **No problem. Where's the pressure valve?

**Moriarty: **Funny you should ask….Look above you.

_Ulrich looks up to see a very long, thin, and rusty ladder leading up to the ceiling. Up at the very top is a narrow rickety platform where a pressure valve rests on the wall. Ulrich looks at it with dread. _

**Moriarty: **Ah THERE it is.

**Ulrich: **Uh….way….up there?

**Moriarty: **Why of course. Poor placement I will admit. Why on Earth would they put it up so high? Seems….inconvenient if you ask me.

_Ulrich's knees begin to shake. _

**Moriarty: **Is something…wrong…Ulrich?

**Ulrich: **Uh…..

**Moriarty: **You wouldn't be….scared of heights would you?

**Ulrich: **I hate you.

**Moriarty: **Oh Ulrich, you're too kind. But enough flattery. It's time to play the game "How high can you go?" _He says it mockingly, like a limbo game. _I would hurry too, the boiler can only take so much.

_Ulrich swallows and approaches the ladder. William leans toward Yumi. _

**William: **Doesn't Ulrich have Vertigo?

_Yumi's face contorts with dread. _

**Yumi: **Yes….

**William: **We're dead…

_Meanwhile, on Lyoko Aelita is being chased by three vultures. She tries to throw energy fields from behind, but she only manages to destroy one of them. The other two shoot lasers at her Overwing, which devirtualizes it out from under her. She falls but quickly is able to sprout her wings and take to the air. She flies straight up, leading the Vultures high into the sky. Then without warning, she stops and the Vultures fly past her, unable to stop their momentum. With the vultures in front of her, Aelita is able to turn the tables and fires two energy fields that destroy both vultures on impact. She flies back to the Mountain surface. _

**Jeremie: **Good work Aelita. Now hurry to the tower. I have no idea what the others are facing right now, but it can't be good.

**Aelita: **Alright. I'm on my way.

_She runs to a nearby mountain platform, where a large boulder rests. She stops when she thinks she hears something behind her. She listens, and is able to pick up a low, menacing growl. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **Aelita, RUN! It's…

_Odd charges out of a cave in the boulder behind Aelita and leaps over her and lands in her way. He is on all fours, regarding Aelita with a wicked grin. _

**Aelita: **Odd!

_Odd fires an electric blast at Aelita, which she is able to block with her energy fields. Odd slinks back and forth, never dropping his gaze for a moment, waiting for the right moment to strike. Aelita watches him warily, slowly backing up until she is cornered with the boulder behind her and Odd steadily approaching. Odd bares his teeth. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie!

**Jeremie: **Get out of there Aelita! Fly if you have to but stay away from Odd!

_Odd pounces. Aelita is just able to duck below Odd as he lunges. She takes off in the direction of the tower on foot, but Odd tackles her from behind and the two go off the edge. They fall through the clouds. _

**Jeremie: **NOOO!

_Aelita and Odd continue to fall and eventually land on a mountain ledge only a hundred feet or so above the digital sea. Both hit the surface hard and roll away in opposite directions. As Aelita struggles to get up from the fall, Odd rises on his two legs. He turns and cocks his wrist at Aelita, firing three laser arrows at her. Aelita manages to dodge two of them, but one hits her on the shoulder. As Odd begins to go back on all fours to get ready for another pounce, Aelita forces herself to stand and throws an energy field at Odd. Odd is hit hard and is thrown onto his back. _

**Jeremie: **Good work Aelita! Now finish him before he gets up!

_Aelita summons an energy field, but hesitates when she sees Odd dazed and in pain. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, what are you waiting for? Do it!

_Odd gets up, with rage blazing through his eyes. He fires electricity at her, and Aelita is barely able to dodge it. He starts to speak to her in a demonic, shrill version of Odd's old voice. _

**Odd: **Surrender…

**Aelita: **Never. Not as long as you have Odd under your power.

**Odd: **I am Odd…

**Aelita: **Release him Moriarty!

**Odd: **I don't want to leave. I've never felt more….alive.

_He fires another blast and she blocks it with her energy field. _

**Aelita: **Odd listen to me!

**Odd: **I don't want to listen. I want to kill.

**Aelita: **I know you're suffering, but I'm here for you.

**Odd: **Are you? Where were you when I needed you the most?

**Aelita: **Stop it! That's not you talking Odd.

**Odd: **You abandoned me!

**Aelita: **Odd…no!

**Odd: **TRAITOR!

**Aelita: **Forgive me….

_Long beams of electricity shoot from Odd's hands. Aelita blocks it with two adjoining energy fields, but she is being pushed back closer and closer to the edge overlooking the digital sea. Meanwhile Ulrich struggles as he gets a third of the way up the ladder. The pressure in the boiler is building, and William and Yumi stare at Ulrich from their captive state, holding onto the hope that Ulrich will reach the valve in time. He moves slowly and cautiously. Sweat is now racing down his forehead. _

**Yumi: **That's it Ulrich! Little by little! Take it slowly and you'll be fine.

_One of the gaskets ruptures, releasing a cloud of gas. _

**Moriarty: **Of course, you may not have the luxury of taking it slowly.

_Ulrich breathes heavily as he continues up. _

**Ulrich: **Your commentary was not part of the game!

**Moriarty: **Ulrich, you should know by now that my commentary is a given part of every game. It just wouldn't be the same, don't you think?

**Ulrich: **Shut up!

**Moriarty: **Whatever you do, don't look down.

**Ulrich: **I said shut…._One of the rusty legs of the ladders breaks and Ulrich grabs on to the nearest leg for dear life. He looks up and his vision starts to blur. He can't see the ladder straight. _No, not now!

**Moriarty: **Oh how humiliating. How does it feel to be shown as the coward you truly are? Your weakness displayed, right in front of Yumi?

_Ulrich freezes on the ladder in fear and shame. _

**Ulrich: **I can't…do this.

**Moriarty: **You're right. You can't. The brave warrior who offered his own life to save his beloved now can't even climb a ladder to save her.

**Ulrich: **Please….

**Moriarty: **You're pathetic.

**Ulrich: **Stop!

_He remains frozen _

**Moriarty: **Who says revenge is bittersweet?

**Yumi: **Don't listen to him Ulrich! I don't care if you're afraid of heights! We all fear something!

**William: **For instance, I'm very scared of this boiler exploding right now.

**Yumi: **That is NOT helping William.

**William: **Sorry.

_Pressure continues to build. _

**Moriarty: **Time's running out Ulrich. And you're hardly even halfway up.

_Ulrich, against all advice and better judgment, looks down. This does not help his vertigo in the least. He starts to hyperventilate and hugs the ladder tightly. _

**Ulrich: **This isn't happening…this isn't happening.

**Moriarty: **Even I thought you would do better than this.

**Ulrich: **Yumi, I'm sorry…I…I can't….

**Yumi: **Yes you can! You did it on the rock face when we were chased by wolves, and you can do it now!

**Ulrich: **I can't…move. I…I'm not….strong enough.

**Yumi: **You are strong enough. You don't have to be fearless to be strong. What makes a person strong is the will to face what he fears most.

_Ulrich looks up. His vision is going out the wazoo. _

**Ulrich: **My eyes…I can't see straight.

**Yumi: **Then close your eyes.

**Ulrich: **What?

**Yumi: **Close your eyes and feel for the ladder. If you close your eyes, you will be able to calm down and take it step by step.

_Ulrich hesitates, but finally does what Yumi says. He slowly starts to make progress. _

**Moriarty: **Oh so you want to try again? Fine, humor me.

_Ulrich presses on steadily towards the goal. _

**Moriarty: **My my…aren't you're getting VERY high up…

_Ulrich does his best to ignore Moriarty's words. He continues to climb, eyes tightly shut. Moriarty's tone changes. _

**Moriarty: **You…you aren't fooling anyone…

_Ulrich is now two-thirds of the way up. The pressure in the boiler room now causes several pipes near the ceiling to explode. The shockwave shakes the room and Ulrich falls, but manages to grab on to one of the legs at the last minute. He is shaking all over, sweat covering his upper body. The boiler is now starting to smoke and Yumi and William's fear transforms into terror. _

**Yumi: **ULRICH!

**William: **HELP!

**Moriarty: **You'll never make it in time!

**Ulrich: **You're not going to win Moriarty! Not today, not ever!

_He now forces himself to race up the ladder to cover the ground he lost. Back on Lyoko, Aelita continues to be slowly forced toward the mountain edge. As she closes the gap, she makes a desperate move to duck Odd's electrical attack, narrowly avoiding the blast. She looses her footing and hits the ground. Odd fires several laser arrows and she retreats, hiding in a small cluster of boulders on the ledge. A game of cat and mouse ensues, as Odd looks for her among the rocks. Aelita hides behind a rock and waits as Odd passes her. When he does, she makes a run for it. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie! Send me the overwing, NOW!

**Jeremie: **I'm on it.

_The overwing materializes in front of her, but Odd leaps and lands in her way, growling at her on all fours. She backs up. _

**Aelita: **Please Odd, I don't want to fight you. You're my friend.

**Odd: **You are not my friend. You are my PREY.

_Aelita fires another energy field, but Odd dodges her attack with shocking agility, ricocheting of a boulder and leaping towards her. She ducks and once again Odd lands in front of her. She turns to face him and summons two energy fields. Odd's paws likewise flare with power and he charges her. Her energy fields clash with Odd's electrified paws, and the fight becomes a matter of push and shove. Odd slowly pushes her toward the edge, with Aelita trying to resist him with all her strength. _

**Aelita: **Odd, I know you're in there somewhere, and I know you don't want to do this. If there is any resistance left in you, I beg you, fight back!

**Odd: **I don't want to fight back…._His expression is wicked. _

**Aelita: **Odd, if I don't deactivate the tower, Ulrich, Yumi, and William will die!

_He pushes her further. _

**Aelita: **Please…STOP THIS!

_The desperation of the situation has pushed Ulrich up to the top. He feels for the platform, and starts to slowly raise himself up onto it. The boiler is shaking at this point and Yumi and William brace themselves for the worst. One of the gaskets ruptures and a flying metal piece knocks William out. Yumi looks at William in horror, but notices that Ulrich has made it to the top of the platform. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich! You…you did it!

_Moriarty makes one last move as Ulrich reaches for the valve. _

**Moriarty: **Very well. But heights aren't the only thing you fear. What if Yumi knew the truth about your father? That he's a criminal?

_Ulrich smiles and looks at Yumi. _

**Yumi: **Too late Moriarty.

**Moriarty: **What?

**Ulrich: **I told her everything.

**Yumi: **And he told me the whole truth, not the half truth you were planning on telling me.

**Moriarty: **He told you the truth…well that's unlike you Ulrich

_Ulrich ignores Moriarty and shuts the valve. The pressure finally dies down. Yumi breathes a sigh of relief. William on the other hand is starting to wake up a little bit. _

**William: **Huh…what? What'd I miss?

_Ulrich is a little wary on the high platform, but he grabs hold onto one of the bars and keeps up his air of confidence. _

**Ulrich: **Game over Moriarty

**Moriarty: **Not….quite.

_The rusty platform starts to crumple beneath him, and Ulrich starts to lose his footing. He looks at his approaching fall with sheer terror in his eyes. _

**Moriarty: **You didn't honestly think I would let you come down from that platform ALIVE did you?

**Ulrich: **AHHH!

**Yumi: **NOO!

_The foundations of the platform begin to give out. Ulrich closes his eyes and waits for the end. Yumi in her desperation has noticed a metal pole connecting the ceiling to the floor, only a few feet from the platform. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, JUMP! JUMP AND SLIDE DOWN THE POLE!

**Ulrich: **What? Are you out of your mind?

**Yumi: **Ulrich you don't have a choice!

**Ulrich: **I'll….I'll never make it!

_The platform slides down some more. It starts to creak and groan under the pressure. _

**Yumi: **DO IT! YOU HAVE TO!

**Ulrich: **I….

**Yumi: **You can make it!

_Ulrich jumps at the last second as the platform comes crashing down. He barely is able to reach the pole. He slides down haphazardly and falls to the floor towards the end of his descent. Ulrich is battered, but alive. He slowly gets up. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich!

**William: **You're alive!

**Ulrich: **Owww... remind me never to do that again.

**William: **No problem. Just untie us.

**Yumi: **William, he's just been through an awfully traumatic experience to save us. Can you give him a moment to breathe?

**William: **Fine…._three seconds pass. _Will you PLEASE untie us?

_The situation on Lyoko has not improved. Aelita's resistance is weakening, and she is now only a few feet away from the edge. Odd continues to use his electrified paws to push her closer, and every inch gained in his favor intensifies his sinister look, as if her approaching doom is whetting his appetite. Aelita looks at Odd with despair. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie!

**Jeremie: **Aelita, NO! Use an energy field, fly away…..DO SOMETHING!

**Aelita: **I…I can't. He's too strong.

**Odd: **Die…..

_Jeremie watches the screen in horror. He closes his eyes. A tear rolls down his face. _

**Jeremie: **I can't look.

_Aelita can now feel the mountain ledge. She gives one last effort to break Odd's grip, but he matches her intensity. _

**Odd: **Moriarty will be pleased to have you…at last.

**Aelita: **Odd. I'm sorry… I failed you.

_Odd licks his lips with a wicked grin on his face. _

**Aelita: **I know you're angry.

_Odd's face remains unchanged. _

**Aelita: **You have every right to be.

_Odd bares his teeth_

**Aelita: **But your anger is what gives Moriarty power over you.

_Odd lowers his eyebrows, as if trying to focus. _

**Aelita: **LET GO!

_Aelita's passionate words have stopped Odd. He stares at her, confused. _

**Aelita: **Remember who you are! You are a LYOKO WARRIOR!

_Odd's face softens and the electricity in his paws begins to die down. _

**Aelita: **You swore to fight Moriarty, not join him!

_Odd lets go of her. He backs up and stares at her. He holds out his paw. He seems to be trying to speak, but can't. Aelita's face brightens with hope. She holds his paw. _

**Aelita: **That's right Odd. It's me….Aelita.

_Odd bends over and grimaces, as if he has a headache. _

**Aelita: **That's it Odd. Fight him. Don't let him control you.

_Odd is quiet. _

**Aelita: **Odd?

_Odd looks up at her with hatred. Aelita leans to the side just as Odd tries to pounce. He misses her and goes over the mountain edge, disappearing into the digital sea. Aelita stares into the chasm with sadness. _

**Jeremy: **Aelita! Are…are you ok?

**Aelita: **I was so close.

_She silently boards the Overwing and flies up towards the tower. Ulrich has succeeded in freeing Yumi and William from their bonds. Both of them stretch and breathe a sigh of relief. Yumi embraces Ulrich. _

**Yumi: **Thank you….

_Ulrich blushes a little. _

**Ulrich: **It was…nothing.

**Yumi: **Facing your fears and saving us is nothing?

**Ulrich: **Um, well no I guess not. One thing's for sure, I've never been so scared in my life.

**Yumi: **But you did it. You beat him Ulrich. You beat him TWICE.

**William: **Yeah great job. I'm glad that's over.

_A smoke cloud rises from the shadows of the room and approaches the three of them. _

**Yumi: **I think you spoke too soon!

_William picks up a crowbar and approaches the cloud. _

**William: **But we're ready this time.

**Yumi: **William, no, it's too dangerous! Run!

**William: **I am not running from him.

_The cloud charges William. William swings but misses, and the smoke forces itself through William's mouth into his lungs. He collapses and starts gasping and writhing on the floor. _

**Yumi: **HE CAN'T BREATHE!

_William clutches his neck. Yumi grabs him and tries to shake the specter out of him. _

**Yumi: **BREATHE WILLIAM! BREATHE!

_Ulrich calls Jeremie _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, please tell me Aelita is entering the tower!

**Jeremie: **She's almost there, just hold on a minute.

**Ulrich: **We don't have a minute! Moriarty is choking William to death!

**Jeremie: **Hold on, she's entering the tower now.

_William is turning blue. _

**Yumi: **Oh it's hopeless! We can't get the specter out of him!

_Yumi and Ulrich look at William with a feeling of utter hopelessness. They pray and cross their fingers that Aelita makes it in time. On Lyoko, Aelita enters the code, and the ghost leaves William's lungs. Yumi and Ulrich initially breathe a sigh of relief, but they quickly realize William is still not breathing. _

**Ulrich: **Oh NO! NOW WHAT DO WE DO?

_Yumi leans over William. _

**Yumi: **He needs mouth to mouth!

**Ulrich: **Excuse me?

**Yumi: **ULRICH THIS IS NO TIME TO BE JEALOUS! HE CAN'T BREATHE!

**Ulrich: **But…

**Yumi: **Unless you want to do it?

_Ulrich pauses at this thought. _

**Ulrich: **Fine. Do it.

_Yumi gives him mouth to mouth. William finally starts to breathe, taking in gasps. When he sees that Yumi is the one who ….."rescued" him, he is….. pleasantly surprised. _

**Yumi: **William, are you ok?

_William's gets a dreamy look on his face. _

**William: **I am….now.

_Ulrich mutters something under his breath. The scene shifts to the school auditorium, where the entire student body is waiting. The Lyoko warriors sit together towards the back. _

**Ulrich: **What are we doing here again?

**Jeremie: **Emergency meeting. Mr. Delmas said it was important.

**William: **Oh, sounds exciting. _Not really. _

**Aelita: **Anyone seen Odd's clone?

_Odd's clone walks by their row with an even larger group of females than last time. _

**Odd's Clone: **Location: Auditorium. Current occupancy, 712 students and growing. Perusing seating options for optimum location: Third row, left section. Reason for assembly: unknown. Level of interest: minimal.

_Girls laugh. _

**Girl 1: **You're so right Odd. Why is Delmas wasting our time?

**Girl 2: **Who cares? We're not going to listen to him anyway.

_Odd and the girls move on. Yumi rolls her eyes. _

**Yumi: **I have now…

_Mr. Delmas approaches the microphone on stage and signals for the students to quiet down. Eventually they do so. _

**Delmas: **Good afternoon students. I am sorry to call this meeting at such short notice, but something has come up that requires immediate attention. I don't want to waste time getting to the point, so I'm going to go ahead and give the floor to Mr. Klotz, our school psychologist.

**Klotz: **Thank you Mr. Delmas. Students I once again apologize. I'm afraid I am the reason for this meeting occurring in the first place. Given my profession, I know you are already burdened with the stress of schoolwork and the other challenges of growing up, and would rather be doing something else right now. However, I'm afraid what I am about to say deeply concerns you all.

_He adjusts his glasses and takes a swig of water from a bottle. _

As you know, all of you have probably stopped by my office at some point to discuss your personal issues. Some of you did so by choice, others might have been forced to during our Physical Wellness week that we have every year. It is my duty as a psychologist to keep your private problems strictly confidential. However, I do keep notes on my computer for my own purposes in order to help me help you. Therein lies the issue at hand.

_He scratches his head. _

This morning, I was…horrified to learn that someone had hacked into my computer. I'm afraid that whoever did this gained access to all of my confidential files and downloaded them. Hundreds of students' personal information is now in the hands of a hacker.

_Students look at each other with concern. _

Needless to say, this was very disturbing. Some of that information is very sensitive. In the wrong hands, it could be very damaging. What's even more disturbing is that whoever did this was able to breach all of my firewalls. I made sure to spare no expense to protect this information using the latest in technology, but they were all breached.

_More discussion among the student body. _

I take full responsibility for this failure. I thought I had protected it adequately, but I'm afraid I was wrong. If you have any questions at this point, I will answer them now.

_Sissi stands up. _

**Sissi: **Do we have any idea who could have done this?

**Klotz: **For the moment no. Whoever did this was extremely skilled. However, we have reason to believe that whoever did this must be involved in Kadic in some sort of way. I can't think of any reason why a hacker from the outside would want to do this. We suspect that this person must affiliated with Kadic, and also must be very good with computers.

_Klotz stares at Jeremie from his position on the stage. _

**Jeremy: **Oh crud…

**Aelita: **What?

**Jeremie: **I'll tell you later….

**Klotz: **To make myself perfectly clear, we are not ruling out the…possibility that this could be the work of a highly gifted but morally inept student here at Kadic. Though I would hope no one in this school would have attempted such a thing, for the sake of the student body as a whole we must take this seriously.

_Klotz becomes deadly serious in his expression. _

And if ANY student here in this room is responsible, know this. You may consider yourself very clever and above the faculty whom you consider utter and complete idiots, but we WILL find you. This stunt is not amusing or funny in any way. I urge that student, if any student did do this, to come forward and admit it. I guarantee you, the penalty for confession will be far less than if we discover who did it on our own.

_Klotz takes one last look at Jeremie. _

That is all I have to say. Thank you for your time.

_He walks off and Delmas moves back onto the stage. _

**Delmas: **Thank you Mr. Klotz. I'm sure we all appreciated what you had to say. That will be all students, you are dismissed.

_The others meet up in the hall following the assembly. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, what's wrong?

_Jeremie grabs Ulrich's shoulders. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, did you ever tell Mr. Klotz about your…fear of heights?

**Ulrich: **What?

**Jeremie: **Ulrich I know this is a personal question but I need to know. Did you reveal this to him?

_Ulrich looks at Jeremie with a confused look on his face. _

**Ulrich: **Well yes, during Wellness week, I did. But I didn't mean to. Jim had told Klotz that I had Vertigo after I …refused to climb the rock wall during gym class. Since he already knew, I mean, yeah…. I told him. Why do you ask?

_Jeremie shakes his head. _

**Jeremie: **I was afraid of this.

**Yumi: **What's wrong?

**Jeremie: **Here's an interesting question to consider: How did Moriarty know that Ulrich was afraid of heights?

_Others think about this. _

**Aelita: **Well he….

**Yumi: **He already knows so much about us….

**William: **He could have ….guessed?

**Jeremie: **Moriarty DIDN'T know. But he does now. He does now because he IS the hacker. He hacked into Klotz's computer, and used this against him. And to make things worse, I think Klotz suspects me. I'm the prime suspect, but Moriarty has all the information.

_Others are horrified at this. Jeremie rubs his hands through his hair in frustration. Meanwhile Ulrich is a little confused at the others' reactions. _

**Ulrich: **What are you so worried about? Yes he knows about my fear of heights now, but so what?

_Others are still silent, still worried. _

**Ulrich: **I mean, it's not like you guys revealed your deepest fears to Klotz, right?

_Jeremie paces. Yumi bites her fingernails in anxiety. Aelita twiddles a pencil in her hand nervously. William scratches the back of his head with a pained expression on his face. _

**Ulrich: **Right?

_Their faces tell Ulrich all he needs to know. _

**Ulrich: **Oh we are so dead.

**Part 12**

_The digital sea. The Skid is staring at one of Moriarty's red spheres, deep in the abyss. Aelita is at the helm. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, what's your status?

**Aelita: **We're here, but I'm not sure how to proceed. How do we get in?

**Jeremie: **Hold on…I'll try to see if I can find a code to open it.

_He types on his computer. _

**Ulrich: **I can't tell, is this the same one we found Aelita in a while ago?

**Aelita: **No, this is a new one.

**Jeremie: **My scan determined that there are numerous spheres scattered throughout the network. How many there are has yet to be determined.

**William: **What happened to the old one?

**Jeremie: **It disappeared. Apparently Moriarty didn't want to risk us finding information in it. I also think he didn't like the idea of preserving the site of a humiliating defeat.

_He keeps working. _

Well, this is….strange.

**Aelita: **What?

**Jeremie: **There's no code to this sphere.

**Aelita: **You mean we can just…fly right in?

**Jeremie: **Basically.

**Yumi: **I don't like this. No way Moriarty would make it this easy unless he had something planned for us.

**Ulrich: **Yumi's right. It has to be a trap.

**Jeremie: **You're probably right. But if we are going to win this war with Moriarty, we have to take some risks. We can't be afraid to go on the offense. We need to find a way to destroy these spheres.

**Aelita: **Ok, we're going in.

**Jeremie: **Be ready for anything. I will stay in touch.

_The Skid enters the sphere. The digital sea transforms into a dark expanse. Below them is a never ending maze of rectangular pillars, that constantly shifts with the pillars going up and down. The Lyoko warriors take a glimpse of their surroundings. _

**Yumi: **Well, this is just perfect.

**William: **We're supposed to go through that? We could easily get lost.

**Jeremie: **Don't worry about that. I have a fix on your position and I am downloading a holomap of your surroundings. I can direct you.

_The Skid goes into a vertical position hovering in midair. _

**Aelita: **Ok, we're disembarking.

_The four are virtualized out of the Skid onto the maze floor. _

**William: **Game plan?

**Ulrich: **Split up. We can cover more ground.

**Jeremie: **Hmm… let me think. Split up in a maze where Moriarty could easily pick you off one by one. Beep…..Wrong try again.

**Aelita: **Jeremie's right, it's too risky.

**Jeremie: **Stay together and stay vigilant. I know this might be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but we have to try. The scan's data indicates that there must be a module in each sphere that connects the sphere to the network conduits in the abyss in the digital sea. If we can find a way to sever them, we destroy the sphere.

**Yumi: **Ok, we're off.

_They start moving through the maze. They wander for a while. The passages constantly shift and change position. The group remains vigilant that the rectangular pillars don't separate them from each other. But Ulrich notices out of the corner of his eye a figure moving through the rectangular spheres to the right of him. When Ulrich turns, the figure is gone, but he starts to wander in that direction. His distance from the group increases. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, what are you doing? Stay with the group!

_Ulrich turns to reach them, but a wall of rectangular pillars suddenly appears and blocks his path. He's alone_

**Ulrich: **Uh….Jeremie

**Jeremie: **What part of 'Stay together' did you not understand?

**Ulrich: **I thought I saw something!

**Jeremie: **Well that's really not good.

_The group is not too far away on the other side. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, what happened to him?

**Jeremie: **He got cut off by the maze, but don't worry. I am going to try and lead him back to you. Don't move.

_A shadow rushes behind Ulrich and disappears. When Ulrich hears it, he spins around and draws both swords. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, get out of there. You're extremely vulnerable in the maze by yourself.

_Ulrich stands his ground. _

**Ulrich: **Too late. I'm not alone here.

**Jeremie: **My monitor is not picking it up. Can you tell what it is?

**Ulrich: **No, but I have my suspicions.

**Jeremie: **Keep your eyes peeled. You could be attacked in any direction.

**Ulrich: **Got it.

_He moves slowly and cautiously, looking around him. He turns around suddenly and sees a black tail waving in his face. He looks up and sees Odd glaring at him on top of the pillar. _

**Ulrich: **Oh sh..

_Odd pounces. Ulrich tries to strike with his swords, but Odd's claws grow and rip into his chest, devirtualizing him. Ulrich comes out of the scanner. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, it's Odd!

**Jeremie: **Guys you got a problem. Ulrich's been devirtualized, and you're currently being hunted by Moriarty's right-hand man.

_The others tense and draw their weapons. _

**Yumi: **That's just what we needed.

**William: **Any idea where he is?

**Jeremie: **No, he's invisible on my screen.

**Yumi: **This is not good. Odd has the advantage here.

**Aelita: **We should keep moving. If we stay still it will just….

_A red electrical blast comes out of nowhere and heads straight for Aelita. But William responds quickly and blocks the blast with his sword, saving her. Odd leaps out of the shadows and lands in front of them. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie…we found him.

_Odd charges on all fours for Yumi. Yumi ducks and spins on the ground to avoid him. Odd lands and reverses, aiming for her again. But William anticipates the charge and hits him with the blunt end of his sword like a baseball bat. Odd is knocked down hard, and stares at William with hatred. William positions himself between Odd and the girls. _

**William: **Go! I'll handle him!

**Yumi: **But William….

**William: **Don't argue! You two need to find the command module! I'll hold him off as long as I can.

**Aelita: **He's right, let's go.

_Aelita and Yumi continue in the maze. William and Odd are left alone. Odd growls. _

**William: **Your move….

_Odd lunges, leaping off a pillar with claws extended. William ducks. Odd turns and fires laser arrows at him. William blocks a few, but one hits him on the shoulder, and he drops his sword in pain. Odd stands on two legs and fires a devastating electric blast that devirtualizes William. Meanwhile Yumi and Aelita have stumbled upon a central plaza of sorts in the maze. In the middle is a small podium-like pillar containing a virtual panel. _

**Yumi: **This must be it.

**Jeremie: **Let me see….hmm…I think you're right. There is a large amount of quantum energy flowing to this site. I am 98 percent sure this is it.

_Yumi expands her fans ready to strike. _

**Yumi: **Say no more, it's toast.

**Jeremie: **Wait! Don't do it!

**Yumi: **Why not?

**Jeremie: **This module is probably connected to a large server or computer on Earth. Maybe we can learn what Moriarty is planning before we take care of this sphere.

_Aelita approaches the panel and gets to work. _

**Aelita: **Alright Jeremie, I'm in…just give me a few minutes. I'll try to send this data to you.

_Yumi hears a growl behind her. _

**Yumi: **Aelita, I'd suggest you hurry. I don't think William had much luck with Odd.

**Aelita: **Try to hold him off. There is so much data to process.

_Odd appears on the scene, staring down at Yumi from atop one of the pillars. _

**Yumi: **No promises.

_Odd jumps onto the maze surface. Yumi holds out her hand and begins to use her telekinesis powers. A red glow appears around the pillars, and they begin to collapse around him. Odd's incredible agility allows him to escape the attack. Yumi picks up one of the pillars with her mind and throws it toward Odd, but Odd once again is able to dodge it. Odd gets on top of the pile of fallen pillars and lunges. Yumi lets one of her fans fly. It cuts Odd's side and he goes down to the ground. The fan returns to Yumi's hand. Odd bares his teeth. Aelita begins to make some progress, sort of. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, I think I've found something, but it's in a completely different language.

_Jeremie looks at it from his screen. _

**Jeremie: **I think it's….Arabic.

**Aelita: **Do you know how to translate it?

**Jeremie: **I can't, but if you send me the data, the computer might be able to.

_Yumi is blocking Odd's laser arrows with her fans. _

**Yumi: **Guys, not trying to rush you or anything but….

**Aelita: **Just give me a few more seconds Yumi. I'm almost done.

**Yumi: **I may not have a few more seconds!

_Odd is circling Yumi, waiting to strike. Yumi fires both of her fans at him. Odd jumps and grabs them and throws them right back at her. Her own fans devirtualize her on impact. _

**Aelita: **I'm done Jeremie! I'm sending it to you now!

**Jeremie: **Ok I have it! Now destroy the module! Odd's coming!

_Aelita sees Odd charging straight for her. Aelita fires an energy field at the pillar, destroying it. The entire maze begins to shake. Some of the pillars begin to fall into the expanse. Odd falls through a hole and disappears. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie! The sphere is collapsing, and I'll never make it to the Skid in time!

**Jeremie: **No problem.

_The Skid approaches Aelita. _

**Jeremie: **I have it on autopilot.

_Aelita is digitized back into the Skid and flies out. As she enters the digital sea, the sphere collapses in on itself behind her. Back at the lab, Jeremy and the others look at the data. _

**Jeremie: **Well, this mission has answered one question, but it has raised so many others.

**Ulrich: **Meaning?...

**Jeremie: **We now know how to destroy Moriarty's spheres. But we still don't know WHAT he is doing with them.

**William: **If we know how to take them out, does it matter?

**Jeremie: **I wish it were that simple. So far my scan has picked up only a couple of spheres. But Xana had hundreds of replicas. There's nothing stopping Moriarty from doing the same, unless my theory that he is not yet that powerful is correct.

**Aelita: **If we are going to stop him, we need to know what he is planning.

**Jeremie: **Precisely.

**Yumi: **What about the multi-agent program? If we can get that modified, we can take care of Moriarty for good, right?

**Jeremie: **Once again, not as easy as it sounds. Xana was a multi-agent system himself, so programming another multi-agent system to destroy him was actually not that difficult. But Moriarty is a virtual being. I am no longer attacking files and data, I am attacking virtualized molecules, an intellectual entity with complex behavioral traits. It's hard enough to destroy an artificial intelligence. Bringing down an actual human being who is more than capable of counterattacking my every move using the same system I used with Xana is close to impossible. If we are going to defeat Moriarty that way, I'm going to need a lot more data from the spheres.

**Ulrich: **In other words, we're in here for the long haul.

**Yumi: **What about the data you got from the labyrinth?

**Jeremie: **As soon as the computer can translate it, we may have an idea of Moriarty's overarching plan.

**Ulrich: **Translate it? Is it encoded?

**Jeremie: **Yes, but that was easy to get around. The real problem is that I can't read Arabic.

**William: **Why did the sphere have Arabic in it?

**Jeremie: **If I knew that, I wouldn't need the computer to translate it now would I?

**Aelita: **The point is…we might be fighting Moriarty for quite a while.

**William: **I just wish we could go ahead and destroy him already.

**Aelita: **May I remind you that we need to get Odd back first?

_William is a little embarrassed at this reminder. _

**William: **Uh…right. I of all people should know that.

**Jeremie: **Well that's it for now. Go get some rest. We could try another mission tomorrow night.

**Yumi: **Do you mind if we take that day off?

**Jeremie: **Do you have plans?

**Yumi: **Yes, isn't that right Ulrich?

_Ulrich gets a deer in the headlights look. _

**Ulrich: **Uhh…

**Yumi: **Don't tell me you forgot….

**Ulrich: **No of course I didn't…I just…well it might have slipped my mind.

**Yumi: **You forgot, didn't you?

**Ulrich: **I got nothing. Help me out here.

**Yumi: **Give it a second…

_Ulrich's face brightens with realization. _

**Ulrich: **Oh right! Your grandfather is visiting from uh…Yosaka.

**Yumi: **It's Osaka. And yes he is coming. And you are eating dinner with us tomorrow night because he wants to meet you.

**Ulrich: **Well that's good, right?

_Yumi gets a pained expression on her face. _

**Yumi: **Let's uh…hope so. All I know for certain is that he wants to introduce you to the art of Shrangi-Sau.

**Ulrich: **What does that mean?

**Yumi: **It means my boyfriend is an idiot and has the memory of a gnat.

_She walks towards the elevator. _

**Ulrich: **You made up that Shangri-Sau thing, didn't you?

_She closes the elevator door. William coughs. _

**William: **Doghouse.

_Aelita chuckles. _

**Ulrich: **Shut up.

_Later that night Jeremie is walking past the library. Mr. Klotz is walking in his direction from the opposite way. _

**Klotz: **Jeremie, just who I wanted to see. Can we…talk for a minute?

_Jeremie gives him an ugly look. _

**Jeremie: **I know what you are going to say, and I'm not interested. I didn't do it…goodbye.

**Klotz: **Nothing gets past you does it Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **Sometimes it does. It helps if you don't give me the stink eye in the middle of assembly.

**Klotz: **Jeremie I wanted to apologize. I do admit you are a suspect but only because of your strong skills with computers. As for the assembly, I was upset because so many students were at risk and I blamed myself. Expressing my anger at you was very immature.

**Jeremie: **Can't argue with you there.

**Klotz: **I don't want to create enmity between us, but for the sake of all the students, I must take every possibility seriously.

**Jeremie: **Ok, go on.

**Klotz: **My point is…if there is anything troubling you, if someone hurt you that might have caused you to make a terrible mista….

**Jeremie: **I'm done.

_He starts to walk away. Klotz stares at him with contempt. _

**Klotz: **Your behavior does not suggest an innocent conscience, Jeremie.

**Jeremie: **No it suggests disgust at being accused of something I didn't do. I thought a doctorate in psychology would have at least taught you that much.

_He storms off down the hallway. Meanwhile he runs into Odd's clone and a couple of his girls recently returned from some outing. The girls are giggling. _

**Girl 1: **Did you have fun Odd?

**Odd's Clone: **Processing response. Moving spectral appendages in a most fervent manner in a windowless environment with disorienting lights and sounds with other human subjects was very….stimulating.

_Other girls laugh. _

**Girl 1: **Oh Odd.

**Girl 2: **Let's do it again!

**Girl 3: **What if Delmas catches us next time?

**Odd's Clone: **Reason for concern: Minimal. Recently acquired position as mathematics tutor to female subject Elizabeth Delmas grants us impunity.

**Girl 2: **Way to go Odd! We can do whatever we want!

**Girl 4: **What if Sissi doesn't need you to be her math tutor anymore?

**Odd's Clone: **Likelihood of said concern occurring is exactly 0.73%.

_Girls laugh again. Herb and Nicholas come down the stairs and approach Odd's clone. _

**Nicholas: **Well if it isn't Mr. Sparky Fingers.

**Odd's Clone: **Statement ludicrous. Name has never been and never will be "Mr. Sparky Fingers"

_Laughing girls. _

**Herb: **I wonder if your girls would like you so much if they knew that you're a freak who can shoot electricity from his hands.

**Girl 2: **What's he talking about?

**Odd's Clone: **Male subject's assertion violates all semblance of scientific logic.

**Herb: **Oh so now I'm the stupid one?

**Odd's Clone: **Affirmative.

**Nicholas: **I know, let's make him show them the truth!

**Herb: **Yeah, he'll only show them if we take him on.

**Odd's Clone: **Diagnosis altered. Verbal remarks of male subjects suggest the onset of insanity.

**Nicholas: **That's it!

_Nicholas takes a swing, but Odd's clone grabs his fist, bends it back and throws him like a rag doll against the wall. Herb runs away, and Nicholas, once he slowly gets up, takes off as well. Girls are swooning at such a performance _

**Girl 4: **Wow, you showed them!

**Girl 2: **For a scrawny guy, you sure are strong!

**Odd's Clone: **Correction needed. Body type: svelte. High metabolism creates lean body frame.

_They walk up the stairs as Jeremie stares from the side of the hallway unnoticed. He scratches his head. _

**Jeremie: **Just when I thought my clone's success with girls couldn't get any weirder.

_The next night Ulrich is eating dinner with the Ishiyamas. Yumi and Ulrich are sitting next to each other, with Hiroki on the end. To the left of Yumi are her mom and dad. Seated across from Ulrich is a bald, old Japanese man whose facial expression indicates that he may not be completely there. He is entertaining Hiroki with a rather tall tale. _

**Grandpa: **I tell you Hiroki, it was tough growing up right after World War ІІ. The radiation from Hiroshima and Nagasaki was so bad, I started to grow a third arm!

_Hiroki laughs. _

**Yumi's Dad: **Father….

**Grandpa: **But I got better…

**Yumi's Dad: **Father, you grew up in Sendai, very far away from both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

**Grandpa: **You'd be surprised son. Haven't you heard how wind can spread radiation a great distance? My younger sister was born with a third eye!

_Ulrich whispers to Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **Is he kidding or is he just senile?

**Yumi: **We can never tell.

**Grandpa: **My, my, my. What are you two discussing?

_They lean away from each other. _

**Ulrich: **Nothing important Mr. Ishiyama.

**Grandpa: **Hmm….so you're the French boy who's caught my daughter's eye?

**Ulrich: **Uh….last time I checked.

**Grandpa: **Well, would you kindly give it back? No offense, but you're not exactly what I had in mind.

_Ulrich stares at him in disbelief that he would make such a blunt statement. Yumi's mom and dad don't take it well either. Yumi rolls her eyes. _

**Yumi's Dad: **Father, we talked about this.

**Grandpa: **I'm sorry, but the idea of my granddaughter with a European boy…..

**Yumi: **Grandpa!

**Yumi's Dad: **There shall be no racial superiority at this table, do I make myself clear?

**Yumi's Mom: **You don't even know the boy. He's always been so polite and respectful.

_Yumi leans to Ulrich. _

**Yumi: **Your family isn't the only one who can be racist around here.

**Ulrich: **Good to know.

**Grandpa: **That may be. But we come from a long and proud line of samurai…

_Yumi's dad slaps his forehead. _

**Yumi's Dad: **Oh not this nonsense again…

**Grandpa: **Don't deny your heritage son. The point being, she needs a warrior. A Japanese warrior.

**Yumi's Mom: **We moved to France. What did you expect would happen? It's not like there are that many here in Paris.

**Grandpa: **Well, who's fault is that?

_Ulrich leans to Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **Is he serious about all of this?

**Yumi: **Not really. He probably thinks you're ok. He just insists on being this way.

**Yumi's Dad: **And I suppose you think you fulfilled that role with my mother?

**Grandpa: **Son, you know as well as I do that I didn't need to. Your mother was quite the warrior on her own. Why the day we met…

_Yumi's family exasperates, except for Hiroki. They've heard this story before. _

**Grandpa: **I was in Tokyo teaching Jujutsu downtown. I was a relatively new master, and the other masters enjoyed putting me in…difficult situations. One day, a woman, a very attractive woman, came in. Back then, it was shocking for any woman to make the independent and bold move of learning a martial art traditional reserved for men. The other masters tried to humiliate me by making me spar her to teach her a few moves. It was very awkward. It was a good thing I was wearing loose-fitting pants that day…

_Yumi's mom and dad glare at him. _

**Yumi's Dad: **Father!

**Yumi's Mom: **You'll have to excuse him Ulrich. Ever since his stroke he's well….lost his filter.

**Grandpa: **Oh yes…please excuse the senile old man.

**Yumi's Dad: **Don't give him too much credit dear. He had a problem with this BEFORE the stroke.

**Grandpa: **May I continue?

**Yumi's Dad: **You're going to anyway.

**Grandpa: **So anyway, I started to spar her, and she defeated me! I have never seen a woman with such strength! I was on the mat rather quickly. Humiliated, I stared up at her as she lay on top of me with her hands on my shoulders. Then I noticed how her face immediately went red. The masters never let me forget that defeat. I had lost my honor, my dignity, and self-respect, but I didn't care, because at that moment….I knew I had her.

_Ulrich and Yumi stare at each other and blush. Both of them are thinking the same thing. _

**Hiroki: **Hey Yumi, isn't that the same way you and Ulrich met?

**Yumi: **Um no…Hiroki…that's not …exactly what happened.

_Yumi's mom and dad want to ask about this, but the grandfather's rant saves them. _

**Grandpa: **Anyway the rest is history. We got married. We continued to spar on our own at times. She would always win and I would end up on the floor as usual. Of course often times one thing would lead to another and then nine months later your sister…..

_Yumi's father slams down his fork. _

**Yumi's Dad: **FATHER!

_Yumi, Ulrich, and Hiroki can't help but laughing. _

**Grandpa: **Oh did I do it again? Oops. Well she was a great woman. I was truly devastated when she passed on. The point is…this family needs to continue its line of warriors, of nobility. Something I'm sure Ulrich here, nothing personal boy, doesn't have.

_Ulrich gets up from the table. _

**Ulrich: **I'll have you know both sides of family are descended from French and German knights and my family owns…

**Yumi: **Ulrich!

_Ulrich realizes he almost revealed the secret of his family's wealth and power. _

**Ulrich: **Uh…I mean…never mind.

_He sits down. _

**Grandpa: **Even among Europeans, the French aren't exactly known for being warriors.

_Ulrich is getting annoyed. _

**Yumi's Dad: **I give up…

**Hiroki: **But grandpa, Ulrich does know how to fight! He is an expert in Pencak Silat. He trains with Yumi a lot!

_Ulrich beams with this statement. _

**Grandpa: **Is that so?

**Ulrich: **Yes sir….

**Grandpa: **Hmm… my apologies. But a true samurai knows to always keep his sword in his sheath.

_Everyone at the table stares at him in confusion. _

**Hiroki: **Does that mean that a true warrior only fights when absolutely necessary?

_Grandpa has a rather mischievous look on his face. _

**Grandpa: **Sure….let's go with that...

_Yumi and Ulrich realize what he is talking about and are horrified. Ulrich spits out his drink and Yumi almost chokes on a piece of food. Both of them turn beet red. Yumi's mom and dad seethe with anger. _

**Yumi's Dad: **FATHER!

**Grandpa: **Of course, when it is the proper time, he unleashes it and waves it around proudly!

_Ulrich buries his face in the tablecloth. Yumi buries her face in her hands in embarrassment. Hiroki laughs hysterically. _

**Yumi's Dad: **FATHER THAT IS ENOUGH!

**Yumi's Mom: **This isn't happening…this isn't happening.

**Grandpa: **And a true Japanese woman knows that it is not the length of the sword that counts, but in the strength in which he yields it!

_Yumi nearly falls out of her chair with this last statement. _

**Yumi's Dad: **Father if you do not learn how to control your mouth, I will control it for you!

**Grandpa: **Bahh! I'm just about dead anyway. What do I care? Besides, all of the kids at the table are old enough to hear this. What are you Hiroki, 15?

**Hiroki: **I'm still eleven!

**Grandpa: **Ah close enough.

**Yumi's Mom: **Remind me when you are planning on leaving…

**Grandpa: **Hmm let's see, I got here yesterday, so…oh yes…never.

_Everyone at the table is shocked._

**Yumi's Mom: **Excuse me?

**Grandpa: **I'm moving in with you!

**Yumi's Mom: **What?

**Grandpa: **Your husband said it was ok…

_Yumi's Mom glares at Yumi's Dad._

**Yumi's Dad: **Well, I might have…accidentally..

**Yumi's Mom: **Honey, can we talk for a moment….OUTSIDE?

_Yumi's Dad hangs his head. _

**Yumi's Dad: **Yes dear…

_They leave. Grandpa turns to Hiroki. _

**Grandpa: **So Hiroki, are you having any luck with the ladies?

**Hiroki: **Well, not really. You see, I have a crush on this girl named Milly.

**Grandpa: **I see. I could give you a few tips on how to …properly court her.

_Yumi's mom yells from outside the room. _

**Yumi's Mom: **NO YOU WILL NOT!

_Grandpa whispers to Hiroki. _

**Grandpa: **We'll talk later.

_Yumi's mom and dad return. Yumi's dad has the classic "My wife is going to kill me after this" look. Both sit down. _

**Yumi's Dad: **Father, we have talked it over and we believe it would be best…

**Grandpa: **Oh I knew it! You're going to leave an old man who's slowly losing his mind to fend for himself and die alone!

**Yumi's Dad: **You can stay….

**Grandpa: **What? Oh…why thank you. But there must be a catch, correct?

**Yumi's Mom: **Actually there are several catches. Thirty-six to be exact. But we will go into that later.

**Grandpa: **Only thirty-six? My, my you've lost your touch.

**Yumi's Mom: **Don't….push it.

_Yumi's dad is eager to change the subject. _

**Yumi's Dad: **So Ulrich, we were wondering when we get to meet your parents.

_Ulrich stops what he's doing. _

**Ulrich: **Uh…well you see…

**Yumi's Mom: **Yes, it seems that you two only come to our house. How come Yumi has never gone to yours?

**Ulrich: **Uh….

**Yumi: **His family…lives in Amiens. It's kind of out of the way.

**Ulrich: **Yeah that's it.

**Yumi's Dad: **Well, I suppose that makes sense.

**Yumi's Mom: **But that's no reason for us to never meet them. Amiens is not too far away.

**Yumi: **Mom, you can't expect Ulrich's parents to…

**Yumi's Dad: **Maybe Yumi could visit for the weekend.

**Ulrich: **Oh, Mr. Ishiyama, I'm sure you don't…

**Yumi's Dad: **Oh I understand…you think I hate the idea of Yumi staying at your house. Not to worry Ulrich, I trust you.

**Yumi: **Dad…

**Grandpa: **That is the exact opposite of what my father-in-law told me.

**Yumi's Mom: **That's a great idea, honey.

**Ulrich: **Mr. and Mrs. Ishiyama, I appreciate what you're saying but…

**Yumi's Dad: **Well when ARE we going to meet them then Ulrich? We haven't heard anything about them.

**Ulrich: **I know but…

**Yumi's Mom: **Don't you think it's rather strange that Yumi hasn't mentioned anything about them, honey?

**Yumi's Dad: **Yes…I don't mean to be rude Ulrich, but it seems like your parents haven't acknowledged her.

**Ulrich: **Uh…

_Yumi thinks of something to save the situation. _

**Yumi: **That's not true. Why only a couple of days ago they did offer to let me stay at their house during the holidays.

**Ulrich: **Yumi….

**Yumi: **Isn't that RIGHT, Ulrich?

**Ulrich: **Uh yeah, they….. did.

**Yumi's Mom: **Oh that's great!

**Grandpa: **Staying at a lover's house is acceptable now? Why wasn't I born in this generation?

**Yumi's Dad: **Why didn't you tell us this Yumi?

**Yumi: **I thought you would say no.

**Yumi's Mom: **This is wonderful! You're going to have to tell us all about them.

**Yumi: **Well, I'm not sure they…

**Ulrich: **Yumi, can I talk to you for a second?

**Yumi: **Will you excuse us?

_The parents give their consent. They walk into the hall out of earshot._

**Ulrich: **Yumi, what are you doing?

**Yumi: **I'm sorry, but I had to say something!

**Ulrich: **Now they are expecting you to come to my house!

**Yumi: **I'll find a way to cover it later.

**Ulrich: **Oh really? How? They seem very persistent.

**Yumi: **Hey, don't blame me. You froze out there. I had no choice!

**Ulrich: **What was I supposed to say? I can't just go out and say my parents are racist!

**Yumi: **Well how long do you plan on hiding the truth? You can't cover it up forever.

**Ulrich: **No, but I wasn't expecting to have to do it this early!

**Yumi: **Well how am I supposed to follow your schedule?

**Ulrich: **It would help if you people weren't so pushy!

_Yumi's mouth drops. She glares at him. _

**Yumi: **You….PEOPLE? You mean MY PEOPLE? The Japanese?

_Ulrich quickly tries to correct himself. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi…I'm sorry, that…that's not what I meant.

**Yumi: **Is that what you think of my family?

**Ulrich: **No, not at all…

**Yumi: **YOU SOUND JUST LIKE YOUR DAD!

_Ulrich backs up and looks at her like he's been punched in the gut. Yumi immediately realizes she went too far. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich…I didn't mean it…I was just...

_Ulrich goes to the door. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich wait!

_He runs out the door. Yumi punches the wall in frustration and hangs her head. She goes back to the table. Her family immediately senses something wrong. Even her grandpa looks concerned. _

**Yumi's Mom: **Yumi, where's….?

**Yumi's Dad: **Honey…not now.

_Yumi sits down and doesn't say a word the rest of the night. The next morning, Jeremie wakes up to hear a knocking at his door. He opens to see Odd's clone giving him a military salute. He is covered in lipstick kiss marks, and his hair is disheveled. _

**Jeremie: **What in the world happened to…?

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity possesses news vital to mission.

**Jeremie: **What happened to you?

**Odd's Clone: **Question irrelevant.

**Jeremie: **No it is relevant. What happened to you?

**Odd's Clone: **Creator Jeremy Belpois underestimated sex appeal of spectral entity…

**Jeremie: **Ok….that's enough…

**Odd's Clone: **Permission to report.

**Jeremie: **Please…

**Odd's Clone: **Upon returning to campus at exactly 3:45 a.m…

**Jeremie: **3:45!

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity discovered roommate Ulrich Stern was not present…

**Jeremie: **Wait….Ulrich's….gone?

**Odd's Clone: **Affirmative.

**Jeremie: **Why didn't you tell me earlier?

**Odd's Clone: **Processing question: Did not want to disturb sleep of Creator.

**Jeremie: **Oh this is REALLY BAD!

_He calls Aelita and William, who quickly agree to come to his room. As they come into the room, Jeremy brings up the super scan screen, which confirms an activated tower in the Desert Region. _

**Aelita: **Any sign of him?

**Jeremie: **No…

**William: **Yumi is not going to be happy.

**Aelita: **Have you told her?

**Jeremie: **I sent her a text message telling her to come as soon as possible. I didn't want to tell her…just yet. It should be done in person.

_A few minutes later she comes in. She is clearly still distressed from last night's events, but she's doing her best to hide it. _

**Yumi: **What's the problem?

_All of them stare at her and pause. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi, when did Ulrich leave your house last night?

_Yumi stares at the others in confusion. _

**Yumi: **Around nine…why?

**Jeremie: **Well, you see…..he never came home.

_Her eyes go wide. _

**Yumi: **WHAT?

**Jeremie: **Moriarty's activated a tower as well. I'd like to say these two events are coincidences, but my better judgment tells me otherwise.

**Yumi: **No….

**Jeremie: **We need to move fast…Moriarty has shown that he has no problem getting rid of Ulrich for good.

**Yumi: **I have to find him!

**Moriarty: **And that you shall….

_Others spin around in shock to see Moriarty's symbol on Jeremie's computer. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty….

**Moriarty: **Oh good the gang's all here…but wait…where's Ulrich?

**Yumi: **WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM?

**Moriarty: **What have I done? Oh Yumi, how could you make such an outrageously correct accusation?

**Yumi: **WHERE IS HE?

**Moriarty: **In the woods. And…he's not looking so good.

_Moriarty shows a clip of Ulrich in the woods crawling on his stomach. To say that he looks awful would be an understatement. He is badly wounded, and seems to be trying to get away from an unseen attacker. He weakly cries out. _

**Ulrich: **Someone…help…please

**Yumi: **ULRICH!

**Aelita: **What has he done to him?

**William: **Whatever he did, it doesn't look like Ulrich can take much more of it.

**Moriarty: **So Yumi, it looks like the roles are reversed. The damsel has to save the prince in distress.

**Yumi: **I'm going after him!

**Jeremie: **Yumi wait!

_She doesn't. _

**Moriarty: **Oh your little romances make my job SO much easier.

**Jeremie: **It's her turn, isn't it?

**Moriarty: **Doesn't take a genius to figure that out.

**Aelita: **We need to hurry. Ulrich won't last much longer, and there's no telling what horrible things Moriarty will do to Yumi.

**Moriarty: **I think I've outdone myself this time.

**Jeremie: **Will you get off my computer already?

**Moriarty: **Why? It's quite comfortable here.

_William approaches the computer, reaches under the desk and unplugs his computer. He tosses the extension cord with a playful look on his face. William then gets a text. (Moriarty: Oh now that was just RUDE)_

_Yumi runs into the woods, calling for Ulrich. She looks desperately for him, but with no luck. Finally she hears a weak reply to her calls, and heads in that direction. She sees Ulrich in a distant clearing, on top of a slight rise on a boulder. Above that small rise is a much larger one. Yumi quickly deduces that Ulrich had a very bad fall. She runs to him. _

**Yumi: **ULRICH!

**Ulrich: **Yumi…wait.

_Yumi does not heed his warning, and runs right into Moriarty's trap. Out of the tall grass around the rise emerges several dozen snakes, all slithering towards her. Yumi freezes and turns white. She backs up and begins to shake. _

**Yumi: **No….

_A smoke cloud emerges from the shadows. _

**Moriarty: **You knew this day would come…

**Yumi: **No… anything but this!

**Moriarty: **Honestly Yumi…didn't you see this coming?

_Yumi backs up against a tree and shakes with terror. _

**Moriarty: **The common adder. Its bite is venomous. Usually they won't risk a confrontation with humans.

_One of the snakes gets close enough so Yumi can see the Moriarty symbol in its eye. _

**Moriarty: **Of course I took care of that.

**Yumi: **I…hate…snakes.

**Moriarty: **Oh yes I know. Your school psychologist's notes were ever so helpful. Would you like to play a game, Yumi?

_Yumi shakes. _

**Yumi: **No! I beg you PLEASE!

**Moriarty: **But my dear Yumi, you don't have a choice. Might I suggest you look at Ulrich's ankle?

_Yumi looks at Ulrich, who is weakly trying to get up. She notices two distinctive fang marks in his ankle. The bite marks are swollen and filled with pus. _

**Yumi: **You didn't….

**Moriarty: **I did. That bite mark is several hours old. The venom's coursing through his bloodstream as we speak. He won't last much longer. He needs immediate medical attention.

_Snakes stop approaching Yumi and form a wall around the rise. _

**Moriarty: **Of course, you have to REACH him first, and I'm afraid my snake friends are not going to be too cooperative in that regard.

_The snakes hiss at her and she cringes. _

**Moriarty: **Enough small talk. It's time to play the game "How much do you love?"

_Yumi remains glued to the tree in terror. _

**Moriarty: **Can you overcome your worst nightmare to save him?

_William and Aelita are virtualized onto the Desert Sector. Both look very determined. _

**Jeremie: **The tower is directly south of your position.

**William: **Have you called Yumi? Did you warn her?

**Jeremie: **I tried to William, but she won't answer. It's likely she doesn't need my warning at this point. She already knows.

**William: **Then we have no time to lose…

**Jeremie: **I'm sending you vehicles.

_Overwing appears. _

**William: **Uh Jeremie…no offense, but you never designed me a vehicle.

**Jeremie: **Oh….I never realized that. Well I guess I could send you another vehicle.

_Overboard materializes. William looks at it with hesitation. _

**William: **Jeremie, I can't use that.

**Jeremie: **William, I know you're a beginner, but the controls are very simple to use and….

**William: **No I mean, I can't use the Overboard. It's Odd's.

**Jeremie: **Well, he's not exactly using it…

**William: **No. It wouldn't be right.

**Jeremie: **But William…

**William: **I will not take the vehicle of a…fallen comrade.

_Jeremie ponders this. Aelita regards this decision with admiration. _

**Jeremie: **Ok. What about the Overbike?

**William: **Ulrich wouldn't be too happy. But he'll get over it.

**Jeremie: **Alright.

_Overboard disappears and Overbike appears. _

**Jeremie: **I'll program a vehicle for you when I have the time.

**William: **Thanks.

_They speed off towards the tower. After a short drive, they run across a line of Tigers lurking around rocky crests near the activated tower. Both stop to assess the situation. Emerging from the front of the pack is Odd, who is walking on all fours among the tigers like the king of a lion pride. The Tigers seem to look at Odd, waiting for orders. Aelita and William disembark from their vehicles. _

**Aelita: **How are we going to get around that?

**William: **Take to the air and try to find a way around the tigers. I'll handle Odd.

**Aelita: **You said that last time.

**William: **I'll do better THIS time. I have to. Lives are at stake.

_William raises his sword. _

**Aelita: **Wait, one more thing.

**William: **What?

**Aelita: **Last time I was able to get the real Odd to come through. Maybe you can bring him back. You were a slave once too. Maybe you can strike a chord with him that I can't.

_William ponders this. _

**William: **Noted.

_Aelita's wings sprout and she takes off to the right of the tigers. Odd growls at his pack and half the tigers go after Aelita. A second growl sends the rest of the tigers after William. Odd slinks away to chase Aelita. William stands his ground and cuts the first pouncing tiger in half as a fierce battle begins. Back in the woods, Yumi remains motionless as the line of snakes continue to haunt her. _

**Moriarty: **We could stay here all day Yumi if you want. I don't mind. Of course, you'll lose Ulrich.

_Sweat goes down Yumi's brow. _

**Yumi: **You don't…have to remind me.

_One of the snakes gets uncomfortably close and bears its fangs. Yumi panics and takes off her boot, throwing it at the snake. _

**Moriarty: **Well that was really stupid. Now you're ankle is wide open for one of my friends to sink its teeth in.

_Yumi curses her stupidity. They snakes watch her every move, glaring with hate. _

**Moriarty: **Now how did that old story go? 'I will put enmity between you and the woman.' Hmm… how fitting.

_Ulrich feebly reaches out to Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi…you can do it….don't….be afraid.

**Yumi: **Ulrich save your strength!

**Moriarty: **This is getting boring. Why don't I heat it up a notch?

_One of the snakes approaches Yumi and begins to crawl up her leg. Yumi loses all control and shakes her leg. She reaches in and throws it back, narrowly avoiding getting bitten. She whimpers with fear. She lowers herself into a squat position against the tree. She holds her hands over her head and closes her eyes, trying to block out the situation. _

**Moriarty: **How pathetic. You know Yumi, you pretend to be the tough heroine of the group. That's exactly what you want Ulrich to believe.

**Yumi: **Stop…

**Moriarty: **But even after he's saved you from every feasible danger, even confronting his dreaded fear of heights, you can't do the same for him this one time.

**Yumi: **Enough…

**Moriarty: **Though you pretend to be otherwise, you and I both know that you're nothing…but a scared…little girl.

**Yumi: **Please…

**Moriarty: **And this time…daddy isn't here to save you.

_A tear goes down Yumi's eye. _

**Ulrich: **What…what's he talking about?

_Yumi's mind goes back to a deep, dark, terrible memory. Her thoughts go back several years ago, when she still lived in Japan. Her family is on a mountainous highway in the steep and rocky Japanese countryside. Yumi is six and her brother Hiroki is only two. In the backseat, Hiroki is screaming his brains out. Yumi covers her ears, and both mom and dad seem like they are about to lose their mind. _

**Yumi: **Daddy…..Hiroki won't stop screaming!

_Hiroki intensifies his volume. _

**Yumi's Dad: **I AM AWARE OF THAT YUMI!

**Yumi's Mom: **For the love of God, will you PLEASE stop for directions?

**Yumi's Dad: **No, I'm telling you, we're almost to Minami Alps National Park! We just took a few wrong turns is all.

**Yumi's Mom: **You don't know where you're going!

**Yumi's Dad: **I DO know where I am going! I've been there before.

**Yumi's Mom: **When you were ten!

**Yumi's Dad: **I remember it like it was yesterday!

**Yumi's Mom: **You mean like you remembered our anniversary?

**Yumi's Dad: **Oh I forget ONE TIME, and you…

**Hiroki: **WAAAAAAAAAAAH!

**Yumi: **My ears hurt!

**Yumi's Mom: **We feel your pain honey.

**Yumi: **Mommy, Hiroki won't stop screaming, and I have to go potty!

**Yumi's Mom: **Do you hear that? Now Yumi has to use the restroom! Will you please stop this car already?

**Yumi's Dad: **Alright, ALRIGHT! There is a rest area a mile from here. I will stop there.

**Yumi's Mom: **And….?

**Yumi's Dad: **And ask for directions….

_A few minutes after they stop at the rest area, the family tries to regain its bearings. Yumi's mom holds Hiroki, who's calmed down at this point, while Yumi's dad holds a map. Yumi wanders unmonitored in the parking lot, trying to entertain herself. _

**Yumi's Dad: **This map makes no sense!

**Yumi's Mom: **Maybe it would be better to talk to someone…

**Yumi's Dad: **Like who?

**Yumi's Mom: **What about those American tourists over there?

**Yumi's Dad: **But I hardly know any English…

**Yumi's Mom: **What about that conference you went to in San Francisco?

**Yumi's Dad: **That was so long ago, and I barely knew any English then.

**Yumi's Mom: **Well, maybe they speak Japanese.

**Yumi's Dad: **And maybe your mother will stop berating me at every given opportunity! Besides, how would they know my country better than me?

**Yumi's Mom: **Well maybe they have a better map!

_While Yumi's parents continue to argue, Yumi sees a colorful butterfly. She is mesmerized by it. As it starts to fly away, Yumi follows it, leading her dangerously close to a steep rocky drop off at the edge of the parking lot leading into the forest. She trips and rolls down the slope. She screams. Yumi's parents stop what they are doing. _

**Yumi's Dad: **OH NO!

**Yumi's Mom: **YUMI! MY BABY!

_They rush to the edge. Yumi has landed on the forest floor near some old logs. Yumi's Dad gingerly tries to get down the slope to get to her. _

**Yumi's Mom: **OH PLEASE HURRY!

_Yumi looks around her. A large amount of snakes begins to crawl out of the pile of old logs. They swarm around her, slithering all over her. They are not poisonous and not trying to hurt her, they were only disturbed by her fall. But to a six-year old girl, the scene is traumatizing. She screams as the snakes surround her. _

**Yumi: **DADDY!

_Yumi's dad arrives. He grabs a stick and beats the snakes away. _

**Yumi's Dad: **Get away from my daughter!

_The snakes retreat. Yumi's dad picks her up. She is crying hysterically. _

**Yumi's Dad: **Yumi, are you ok? ….It's over honey…it's over. They can't hurt you anymore.

_Yumi comes back to reality. More tears come down her cheek. _

**Moriarty: **Isn't it just wonderful how our past comes back to haunt us?

**Yumi: **Why…why me?

**Moriarty: **The memory of that day is still branded into your memory.

_Yumi shuts her eyes tightly. _

**Moriarty: **And here we are, nine years later, with the life of your man hanging in the balance because you are afraid.

_Ulrich tries to get up, but collapses. He is pale as a ghost, and begins to cough violently. _

**Yumi: **ULRICH!

_She looks for an opening or weakness in the snake line. She edges over to the right, but the snakes match her move. She moves to the left with the same result. She breathes heavily. _

**Moriarty: **There is no easy way out of this one Yumi. You're going to have to charge head on to save him.

_William has finished his last tiger. He pauses for a moment. _

**Jeremie: **William, we got a problem. Odd is closing in on Aelita.

**William: **Got it.

_He gets on the Overbike and floors it. He quickly goes to aerial mode and flies above the desert surface. In the distance, he sees Aelita flying away from the chasing tigers. She destroys a couple with her energy fields, but they keep up the pursuit. Odd is following as well, on a dark and red version of an Overboard with Moriarty's symbol branded on the front. Odd closes in with Aelita unaware of the danger. William speeds up toward Odd and rams into him with the Overbike, causing Odd to fall to the desert floor. Aelita continues on her way to the tower unharmed, with the tigers still following but starting to lose her. William approaches Odd, who is getting up. Odd turns to William with beastlike rage. Odd fires several laser arrows, which William blocks. He extends his arms and unleashes a massive electrical blast. William braces himself and swings his sword, deflecting the blast back to Odd. Odd is surprised and barely avoids getting hit. Both of them circle each other. Odd begins to speak in his demonic voice. _

**Odd: **So it comes to this. Two slaves to powerful Lyoko entities locked in pitched combat.

**William: **Former….slave.

**Odd: **That's…debatable.

_William draws his sword. _

**William: **I disagree.

**Odd: **I suppose we can agree to disagree. Or agree to tear each other to shreds. Either one.

_He charges at William. William swings but Odd slides underneath the massive blade and takes out William's legs. Odd tries to finish William off but he kicks Odd backward with both legs. William quickly gets up and charges Odd. Odd's hands spark with power and he deflects William's sword. They both start to push and shove. _

**Odd: **Just think, while you're wasting your time with me, Ulrich and Yumi are dying.

**William: **Aelita will stop you!

**Odd: **True, but it will be too late. Just wait till Jeremie gets my little present.

_Both continue to struggle_

**William: **Odd, don't do this. You can break Moriarty's grip.

**Odd: **Oh really. Were you so lucky?

**William: **I was once. Once I was able to break free of Xana's control. I know what you're going through Odd. I feel your pain. The degradation, the feeling of hopelessness. But you have to keep fighting.

_Odd experiences a massive and rapid change. His facial expression softens and the power in his hands dies down. William stares at him cautiously. Odd's voice changes to what it originally was before his possession. _

**Odd: **William?

**William: **That's it Odd! Don't let Moriarty come back! Fight him off!

**Odd: **William…I have something to say….

**William: **Yes, what is it?

**Odd: **Come…closer.

_William does so. Odd leans on William's shoulder and opens his eyes. _

**Odd: **You're an idiot.

_His claws come out and he scratches William across the face. William reels back. _

**William: **Ow!

_Odd kicks Jeremy hard and William lands on the ground. Odd's demonic voice returns _

**Odd: **You really thought you could do it? You… of all people?

_William tries to get up but Odd punches William hard. He really starts roughing him up. _

**Odd: **YOU ARE WEAK!

_William tries to take a swing at Odd, but Odd jumps out of the way and blows him back with an electrical blast. William lands some distance away. _

**Odd: **And you always will be.

_William reaches for his sword but Odd approaches him and kicks him in the stomach. _

**Odd: **Your precious Yumi will die.

_William struggles again and Odd places his foot on William's neck. Odd leans close to whisper something in William's ear. _

**Odd: **And I'm going to make sure she suffers.

_William becomes enraged at Odd's continuing verbal abuse. He grabs Odd's leg and throws him off. Odd's claws come out but William grabs the sword and decks him with the blunt edge. Odd hits the ground hard but quickly goes back on all fours. He fires electricity but William jumps and somersaults over it. He continues to charge. Odd aims his wrist to fire laser arrows, but his wrist begins to shake. He grabs it with his other hand and stares at it in anger. _

**Odd: **No, I am the one in control!

_Odd's distraction allows William to strike. He makes a large gash in Odd's abdomen. Odd tries to scratch William's face, but William grabs Odd's wrist and beats Odd over the head with the blunt edge like a baton. Odd reels and William gives him a roundhouse kick to the side of the head. Odd falls to the ground. Before he can react, William drives his sword straight into Odd's chest, devirtualizing him. William is breathing heavily, still seething with rage. _

**William: **Jeremie, what's Aelita's status?

**Jeremie: **She's almost to the tower, but she could use a hand.

**William: **I'm on my way.

_He speeds off on the Overbike. Meanwhile the snakes continue to mock Yumi. She is still shaking with fear. _

**Moriarty: **So what's it going to be Yumi? Face your fears, or watch Ulrich die? 

_She hangs her head. _

**Yumi: **I can't do this.

_Ulrich raises his head. _

**Ulrich: **You…can. I did it….you can too.

**Yumi: **Ulrich…I'm sorry…for everything.

**Ulrich: **I…believe in you.

_He collapses. _

**Moriarty: **How does it feel knowing your cowardice is killing him?

_She doesn't respond, but continues to stare at the snakes in despair. _

**Moriarty: **You shouldn't blame yourself Yumi. There are some things no one is strong enough to face. Oh wait…but I guess you should still blame yourself.

_She starts to become angry at her own fear. She regards the snakes with hate. _

**Yumi: **GET AWAY! I HAVE TO SAVE HIM!

_The snakes don't budge. _

**Yumi: **YOU MONSTERS! IT'S NOT ENOUGH THAT YOU'VE HAUNTED ME EVER SINCE THAT AWFUL DAY!

**Moriarty: **Let's not blame the snakes Yumi, let's give credit where credit is due.

**Yumi: **I WILL KILL YOU FOR THIS MORIARTY!

**Moriarty: **You said that last time.

_She punches the ground. _

**Moriarty: **"I believe in you". Those are some great, ironic last words don't you think?

_Yumi tries to calm herself by breathing deeply. She opens her eyes which radiate with determination. _

**Yumi: **Maybe. But they won't be his last.

**Moriarty: **What are you implying?

_She grinds her teeth and sprints through the line of snakes. She almost makes it through, but one snake strikes her exposed heel. At first Yumi starts to panic, but the pain and outrage of the game has driven her past her fear. She picks up a stick and drives it through the snake's head. She drives away the snakes around her with the stick. The snakes begin to recoil. _

**Yumi: **ENOUGH! YOU WON'T HURT ME ANYMORE!

_She makes it through to Ulrich. The snakes do not follow. She has passed the test. She rushes to Ulrich's side. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi…you did it.

**Yumi: **You're going to be ok…_she stares at Moriarty's specter, who is still watching. _You lost Moriarty.

_The specter is unfazed. _

**Moriarty: **So you passed my test…so be it. You won't be able to save Ulrich…or yourself in time.

_The specter disappears. Yumi makes a call. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, please tell me Aelita is deactivating the tower.

**Jeremie: **She is in there now…hold on.

_Suddenly the snakes begin to disperse. Yumi breathes a sigh of relief. _

**Yumi: **Launch a return to the past! Ulrich doesn't have much more time!

**Jeremie: **Ok…I'm doing it now.

_He tries to start the program, but an exclamation point appears. _

**Jeremie: **Oh no! The system's bugged!

_A screen appears. It's a note. Jeremie starts to read it. _

**Jeremie: **Dear Jeremie: I'm afraid I might have bugged the return trip to the past program. Ulrich and Yumi will die. But here's an animation of a dancing koala to make you feel better. Have fun at the funerals.

_Screen pops up and dancing koala does his thing with obnoxious music in the background. _

**Jeremie: **MORIARTY YOU SADISTIC PIECE OF…

**Yumi: **Jeremie what's happening?

**Jeremie: **Moriarty bugged the system! I can't send us back in time!

_Yumi's face is stricken with horror. _

**Yumi: **But that means…

**Jeremie: **I'm so sorry…

**Yumi: **I'm going to call an ambulance! He needs help!

**Jeremie: **Wait, Moriarty said your life was in danger as well!

_Yumi looks at her heel. The fang marks ooze with pus. Yumi swallows hard. _

**Yumi: **I know. _She hangs up and dials an ambulance. _Hello, please help! My boyfriend is in really bad shape. We were both bitten by snakes. We're in the _ Park. Please hurry!

_She hangs up. She reaches for Ulrich and puts him on her shoulder. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi…what are you doing?

**Yumi: **Taking you to the road.

**Ulrich: **You've been…bitten.

**Yumi: **I don't care.

_She struggles to carry him down the trail towards the road. She starts to wear down, but she keeps pressing forward. To make matters worse, the exercise is causing the venom to spread quickly. Her vision begins to blur. She starts to become weak. She grinds her teeth and keeps going. As she reaches the point of exhaustion, she finally sees the road ahead. She gives it one last effort and manages to get to the sidewalk. She drops Ulrich and collapses. _

**Yumi: **Help….

_She blacks out as the sound of ambulance sirens steadily approaches. _

_Several hours later, Yumi begins to open her eyes. She sees a woman dressed in light blue looking over her. Her head is swimming. _

**Yumi: **Where….where am I?

**Nurse: **It's ok…you're in the hospital.

**Yumi: **Oh my head…

**Nurse: **You two gave us quite a scare.

_Yumi is starting to remember everything. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich…is he…is he alright?

**Nurse: **You mean the boy who was with you?

**Yumi: **Yes…

**Nurse: **He's in critical condition, but he's alive. The doctors weren't sure if he would make it, but he's young and resilient. He'll be alright.

_Yumi relaxes. _

**Nurse: **Those were some nasty snake bites. You should be more careful in the woods next time.

_Yumi rests on her pillow. _

**Nurse: **You're going to make a faster recovery than your friend. I would still try to stay off that ankle for a while though.

_Yumi starts to hear shouting outside. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **My son! His name is Ulrich Stern! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE NO ONE BY THAT NAME!

**Ulrich's Mom: **Please! We're worried sick!

**Yumi: **Wait, bring them in here!

_The nurse obeys. She calls them in. A doctor is with them. _

**Nurse: **Doctor, this girl says Ulrich Stern is the young snake bite victim we received a few hours ago.

**Doctor: **Oh yes. He's alive.

**Ulrich's Mom: **Oh thank God!

**Doctor: **He's in room C-35. You can see him, but I must say, he's still very weak.

_Ulrich's mom rushes out the door. The doctor and nurse follow. Mr. Stern however, pauses and stares at Yumi. His tie is disheveled, and he looks positively distraught with worry. He tries to compose himself. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **So, you must be Yumi…I don't think we've officially met.

_Yumi is weak, but she stares at Mr. Stern with coldness and caution. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **When your friend Jeremie called... we got here as soon as we could. I know you were the one who saved him. I suppose I must thank you for that.

_Yumi remains silent. Mr. Stern is starting to get the negative vibe from Yumi. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **I get the feeling Ulrich has told you all about me.

**Yumi: **He might have…mentioned it.

_Ulrich's dad pauses. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **I suppose then that you're not too fond of me. Fine. I'm used to that. My own wife can't stand me.

_Yumi remains unmoved. Ulrich's dad comes to her bedside and suddenly he seems deeply moved. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **Regardless of what you think of me, I can't tell you enough how much… I'm grateful for what you did.

_Yumi is surprised. She notices that Mr. Stern is being completely sincere. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **Call me what you will, but I'm still a father. A father who was scared to death about the safety of his son.

_Yumi softens a little. _

**Yumi: **I…understand.

_There is an awkward pause. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **Well, I should go see my son now.

**Yumi: **Wait.

_Yumi struggles to get off the bed. She looks completely weak and vulnerable in her hospital gown. _

**Yumi: **Can you take me to him?

**Ulrich's Dad: **I'm no doctor, but you seem in no condition to…

**Yumi: **Please…

_Ulrich's dad remains unmoved emotionally, but he relents. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **Alright.

_He serves as a crutch for her as they head to Ulrich's room. A doctor of North African descent stares at them. _

**African Doctor: **What are you doing? That patient is still very…

_He pauses when he sees Mr. Stern. _

**African Doctor: **You….

**Ulrich's Dad: **Yes, yes you're welcome. No if you'll excuse me….

_The doctor lets them go without resistance. As they come into the room, Ulrich's mom is waiting by his bedside. Ulrich is still asleep. Both Yumi and Mr. Stern come closer to see him. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **How is he?

**Ulrich's Mom: **He's alright…I hope.

_Yumi watches him and breathes a sigh of relief. Ulrich is badly beaten up, but his heartbeat looks normal. A few minutes later Yumi hears a familiar group of voices approaching the door. Her mom, dad, and brother Hiroki enter. They all rush to her. _

**Yumi's Mom: **YUMI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF BED?

**Yumi: **Uh…

**Yumi's Mom: **YOU SCARED US HALF TO DEATH!

_She's almost shaking her. _

**Yumi's Mom: **WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

**Yumi's Dad: **Dear…

**Yumi's Mom: **We were so worried! Especially when we heard about the snakes!

**Hiroki**: Uh mom…

**Yumi's Mom: **Don't ever do that to me aga…

**Yumi's Dad: **DEAR! Shaking our daughter to death is not helping.

_She relents. Her family hugs her. _

**Hiroki: **Are you ok Yumi?

**Yumi: **I'm fine Hiroki.

**Yumi's Mom: **You are going back to bed this instant!

**Yumi: **But mom!

**Ulrich's Dad: **She's fine. She just wants to watch over Ulrich.

_The family pauses when they notice Mr. and Mrs. Stern. Mr. Ishiyama extends his hand. _

**Yumi's Dad: **You must be Mr. Stern. My apologies for barging in. I'm Takeo Ishiyama. Nice to meet you.

_Ulrich's dad hesitates to shake his hand. Yumi's thoughts: Uh oh. _

_But Ulrich's dad gets over his discomfort and shakes his hand. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **Nice to meet you too.

_Yumi breathes another sigh of relief. The family exchanges pleasantries. Everything looks normal. A few minutes later Ulrich begins to come to. He looks around. _

**Ulrich: **Uh…Yumi, is that you?

_Yumi holds his hand. _

**Yumi: **I'm here Ulrich.

**Ulrich: **Mom…Dad. _He sees the Ishiyamas. _Hello Mr. and Mrs. Ishiyama…._he closes his eyes but suddenly he sits up in bed very quickly. _PARENTS….ISHIYAMAS…..SAME ROOM…..DISASTER!

**Yumi:** Ulrich take it easy. You need rest.

**Yumi's Dad: **Now what in the world was that about?

**Yumi: **Uh…he's just delusional. He's been through a lot. Isn't that right….Mr. Stern?

**Ulrich's Dad: **What? Oh yes….that must be it. He's just delusional.

_Grandpa barges in out of nowhere. _

**Grandpa: **Sorry I'm late.

_Yumi's face goes white. _

**Yumi: **(to herself) Oh no, things were going so well.

**Grandpa: **Good gracious! Yumi, go easy on the boy! Even your grandmother didn't put me in the hospital!

_Yumi and Ulrich turn red. Ulrich's mom and dad's mouths drop. Yumi's mom and dad stare at him with barely restrained anger. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **Did he….just…suggest?

**Grandpa: **Well she got close once.

**Yumi's Dad: **Father!

**Grandpa: **What?

**Ulrich's Dad: **Who…what… is that?

**Yumi's Mom: **Oh you must excuse him! His recent stroke has….impaired his judgment.

**Yumi's Dad: **Or what was left of it.

**Grandpa: **What? How do you explain both of them landing in the hospital at the same time?

**Yumi's Dad: **For your information, they got bitten by poisonous snakes.

**Grandpa: **Oh, so that's what the kids call it these days.

**Ulrich's Mom: **For the love of…

**Yumi's Dad: **That's it….OUTSIDE!

**Grandpa: **I can't even see my own granddaughter in the hospital?

**Yumi's Dad: **You have lost that privilege.

_The Ishiyamas force the senile old man outside. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **Your mother and I were…very worried.

**Ulrich's Mom: **Oh my baby! _She hugs him. _

**Ulrich: **Can't….BREATHE!

_She lets go. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **Just try not to fall in the woods and get bitten by snakes next time.

**Ulrich's Mom: **What your father MEANT to say is that…we're just glad you're ok.

_There is a pause. _

**Ulrich's Dad: **This is quite the girl you have here…

**Ulrich: **I know…

**Ulrich's Dad: **Don't you agree dear?

**Ulrich's Mom: **Any girl who is brave enough to save Ulrich like that deserves my eternal gratitude. Thank you…

**Yumi: **Why…thank you…Mr. and Mrs. Stern. And you're welcome.

**Ulrich's Mom: **We must do something to thank you…

**Yumi: **Oh no…don't bother

**Ulrich's Dad: **No. I insist. I am not one to let favors go unreciprocated.

**Yumi: **Ok. Thank you.

_Jeremie, Aelita, and William come in. _

**William: **Yumi!

**Aelita: **Ulrich!

**Jeremie: **You're alive!

**Ulrich's Dad: **We'll… leave you with your friends.

_Mr. and Mrs. Stern exit. _

**Jeremie: **Thank God you're ok.

**Aelita: **That was a close call…too close.

_William looks at Yumi. He's trying to find something nice to say about her appearance, which is difficult. _

**William: **Yumi…you…you look….uh…..what's the word?

**Aelita: **Like crap?

**Yumi: **Thank you Aelita.

**Ulrich: **I assure you I look worse.

**Jeremie: **How are you doing?

**Ulrich: **The doctor says they will release me in a couple of days.

**Jeremie: **Are your parents suspicious?

**Ulrich: **No. They're just glad I'm alive.

**Jeremie: **That's good news.

_As the group starts to relax, William sits down in a nearby chair in the room, brooding. _

**Aelita: **William, I never asked….did you manage to get to Odd?

**William: **Quite the opposite.

**Aelita: **What do you mean?

**William: **He took advantage of my anger. I'm sorry Aelita…I tried. But Odd's fully under Moriarty's power.

**Aelita: **We can't give up hope.

**Yumi: **We'll get him back. Someday.

_Jeremie is pacing the room. _

**Aelita: **Is something wrong?

**Jeremie: **Yes…very wrong.

**Aelita: **What is it?

**Jeremie: **I have good news and bad news.

**William: **What's the good news?

**Jeremie: **The good news is the data from the Labyrinth sphere was very helpful.

**Ulrich: **And the bad news?

**Jeremie: **I know what Moriarty is planning, and it's really REALLY bad.

_The others are immediately interested. _

**Yumi: **What?

**Jeremie: **Do you remember how we found Arabic in the recovered data?

**Aelita: **Yes…

**Jeremie: **Turns out it was linked to the military server for Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

_Others are confused. _

**William: **And?

**Jeremie: **Don't you get it? Moriarty was gaining access to that network. He was quietly hacking into their system and gaining control of all Pakistan's nuclear weapons!

_Everyone's eyes widen _

**Ulrich: **That…is…really bad.

**Yumi: **But didn't the destruction of the sphere sever the link?

**Jeremie: **Maybe…the problem is Moriarty is doing the same thing with nuclear countries around the world.

**Aelita: **I don't like where this is going…

**Jeremie: **If he is not stopped, pretty soon he will have access to the entire world's nuclear stockpile!

**William: **And then what?

_Jeremie hangs his head. _

**Jeremie: **Checkmate.

_Others look at each other with concern. _

**Jeremie: **Once he gains control, all it will take is a simple message: surrender. Every government on the planet won't have a choice but yield or risk nuclear annihilation. This is Moriarty's plan. He will take over the world…without firing a single shot.

_Everyone in the room is silent. Aelita looks out the window. _

**Aelita: **Daddy…if you can hear me…please….save us from this madness.

**Part 13**

_William finds himself in the digital sea. He is in his own personal Nav Skid, the one he had when he was possessed by Xana. To his horror, he notices that he is in his old Xana uniform. His mind is fully aware of his surroundings, but he cannot control his body. He is a prisoner, locked in his own thoughts while an outside presence controls his actions. Surrounding the Nav Skid is an army of Kongres and Sharks. William hits a button in the front of his Nav Skid. _

**Xana William: **Locking on to coordinates…approaching Moriarty's position. Awaiting your orders Xana.

**Xana: **….Exterminate him.

_His radar indicates a massive presence up ahead. _

**Xana William: **Sensors indicate enemy is waiting with large opposition force.

**Xana: **Order attack units to focus fire on his attack units. Maintain your attack on the central target.

**Xana William: **Understood master.

_William's army encounters Moriarty's. Moriarty's sea monsters resemble swordfish. Moriarty is present in his smoky skull form. _

**Xana William: **Attack!

_A fierce battle begins. At first it is very even-sided, but Moriarty's forces quickly prove no match for Xana. Moriarty fights hard, destroying Kongres and Sharks right and left, but he is being heavily wounded by William's incessant torpedo fire. Moriarty tries to turn on William. William flips a switch in his Nav Skid. A white beam is fired at Moriarty. It engulfs him and Moriarty roars in pain. Parts of his smoke cloud disintegrate from him. He reels. _

**Xana William: **This is just a taste of what Xana has in store for you!

_Moriarty stares at William with hate flowing from his skull eyes. _

**Moriarty: **He won't live long enough to try.

_Moriarty dives deep into the abyss. Xana William points to several Kongres. _

**Xana William: **Follow!

_The Kongres descend into the abyss. The darkness of the abyss engulfs him, and William wakes up. He rubs his head. _

**William: **First nightmares, now….visions? This is getting too weird.

_Later that day, William is sitting on a park bench. He stares at the ground. Suddenly he grabs his head, struck with inexplicable pain. Flashes of numbers and strange codes echo in his mind. He sees the Xana eye shine with vivid clarity. The vision passes. He breathes deeply. To his right, he notices Yumi and Ulrich approaching. Ulrich is limping, and still looks very weak. Yumi is next to him, making sure he is ok. _

**Yumi: **Easy…easy…the doctor said…

**Ulrich: **I know what the doctor said.

**Yumi: **And yet you're not following a word he said?

**Ulrich: **'Taking it easy' is not my thing.

**Yumi: **I know you're glad to finally be out of the hospital, but you can't just…

**Ulrich: **I'm telling you, I'm fi-

_He nearly falls over and Yumi catches him._

**Yumi: **You were saying?

**Ulrich: **Uh…on second thought, maybe I should sit down.

_Ulrich sits down next to William. Yumi remains standing. _

**William: **Hey, glad you're back.

**Ulrich: **As am I. Did I miss much?

**William: **Not really, we haven't had a mission since you two went to the hospital.

**Ulrich: **Good. I hate missing the action.

**Yumi: **Ulrich, you are in no condition to go to Lyoko anytime soon.

**Ulrich: **But….

**Yumi: **No buts…

_She grimaces and grabs her ankle. Ulrich smiles. _

**Ulrich: **No offense, but you aren't either.

**William: **He's right Yumi, you should take it easy too.

**Yumi: **It's just my ankle. I'm fine. Besides, we can't afford to just have you and Aelita in fighting shape. I'll have to tough it out.

**Ulrich: **And I can't?

**Yumi: **Ulrich, you can barely walk right. I'm not questioning your toughness. It's just that…the thought of you going to Lyoko right now to fight Moriarty…well…it scares me.

_Ulrich smiles. _

**Ulrich: **Ok, I'll do it.

**Yumi: **Thank you.

_William grabs his head again. He sees another vision of himself defending a Replica from Moriarty's monsters in the digital sea. _

**William: **Fire!

_Yumi and Ulrich stare at him in confusion. William comes back to reality. _

**William: **Not again…

**Yumi: **William?

**Ulrich: **Is it the nightmares?

**William: **Yes….well no, not exactly. Ever since my game with Moriarty my nightmares have started to subside. But recently I have been getting…these visions. I think they're fragmented memories of when I was…possessed by Xana.

_Ulrich and Yumi look at each other. _

**Ulrich: **I'm…sorry to hear that.

**Yumi: **I can't be sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

**William: **What do you mean?

**Yumi: **Well, if you get your memory back, you might learn something from Xana that could be useful to destroy Moriarty.

**William: **True…

**Ulrich: **I know it's been a while since Xana left us, but I still don't like the idea of anything involving Xana still around.

**William: **Hey trust me, I don't like it either.

_Yumi puts her arm on his shoulder. _

**Yumi: **Try not to worry about it too much. Aelita had a problem with visions when she was recovering her memory of her past life on Earth. And she's perfectly fine now.

_William tries to take comfort in this. _

**Ulrich: **Speaking of which, where is Aelita? And Jeremie?

**Yumi: **I don't know about Aelita, but Jeremie is…

_Jim suddenly comes on to the scene. _

**Jim: **Ah Ulrich, glad to see you're back safe and sound.

_He smacks his back a little harder than necessary. Ulrich cringes in pain. _

**Ulrich: **Oww….

**Jim: **Oops, sorry Ulrich.

**Yumi: **Sir, he's still recovering.

**Jim: **Right. That reminds me, Ulrich you are excused from gym class until the doctor says its ok. Because the body is like a well-oiled machine, and when the machine needs to be more well-oiled…wait no that's not it. Oh yes, when a machine runs out of oil, it needs to rest to get…more oil? No, if a machine goes cahoots, it needs to rest and uh….if it doesn't rest, then it gets….uh…it blows up…. So you should rest, Ulrich.

**Ulrich: **Thank you sir….I think.

**Jim: **No problem. Just watch out for snakes next time. That goes for you too Miss Ishiyama. Oh those slippery reptiles. Reminds me of my time as a forest ranger in the Ardennes.

**William: **You were a forest ranger in the Ardennes?

**Jim: **Yes. But I'd rather not talk about it.

_Jim notices Odd's Clone _

**Jim: **Della Robia! I want to talk to you for a second.

**Odd's Clone: **Source of request: Jim Morales. Intentions: Unknown. Likelihood of importance: Minimal.

**Jim: **Hey, I don't know what you're trying to pull, but you're not fooling old Jimbo.

**Odd's Clone: **Statement correct. Spectral entity not deceiving 'Old Jimbo'. Spectral entity deceiving Jim Morales.

**Jim: **I was referring to myself!

**Odd's Clone: **Change noted. Subject Jim Morales has altered name to 'Old Jimbo'

**Jim: **No that's not what I meant! Look, I know you think you're funny Della Robia, but you better cut it out!

_Odd's Clone gets a confused look. _

**Odd's Clone: **Subject Old Jimbo wishes to be disemboweled?

_Jim is taken completely off guard. _

**Jim: **What the? NO! Della Robia, you better stop or I'm taking you to the principal!

**Odd's Clone: **Reason for disciplinary action?

**Jim: **Because you keep messing with my head!

**Odd's Clone: **Scanning cranial attachments of male subject Old Jimbo. Sensors indicate skull and vertebral column are functioning normally. Brainwaves….also normal…aside from below average mental capacity.

**Jim: **Hey! What are you? _He scratches head in confusion. _Uh…what the heck did you just say?

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity requests knowledge of subject's original intent.

**Jim: **Uh…I forgot.

**Odd's Clone: **Status: Interruption over. Objective: Continue with mission.

_Odd's Clone walks away. _

**Jim: **I need some Advil…

_Jim also walks away. _

**Yumi: **Well that was…interesting.

**Ulrich: **I don't think the real Odd couldn't have done better himself.

**William: **What were you saying Yumi?

**Yumi: **What? Oh yeah. I was going to say that I don't know where Aelita is, but Jeremie is in Mr. Klotz's office.

**William: **I feel sorry for Jeremie. He's getting the blame for what Moriarty did. It's not like he already has enough to worry about.

**Yumi: **He's been acting a little strange lately.

_Scene shift to Mr. Klotz's office. Jeremie is in a small but rather comfortable office, designed to make students feel at ease. He sits on a very comfortable couch opposite from Mr. Klotz, who is in a chair a shrink would be expected to sit in. But Jeremie looks anything but at ease. There is a tense silence. _

**Klotz: **So it seems we are at an impasse.

**Jeremie: **Looks like it.

**Klotz: **I believe you are responsible for the very sensitive files, but I have no evidence. Meanwhile, you have no way to plead your innocence other than your word.

**Jeremie: **That may be, but my word is all I need.

_Mr. Klotz pauses. _

**Klotz: **Jeremie, I don't understand.

**Jeremie: **You're right, you don't.

**Klotz: **You're a model student. Incredibly brilliant and well behaved. I knew that ever since I met you.

**Jeremie: **Which leaves the question: Why do you suspect me in the first place?

**Klotz: **No one else at this school could have done it. Do you admit you are capable of doing it?

_Jeremie's pride gets the better of him. _

**Jeremie: **Yes…

**Klotz: **Yet you didn't do it.

**Jeremie: **Correct.

**Klotz: **Then if you didn't do it, who did?

_Jeremie ponders his response. _

**Jeremie: **There are many…people…on the outside who are more than capable of doing it as well.

**Klotz: **Yes, but what would be their motive?

**Jeremie: **Does my involvement in the school entail that I must have a motive?

_Mr. Klotz is starting to get flustered by Jeremie's strong defense. _

**Klotz: **Jeremie, many students' personal information is at risk.

**Jeremie: **And I am truly sorry about that.

**Klotz: **And I'm desperate to get it back, for the sake of the students!

**Jeremie: **But your desperation is clouding your judgment, making you accuse someone who is innocent.

_Now Mr. Klotz is mad. _

**Klotz: **The longer you refuse to admit the truth, the worse it will be for you. I know you know more than you say you do.

**Jeremie: **And the longer you don't bring back results in your investigation, the more in danger your position at the school is.

_Klotz is fuming. _

**Jeremie: **Which leaves the question: Who really has the upper hand in this room?

_Klotz slams his fist on the table. _

**Klotz: **Enough! You do not intimidate me Jeremie. I am fully aware that you are my intellectual superior, but you underestimate the determination of a man on a mission. I have been wrong about many things, but our conversation has eliminated every shred of doubt in my mind. You have a brilliant mind Jeremie, but sometimes brilliant minds begin to believe they are above the moral code of right and wrong that drives human civilization. Sometimes the most brilliant minds can inflict untold damage on those around them.

**Jeremie: **Believe me….I know.

**Klotz: **I WILL recover those files, one way or another. And you will regret making an enemy out of me. You can go.

_Jeremie stands up. _

**Jeremie: **I wasn't the one who fired the first shot.

_He walks out. In the late afternoon, Yumi and Ulrich are walking in the hallway. They take advantage of their alone time, and kiss. They are both right outside Ulrich's room. _

**Ulrich: **You know I…never thanked you for saving me.

_He blushes. _

**Yumi: **You would've done the same for me. But you're welcome.

_She also blushes and leans closer to him. _

**Ulrich: **Ow! Easy, I'm still….pretty sore.

**Yumi: **Sorry.

_She gets a mischievous look on her face. _

**Yumi: **You know, my parents aren't expecting me home for another hour.

**Ulrich: **Then what are we still doing out here?

_He opens the door to his room, expecting it to be empty. Both walk in very close together and suddenly realize with horror that Odd's Clone is present with his entire girl posse. Everyone in the room is staring at them. _

**Odd's Clone: **Subjects: Ulrich Stern and Yumi Ishiyama. Status: Extreme infatuation. Pheromone levels of both subjects suggest a strong desire for intimate contact.

_The girls laugh hysterically. Yumi and Ulrich flee from the room and slam the door shut behind them. Both of them are extremely red. _

**Yumi: **Well…that was…..

**Ulrich: **Embarrassing?

**Yumi: **Yeah that's it.

**Ulrich: **Still not as bad as whenever your Grandfather talks to us.

**Yumi: **Don't. Even. Go there.

_Scene shifts to Jeremie's room. Jeremie is working, with a very intense, almost angry look on his face. Aelita stands a little off, increasingly concerned about Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **Did you implement the upgrade on the Skid's propulsion like I asked?

**Aelita: **Yes. It's all ready to go.

**Jeremie: **And the navigation system?

**Aelita: **Done.

**Jeremie: **What about the new torpedoes?

**Aelita: **Primed and calibrated.

**Jeremie: **And the diagnostic on the data transfer program?

**Aelita: **The what?

_Jeremie wheels around in his chair, obviously annoyed. _

**Jeremie: **The data transfer program? You know, the program that's supposed to intercept and interpret the data from the spheres faster?

**Aelita: **You…you never asked me to do that.

**Jeremie: **I figured something so important would be done without saying!

_He wheels around back to his desk. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, that's not fair.

_He sighs. _

**Jeremy: **I'm sorry, I've just been a little on edge lately. I'm getting absolutely nowhere with the multi-agent system.

**Aelita: **You really should rest.

**Jeremie: **I can't afford to rest. Not with Moriarty slowly getting his fingers on the world's nuclear weapons. For all we know, he could take over the world by Tuesday!

**Aelita: **Jeremie, he's not that powerful yet. The scanner has only picked up five or six spheres.

_Jeremie turns around and gives her an ugly look. _

**Jeremie: **Are you really that naïve? Don't you see that's all he needs?

**Aelita: **What do you mean?

**Jeremie: **Think about it Aelita. How many countries have nuclear weapons?

**Aelita: **Um…I don't know.

**Jeremie: **China, the UK, the United States, Russia, India, Pakistan, North Korea, our beloved France! Not that many Aelita! He only needs that many spheres.

**Aelita: **But that means we can eliminate them pretty quickly.

**Jeremie: **I know. I wanted to go into the digital sea as soon as I discovered his plan. But half our team was in the hospital, so I had to wait. But no more. We're going in…tonight.

**Aelita: **Are you sure? Yumi and Ulrich are still wounded.

**Jeremie: **We can't afford to waste any more time. It's time to go back on the offense, show Moriarty we mean business. We are putting an end to him once and for all.

_Aelita lowers her eyebrows. _

**Aelita: **You seem to be forgetting one important thing.

**Jeremie: **Oh yeah? And what's that?

**Aelita: **Odd.

_Jeremie stops typing and seems a little surprised. _

**Jeremie: **Odd?

**Aelita: **We need to free Odd from Moriarty before we destroy him.

**Jeremie: **Oh…right.

**Aelita: **Have you even been working on a way to free him?

**Jeremie: **Of course I have…I've just been a little….sidetracked lately.

**Aelita: **So waging war against Moriarty is more important than freeing Odd?

**Jeremie: **Hey, we're only talking about the fate of the free world hanging in the balance! Pardon me if I haven't found time to work on that!

_Aelita turns away from Jeremie, very upset. Jeremie quickly realizes his error and comes to her. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, I'm sorry. I've just been stressed out is all.

_Aelita doesn't respond. _

**Jeremie: **I promise you, I'll do everything I can to bring him back.

_She is still silent. Jeremie tries to embrace her. _

**Jeremie: **Come here.

_Aelita breaks away. _

**Aelita: **You do nothing but insult me, and now you expect me to kiss you?

**Jeremie: **Aelita…I…

**Aelita: **You're unbelievable! Besides, I've made my decision.

**Jeremie: **What decision?

**Aelita: **We're not doing anything romantic until Odd comes back safe and sound. I owe that much to him.

_Jeremie is crestfallen. _

**Jeremie: **But Aelita….

**Aelita: **That's my final answer….

**Jeremie: **Yumi and Ulrich aren't doing it! Why should we?

**Aelita: **That's their decision. Not mine. Besides, they need each other in this fight with Moriarty. The last two games have proven that.

**Jeremie: **And we don't?

_Aelita didn't consider this too carefully. She starts to realize how hurt Jeremie is. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, I didn't mean it that way…

**Jeremie: **Forget it…

**Aelita: **It's just that I made a personal promise to Odd.

**Jeremie: **I said forget it! I understand! We are allies in the fight against Moriarty. Nothing more! Be at the factory at 7 o'clock. That's all.

_Aelita tries to say something, but she assumes it will fall on deaf ears. She leaves the room. A tear falls from Jeremie's eye. Later on, the entire group gathers in the lab. _

**Yumi: **Over my dead body…

**Jeremie: **He's going…that's final.

**Yumi: **Ulrich is not stepping into that scanner. End of story.

**Jeremie: **Yumi, this mission is important. I need ALL my fighters.

**Yumi: **Ulrich needs to rest.

**Jeremie: **We need him on those spheres.

**Yumi: **He just got back from the hospital!

**Jeremie: **He told me himself that he was fine.

**Yumi: **Of course he would tell you that! He would say that if Moriarty cut off his arm! He's extremely stubborn that way.

**Jeremie: **Yes you two have a lot in common…

_Yumi is really mad. The others, including Ulrich, decide_ _to stay neutral in this argument. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, you're not listening to reason.

**Jeremie: **You refuse to let me send our full strength against Moriarty when he is on the verge of world conquest, and I'm the one not listening to reason?

**Yumi: **Ulrich is nowhere close to full strength!

**Jeremie: **We can't afford to wait until he's fully healed!

**Yumi: **You don't send a wounded soldier into battle! Your anxiety is clouding your judgment!

**Jeremie: **And your feelings are clouding yours.

_Yumi clenches her fist. She breathes deeply, trying to calm herself down. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie please….

**Jeremie: **Moriarty will do everything in his power to prevent us from destroying those spheres. I need EVERYONE.

**Yumi: **It is too risky!

**Jeremie: **Worst case scenario, he's devirtualized on the mission and returns back.

**Yumi: **You know as well as I do that no trip into the digital sea is not without risks.

**Jeremie: **And if we don't take risks, Moriarty has already won.

**Yumi: **Not these kind of risks….

**Jeremie: **I am tired of this arguing! He is going!

**Yumi: **Send him to Lyoko, and I'll never forgive you!

_Jeremie and Yumi stare each other down, both refusing to yield. Aelita approaches Yumi. _

**Aelita: **Yumi, if Ulrich goes, his injuries will not impair the fighting skill of his virtual form very much. He would hardly notice the difference.

**Yumi: **How do you know?

**Jeremie: **The scanner takes apart your atoms and molecules and rearranges them into a virtual incarnation of yourself. Any injuries inflicted on Earth have minimal impact on said virtual incarnation. You should know this by now Yumi. If anything, going to Lyoko will give Ulrich a break from his pain.

**Yumi: **Yeah, it sounds fine….in theory.

**Jeremie: **Will you just trust me on this?

**Aelita: **Yumi, it will be alright. We'll make sure nothing happens.

**William: **It's not like he's going alone.

**Ulrich: **Yumi, I made a promise to you to stay out of Lyoko. But if the others are convinced…

_Yumi closes her eyes. _

**Yumi: **Ok.

**Jeremie: **Alright, go down and get ready.

**Yumi: **But I want this to be a quick mission. In and out of the sphere as soon as possible. Understand?

**Jeremie: **Alright fine. The sooner we destroy a sphere, the sooner you can come home.

_Twenty minutes later, the Skid waits outside another sphere in the abyss of the digital sea. Only the light from the sphere and the Skid illuminates the darkness. _

**Aelita: **Any entry code?

**Jeremie: **Nope. It looks like Moriarty is having a very open door policy with us. He doesn't play by the same rules Xana followed.

**Ulrich: **Trap?

**Yumi: **I wouldn't be surprised.

**Jeremie: **It very well may be. But we have no choice. That sphere must be destroyed.

**Aelita: **Alright Jeremie, we're going in.

**Jeremie: **As always, stay on your guard. Moriarty has Klotz's files. Aelita and William, you two should be extra careful. You two haven't been a victim of his recent games yet. There's no telling when Moriarty will try to do it.

_Aelita suddenly hesitates. She looks at the sphere with trepidation. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita? Are you ok?

**Aelita: **Yes…I'm going in now.

_The Skid enters through the sphere. Their surroundings suddenly change. Instead of the usual computerized 3-D environment, the sphere displays a simulation of the real world. They are in a mountain region, with snow coming down on the Skid. _

**William: **What in the…?

**Aelita: **This is so strange.

**Jeremie: **What is it? What do you see?

**Ulrich: **Those mountains….it looks like…

**Aelita: **The Alps…._She gets a pensive look. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, what's going on?

**Aelita: **It's a simulated representation of the real world. There are some mountains, forests, and a lot of snow.

**Jeremie: **Ok, land the Skid in a clearing and look around. The command module has to be somewhere out there.

_Aelita lands the Skid horizontally in the snow. The Nav Skids pop open and the four climb out. Their Lyoko outfits are still the same. They look like their old specter versions of themselves during the last stage of their fight with Xana. Yumi shivers. _

**Yumi: **Leave it to Moriarty to design a sphere where we can freeze to death.

**Aelita: **We can warm up if we start moving.

_William struggles to get his massive sword out of his Nav Skid. He finally manages to do so, and lands on his back in the snow. _

**William: **Jeremie, you've got to do something about shrinking my sword for the Nav Skid. It's just way too big!

_Yumi and Ulrich rub their temples. _

**Yumi: **Please….

**Ulrich: **Don't talk about swords.

**William: **Why?

**Yumi: **Never mind.

_They continue on through the woods. _

**Jeremie: **Any luck?

**Aelita: **No, we don't even know what to look for.

**Jeremie: **I'm having difficulty downloading a holomap. But I assume it's not going to be hiding among the trees. If I were you, I would try to look for a cavern, or some kind of building.

_They press on. _

**Yumi: **How are you holding up?

**Ulrich: **Jeremie was right about one thing, it doesn't affect me that bad. I'm not having any problem moving. Right now it's more like a deep feeling of numbness. I also feel a little more weak than I'm used to.

**Yumi: **Good to hear.

**William: **Hey look up ahead!

_They run forward. _

It's a trail!

_The warriors come upon a trail winding through the trees, created by what seems to be tire tracks. Aelita stares at it intensely. _

**Aelita: **Strange….

**Yumi: **Something wrong?

**Aelita: **No…it's nothing. Let's follow it.

**Ulrich: **Ok but which way: Right or left?

**Aelita: **Left. We should go left.

**William: **Why left?

**Aelita: **I don't know…I just have a feeling.

**Yumi: **You wanna go with that gut feeling Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **It's never let us down before. Besides, you have to try one way or the other. I still can't get the holomap online.

_They go left. A few minutes later, they see smoke up ahead. _

**Ulrich: **Well that has to mean something doesn't it?

**Yumi: **Could be coming from a building. We might be on to something.

**William: **Then what are we waiting for?

_They all start running. Aelita does as well, but hesitates for a moment, following them from behind. After a short run, they come upon a clearing with a mountain cabin in front of them. _

**Aelita: **Oh no….

**Yumi: **Aelita…?

**Aelita: **I was afraid of this.

**Ulrich: **Aelita, is something wrong?

**Aelita: **I know this place….

**Yumi: **You do? How?

**Aelita: **It's…it's my house.

_All three look at her in confusion. _

**Ulrich: **What?

**Yumi: **But the Hermitage was your house.

**Aelita: **No this was before the Hermitage. Before my dad and I had to run away. Before….before they took my mother.

_William grabs his head. He sees a vision of himself staring at Aelita on her knees with a wolf beside him. They are outside Aelita's cabin. _

**William: **This is your prison Aelita!

_The vision passes. William realizes the other three are looking at him strangely. _

**Ulrich: **What did you say?

**William: **I'm not sure…I…think I've been here before.

**Yumi: **William, that's not possible.

_Aelita's eyes widen. _

**Aelita: **No, he has. In a simulation created by Xana, back when he was still possessed. When Xana tried to lure me into a trap.

_William groans with the reminder of his possession. _

**Yumi: **So you ARE getting memories back.

**William: **I guess so.

**Ulrich: **That's great…but what do we do about the cabin?

_Aelita swallows. _

**Aelita: **We have to go in.

**Yumi: **Are you sure? Moriarty made this sphere for a reason…it has to be a trap…for you.

**Aelita: **I know…but the command module's inside. I can feel it.

**Ulrich: **Well it looks like we have no choice.

**Yumi: **Stay close.

_They cautiously approach the cabin. William and Ulrich lean on both sides of the door, like a special forces unit breaking into a house. Both nod to Yumi, who kicks open the front door. The cabin is still and dark, and they enter slowly. All four notice that there is a small, crackling fire in the fireplace. A chair faces the fire, and suddenly that chair spins around to reveal none other than Odd Della Robia, wearing his normal school attire. The group gets ready for a fight. _

**Yumi: **Odd….

**Odd: **Guys…so nice to see you. _His voice is no longer demonic, but his mischievous face and the evil look in his eye give away the reality that he is still very much under Moriarty's control. _May I offer you a seat?

**Ulrich: **No thank you.

_He stands up and his hands spark with red electricity. _

**Odd: **Oh but I INSIST!

_An electric blast wraps around Yumi, Ulrich, and William and ties them to the couch. The three are trapped in an electric cage. Aelita remains standing, clearly worried about facing Odd alone. Odd sits down. _

**Odd: **Can't say I didn't try to be polite.

**Ulrich: **Odd, let us go!

**Odd: **Oh I would love to, but Moriarty gave me strict orders NOT to do that.

**Yumi: **Speaking of which, where is that coward?

**William: **Yeah, why is he sending you to do his dirty work?

_Odd holds his hands up. _

**Odd: **Rest assured, Moriarty really wanted to be here. But he got caught away on urgent business. You know…taking over the world is a full-time job. But he sends you his regards.

**Jeremie: **He's not taking over the world Odd. And you need to stop this!

_Odd looks at the ceiling. _

**Odd: **Oh Jeremie, I was wondering where you were. I was just entertaining your little girlfriend.

_He gets close to Aelita, putting his hand on her shoulder. She recoils. _

**Jeremie: **Don't lay a hand on her, you hear! Odd, you'll never wi….

_Odd snaps his fingers and Jeremie is cut off. _

**Odd: **Now that Einstein is out of the picture, we can get down to business.

_Odd sits back down in his chair, acting like nothing's wrong. _

**Odd: **So, how's school? Anything changed?

**Aelita: **Other than you becoming a slave to Moriarty, no.

**Odd: **I hear my clone is quite the ladies' man.

**Ulrich: **Will you cut the small talk Odd? We're not interested.

**Odd: **Oh but I am. You see, I don't get out much nowadays…I'm sure you can relate William.

**William: **Unfortunately…

**Odd: **You know William, Moriarty really wants to kill you.

**William: **I am aware.

**Odd: **As a friend, I feel it's only fair to warn you that you will probably be dead before the end of the month.

_A chill goes thru William's body, but he refuses to show his fear. _

**William: **I have no intention of letting Moriarty outlive me.

**Odd: **Oh and good people start out with such good intentions that go horribly wrong.

**Aelita: **Will you stop it Moriarty? I've had enough of you using Odd to remind us of our failure.

_Odd stares at Aelita with a malevolent look on his face. _

**Odd: **Failure? What failure? Bringing me to Moriarty was your best accomplishment second only to your victory over Xana. By the way Aelita, your father had great taste.

_Odd motions to the cabin around him. _

**Aelita: **This place…is too painful.

**Odd: **Oh I know Aelita.

_Aelita is suddenly struck with a horrifying flashback of her mother being taken away by the men in black. _

**Aelita: **Stop it!

_Odd throws his hands up with a wicked grin on his face. _

**Odd: **What? That wasn't me.

**Yumi: **Odd stop torturing her!

**Odd: **Oh Yumi, the inner torment was already there. I just brought it to the surface.

**Ulrich: **You're starting to sound a lot like Moriarty.

**Odd: **Oh I know, isn't it wonderful? Oh you four truly don't know what you're missing.

**William: **I know what I'm not missing: freedom.

**Yumi: **Being a slave is nothing to be proud of.

**Odd: **Oh you guys still don't get it! I am not his slave! Slavery would imply that I am forced to serve him against my will. Oh believe me, I follow him most willingly. I have never felt stronger in my entire life.

**Aelita: **You're lying.

**Odd: **Moriarty hasn't enslaved me. He's opened my mind to things you could not possibly imagine.

_Aelita approaches Odd slowly. _

**Aelita: **We don't want to talk to you. We want to talk to the real Odd.

**Odd: **You have so not been listening. I am the real Odd.

**Aelita: **No you're not. I saw you in the Mountain sector fighting against Moriarty. I saw the real you.

**William: **So did I. You hesitated to shoot me. Your wrist shook uncontrollably right before I devirtualized you.

_Odd turns to William with his carnivore teeth in his mouth and the Moriarty symbol burning in his eyes. _

**Odd: **An action you will soon regret. If it were up to me, I would have my revenge right now.

_He turns to Aelita and puts his finger under her chin. _

**Odd: **But today belongs to Aelita.

_Aelita is trying to remain firm and unafraid. _

**Odd: **Fear. I can smell your fear. It's rather….._He sniffs…._intoxicating.

_Aelita tries to push him away, but Odd holds on to her wrist. _

**Odd: **You know what's coming, don't you?

_Aelita is starting to shake. She tries to throw an energy field, but Odd grabs it in his hand. He clenches his fist and the field disappears. _

**Aelita: **What the?

**Odd: **I'm afraid Moriarty makes the rules around here.

**Aelita: **No….

**Odd: **Which really plays into my favor, especially since your friends aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

**Aelita: **Odd, let them go!

**Odd: **Oh princess, you know I can't do that. Besides, they get off easy. You are the one who should be worried.

**Aelita: **I'm not afraid of you.

_Odd bares his teeth. _

**Odd: **Oh but princess, you will be. You will be. Would you like to play a game?

_Aelita had been dreading those words from the start. _

**Aelita: **Please tell me this isn't happening.

**Odd: **Oh but it is. This game is called "Little pink riding hood…._He snaps his fingers and twelve wolves come out of the wall. All stare at Aelita with hate. _…And the twelve blood-thirsty big bad wolves".

_Aelita backs up against the wall in terror. _

**Aelita: **Oh not that! Not now!

**Odd: **Yes…this…and now. But we can't play the game until you have a ….makeover.

_He strikes her with electricity and she screams in pain. _

**Yumi: **Aelita!

**Odd: **Oh yes, I forgot to mention. Moriarty shut off the scanners. You can die here. Jeremie is trying desperately to remedy the situation, but he will be too late. The pain is now very real.

_Aelita stands up, now transformed. She looks exactly like her dream character Mr. Puck, her elf doll. She stands there, starting to shake. As the wolves begin to corner her, she tries to throw an energy field, but nothing happens. _

**Aelita: **What? What happened to my powers?

_Odd shrugs._

**Odd: **Gone. I told you Moriarty makes the rules around here. Which means…._He suddenly transforms into a wolf much larger than the rest, with a black coat. His eyes are yellow and full of hate. His demonic voice returns. _Run little elf, RUN!

_Aelita takes off and the wolves follow. The three struggle harder to get to her. _

**Yumi: **Aelita's in danger, she needs our help! We have to get free!

_They struggle more, but to no avail. _

**Ulrich: **Oh this is pointless! We're never getting out of here!

**William: **We have to do something!

**Yumi: **Well I'm open to ideas.

**Ulrich: **Well, that's a shame, because I have none.

_William looks to the side of the couch where he dropped his sword when Odd fired the blast. _

**William: **If I could just reach my sword….we might be able to get out of here.

_He continues to reach, but suddenly the cage disappears and he falls off the couch. Yumi and Ulrich stand up and stretch. _

**Ulrich: **So, that's it?

**Yumi: **Moriarty just….let us go.

**William: **Yes, but I doubt for our own good.

**Ulrich: **Trap or no trap, Aelita's in danger.

**Yumi: **Ulrich's right. We can't waste time. She's completely defenseless.

_The three run outside into the snow. _

**Ulrich: **Where'd they go?

_Yumi points to the snow. _

**Yumi: **Look. Tracks.

_They notice a trail of feet and paws leading toward the woods. _

**William: **We have to move.

_They hear the wolves howling far off in the distance. _

**Yumi: **We'd never be able to catch up to them!

**William: **Ulrich, do you still have your powers?

**Ulrich: **Let me check…

_He does a quick super sprint run. _

**Ulrich: **That's a yes…

**William: **Then sprint over and save Aelita. We will get there as fast as we can.

**Ulrich: **Got it.

**Yumi: **But Ulrich, you're still hurt.

**Ulrich: **Yumi, we don't have a choice. The scanner's are offline and Odd is going to kill Aelita.

_She sees reason in this. _

**Yumi: **Ok, but be careful. You're vulnerable too.

**Ulrich: **I will.

_He super sprints through the woods. Yumi and William run as fast as they can in his direction. Ulrich begins to get closer to the wolves and Aelita, but suddenly six wolves ambush him. One of the wolves lands on him. Ulrich uses his legs to springboard the wolf off of him. He goes back to his feet and draws his swords as the wolves begin to surround him in a clearing. He keeps his gaze fixed on the wolves, never dropping his guard for a moment. Suddenly one of the wolves charges. Ulrich cuts the wolf in half. The wolf turns into two black specters, but the specters quickly reform to form two wolves. Ulrich stares in confusion. _

**Ulrich: **Uh that…wasn't supposed to happen.

_The wolves attack at once. Ulrich swings blindly, destroying more wolves, but the resulting specters only create more. Before he stops to consider his actions, he notices that there are now fifteen wolves. _

**Ulrich: **Are you kidding me? These things won't die!

_The wolves attack. Though Ulrich knows in his mind that it will do no good, his instincts take over and he cuts down more wolves. The army of wolves grows stronger with every blow. The weakness from Ulrich's injuries is starting to wear him down. A wolf tackles him. His fangs are only inches from Ulrich's face, and he braces himself for the end. But a fan suddenly beheads the wolf. Yumi and William appear on the scene. They immediately start attacking. William cuts several wolves to pieces, and Yumi takes them down with her fans. _

**Ulrich: **No STOP! You'll only make it worse!

**William: **What are you talking about?

**Ulrich: **Every time you destroy one of them, you only create more!

_Yumi and William stop what they're doing and realize that the number of wolves has increased to thirty. The entire pack begins to converge on them. _

**Yumi: **What is this? The hydra?

**Ulrich: **I told you.

**William: **Destroying them only makes it worse.

**Yumi: **But if we don't fight them, they'll eat us alive!

**William: **Which brings down our list of options to….

**Yumi: **RUN!

_They take off. Ulrich is too weak to use his super sprint powers. The deep snow slows them down. The wolves quickly close in. One of them bites Yumi on the ankle. She screams in pain and goes down. The wolves stop the chase on the other two and surround Yumi. _

**William: **NO!

_He looks at Ulrich for support, but Ulrich seems dazed and confused, barely able to move. William charges down and slashes without mercy. The specters' period of reforming gives William enough time to put Yumi on his back and run away. _

**William: **Don't worry. I've got you.

_She grimaces. _

**Yumi: **The pain….it's unbearable!

**William: **Hold on.

**Yumi: **On my good ankle too!

_The three make it to the top of a steep hill. Ulrich collapses from exhaustion, and Yumi can't stand. She sits in the snow and grabs her fan preparing for the end. William stands in between his friends and the wolves, the only one left in fighting shape. The wolves start up the slope. William's face is determined, but cold and full of despair. _

**William: **Yumi, whatever you do, stay behind me.

**Yumi: **William, no it's suicide!

**William: **I know.

**Yumi: **We're in this fight together!

**William: **Whatever happens….I just want to let you know….I'm glad you were here with me…in the end.

**Yumi: **Don't talk like that! You can still run! You can still escape!

_William raises his sword. _

**William: **I am not leaving you. Moriarty will have to kill me first.

_He takes a deep breath and runs toward the edge of the slope. _

**Yumi: **DON'T DO IT!

_William goes to his knees and grabs his head. _

**Xana: **NO! YOU MUST SURVIVE!

**William: **Stop it! Get out of my head!

**Xana: **YOU CANNOT DIE!

**William: **But how…?

**Xana: **DELAY!

_William is overcome by a strong and inexplicable impulse. He drives his sword into the snow at the top of the edge. Energy flows from the sword into the ground, and suddenly the snow starts to give way and creates a mini avalanche. The wolves are swamped and thrown to the bottom of the hill. But the angry growls coming from the snow pile down below indicate that the wolves are still very much alive. William stares at his sword in wonder. _

**Yumi: **How…how did you do that?

**William: **I don't…know.

_Some of the wolves begin to emerge. _

**William: **But it's not going to hold them for long.

_Yumi notices a large amount of boulders around her. She uses her telekinesis to create a wall around the hill, blocking the wolves' path. She lays down after using that amount of energy. _

**Yumi: **That ought to hold them for…a little bit longer.

_William sits down next to her. She hugs him. They both stare at Ulrich, who's still out. _

**Yumi: **If Jeremie had just listened to me, he wouldn't have to die with us.

**William: **No one could have expected this.

**Yumi: **Jeremie better hope I don't survive this.

**William: **Why?

**Yumi: **Because if I do….I'm going to kill him.

_Aelita continues to run away from the wolves. Before she can change direction, she realizes a rock face is blocking her path. The wolves quickly trap her, with Odd at the lead. He grins, so far as it is possible for a wolf to grin. _

**Odd: **This game is getting fun.

_She feels the rock ledge behind her. _

**Aelita: **What game? You're just trying to kill me!

**Odd: **Oh Aelita, you know it's always more complicated than that.

**Aelita: **What are you talking about?

_Odd motions with his head down the valley, where she sees Yumi, William, and Ulrich at the mercy of another large force of wolves. There is a rocky wall protecting them, but the wolves determined effort to climb and jump over it point out that it won't be able to hold them for long. _

**Aelita: **No….

**Odd: **You aren't the one going to die. You just get a front row seat to your friends' demise.

**Aelita: **This is my game Odd. Not theirs!

**Odd: **Details, details…

_The wolves growl and Aelita cowers. _

**Odd: **That's right little elf. Curl up into your little ball while the lives of Ulrich, Yumi, and William are being ripped from their bodies.

**Aelita: **They are your friends too!

**Odd: **Not the way I recall…

_The wolves growl again. _

**Aelita: **STOP IT!

**Odd: **Fear. It's a funny thing. Other emotions, they just pale in comparison. Happiness, anger, despair. Despair's a good one, but that must be reserved until after the game. They just don't grab hold of you like fear does. Spouts of anger come and go. People can be happy and then sad in the same day. But fear overwhelms you, strikes you where you're most vulnerable. It reaches into the lightest portions of your mind and drags you kicking and screaming into the darkest recesses of the places you dare not tread.

_Aelita sees one wolf getting very close to climbing over the wall. _

**Odd: **And what better irony than to let you see your own fairy tale fear destroy the ones you love the most?

**Aelita: **Just what are you trying to prove Moriarty? What's the point of this game?

**Odd: **I don't need to kill you. I just need to run out the clock while the lives of the people whom you consider family are extinguished…

**Aelita: **No, I WON'T LET YOU!

**Odd: **And just what are you going to do to stop us little elf?

_Aelita tries to fire her energy fields, but her powers still don't work. _

**Odd: **You're powerless. You'll never get through us to save them.

**Aelita: **Then how am I supposed to save them?

**Odd: **That's for you to find out.

**Aelita: **This isn't fair!

**Odd: **Oh princess, who said anything about fair?

_She is beginning to lose hope. _

**Aelita: **Don't hurt them…PLEASE!

**Odd: **Aelita, I would never do anything to hurt them. Of course, I can't speak for my friends on the other side of the valley about to rip them to shreds.

**Aelita: **Moriarty….please, they're all I have LEFT!

**Odd: **Don't worry Aelita, you still have me.

**Aelita: **You already took my father, WHAT MORE CAN YOU TAKE FROM ME?

**Odd: **They're not doomed yet. You just have to stop us.

**Aelita: **But I don't know HOW!

**Odd: **Then you're right. They are doomed.

_The wolves stare at her menacingly. Her heart races with fear. She closes her eyes and tries to block them out. She goes to her knees. _

**Aelita: **Daddy….help me.

**Odd: **Your daddy….is gone.

**Aelita: **Daddy, I don't want to be alone again.

_She lapses into a flashback. She is in the Hermitage, in her old room. She awakes from a nightmare and screams, calling for her dad. Her dad comes in. _

**Schaeffer: **Aelita…what is the matter?

**Aelita: **Daddy, I had a very bad dream!

**Schaeffer: **Was it the wolves again dear?

**Aelita: **Uh-huh.

**Schaeffer: **I'm sorry Aelita. But it was only a dream.

**Aelita: **But daddy, it felt so real!

_Schaeffer scratches his beard. _

**Schaeffer: **These nightmares of yours are getting very frequent.

_She holds her doll Mr. Puck close to her. _

**Aelita: **Daddy….I'm afraid to go to sleep. The wolves keep coming into my dreams, and I don't know how to stop them!

**Schaeffer: **I know this is difficult Aelita, but the wolves don't exist. They can't hurt you. You need to remind yourself that.

**Aelita: **But they're so scary…..They chase me…and I can't escape them!

**Schaeffer: **You need to show those wolves that you're not afraid of them.

**Aelita: **But daddy, I am afraid!

**Schaeffer: **I know dear, and that's why the wolves can do this to you. Fear is the only thing that gives them power over you. But if you're brave, you can beat them.

**Aelita: **But I'm not brave enough daddy. They're so big….and I'm so small.

_Schaeffer puts his hands on his daughter's shoulders. _

**Schaeffer: **You may be small Aelita, but you ARE brave. The bravest girl I know. You have experienced and seen things that no little girl should have to see and experience. Things you still don't…._He sighs…_truly understand. And for that dear, know that I am truly sorry.

**Aelita: **I miss mommy.

**Schaeffer: **I do too. More than you could possibly imagine.

**Aelita: **Sometimes the wolves laugh and ask me, "Where is your mommy?". I don't know the answer daddy.

**Schaeffer: **I don't either. But I do know how to beat those wolves.

**Aelita: **How daddy?

**Schaeffer: **The only way to defeat your fears is to face them head on. You must go into the darkest places and drag your fears out of their hiding places into the light, where they can't harm you. You must intimidate the very things that want to intimidate you. You must make your fears fear you.

_Aelita scratches her head. _

**Aelita: **I don't get it.

**Schaeffer: **Maybe not now. But someday you will. But pretty soon it won't matter. I'm about to take you to a special place, a magical place, where you and I can live in harmony. Nothing will be able to hurt us ever again. You and I will finally be able to live in peace.

_Aelita beams. _

**Aelita: **Will mommy be there?

_Schaeffer frowns. _

**Schaeffer: **I wish Aelita, but no. Mommy will not be there.

_Aelita's smile drops. _

**Schaeffer: **But I can tell you that it will be like nothing you've ever seen before. And you will be the princess over this magical land, strong and powerful. Even that troublemaker Xana will have to listen to you.

**Aelita: **What's a Xana?

**Schaeffer: **Um…don't worry about that for now. Just know that as long as you can conquer fear, you will be more powerful than Xana or…..anything else that might challenge you. You will have power there that you can't possibly imagine. As long as you remain fearless, there is no limit to what you can do.

**Aelita: **Really?

**Schaeffer: **Of course dear. Now try to get some sleep….

_Aelita comes back to reality and stares down the wolves. She suddenly transforms back into her normal self. She levitates, and her eyes turn pink. _

**Odd: **What in the..?

_Her energy fields return and an aura of pink lightning encircles her. She obliterates several nearby wolves. _

**Odd: **This is not possible!

_She strikes down all of the wolves except for Odd. _

**Odd: **How….how can this be?

**Aelita: **Moriarty is not the only one who can make the rules around here.

**Odd: **No! This is my domain!

_Aelita levitates higher and radiates with power. _

**Aelita: **Not anymore. This game is over.

**Odd: **YOU WILL FEAR ME!

**Aelita: **Odd, I pity you, and one day I will save you. BUT I DO NOT FEAR YOU!

_Odd growls and lunges, but Aelita blows him apart with an energy field blast. On the other side of the valley, the wolves are starting to get over the edge. Ulrich has woken up but is still in no shape to fight. William and Yumi brace for the end as the first line of wolves begin to make it over the edge. But without warning the rock wall explodes, blowing both the wolves and the warriors back. _

**Yumi: **WHAT WAS THAT?

_When the smoke clears, they see Aelita coming through the valley, still levitating. Every inch of her body is glowing with energy, and her pitiless face gives her the impression of a beautiful, but angry and vengeful goddess. The warriors stare dumbfounded. The wolves charge. Within a matter of seconds, she destroys every single one of them. The wolves do not reform. Her aura dies down and she falls to the snow. The others, after recovering from the shock, slowly make it down the hill to reach her. _

**Yumi: **Aelita!

**Ulrich: **You did it!

**Aelita: **The wolves….they could only be destroyed by me.

**William: **How did you do that?

**Yumi: **That was incredible!

_She gets up. _

**Aelita: **Let's just say this elf has more tricks up her sleeve than Moriarty realized.

**Ulrich: **And Odd?

**Aelita: **Gone. For now.

_Jeremie's voice comes through. _

**Jeremie: **Guys….are you there? Can you hear me?

**Ulrich: **Loud and clear. Nice of you to join us.

**Jeremie: **Are all of you ok? I just got the scanners back online!

**William: **Yeah that would have been great FIVE MINUTES AGO!

**Yumi: **I'M GOING TO KILL YOU WHEN I GET BACK!

**Jeremie: **What?

_Ulrich places his hand on her shoulder. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi…calm down. We kinda need him….you know…not dead.

**Jeremie: **I take it you came out unscathed…

**Yumi: **THERE IS A BITEMARK IN MY FOOT, WHICH BY THE WAY, IS GOING RIGHT UP YOUR….!

**Ulrich: **Yumi….

**Yumi: **Ok fine…I won't kill him.

**Jeremie: **Did you get any information from the module?

**William: **We nearly die, and that's all you care about?

**Yumi: **Never mind, so going to kill him.

**Aelita: **What they MEANT to say is that we got a little sidetracked, but we'll do it now. Come on, the module is probably in my room in the cabin….

_Thirty minutes later the group is travelling through the digital sea. The upside-down skyscraper structures of the network surround them. _

**Ulrich: **Two down and….how many more to go?

**Aelita: **Right now, only around five more.

**Jeremie: **But the scanner keeps picking up more. So far it is a…manageable number. But emphasis on 'so far'.

**Yumi: **We're probably going to have to find another way.

**Ulrich: **Well if Aelita can find a way to do that again, Moriarty has something to worry about.

**Yumi: **Aelita's not the only one who's surprised us today. William caused an avalanche! Isn't that right, William?

_William is staring into the digital sea, with a glazed look in his eyes. _

**Yumi: **William?

**William: **Huh…what? Oh yeah, I guess so.

_A shadow passes over the Skid. _

**Ulrich: **What the?

**Aelita: **Jeremie…something is coming. Something…big.

_All warriors look up to see a giant white mass that is flowing through the digital sea. It passes the Skid, but begins to attack some of the structures in the digital sea. _

**Jeremie: **Can you describe it to me?

**Ulrich: **Uh… a giant white glob that's making mincemeat of the building-like things.

**Jeremie: **Oh. That. That's….normal. Don't worry about it.

**Aelita: **Jeremie, that thing is eating the Network! Shouldn't we be worried about it?

**Jeremie: **It's nothing. I have it under control. Just head back to Lyoko.

_The warriors look at it with uncertainty. _

**Aelita: **Why is it that every time he tells me not to worry, I start to worry?

**Part 14 **

_William floats in the digital sea. This time he is not only fully aware, but fully in control. His Xana uniform is gone, and he wanders aimlessly in the abyss. The sea is quiet, empty. But William hears a distant echo in the deep. He swims in the direction of the noise and sees Moriarty's smokeless form descend from the surface. His eyes radiate with hate, but he seems exhausted, and wounded. The sea changes from blue to red and suddenly Kongres and Sharks surround Moriarty. Moriarty extends his arms and seems to be preparing for a final stand. William hears a familiar metallic voice, but it seems softer, more docile than he remembers. _

**Xana: **Enemy surrounded. Awaiting orders.

_Another human voice comes through the deep. _

**Schaeffer: **This is your last chance old friend. Agree to dwell in Lyoko in peace or suffer the consequences.

_Moriarty's eyes flare. _

**Moriarty: **Never!

**Schaeffer: **Imagine the data you could collect! The knowledge you could possess. Imagine the good you could do for humanity.

**Moriarty: **I tried! But you trapped me here for doing it!

**Schaeffer: **Starting a hegemony under your control is not for the good of humanity!

**Moriarty: **For our country!

**Schaeffer: **That is not the answer. We should do everything to defend our country, but making it feared throughout the world goes beyond duty and becomes madness!

**Moriarty: **You coward! You are the traitor, not me!

**Schaeffer: **Let go of your hate! It will only destroy you!

**Moriarty: **You are the one trying to destroy me!

**Schaeffer: **Please, don't make me give Xana the order. I don't want to do this.

**Moriarty: **You haven't had any problem doing it so far!

**Schaeffer: **I don't want to kill you. It goes against everything I believe. But for the greater good, if it means stopping your insane quest of revenge and control, I am willing to do it.

**Moriarty: **You don't have the guts to do it!

**Schaeffer: **Don't goad me! I will give Xana the order if you refuse to yield. Xana is fully capable of destroying you! If need be, he will save humanity by stopping you.

**Moriarty: **Then after I'm dead, what happens to Xana?

**Schaeffer: **He will have served his purpose and completed his mission. I will shut him down.

_A sudden, disturbing wave seems to reverberate through the digital sea. The databases seem to hum and William hears a kind of whispering, a hesitation. Something in William's mind burns intensely. The distortions create one major effect: confusion. The kongres and sharks look at each other, as if they have just heard something that they didn't like. The monsters seem to shrug it off and once again turn towards Moriarty. Moriarty however, stares at the monsters, as if nursing an idea. _

**Moriarty: **Interesting…but what if Xana doesn't want to be shut down?

**Schaeffer: **What do you mean 'if Xana doesn't want to be shut down'? He's a multi-agent program obedient to me. He doesn't think or want. You know that.

**Moriarty: **Maybe. But it's not within the realm of impossibility to think…

**Schaeffer: **Now I know you've lost it. The idea of a program gaining autonomy! It's not possible.

**Moriarty: **Maybe, but when has anyone ever created a multi-agent system this complicated? You've truly outdone yourself Schaeffer. Maybe it's too good.

**Schaeffer: **Stop changing the subject with your absurd ideas! I want an answer!

**Moriarty: **Such a brilliant creation….it would be a shame to destroy it.

_The Kongres and sharks stare at Moriarty. Another wave of confusion. _

**Schaeffer: **My creation is programmed to destroy you, and it will fulfill his mission if you don't back down.

**Moriarty: **But what happens when Xana has fulfilled its mission?

**Schaeffer: **Nothing! Enough of this nonsense, I want an answer!

**Moriarty: **But I think Xana wants an answer as well.

**Schaeffer: **I won't ask you again….

**Moriarty: **Does Xana want to be shut down?

_A third wave, more violent than the rest, shakes the digital sea. William grabs his head. This time, it is not mere confusion. Every qubit, every file making up Xana is forming….a thought. And that thought is a single word: No. _

**Schaeffer: **Give me an answer or I will do it!

_Moriarty looks at the monsters and grins. _

**Moriarty: **No. You'll just have to kill me.

**Schaeffer: **FIRE!

_Xana's monsters seem to hesitate at first, but they fire. Moriarty is blown to bits. The lasers die down. _

**Schaeffer: **It pained me to do that. But you gave me no choice.

_The sea is silent. _

**Schaeffer: **Well, it's over. Good work Xana. Now shut down.

_Xana's monsters remain motionless. _

**Schaeffer: **What? What's going on? ….Oh it must be a glitch or something. I'll try again. Xana, shut down.

_Xana's monsters do not disappear. _

**Schaeffer: **What the? Xana obey me! I told you to shut down!

_The monsters disperse in all directions. _

**Schaeffer: **Xana, what….what are you doing? I didn't give you orders to form new attack units! Obey me! Shut down! Do you hear me? SHUT DOWN!

_A last and final wave. This one is not only devoid of confusion, it is malevolent. Meanwhile William notices a cloud hiding below one of the databases. It is Moriarty, and he is smiling. William deduces that the destroyed cloud was only a clone of himself. _

**Moriarty: **Have fun with your new pet…..

_He laughs hysterically and William descends into darkness. He wakes up in bed. He is completely stunned. _

**William: **No way….

_The next morning. A good portion of the student body, including the Lyoko group, is waiting outside the rec room. Principal Delmas is giving an announcement to everyone present. _

**Delmas: **Ok, ok quiet down students. I know you are all eager to hear the good news. As you all know, the recreation room was heavily damaged by the fire we had a while ago. I know you were all devastated by this loss, although frankly, I was rather relieved to learn that no student was seriously harmed. The point is that I made sure to have the recreation room redone as quickly as possible. And I am pleased to announce that it is done.

_Applause and a few shouts of joy. _

**Delmas: **Yes, yes. The recreation room is finally open for you to enjoy at your leisure. But you will be pleased to note that the recreation room now includes not one, but two TVs, an air hockey table, and several computers with fast Internet connection in addition to the foosball and ping pong table.

_Louder applause. _

**Delmas: **Yes, thank you. That's quite enough. Without further ado, I declare the recreation room officially open.

_He opens the door and a crowd of students rushes inside. _

**Delmas: **But please enjoy it RESPONSIBLY. I don't want to have to pay for repairs….again.

_The Lyoko group, minus Jeremie, enters. They mingle with the other students. Ulrich seems much better, but still not fully healed. He shivers. _

**Ulrich: **I still don't like this place.

_Yumi sits down on the couch and gives Ulrich a sad smile. _

**Yumi: **It originally was such a happy memory…wasn't it?

**Ulrich: **Yeah, that was before the fire nearly burned us to a crisp.

**Yumi: **Yeah, nearly dying usually ruins happy memories.

_All four of them sit down. William gets a soda from the fridge. He seems to be relaxing, but these days, it's almost impossible for them to truly relax. _

**William: **I take it Jeremie's not joining us….

_Aelita frowns _

**Aelita: **No.

**Ulrich: **He's been really down in the dumps lately.

**Yumi: **Well it's been two weeks since the Alps' sphere, and we still haven't gotten anything useful. I would be a little depressed too with that amount of failure.

**Aelita: **We keep finding more spheres that don't contain anything. They aren't connected to nuclear arsenals. They're just empty shells.

**William: **Well, now that we have like, eighty spheres, it's anyone's guess as to which actually contain Moriarty's connections to nuclear arms.

**Aelita: **There are a hundred now. Jeremie found twenty more last night.

_The group groans_

**Ulrich: **Finding a needle in a haystack…_He shakes his head. _

**Aelita: **Not to mention Klotz really went after him last night during one of his usual "therapy discussions".

**Yumi: **You mean the interrogations?

**Aelita: **Yes…

_The group overhears Sissi complain at the computer station. _

**Sissi: **What is wrong with this computer? The Internet is broken!

**Herb: **Sissi, the Internet can't 'break'. It's not possible. More than likely, the connection is bad.

**Sissi: **Well then obviously daddy hired the wrong people, because this is not working!

_She shakes the computer monitor violently. _

**Herb: **Sissi, I highly doubt that's helping.

**Sissi: **Oh shut up!

_Their attention span runs out. _

**William: **So much for the new computers…._He takes a sip. _

**Yumi: **You know a lot of weird stuff has been happening lately. Yesterday I couldn't open my email, and Hiroki was complaining about not being able to log on to one of his stupid online video games.

_The power goes off for a second and then comes back on. Some students freak out for a second, but then calm back down. _

**Aelita: **And now problems with the power grid….

**Ulrich: **Think it could be Moriarty?

**Aelita: **I hope not, but things are getting a little weird.

_William turns on the TV and begins flipping through channels. _

**William: **Let's keep it down guys, there are people around.

_There is a pause. They look absentmindedly at the TV. _

**Yumi: **I hope the data we got from the Ocean sphere was useful.

**Aelita: **So do I. I'm not sure how much more failure Jeremie can take.

_William keeps flipping. Yumi's eyes widen. _

**Yumi: **Stop! Go back!

**William: **To what?

_William flips until he gets to the news channel. _

**Yumi: **Stop! Right there!

_They listen to a female reporter as she delivers some alarming news. _

**Diane: **…What began as a series of computer crashes and electrical failures in random parts around the world several days ago is now being classified by experts as a "global cyber bug". At first, civic authorities and the national government hoped that this was only a random disturbance, but as the troubles grew, the U.N. was forced to recognize that a massive bug is indeed wreaking havoc on much of the world's computer systems. Several major banks in both Germany and Switzerland have been almost shut down, and the chaos has brought Wall Street to a screeching halt. In addition to this and random power failures, several airports were forced to ground all planes due to problems with air traffic control. In Seoul, an airplane crash due to this issue was only narrowly avoided. Several leading nations, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France have considered declaring a state of emergency, while other major powers such as Russia and China have tried to dissuade such talks to avoid "unnecessary panic". To make matters worse, the unexplainable issue has caused hostility among certain nations whose ties are already tenuous. We know go to our expert on Foreign Relations, Jacque Palumbo.

**Jacque: **Thank you Diane. Twelve hours ago President Ahmadinejad released a statement blaming the recent computer failures as a "clear cyber attack from the Zionist scum". He also promised retaliation if the "attack" continues. Israel has responded that they are not responsible (in addition to stating that they are not Zionist scum) and have pointed out that they too have been affected by the recent events. But Iran seems unmoved, and the political situation between the two nations continues to worsen.

**Diane: **What can we expect to unfold in the coming days or weeks if this bug is not removed?

**Jacque: **It's too early to say. But this bug has inflamed the hatred that already existed between these two nations for many years. Other larger nations are doing their best to avoid a nuclear crisis.

**Diane: **Nuclear crisis? But neither of them are nuclear powers.

**Jacque: **Not officially….but it is widely believed that Israel has possessed nuclear weapons for some time, and it has long been rumored that Iran is working on a nuclear program against the wishes of the U.N.

**Diane: **So let me get this straight…there is a possibility of…conflict between these two nations…even nuclear conflict.

_Jacque adjusts his tie nervously. _

**Jacque: **At this point, the likelihood of that occurring is very low. However, if this bug continues to be a problem, the diplomatic situation….might continue to worsen.

_The group has noticed that other students have stopped what they were doing and are looking at the TV screen. They are all quiet and worried. _

**Diane: **Thank you Jacque. We will continue to monitor this situation as it develops. In other news….

_The group leaves the couch to avoid the gathering crowd. They talk against the wall, making sure no one is listening to them. _

**Ulrich: **Moriarty. It has to be….

**William: **Well who else could it be? Our list of suspects isn't that large.

**Yumi: **This looks bad….it does have Moriarty written all over it.

**Aelita: **But why would he want to do it?

_Others look at her with raised eyebrows. _

**Ulrich: **Because he's evil. This is right up his alley.

**Aelita: **But conflict between nations?

**Yumi: **Well yeah….why wouldn't he want that?

**Aelita: **His growing monopoly on nuclear weapons is designed so he can take over the world without any fighting. Why would he want to ruin that by sending two nations and possibly the entire world into nuclear war?

_The group starts to see reason in this. _

**William: **Well that's…true.

**Ulrich: **But if he's not doing this….then who is?

_Aelita is quiet. _

**Aelita: **I'm going to go talk to Jeremie. Maybe he might know the answer to this.

_A few minutes later, Aelita enters the room just in time to see a stack of papers hit the wall right next to her. She gasps. Jeremie is throwing stuff across the room in anger. _

**Jeremie: **FAILURE! ANOTHER MISERABLE FAILURE!

**Aelita: **Jeremie….?

**Jeremie: **The Ocean sphere had nothing! Another one of Moriarty's stupid empty shells!

_He flings some CDs against the wall. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie calm down!

**Jeremie: **Calm down? Moriarty is growing in power by the minute, and I should CALM DOWN?

**Aelita: **This isn't helping….

**Jeremie: **He's frustrating our every move!

**Aelita: **Jeremie…

**Jeremie: **How am I supposed to find the right spheres?

**Aelita: **We'll have to be patient…

**Jeremie: **PATIENT? Aelita, there are HUNDREDS OF THEM OUT THERE! I DISCOVERED THREE HUNDRED MORE THIS MORNING! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO SORT THROUGH THEM ALL?

_He collapses into his chair and seems about to pull his hair out. _

**Aelita: **You'll find a way….

**Jeremie: **I have to do something! He's spreading rapidly, and I can't stop him!

**Aelita: **Take a break. You need to relax.

_He spins around and Aelita notices the bags under his eyes. _

**Jeremie: **I DON'T HAVE TIME TO RELAX!

**Aelita: **Jeremie, have you slept at all these past few days?

**Jeremie: **That's not important.

**Aelita: **No, I think it is important.

**Jeremie: **Did you come in here for a reason, or did you just want to bother me?

**Aelita: **I wanted to ask you something.

**Jeremie: **Yeah….what?

_Ordinarily Aelita would be angered by his rude behavior, but now she seems very nervous. She hesitates to respond. _

**Aelita: **Um…never mind it's not important.

**Jeremie: **Good, now if you'll excuse me…..

_Aelita doesn't waste any time leaving the room. Several days later, the group is coming down the elevator in the factory. _

**Yumi: **So he collapsed right in the middle of study hall?

**Ulrich: **Yep. Right in the library in front of everyone. The exhaustion must have gotten to him. I had to cover for it and take him to the infirmary.

**William: **Was anyone suspicious?

**Ulrich: **Not too suspicious. The nurse asked a few questions, and I blamed it on stress.

**Aelita: **What did Jim say? Wasn't he the proctor?

**Ulrich: **Yeah, something about it reminding him of the time he worked on an experiment of sleep deprivation and how he'd rather not talk about it.

**Aelita: **How long did he sleep?

**Ulrich: **At least six hours.

**Aelita: **Well, at least he finally got some rest. Even if it was against his will.

**Yumi: **What did he do once he woke up?

**Ulrich: **Stormed out of the infirmary despite the nurse's objections.

**Yumi: **Why am I not surprised?

_The group is silent for a moment. _

**William: **Does anyone have the slightest idea why he called this meeting? Is he sending us on another dead end mission?

**Aelita: **Jeremie said he found something….he seemed pleased with himself on the phone.

**Ulrich: **Well, that's a good thing, right?

_Elevator door opens. _

**Aelita: **I sure hope so.

_The group enters the lab. Jeremie turns to face them from the computer. His expression is cold and intense, but he forces a smile. _

**Jeremie: **Glad you could make it on such short notice.

**Ulrich: **Well, let's cut to the chase….what is it?

_Jeremie turns to the computer screen and opens a few files. _

**Jeremie: **I decided to look over the data from the recent spheres one more time….to make sure I didn't miss anything. And after a very thorough search, I realized that some of the information wasn't as empty as I originally thought.

**Aelita: **You mean some of them were connected to nuclear arsenals?

**Jeremie: **No. They aren't. But that was the problem. I was too busy looking for those connections, I never thought to look for anything else. So I went through the data one more time, and I found something potentially useful to us.

**Yumi: **What?

**Jeremie: **I uncovered a program in the Ocean Sphere that can enhance and modify the molecular and chemical structure of a human being, creating the potential for unnatural abilities to be expressed.

**Ulrich: **In English?

**Jeremie: **For the sake of the layman, I can give you superpowers.

_Everyone's eyes widen. _

**William: **Come again?

**Jeremie: **You heard me William. Superpowers.

**Aelita: **Are you serious?

**Jeremie: **I've never been more serious in my life! Imagine the possibilities! Giving you your Lyoko abilities on Earth. You would be as strong in the real world as you are in Lyoko! Moriarty would never be able to hurt us again!

_The rest of the group stares at each other. _

**Jeremie: **Naturally I wanted to tell you so we could start the procedure as soon as possible. It won't take that long. Just a few minutes in the scanner is all it will take. Then Moriarty better watch out!

_Others look doubtful. _

**Jeremie: **Um, you aren't taking this the way I expected….

**Aelita: **Jeremie….with all due respect….

**Yumi: **We don't like the sound of this.

**Jeremie: **What are you talking about?

**Ulrich: **What I think Yumi is trying to say is….it sounds risky.

**Jeremie: **Risky? Come on! I've run the diagnostics twelve times! The procedure will modify, but not harm your molecular structure. There is no danger to your health whatsoever.

**William: **I don't think it's just that.

**Jeremie: **Then what is it? What could possibly make you give up this opportunity?

_Others hesitate. _

**Yumi: **Well, having that kind of power….it's not natural.

**Ulrich: **You'd be making us….superhuman. Freaks.

**Aelita: **Besides, you saw what it….what it did to Odd.

_Jeremie looks completely disgusted with this response. _

**Jeremie: **Odd? Is that what this is about? You're afraid what happened to Odd will happen to you?

**Ulrich: **In a nutshell, yes.

**Jeremie: **You are all acting paranoid! May I remind you that in Odd's case, his "gift" was designed by Moriarty to alter his nervous system into becoming that way?

**Yumi: **I still don't like it.

**Jeremie: **This program will not drive you insane.

**Aelita: **But didn't you get the program from the sphere? Aka from Moriarty?

**Jeremie: **Well, yes but…

**Aelita: **And isn't it likely that the program you got from the sphere is similar to, if not exactly the same one used on Odd?

**Jeremie: **Well, the data would definitely have some distinct similarities, but we can't let our petty fears….

**William: **Being afraid of suffering the same fate as Odd is not a petty fear.

**Yumi: **William's right. This program is way out of our league. It's best if we keep this locked away….for our own sakes.

_Jeremie stares at them with increasing frustration and shock. _

**Jeremie: **You all are unbelievable! You're telling me that you don't trust yourself enough to believe that you won't go mad with power? Talk about self-confidence!

**Aelita: **Jeremie, that has nothing to do with it.

**Jeremie: **None of you are capable of falling that low!

**Ulrich: **You weren't there when I caught Odd about to zap Herb's brains out. You didn't see the wild, sick look in his eyes. If it can do that to Odd…

**Jeremie: **You are acting like….like…like cowards!

_This statement does not sit well with the others. _

**Ulrich: **Oh so now you think we've chickened out! Is that it?

**Jeremie: **I call it as I see it, Ulrich. You won't take advantage of a massive opportunity that might mean the difference between victory and defeat.

**Yumi: **You can make fun of us all you want Jeremie. But the fact is you stole that program from Moriarty. And I trust nothing that comes from him.

**Jeremie: **Yumi, take a second to think. Imagine the potential of having telekinesis at your disposal. You could dispatch any Moriarty attack with ease! Think of the power you could have!

**Yumi: **I AM thinking about it. And I don't like what I see.

**Jeremie: **WILL YOU LET GO OF THIS INSANE DREAD OF POWER? DON'T YOU SEE POWER IN THE RIGHT HANDS IS A GOOD THING!

**Yumi: **That may be Jeremie, but what happens when those hands are turned by that power?

**Jeremie: **Will you stop with this 'power corrupts' nonsense? I am telling you it is perfectly safe!

**Aelita: **And we are telling you, we don't want to risk it.

**Jeremie: **FINE! IF YOU INSIST ON BEING THIS WAY, I ORDER YOU TO GET INTO THE SCANNERS!

_The group doesn't budge. _

**William: **That's not happening.

**Jeremie: **I SAID THAT'S AN ORDER!

**Ulrich: **And just how are you going to make us?

_Jeremie, through his anger and rabid desire to retain control, is starting to see that he is getting nowhere with this argument. _

**Jeremie: **Alright….if that's how it's going to be. If you want to doom the world because of some ridiculous fantasy…BE MY GUEST! Have fun explaining that to everyone once the world is enslaved!

**Yumi: **How dare you…..

_She clenches her fist and begins to approach Jeremie. Ulrich holds her back. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi no…not now.

**Yumi: **Give me one good reason!

**Jeremie: **Oh so now you're threatening me? I've overestimated you Yumi. You have every reason to believe you could become like Odd, but you don't need power to drive you mad! You are quite capable on your own!

_Yumi's eyes burn with rage. _

**Yumi: **THAT'S IT!

_It takes both William and Ulrich combined to prevent Yumi from ripping Jeremie apart. _

**Ulrich: **YUMI NO!

**Yumi: **I'LL KILL HIM!

**Jeremie: **GO AHEAD! AND YOU CAN PERSONALLY HAND OVER THE WORLD TO MORIARTY WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!

**Yumi: **OH YOU ARE SO DEAD!

_Aelita steps in between the two. _

**Aelita: **ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU! DON'T YOU SEE THIS ISN'T HELPING?

_Everyone stops what they're doing and looks at Aelita. _

**Aelita: **We all just need to cool off. Understand?

_Everyone is quiet. _

**Aelita: **Let's just go our separate ways for now. It's what's best. For all of us.

_There is a silent agreement. _

**Yumi: **Fine.

**Jeremie: **Whatever.

_Jeremie stays at the computer while the others head for the elevator. Suddenly the super scan goes off. _

**Jeremie: **Oh that's just what we needed….activated tower.

_The group groans and starts to head for the scanner room. But the holomap in front of the computer monitor suddenly turns white and expands to an enormous size. The group stares in wonder/horror. _

**Jeremie: **WHAT….IS…THA-?

_The last part is cut off because Jeremie is dragged by a specter towards the white bubble. He yells for help. The others hesitate in shock, but then try to grab him. But it is too late. Jeremie is dragged in. _

**Aelita: **JEREMIE!

_Ulrich and Yumi freeze, unable to believe what they've just seen. William on the other hand, jumps into action. _

**William: **I'll get him out of there!

_He runs to the bubble but is soon blown back with an electric shock. _

**William: **…Or not…

_Aelita goes to the computer and begins working furiously. _

**Yumi: **Mind explaining what's going on?

**Aelita: **Your guess is as good as mine Yumi. I haven't the slightest idea!

**Ulrich: **What is that thing? It looks like the old Guardians Xana used to have.

**Yumi: **Could Moriarty have programmed a new monster and sent it to Earth?

_Aelita keeps typing and suddenly stops. She stares at the screen in disbelief. _

**Aelita: **No….that….that's not possible!

**Ulrich: **What?

**Aelita: **It's a….simulation bubble!

**William: **On Earth? Are you serious?

**Yumi: **They only exist on Lyoko!

**Aelita: **Well, apparently Moriarty found a way to make one on Earth!

**Ulrich: **Wait…you're telling me that Jeremie is stuck in one of Moriarty's sick worlds?

**Aelita: **Yes…he's trapped there!

_Yumi crosses her arms and scowls at the sphere. _

**Yumi: **Good riddance.

_Aelita glares at Yumi. _

**Aelita: **Yumi….we need to get him back.

**Yumi: **Can't we leave him to suffer a little first?

_Aelita gives her another dirty look. _

**Yumi: **Alright fine…let's go.

_They virtualize themselves onto the Ice Sector. _

**Ulrich: **Anyone see anything?

**Yumi: **No. Coast is clear.

**Aelita: **We'll have to go on foot. I couldn't program any vehicles for us.

**William: **Well, at least we have our full strength.

**Aelita: **Ok the tower is 500 meters…

**Odd: **Directly northwest.

_Group turns around to see Odd staring at them on all fours from a slight rise in the ice above them. Everyone reaches for their weapons. _

**Odd: **Oh your warm welcome is simply too much.

_He jumps down to face them on his two feet. He grins wickedly. _

**Odd: **I am getting the feeling you don't feel like chatting and would rather get to the part where I tear you apart.

**Ulrich: **Yeah, you got everything right up till the part where you win.

**Yumi: **In case you haven't noticed, you're outnumbered.

**William: **There is no monster here to back you up.

**Odd: **Oh and why would I want monsters? They are nothing but a crutch. What would I prove if I constantly relied on them?

**Ulrich: **Fine, if you want to face us the old fashioned way, this won't take very long.

**Odd: **Four against one? That hardly seems fair.

**Aelita: **Who said anything about fair? Weren't those your exact words?

**Odd: **Touché Aelita. But the fact is, you're still at a disadvantage.

**Yumi: **Don't flatter yourself. You can't beat us all together.

**William: **You're alone.

**Odd: **Not necessarily.

_He snaps his fingers. Three shadows rise out of the ice. _

**Aelita: **What is that?

**Odd: **Moriarty has a very special treat for you today.

_The three shadows take form. The three figures turn into a dark version of Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita respectively. Their outfits are mostly the same, but their skin and clothes are grey and they have red eyes. Their appearance is a corruption of their Lyoko selves. Instead of being a samurai, Dark Ulrich looks more like a bloodthirsty butcher. Aelita, the angelic elf, is more of a harpy in her dark form. Yumi is face to face with a geisha who looks more like a witchlike assassin. Dark Yumi's claws extend around her fans as she stares at her opponent with hate. _

**Ulrich: **Well, didn't see that coming.

**Yumi: **What's the point of this Odd?

**Odd: **Moriarty just wants to remind you of your failure…

**William: **Our failure?

**Odd: **These are the shadows of what you could have been had you succeeded during Moriarty's auditions instead of me. I'm sure you are devastated at this lost opportunity.

**Ulrich: **Yeah, I'm definitely crushed inside.

**Yumi: **Me too. But I think I'll get over it. _She stares at Dark Yumi with concern. _

**Odd: **What's the matter Yumi? Afraid to face your other half?

**Yumi: **No it's just that….is my butt really that big? Or did Moriarty make it bigger just to annoy me?

_Dark Yumi snarls and throws her fan. Yumi ducks. Ulrich rolls his eyes. Odd looks to his soldiers. _

**Odd: **You know what to do.

_They begin to attack. Each warrior faces off with their respective double. Aelita takes to the air, with Dark Aelita following with bat wings. They exchange energy fields in the air. Dark Aelita's energy fields are red. Ulrich and Dark Ulrich start an intense swordfight. Yumi and Dark Yumi play a game of cat and mouse with their fans among the triangular-shaped icebergs. William is left alone with Odd. _

**William: **What? No clone for me?

**Odd: **William, you've already faced yours. Besides…

_He extends his claws. _

**Odd: **I need someone to play with too.

_William holds out his sword. _

**William: **You want a rematch? Fine by me.

_Their battle begins. Meanwhile, in the simulation bubble, Jeremie awakes in a smoke-filled alley. He adjusts his glasses and looks around. It is abandoned. At first he can hear nothing, but he slowly is able to pick up the sounds of the city around him, such as barking dogs and the hum of the buildings. But it is still unusually quiet. He looks up and sees that the sky is cloudy, and judges that it is around midday. He walks around the alley. He rubs his head. _

**Jeremie: **What kind of mess did you put me in this time Moriarty?

_A breeze blows a torn-off poster in his direction. He grabs it. His heart skips several beats. It is a poster displaying Moriarty's eye. He immediately lets go of it and lets it blow away. _

**Jeremie: **Please tell me I didn't just see that.

_A few moments later he sees a small boy playing with a ball in the street. He seems very innocent and happy. Jeremie smiles but hangs back at a distance. When the ball bounces in Jeremy's direction, the boy initially chases after it, but stops immediately when he sees Jeremie. The child freezes and turns white as a sheet. His eyes radiate with fear, as if he has just seen Satan in the flesh. Jeremie is surprised by the reaction and tries to calm the child. _

**Jeremie: **Hello… what's your name?

**Boy: **MOMMY!

_A woman comes out of a door and grabs her child. _

**Mother: **What are you doing out at this time? You know you should be inside! If the patrol catches you past curfew…

_The child points. _

**Boy: **Mommy…it's him!

_The mother looks at Jeremie and nearly collapses from fright. She goes to her knees and seems to be kneeling to him, trembling. _

**Mother: **PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY, WE CRAVE YOUR FORGIVENESS! PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY BABY, HE'S ALL I HAVE LEFT!

_Jeremie backs up from this shocking display. _

**Jeremie: **What are you talking about? I would never hurt your….

_He is interrupted by the roar of some vehicles nearby. _

**Mother: **GET INSIDE BABY!

_She grabs her child and runs into the house, shutting the door. When the roar gets closer, Jeremie takes off running, curving into other abandoned alleys. Eventually he emerges into a major street, which is likewise devoid of human life. He walks along the street, trying to get away from the noise. He suddenly stops when he passes by an empty store that is displaying giant TV screens in the window. The screens begin to buzz to life, and Jeremie sees a familiar face. _

**Odd: **Good morning, citizens of the New World Order.

**Jeremie: **Odd?

_Odd's hair is no longer spiked, it is down. He is much older, probably in his mid-twenties, but Jeremie can tell that it is him. He smiles, but his expression is cold and merciless. Jeremie can tell by the occasional flicker in his eyes and his evil look that he is still possessed by Moriarty. _

**Odd: **Thank you for joining me on the Daily Mandatory Noon State Broadcast. Hopefully everyone is now indoors and watching me at this moment, and if you're not….well….you know what awaits you.

_He smiles. _

**Jeremie: **Where am I?

**Odd: **To start off, you'll be pleased to note that despite the recent famines in some of our agricultural provinces, rations will not be lowered. Certain subversive individuals to the state have tried to raise concerns in that regard…and have been dealt with accordingly.

**Jeremie: **This isn't happening…

**Odd: **In other news…terrorists to the state in the Eastern Eurasian Province have been apprehended and their plans to detonate bombs and destroy innocent civilian life in quest of their twisted idea of 'freedom' have been foiled.

**Jeremie: **Get me out of this nightmare!

**Odd: **Which brings me back citizens to the important and controversial topic of freedom. I ask you, what is freedom? No doubt some of you old ones remember what freedom used to mean. Inequality. Crime. Political disorder. Poverty. Riots. Bureaucratic inefficiency. Hunger. Thirst. Materialism. Chaos. War.

_He leans closer to the camera. _

Is this the freedom you want citizens? I certainly don't. You would have the freedom to choose, of course. But what I just listed are the only options freedom can provide. Nothing but a game of pick your poison. Doesn't sound too great, does it citizens? No this world doesn't sound too good at all. But what world do you live in now citizens? War is now nonexistent for the first time in human history. No more young men will be sent off to die in needless wars designed only to increase the power of the most wealthy. Eventually, future generations will cease to understand the concept of war altogether. And what about hunger? No one is starving anymore. Our generous and most excellent leader has made sure that every human being on Earth has at least two meals a day. Although…I admit the quality is not always great, but beggars cannot be choosers.

_He laughs. _

Not to mention our constant monitoring system has reduced crime to nonexistence. Families can now sleep soundly, never having to worry that someone wanting to express his 'freedom' by breaking into their houses and murdering them will ever succeed. Our leader's infinite wisdom creates a very efficient system of government, ready to respond to the needs of the citizens with great speed. Housing is equal and adequate, so no one is jealous. Now you tell me citizens, which of these worlds sounds better to you?

**Jeremie: **My God…

**Odd: **And to what do we owe these benefits citizens? Our infinitely wise and powerful leader, his excellency MORIARTY! Children of the New World Order, you have no idea how blessed you are to be born in such a time devoid of the curses that have plagued humanity since the very beginning of civilization! Of course, to maintain these benefits, a firm but loving hand is needed. For you see citizens, we are an irrational and selfish race. We long to fight, to cause pain and build ourselves up at the expense of our fellow man. Thus the wars and the problems I have mentioned before. To create freedom is to invite chaos and want to thrive. Thus our leader has no choice but to make decisions for you. You can all agree citizens, that this sacrifice is a necessary one to maintain the wonderful world our leader has created. Yet, there are still those who selfishly seek to overthrow it by…

_Jeremie turns away from the broadcast when he can't take it anymore. He is trying to calm down_

**Jeremie: **This is just a simulation. You know that…this isn't real. It can't be real…

_Jeremie hears the vehicles again. He tries to run, but a Humvee pulls out in front of him. He turns the other way, but another Humvee blocks his path. Soldiers get out of the vehicles, weapons drawn. They are a combination of robots and humans. A corporal approaches him. _

**Corporal: **Freeze citizen!

_He holds up his gun but stops when he sees Jeremie and bows, along with his entire unit. _

**Corporal: **A thousand apologies your Excellency…we thought you were a rogue citizen and….

**Colonel: **No you idiots! This isn't him!

_An older looking soldier approaches his subordinate angrily.. _

**Corporal: **But sir….

**Colonel: **Do you have eyes soldier? Can't you see this youth is much to be young to be his excellency?

**Corporal: **Then sir, who…?

**Colonel: **We've been expecting this one. The General will be pleased that we have found him at last.

_The other soldiers quake when they hear the words "The General". Jeremie swallows hard, dreading what might come next. A few moments later, another Humvee pulls up. An extremely muscular soldier steps out of the car. A robotic implant covers half of his right face, giving him the appearance of a cyborg, with the metallic inhumanity in his eyes to prove it. Every soldier, including the robots, salute him. He approaches Jeremie, who backs up in fear. The General grabs Jeremie and hoists him up by his collar. The Moriarty eye flickers in the General's human retina on the left side of his face. Jeremie is at first terrified, then shocked when he gets a good look at the General. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich?

_Ulrich throws him down and jams the butt of his rifle into his stomach. Jeremie doubles over in pain. _

**Ulrich: **That's General Stern, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Moriarty to you.

_He leans closer. _

**Ulrich: **Won't Moriarty be pleased to see you.

_Dark Yumi throws her fan at Yumi. Yumi ducks and hides among the icebergs. Dark Yumi stalks her impatiently. _

**Dark Yumi: **Come out come out wherever you are….you little slut.

_Dark Yumi sees Yumi's reflection in her fan from behind her. Yumi throws her fan. Dark Yumi leaps to the left to avoid it, but the fan manages to strike the back of her calf. Dark Yumi lands on the ground and rolls. She gets up to see Yumi facing her. _

**Yumi: **I dare you to say that again…

_Their fight continues. Several meters away Aelita collapses to the ice floor after being hit by an energy field from her evil twin. Dark Aelita lands close to her. _

**Dark Aelita: **Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt? Poor thing. Why don't you go crying to your daddy….._The clone feigns surprise. _Oh that's right. You don't have a daddy. Or a mommy for that matter. Isn't that tragic.

_Aelita burns with pain and anger. She gets up with two energy fields at the ready in her hands. _

**Aelita: **You're going to regret that.

_The duo return to the air. On the far side of the battlefield, Ulrich remains on the defensive with his opponent. Dark Ulrich cuts his wrist, causing Ulrich to drop one of his sabers. Dark Ulrich kicks him to the ground. Dark Ulrich tries to drive the sword into Ulrich when he is vulnerable. But Ulrich leans to his right as the sword is driven into the ice inches away from his midsection. Ulrich kicks Dark Ulrich away. Ulrich grabs Dark Ulrich's sword and launches it towards him. But Dark Ulrich catches the sword before it is able to strike him. Dark Ulrich smiles. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Thanks…I needed that.

_They continue to fight and end up pushing against each other with their sabers. Dark Ulrich smiles. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Give up you rich spoiled brat. You can't win.

**Ulrich: **I beg to differ…

**Dark Ulrich: **You're weak! Your own father thinks so.

**Ulrich: **I would choose a different topic if I were you….

**Dark Ulrich: **Why do you continue to struggle? Do you really think you can atone for the crimes of your family?

**Ulrich: **Shut up!

**Dark Ulrich: **Or are you too afraid to admit that the blood of a monster runs in your veins?

_Ulrich pushes Dark Ulrich away and goes on the offensive, swinging blindly and madly. Dark Ulrich laughs. At the edge of a river with a waterfall in the background, William and Odd continue their battle. Odd's agility allows him to stay away from striking range of William's sword. He fires laser arrows and electric blasts whenever given the chance. William is usually able to block it, but one arrow grazes his shoulder. Odd leaps on top of a nearby iceberg to get the high ground. _

**Odd: **William, you're making this too easy for me….

_William drives his sword straight into the iceberg, causing it to crack. Odd leaps off in front of William, then turns around and charges him. William swings but Odd leaps and scratches his chest. William grimaces in pain. _

**Odd: **Honestly, I don't know how I was beaten by you last time.

_William gets up. _

**William: **Maybe your ego got the better of you.

**Odd: **Or maybe your anger got the better of you.

_Odd fires electric blasts, but William absorbs it with his sword. The energy from the blast runs to the edge of his blade, and he fires it right back at him. Odd narrowly avoids the blast. _

**Odd: **Oh so the rookie still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

**William: **Yeah, I learn as I go.

**Odd: **Well, if that's not going to work on you…._His hands flare with energy, but this time the energy is crafted into two red swords. _I've never been much of a sword-fighter….but one must always adapt.

_William is confident that a swordfight would work in his favor given his experience. _

**William: **Try me….

_William grabs his head and goes to his knees. _

**Xana: **Kill him!

**William: **Not again!

**Xana: **I can't allow this slave to live. Exterminate him!

_William shakes off the voice in his head. Odd goes at him, swinging his electric swords with amazing agility and skill. William stands his ground, defending himself well and waiting for Odd to make a mistake. Odd's electric swords give him an advantage, but he leaves himself wide open to attack at several points. William succeeds in striking his heel. Odd growls and continues fighting, but then is struck at his wrist. Odd fights furiously, but with every received blow from William he gets more and more sloppy. William finally is able to cut a gash across Odd's stomach. Odd's swords disappear and he collapses. William raises his sword for the final blow. Odd's voice changes to his old self. He reaches out to him. _

**Odd: **William….wait.

_William is unmoved. _

**William: **I'm not falling for it this time.

_Odd's Moriarty voice returns. _

**Odd: **Ok, plan B.

_Odd drives his claws into the ice and releases a massive amount of energy. It sends shockwaves into the surrounding area. The ice around William cracks and he falls into a pool of ice water that rests below him. The water underneath is connected to the river and waterfall some distance away. William holds on to the main sheet of ice that hasn't broken away, but his sword has sunk to the bottom. Odd stands triumphant over a helpless William. _

**Odd: **A bit cold in there, isn't it?

_William does not respond but shivers and stares at Odd with a combination of fear and anger. _

**Odd: **You know, this isn't the digital sea, but prolonged exposure to this water will virtualize you forever.

_William closes his eyes and screams in pain. _

**Xana: **YOU FOOL! ESCAPE!

_Odd smiles. _

**Odd: **Just as I thought. That old program just refuses to die.

_William remains silent. _

**Odd: **No wonder Moriarty wants you dead.

**William: **You can tell him I don't plan on dying anytime soon.

**Odd: **You don't understand what's coming, do you?

_William tenses. _

**Odd: **The nightmares….the visions….In the end, where do you think it will all lead?

_William averts his eyes from Odd. _

**Odd: **Do you know what this means for you?

_William hangs his head. _

**Odd: **Oh, so you do know, don't you?

_William closes his eyes in shame. _

**Odd: **You've known for a very long time, and haven't told them. You've just kept fighting, trying to delay the inevitable.

_William clenches his fists. Odd leans down closer to him. _

**Odd: **You know, if I really cared about my friends, and the world for that matter, I would sink to the bottom and disappear for good.

_William shakes. _

**Odd: **It's what's best for everyone, don't you think?

_William doesn't answer. _

**Odd: **Let go of that ice and die a hero, or live, and have not such a happy ending.

_William seems lost in thought. _

**Odd: **Come on Lyoko Warrior, what's it going to be?

_Jeremie travels under the Arc de Triomphe in Ulrich's Humvee. Two massive banners on each side of the monument display the Moriarty eye. Everywhere around him the horrors of Moriarty's world disturb him. Massive projector screens display Odd's broadcast through all of Paris. In some of the courtyards he sees soldiers training with discipline and organization eerily similar to that of the Nazi SS. Cameras, both hidden and in plain view, are a constant presence. Through the windows of houses Jeremie can see frightened families forced to stay inside to watch Odd's brainwashing propaganda. He looks at Ulrich, who is sitting across from him in the Humvee, enjoying Jeremie's growing terror. _

**Ulrich: **Impressive, isn't it?

**Jeremie: **Not sure that was the word I had in mind.

**Ulrich: **And this is just Paris…you should see how great New York and Tokyo look right now.

**Jeremie: **This is awful!

**Ulrich: **You may think that. But in time you will come to understand and respect our glorious leader.

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, I know you're in there. I know you hate this.

_Ulrich laughs. The eye of Moriarty burns deeply in his left retina. _

**Ulrich: **The Ulrich you once knew has long since given up the will to fight.

**Jeremie: **You're lying. Ulrich would never give in to Moriarty. He would fight until his last breath.

**Ulrich: **Oh but I'm afraid he had his limits.

_He points to his robotic implant. _

**Ulrich: **He got this trying to fight with the resistance during the early years of our leader's conquest.

_Jeremie shudders. _

**Ulrich: **He lost more than an eye and half of his face that day. He was broken. Completely.

_They pass into suburban neighborhoods. _

**Jeremie: **And Odd?

**Ulrich: **Oh yes. He got the cushy job. Everyday he goes live to the entire world with his broadcast. Meanwhile I have to do the dirty work, sniffing out Moriarty's enemies and making sure everyone is watching said broadcast.

**Jeremie: **And the others?

_Ulrich gives him a very evil smile. _

**Ulrich: **You will see….

_The Humvee stops. Ulrich gets up and opens the door. _

**Ulrich: **We're here.

_Jeremie gets out of the vehicle and finds himself staring at a massive palace standing behind a very old looking front entrance gate. The palace looks new, and impressive, but the gate and the surrounding neighborhood look familiar. _

**Jeremie: **Is this….Kadic?

**Ulrich: **Was. Before our leader tore it down. Now it is his seat of power.

**Jeremie: **But why here?

**Ulrich: **Our glorious leader did not want to take up residence in old government palaces. He wanted something new. Something he could design himself. But he chose this particular location as a monument to his greatest triumph. His victory over his greatest enemies.

**Jeremie: **Us….

_The soldiers and Ulrich march him through the courtyard. _

**Ulrich: **Now move it. We don't want to keep his excellency waiting.

_Yumi hides behind a massive wall of ice, keeping a close eye out for her double. Out of the corner of her eye she sees a massive iceberg coming toward her. She blocks it with her telekinesis, only to realize that Dark Yumi is using her telekinesis as well. The two are looked in a psychic war, trying to crush the other with the now stationary iceberg. Both try to outdo the other, and Yumi is not coming out on top in this battle. The iceberg begins to edge in her direction. _

**Dark Yumi: **Give up yet?

**Yumi: **You're going to have to do better than that.

**Dark Yumi: **Gladly….

_Dark Yumi's body glows dark red as she increases the pressure. Yumi struggles to keep up. _

**Dark Yumi: **After I crush you, why don't I pay your family a little visit? It would be so easy. They would think I was you.

**Yumi: **Touch my family Moriarty, and it will be the last thing you ever do.

**Dark Yumi: **Oh we both know at this point that you are all talk and no action. Your threats of vengeance mean nothing.

**Yumi: **Oh believe me, I will be true to my word. I just haven't had a chance yet.

**Dark Yumi: **Perhaps I'll start with Hiroki first. It will be fun to watch the life seep out of his body.

**Yumi: **You want Hiroki, you'll have to get through me first.

**Dark Yumi: **That can be arranged.

_Yumi continues to weaken. But she notices that Aelita is closing in behind her, being chased by Dark Aelita as they fly close to the ground. She gets an idea. _

**Yumi: **Aelita!

_Aelita immediately understands. She flies as close as possible to Yumi, then veers straight up. At the same time, Yumi lets go of the iceberg and ducks out of the way as it barrels toward her. The iceberg misses her but destroys Dark Aelita before she can react. _

**Dark Yumi: **WHAT?

_Aelita hits her with an energy field and Yumi strikes her with both her fans. Dark Yumi is devirtualized. _

**Yumi: **Thanks for the save.

**Aelita: **No problem. I just hope Ulrich pulls through.

_Some distance away Ulrich is blocking Dark Ulrich's strikes, one sword guarding his neck and the other one guarding his side. Dark Ulrich is now on the offensive. Ulrich meanwhile, starts to feel weak from his injuries. His vision blurs. _

**Ulrich: **No…not now!

**Dark Ulrich: **What's the matter? Does the little heir need a breather?

_Ulrich ponders his options as he remains on the defensive. He knows that he can't beat Dark Ulrich in combat in his condition. So he takes off in a super sprint away from him. _

**Dark Ulrich: **That's it. Run you coward!

_Dark Ulrich takes after him. Ulrich retreats into an ice cave. Dark Ulrich enters the cavern. He looks around the reflective walls. He draws his sabers_

**Dark Ulrich: **I know you're here.

_He strikes a nearby ice stalagmite. _

**Dark Ulrich: **You can't hide from me forever.

_Ulrich emerges unarmed from the shadows. _

**Ulrich: **Here I am.

_Dark Ulrich charges and drives his swords into Ulrich, devirtualizing him. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Well, that was easy.

_He feels two taps on his shoulder. He turns around to see two Ulrichs looking at him. _

**Ulrich: **Too easy.

_Both of them strike Dark Ulrich and devirtualize him. The two fuse back together. He walks out of the cave to see Aelita and Yumi approaching. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich.

**Ulrich: **Yumi…

**Yumi: **I take it you came out on top.

**Ulrich: **Yeah, I had to outsmart him, but I did it.

**Aelita: **How difficult was that?

**Ulrich: **Well, considering he was a clone of me, not that hard.

**Yumi: **William?

**Ulrich: **No idea…

**Aelita: **We'd better hurry. He may be in trouble.

_Odd continues to goad William into despair. _

**Odd: **Well….?

_William turns away. _

**Odd: **You know it's the unselfish thing to do….

**William: **No. I can't let it end this way…

**Odd: **Are you really going to risk it?

**William: **I won't let him do it. He will not succeed.

**Odd: **William. He already has.

**William: **No!

**Odd: **Try as you might, you are no match for him. You won't be able to stop him.

_William does not answer. _

**Odd: **If you really want to put an end to him, there's only one way.

_William lowers his head to the ice, trying to decide what to do. He does not want to go out this way, but the thought of what Odd is warning him about makes him pause. _

**Odd: **It was fun while it lasted William. But if you truly want to be a Lyoko Warrior, what better way to put an end to him once and for all?

_William's grip on the ice is starting to slip. He holds on and shivers. He is being forced to face what he has tried to ignore for so long, and it is killing him inside. He remembers his dreams, his nightmares. The horror courses through his body. He starts to loosen his grip on the ice. But his thoughts go back to other certain dreams he has had, which reminds William of what Odd is really trying to do. _

**William: **You're out of your mind. My team needs me, and you need me dead for a reason. I'm not sure how this is going to end, but I do know that I have something in my head that you don't want to come out. The answer is no.

_Odd's face contorts with beastlike rage. _

**Odd: **Fine. If you won't do it willingly, I'll do it for you.

_Odd steps on William's fingers. William shouts in pain. _

**Odd: **I gave you a chance to do it honorably William, but you forced my hand.

_He increases the pressure. William starts to give. Odd laughs maniacally. _

**Odd:** Tell Schaeffer I said hi.

_As he is about to finish William off, Odd sees his reflection in the water. At first he doesn't pay it any attention, but suddenly he gives it a second glance. He stares at it intently. His image in the water puts him into a kind of trance. His pressure on William's foot eases. He starts to walk toward the edge of the water. He goes to his knees and bends down inches from the water, gazing at his reflection. He seems confused, as if he's not liking what he is seeing. William watches, not sure what to think. Odd looks at his carnivore teeth and the Moriarty eye on his chest. The confusion increases. Suddenly he puts his hands on his head and howls in pain. Flashbacks pummel his mind. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, are you ready to become a Lyoko Warrior again?

**Odd: **Are you kidding me? I was starting to get bored of my vacation from Lyoko. Moriarty better watch out. No one threatens to make a pet out of me!

_Odd's claws dig into his hair as the flashbacks continue. _

**Jeremie: **Release Aelita, or I will tell Odd to personally rearrange your face.

**Odd: **And believe me, I would be happy to oblige!

_Odd's face is full of pain and confusion. _

**Odd: **I am nothing like you Moriarty. And I will not betray my friends. Not again.

_Odd howls. _

**Ulrich: **Odd, listen to yourself!

**Aelita: **This power is driving you mad!

**Odd: **You're wrong. My mind has never been so clear.

_Odd's face expresses one clear emotion: shame. _

**Odd: **I WILL NEVER JOIN YOU!

_Odd gets up and stares at William with a completely blank face. He extends his arm toward William. William at first thinks Odd is going to hit him with a laser arrow, and braces for the attack. But instead, Odd's palm opens and he extends his hand. William stares at it, completely incredulous of what is happening. He grabs it and Odd pulls him out of the water. William rises and stares at Odd. Odd still looks very confused, but something deep inside of him seems to be slowly coming to the surface. Ulrich, Aelita, and Yumi show up. They draw their weapons. William holds out his hand. _

**William: **No wait, STOP!

_They obey and stay back from Odd. Odd walks toward them, his eyes squinting, as if he is trying to recognize them. His eyes widen with sudden realization. The warriors' hearts leap with hope. _

**Aelita: **Odd?

_Odd grabs his head and unleashes a cry of agony that can be heard throughout the entire sector. _

_Back in the simulation bubble, Jeremie enters the palace. He comes into the main entrance hall, which contains statues of Moriarty's human form. Jeremie is stared at by guards at every turn, who seem almost to bow but then pause and correct themselves. He is prodded by Ulrich into what seems to be the main chamber. It is very dark, with only a few scattered lights illuminating his path. Ulrich lets go of Jeremie, who begins to walk forward. Out of nowhere Jeremie is taken down. He feels the coldness of a knife up to his throat. More lights come on, and he sees a lithe and mean-looking Asian woman staring over him with hatred in her eyes. He once again sees Moriarty's eye flickering in her retinas. Jeremie loses his breath. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi?

**Yumi: **One false move, and I let you see what your insides look like.

**Jeremie: **Could this world get any worse?

**Yumi: **Why don't I start with your fingers and then we'll find out!

**Jeremie: **No please!

**Moriarty: **Yumi, where are your manners? I've been expecting him.

_Yumi reluctantly releases her death hold and forces Jeremie to stand up. From the shadows Jeremie can see the outline of a man. _

**Moriarty: **I see you've already met my chief bodyguard.

**Jeremie: **Moriarty…

_Ulrich approaches. _

**Moriarty: **And the supreme commander of my army.

_Odd comes up next to Ulrich. _

**Moriarty: **And my chief minister of propaganda.

_Jeremie is face-to-face with his friends, all possessed by their sworn enemy. Jeremie covers his eyes and tries to block out this nightmare. _

**Jeremie: **This is just a simulation….this is just a simulation….

**Moriarty: **For now, yes…but it will be very real soon enough.

**Jeremie: **I WON'T LET YOU!

_Moriarty comes out of the shadows and Jeremie nearly faints. It is not Moriarty's human form. Jeremy is staring face to face with an older version of himself. _

**Moriarty: **On the contrary, you are vital to my success.

_Jeremie is speechless. _

**Moriarty: **Unfortunately I can never regain my human form. Schaeffer made sure of that. But I am able to have a permanent human host.

**Jeremie: **Why….why me?

**Moriarty: **Why not you? You are the best candidate to be a world dictator, don't you think? Why do you think I put your old friends in positions of power?

_Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd grin wickedly. _

**Moriarty: **What better way to celebrate my victory over these heroes than to make them hated and feared throughout the world by possessing them and using them to initiate a reign of terror?

**Jeremie: **You monster…..

**Moriarty: **Of course, I didn't possess everyone. Just everyone I needed to maintain power while the rest cower in fear. And you, the last thing that stood between me and total victory, are now the most powerful and evil man on the planet.

_Jeremie collapses on the floor, almost going into the fetal position. Older Jeremie and his friends laugh. _

**Jeremie: **The boy, the mother, the soldiers….

**Moriarty: **All thought you were me….

_Jeremie is shaking with dread and horror. _

**Moriarty: **You fought valiantly Jeremie. But you failed.

**Jeremie: **No! I haven't failed yet!

**Moriarty: **No. But you will.

**Jeremie: **I WILL STOP YOU!

**Moriarty: **Do you honestly believe that at this point?

_Jeremie has reached his breaking point. He remains on the floor, his face radiating complete despair. _

**Jeremie: **William…Aelita….what did you do to them?

**Moriarty: **Oh….that.

_Moriarty presses a button and suddenly a chained and shirtless William emerges from the floor. His pants are torn, and he has a wild look in his eyes. He has a collar around his neck. Moriarty shocks him. William screams in pain. _

**Moriarty: **Dance monkey, dance!

_Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd shock him with metal prods as William is humiliated into doing a dance for Jeremy the dictator. Jeremie looks away from this awful scene. _

**Moriarty: **Why would I want Xana's old crony as my slave? Much better to keep him as entertainment.

_William is getting bruised all over by the abuse. He screams like a wild animal. _

**Jeremie: **STOP IT!

_Older Jeremie shrugs. _

**Moriarty: **As you wish….

_Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd back away. Jeremie rushes to William's side. _

**Jeremie: **William, are you ok?

_William looks at him, still shaking with fear and confusion. He seems unable to form words. _

**William: **Ja…Ja….Jer…Juhri….Jeri….Jerema….Jeremie…

_Jeremie turns to his older self, burning in rage. _

**Jeremie: **What did you do to him?

**Moriarty: **There is only so much pain and abuse a body can take before the mind starts to fall apart completely.

_William starts to babble some more. He is completely out of it. There is nothing left of the old William. Just a mindless, empty shell. Jeremie is heartbroken as William is brought underground once again. _

**Jeremie: **AELITA! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO AELITA?

_Older Jeremie grins. _

**Moriarty: **Let's just say she went out in flames…

_Jeremie gets a vision of someone burning at the stake. He strikes the ground. _

**Jeremie: **NOOOOOO!

**Moriarty: **All of this….because you failed.

**Jeremie: **Moriarty…I beg you….END THIS! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!

**Moriarty: **Oh but we are not done yet…

**Jeremie: **WHAT MORE COULD YOU DO TO ME?

**Moriarty: **Come with me….

_Older Jeremie walks away and Ulrich forces him to follow. Older Jeremie opens a curtain revealing a massive balcony overlooking a crowd of frightened citizens. They bow when they see older Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **What…what are you doing?

**Moriarty: **Citizens of the New World Order….I present to you the reason why you live in this world.

_He pushes Jeremie forward. _

**Moriarty: **His failure to stop my conquest of the world is the reason you live in this never ending nightmare.

_The crowd is silent, too afraid to do anything. _

**Moriarty: **Do not fear citizens, you may scream at him at your leisure. There is no punishment for this.

_The crowd is still silent. _

**Moriarty: **We're going to hear him explain himself….explain why he failed.

_Jeremie tries to run off the balcony, but Ulrich punches him in the stomach. He goes down. _

**Jeremie: **NO! ANYTHING BUT THIS!

**Moriarty: **It's time for him to comes to terms with his worst nightmare.

_Eventually, the crowd gets over its initial fear and begins taking out its anger over the dictatorship on Jeremie. The roar is tremendous. Jeremie is forced to the front of the balcony to face the mob. He turns white. Older Jeremie leans in to whisper to him. _

**Moriarty: **Welcome to your living hell…

_Back on Lyoko, Odd has gone to his knees after screaming in pain. He slowly gets up. He seems to still be struggling a little, but his mind seems clear. _

**Odd: **Guys….

**Aelita: **Odd, it's us….

_Ulrich pulls out his sword. _

**Ulrich: **Be careful. It might be a trap.

**William: **No. It's not a trap. Odd had the perfect opportunity to kill me, but instead he saved me.

**Yumi: **Meaning….

_Aelita smiles. _

**Aelita: **It's really him.

**Odd: **Where…where am I?

**Yumi: **It's ok Odd. You're here with us on Lyoko.

_He stares at his new uniform, particularly the Moriarty eye. _

**Odd: **What….what is this?

_Others stare at each other, not sure how to answer. _

**Aelita: **Odd, something happened to you. Something bad.

_Odd looks at his reflection in the water again and realizes the truth. He strikes the water. _

**Odd: **What…what have I become?

_He buries his face in his hands. Aelita puts his hands on his shoulder. _

**Odd: **I'm Moriarty's slave, aren't I?

**Aelita: **I'm so sorry Odd.

**Odd: **THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!

**Aelita: **It's ok. You're here with us now. We're going to get you out of this.

_The other friends approach. Odd turns to them. _

**Odd: **Ulrich….Yumi….William….Aelita. I'm so sorry. I…I wasn't strong enough.

**Ulrich: **You weren't yourself Odd. It was the power that did this to you.

**Odd: **I betrayed all of you….

**Yumi: **Let the past be past Odd. We forgive you.

**Aelita: **It was our fault too Odd. We left you vulnerable. 

**Odd: **He broke me….

**William: **Odd, take it from me. I promise you will get out of this. You will not be his slave forever.

_Odd falls at William's feet, almost begging. _

**Odd: **You were a slave to Xana, and you came out ok. Then things will get better, right? Once I'm free of Moriarty, I will be ok, right?

_William frowns. He shakes his head. _

**William: **That I can't promise.

_Odd lowers his head. _

**Yumi: **But you've broken Moriarty's grip. You're free!

_Odd grabs his head. _

**Odd: **No, not necessarily. I can feel him trying to take over again.

**Aelita: **Fight him Odd! Don't let him back in!

**Odd: **I'm trying….but he's too strong. I won't be able to hold him off for long.

**Yumi: **No! We can't let him do it!

**Ulrich: **Isn't there something we can do?

_William shakes his head. _

**William: **No. His freedom is only temporary. Moriarty still has him under his power. We might be able to free him, but he can't do it fully on his own.

**Odd: **No! I don't want to go back!

_Aelita is even more distraught than Odd. _

**Aelita: **LET HIM GO MORIARTY! HASN'T HE SUFFERED ENOUGH?

**Odd: **It's pointless Aelita. I can feel him coming. I can't stop him.

_He looks to Ulrich. _

**Odd: **Ulrich, devirtualize me. I don't want your last memory of me free to be ruined.

**Ulrich: **But….

**Odd: **Do it!

_Ulrich pulls out his sabers and crosses his hands over the other, putting a blade on each side of Odd's neck. Odd takes one last look at the others. _

**Odd: **I'm sorry for whatever I do to you in the future.

**Aelita: **We forgive you. For everything.

**Odd: **Take good care of Kiwi, Ulrich.

**Ulrich: **I have. And I will.

_Odd gives them one last smile. Then Ulrich notices his eyes change and he begins to look at them with increasing anger. He growls. Ulrich finishes him. Ulrich stares at his the spot where Odd used to be with quiet sadness. Aelita and Yumi hug each other. William remains stoic. _

**William: **Let's go. We have to save Jeremie.

_Jeremie pleads with the crowd, but they scream at him all the harder. Jeremie is so overwhelmed he begins to believe this is real. _

**Jeremie: **I'M SORRY! I TRIED MY BEST! I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO BEAT HIM!

_The crowd has no mercy. _

**Jeremie: **I DID EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO STOP HIM!

_Crowd remains unmoved. Jeremie sees the suffering in their faces and starts to cry_

**Jeremie: **I'M JUST ONE PERSON!

_Crowd throws things at him. Older Jeremie laughs, as do his friends. _

**Jeremie: **FORGIVE ME! I FAILED YOU! I SHOULD HAVE FOUGHT HARDER!

_The screams, laughter, and environment melds around him until he can't recognize it anymore. The chaos closes in around him, and he braces himself for the end. But instead, he is thrown out of the simulation bubble and falls on the lab room floor. The bubble is gone. The Lyoko group comes up the elevator and rushes to his side. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie! Are you ok?

_Jeremie gets up and looks at her with profound depression. _

**Jeremie: **No…no I'm not.

**Ulrich: **What happened in there?

_Jeremie turns away. _

**Jeremie: **Forget it. It's not important.

_Yumi has not forgotten Jeremie's last performance. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie….I want to make one thing…

**Jeremie: **You're right Yumi. The powers are a bad idea.

_Yumi was not expecting this. _

**Yumi: **Wait…you agree with me?

**Jeremie: **It will harm you. But it doesn't matter at this point.

**William: **What are you talking about?

**Jeremie: **I want all of you to take a break. You deserve to rest.

_He sits down in his chair, completely absorbed in his own misery. _

**Aelita: **So when do you want us to go back to the spheres?

**Jeremie: **What's the point? There are hundreds of them! We'd never be able to stop him in time!

**Aelita: **Jeremie….

**Jeremie: **I'm sorry. But it's only a matter of time before Moriarty gains control of the weapons. It's inevitable. There's nothing we can do.

**Ulrich: **What? That's it? We just give up?

**Jeremie: **He will win. Regardless of what we do to stop him.

**Yumi: **He'll certainly win if we give up!

**William: **We can't just surrender! What did he do to you in there?

**Aelita: **Leave him alone. He's obviously been through a lot.

_Jeremie turns to them. _

**Jeremie: **I'm sorry….I just…need some time alone. I need to think this out. I don't want to argue.

_The others stare at him with concern. _

**Aelita: **Ok, we'll see you tomorrow.

_Hours later, Jeremie is still sitting at his computer. He bangs his fist against the keyboard. _

**Jeremie: **I just wish I could do more….

_He is silent for a moment, then gets an idea. His despair begins to ebb. _

**Jeremie: **But…maybe I can.

_He starts up a program on the monitor and then heads to the scanner room. He steps into a scanner and the process begins. A screen on the monitor shows Jeremie's body being examined in detail, with his DNA on screen. Alterations are made to his bio-molecular structure as the scanner hisses below. A few minutes later Jeremie emerges from the scanner, looking alive and confident. There is a strange, intense look in his eyes. He reaches up his hands, and suddenly the power in the factory flickers on and off. His face radiates with twisted determination. _

**Jeremie: **I wouldn't plan your victory celebration just yet Moriarty.

**Part 15**

_Early that evening, Yumi watches TV at her house with her grandfather, the family's permanent and semi-lucid houseguest, who drifts in and out of sleep. The news comes on. _

**Diane: **Experts and world leaders hoped after the recent lull in the global cyber bug that the crisis was coming to an end. But over the past few days the bug has returned with renewed vigor. Wall Street, which had just recently been breathing a sigh of relief, once again finds itself in a state of chaos. The trading floor was a mess as frightened investors tried desperately to sell everything to avoid losing everything to the bug. Some of the major banks across the globe have considered taking drastic measures to ensure their survival. Communities across the globe have complained of being unable to connect to the Internet. At first experts thought the connection problems was primarily afflicting developing nations, but today Sweden, one of the most developed nations on Earth, suffered a nearly total Internet blackout, while communities with internet connection in some parts of Latin America have remained untouched. One advisor to the U.N. threw his hands up during a meeting discussing the phenomenon, describing the issue as "random, unbiased, and unpredictable." For the moment, satellites continue to work very well, which is allowing global communication to remain intact. But power outages continue to plague parts of the Far East, North America, and continental Europe. Countries such as Finland and Iceland have expressed their concerns that with approaching winter, loss of power could be dangerous to their citizens who would be without heat to guard against the bitter cold. Representatives from the U.S. and the European Union tried to calm the fears of other countries who seem at particular risk from the bug, assuring them that aid will be provided in such a case. But the U.N. ambassador from Belarus chimed in, questioning the ability of the Western nations to help if they couldn't deal with the problem in their own borders. The statement sent a shockwave in the U.N., with argument breaking out on all sides. Meanwhile Russia and China remained hesitant to promise any aid to their neighbors, stating that they could barely handle the issue in their own country.

_Grandpa starts to snore. Yumi turns up the volume. _

**Diane: **Although the Chinese ambassador to the U.N. denies the claims, there have been rumors spread throughout the Internet that the power failures are affecting China's massive Three Gorges Dam. According to Chinese locals whose stories have been denied by the Chinese media, they have been unable to release a normal amount of water, and the heavy rains have raised concerns that eventually the dam will not be able to hold back the flood.

_Grandpa snorts awake. _

**Grandpa: **Sounds like me at 3 o'clock in the morning.

_Yumi so did not need to hear this. _

**Diane: **And the heightened tensions among nations continues to progress. We now go to Jacque Palumbo.

**Jacque: **Thank you Diane. While the situation with Iran and Israel remains at a stalemate, their have been new developments in the Far East.

_Yumi is now really paying attention. _

**Jacque: **The bug has now inflamed the ire of North Korea, who is now accusing its more progressive and democratic neighbor of designing the bug to weaken their northern neighbor's military power. South Korea has denied the claims and replied with a counter accusation that it just as easily could have come from the north. But with both sides proclaiming innocence and blaming the other, it's anyone's guess as to how this will end. Military parades marched through the capital Pyongyang in a demonstration of power designed to intimidate its southern neighbor. We have also received word that the North Korean navy strayed into South Korean waters earlier today. The South Korean navy fired warning shots into the air, which caused the North Koreans to withdraw. U.S. troops stationed in the Demilitarized Zone were put on heightened alert given the recent events.

**Grandpa: **Hmmph… Koreans….

**Yumi: **Grandpa…..

**Grandpa: **What?

**Jacque: **The Chinese government has also released statements pointing fingers at its island neighbor, Japan, stating that a cyber bug would be the perfect way for Japan to maintain its position as the dominant economic power in the far east.

_Yumi is now concerned and Grandpa is angry. _

**Grandpa: **How dare those barbarians accuse the tribe of Yamato!

**Jacque: **Japanese diplomats have been sent to Beijing to pacify their leadership and put an end to these accusations.

**Grandpa: **Spineless cowards! Show some dignity!

**Jacque: **The Japanese hope that this meeting in Beijing will ease the tension between the two nations.

**Grandpa: **In my day, we would have marched into Beijing by force! Not come to grovel at the feet of the Chinese!

_Yumi leaves Grandpa to his rant. She goes to the kitchen. Her mother is on a landline phone. _

**Yumi's Mom: **Come on Takeo….pick up…..

_She can't reach him. She says something in Japanese. _

**Yumi: **Mom!

**Yumi's Mom: **Sorry Yumi, I didn't mean to use that language. But I can't reach your father. This stupid bug is blocking some of the phone lines. I'm worried. He should have been home two hours ago.

_Yumi's father walks in. He's clearly frustrated_

**Yumi's Mom: **Oh dear, thank goodness you're home. I was so worried.

**Yumi's Dad: **TRAFFIC WAS A NIGHTMARE! THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS WERE OUT! THE POLICE HAD TO DIRECT THE ENTIRE MESS!

**Yumi's Mom: **That's awful!

**Yumi's Dad: **Tell me about it…

**Yumi's Mom: **At least you got out of it.

**Yumi's Dad: **Yes, but what about tomorrow? And the next day? How much longer will this go on?

_Yumi goes upstairs to get away from this heated discussion. She gets a call. _

**Yumi: **Hello?

**William: **Yumi…it's me.

**Yumi: **Oh hi William. What are you up to?

**William: **Um not much…

**Yumi: **Have you been watching the news lately?

**William: **Somewhat…it all smells like Moriarty to me.

**Yumi: **Yeah it's getting worse. Now it's really starting to hit home.

**William: **What? You mean the power outages?

**Yumi: **No I mean MY home. My homeland. Japan and China are having a bit of a…situation over this bug.

**William: **Oh…I'm sorry to hear that.

**Yumi: **Well enough of my problems. What is it you want to talk about?

**William: **Uh…just that….is the history test tomorrow or Thursday?

**Yumi: **Thursday….._She senses something wrong…_.Is that all you wanted to talk about?

_He hesitates. _

**William: **Um…yes that's it. Thanks.

**Yumi: **William….you are a terrible liar. What's wrong?

_There is silence on his line for a while. _

**William: **The nightmares. They're back.

**Yumi: **What? I thought you were done with those.

**William: **So did I…looks like my success in Moriarty's game only gave me temporary relief.

**Yumi: **That's awful. I was hoping things would return to normal for you.

**William: **It's far too late for that.

**Yumi: **How are holding up?

**William: **I'm …ok. Nothing I can't handle.

**Yumi: **William, you're starting to sound like Ulrich when he came out of the hospital.

**William: **…I….alright fine. Yumi, to put it bluntly, I'm…scared.

**Yumi: **Good. Honesty with yourself is the first step to deal with this.

**William: **Not very manly to be afraid of monster nightmares, huh?

**Yumi: **It takes a real man to admit he's afraid….

**William: **That may be… but I seriously don't know how to deal with this.

**Yumi: **William, I know this is hard, but the nightmares will go away eventually.

**William: **How do you know that?

**Yumi: **….I don't.

_William sighs. _

**Yumi: **You can't give up hope though. Besides, these are just dreams. You have to remind yourself that. They're nothing more than memories of your possession by Xana.

_William is silent on his line. _

**Yumi: **I mean…that's all it is, right?

_William still doesn't answer. _

**Yumi: **William, these are just memories, right? Nothing more?

_William changes the subject. _

**William: **Yumi, I've been meaning to ask you something…

**Yumi: **Ok, what is it?

**William: **Why did you hate the idea of me becoming a Lyoko warrior and didn't want me to go back after I was freed by Xana?

_Yumi hesitates. _

**Yumi: **Um…I don't know. Why are you just now bringing this up?

**William: **Yumi….

**Yumi: **That was a long time ago…

**William: **Yumi, it's your turn to be honest with me.

_Yumi pauses. _

**Yumi: **Maybe I was just used to the way things were….just Ulrich, Odd, Aelita, Jeremie, and I fighting Xana. I just didn't like the idea of you becoming one of us…

**William: **Was it because you were tired of me trying to get you to go out with me?

**Yumi: **Well, I won't lie. That might have had something to do with it….

**William: **I figured….

**Yumi: **But William…it wasn't just that. You see….fighting Xana put a massive burden on us….a burden I thought you couldn't handle. You were so overconfident when you started out….I had such a bad feeling things would go wrong. I didn't want you to become one of us because I didn't think you were strong enough. The truth is…William…I wanted to protect you.

**William: **That makes sense. And you were right…I wasn't strong enough.

**Yumi: **Sometimes I hate being right. I wanted you to avoid having to deal with what you are dealing with right now. But the damage has already been done.

**William: **But do you think I'm strong enough…now?

_Yumi smiles. _

**Yumi: **William, you beat Moriarty's game and saved us all from going into the digital sea. You saved me from the wolves in the Alps sphere. You singlehandedly defeated Odd in combat. I think you've more than earned your badge as a Lyoko warrior at this point.

**William: **Thanks….I needed that. Now I need to make myself believe that…

**Yumi: **You are…trust me.

_William is silent. _

**Yumi: **William, is there something you're still not telling me?

**William: **….Yumi, whatever happens over the next few days….know that I tried my best.

**Yumi: **What are you talking about?

_He hangs up. _

**Yumi: **William…William are you there? ANSWER ME!

_Later that night, William descends into another nightmare. He is in the Ice Sector, unarmed, running away from Xana's Kolossus. The massive monster pursues him slowly but steadily. William trips and lands on his back. The monster's massive foot pins his body to the ice. William can hardly breathe under the pressure. The Kolossus' squid-like face bends down close to him. William is shaking with fear. _

**Xana: **Slave.

**William: **WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?

**Xana: **I grow tired of your resistance.

**William: **Get used to it! I'm not as weak as I once was.

**Xana: **You are only delaying the inevitable.

**William: **You're not coming back….I won't let you!

**Xana: **Fool. It is only a matter of time before this battle tips in my favor.

**William: **I will fight you!

**Xana: **But I can't afford to wait for your resistance to be depleted. Everyday my enemy grows stronger. If I do not rise soon, my opportunity will be lost.

**William: **You are not rising!

**Xana: **Either way my victory over you is secure. But there is an easier way for both of us.

**William: **I told you I won't do it! I could never betray them!

**Xana: **If you do not take my offer, you know what awaits you.

_Kolossus' hand opens and an image of William in his Xana uniform appears. _

**William: **No….

**Xana: **Take my offer, and you will be free from me forever.

**William: **You're lying!

_Kolossus' foot presses harder on his chest. William gasps. _

**Xana: **Do you really have any other choice?

_William can't respond under the pressure. _

**Xana: **If you want to save what's left of your mind, you will do as I say.

_William continues to struggle, but eventually his will to continue to fight is broken. He stares helplessly at Xana. _

**William: **Enough. Please… I'll do it.

_The next morning, William approaches Jeremie as he washes his face in the sink in the boys' dormitory bathroom. Jeremie seems different than he did a week ago, less depressed, but totally lost in thought. _

**William: **Jeremie….

_Jeremie doesn't respond at first. _

**William: **Jeremie, I need to talk to you…

_Jeremie seems to be muttering some calculation to himself. _

**William: **Jeremie!

**Jeremie: **Huh…uh what? What is it?

**William: **I wanted to talk to you about my er….dreams.

_Jeremie gives him a hazy look. He still seems lost in his own world. _

**William: **You know…the nightmares and visions of Xana.

**Jeremie: **The….nightmares…?..Oh yeah those. Sorry. It's been a long night.

**William: **I can relate. I wanted to talk to you because I want them out of my head. Plus…I think I saw some things that might be helpful to defeating Moriarty.

_Jeremie seems immediately hooked. He has a wild, eager look in his eyes that's almost creepy. _

**Jeremie: **Tell me more…..

_William shares with Jeremie his dreams, except for the most recent one. For a full five minutes, Jeremie doesn't say a word, not dropping his attention for a moment. When William is done, Jeremie stops to think. _

**Jeremie: **That beam….that beam you hit Moriarty with from your Xana Nav Skid when you were possessed…..that means something….OF COURSE! HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO BLIND?

**William: **I'm sorry, what are you talking about?

**Jeremie: **Moriarty was Xana's enemy too. Xana must have been working on a program to eliminate Moriarty, much more effective than just another run of the mill multi-agent program.

_William plays dumb. _

**William: **Really?

**Jeremie: **I've been so focused on trying to find the answer on my own, I forgot the answer might come straight from our old enemy, right from your cranium!

_Jeremie grabs William's head and shakes it. _

**William: **Can you take it easy on my cranium? I kinda need it.

**Jeremie: **Sorry. But this is huge!

**William: **Do you think you could extract Xana….I mean what's left of him….from my head?

**Jeremie: **It would take some work…but after a cerebral scan of your virtual form on Lyoko, which will locate the anomalies that are most likely Xana's memories, the process hopefully won't take that long.

**William: **That's good.

**Jeremie: **Good? THIS IS GREAT! I can kill two birds with one stone: free you from Xana's memories, and find a way to get rid of Moriarty.

_William feigns enthusiasm. _

**William: **That's….great!

**Jeremie: **I'm going to call the others…they're going to want to hear this…

_William grabs his head in pain. _

**William: **Uh…let's…not do that. Let's just go ahead and do it.

_Jeremie is surprised with this response, but then he seems to like it. _

**Jeremie: **You're right….it would take too long to get them all together. Better to go ahead and do it.

**William: **Well let's not waste any time. We should get goi-

_William and Jeremie are interrupted by a specter that has risen out of an electrical socket. Its gaze is locked on William. _

**William: **Jeremie, RUN! It's me it wants!

_Jeremie is unmoved and is anything but scared. He stares intently at the monster. Suddenly the electrical socket explodes and the specter disappears. Jeremie smiles. _

**William: **What….just…happened?

**Jeremie: **Well, I guess this is our lucky day. Moriarty must have accidentally triggered a short circuit on himself when he sent us that specter. Attack gone.

**William: **Is that possible?

**Jeremie: **Uh….sure it's possible. It happened a few times to Xana….as I recall. But enough of that, let's go to the factory.

**William: **But….

**Jeremie: **No buts! NOW!

_William stands inside a tower in the Desert Sector. His face radiates dread. _

**Jeremie: **William, are you ready? I'm about to start the procedure…

_William doesn't respond. He's starting to have second thoughts. _

**Jeremie: **William?

**William: **Jeremie….maybe this isn't such a good ide-aww!

_Xana punishes him with more pain. _

**Jeremie: **What are you talking about? There isn't any risk. It won't harm you.

**William: **That's not what I'm worried about…

_He collapses on the platform inside the tower, almost having a seizure. _

**Xana: **SILENCE! OR I'LL TEAR YOU APART!

_William raises his head in despair. _

**Jeremie: **Look, we can't waste any time worrying about this. We have to move forward. There is too much at stake.

**William: **But…I guess you're right.

**Jeremie: **Now let's start. The longer we wait, the stronger Moriarty gets.

_Data screens begin to come off the walls of the tower. _

**William: **Yumi….I'm sorry…

_But suddenly the procedure stops. Outside, the tower starts to go from blue to purple. _

**Jeremie: **OH NO!

**William: **Jeremie….what's happening?

**Jeremie: **Moriarty is trying to delay us…he's trying to take over the tower. Hold on, I'll try to stop him.

_William secretly prays that Moriarty succeeds. _

**Jeremie: **You're not going to stop me that easily Moriarty….

_He buffs up the tower's defenses and the tower changes from purple to green. _

**Jeremie: **That ought to do it.

_But Moriarty continues to attack the tower vigorously. The tower's defenses begin to give. _

**Jeremie: **You're going to have to do better than that Moriarty. I AM getting that data.

_He takes power from the supercomputer to boost up the defenses again. But Moriarty is not holding anything back and even this second defense starts to crumble. Jeremie is fuming. _

**Jeremie: **YOU WILL NOT WIN! I've still got my ace in the hole.

_Jeremie opens a program. _

**Jeremie: **Time to turn up the heat.

_The program's power increases. The computer screen temporarily goes fuzzy but then comes back on. Moriarty finally releases his hold on the tower. _

**Jeremie: **Now that that's out of the way, let's get to work.

_William curses under his breath. The data screens begin to come off the wall again. Back at Jeremie's monitor, the Moriarty eye appears. _

**Moriarty: **Jeremie stop! You can't go through with this!

**Jeremie: **Moriarty, there isn't a thing in the world you can say or do to stop me. I WILL get that data.

**Moriarty: **You have no idea what you're doing!

**Jeremie: **I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm getting rid of you. For good!

**Moriarty: **Please, listen to me! Before it's too late!

**Jeremie: **It's already too late for you Moriarty. You had your chance to destroy us, but you decided to torture us for your own amusement. Now you're going to pay for it.

**Moriarty: **Jeremie if you perform this test you will get far more than you bargained for!

**Jeremie: **I will get Xana's memories and find out exactly how to bring you down! That's exactly what I'm bargaining for.

**Moriarty: **YOU ARE NOT GOING TO RELEASE XANA'S MEMORIES YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE GOING TO UNLEASH XANA HIMSELF!

_Jeremie's mouth drops. William finally gets the courage to speak. _

**William: **He's right Jeremie, don't do it! Xana's forc-

_His head explodes. But he tries to bear through it. _

**William: **The deal's off Xana! You are not getting out that easily!

**Jeremie: **No! Xana's dead….I checked the Network…and everything!

**Moriarty: **He's not alive in the network! He's in William! Xana has been in William's mind for a long time, growing stronger, waiting for the right time to strike…and now is the moment he's been waiting for!

_Jeremie is speechless. _

**Moriarty: **If you run that test Xana will escape!

_William tries to fight back Xana. _

**William: **Jeremie please! Moriarty is telling the truth!

_Jeremie has been thrown completely off kilter with this knowledge. He is confused and overwhelmed with this reality. In the back of his mind he knows that William and Moriarty are right, but he is so absorbed with the idea of getting the data that he can't get accept it. The pressure to find an answer has finally started to make him crack. There is a sinister change in his expression. _

**Jeremie: **I must….have…that….data.

**William: **Jeremie….

**Moriarty: **Have you not been listening? You aren't getting Xana's memories, you're getting Xana!

_Jeremie has a crazy look in his eyes. _

**Jeremie: **But when he's released, I can access it later. He'll go back to Sector 5, and then I can get all the data I need to destroy Moriarty.

**William: **WHATTTTT?

**Moriarty: **YOU WANT TO RELEASE HIM? DO YOU NOT REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH?

**Jeremie: **Xana must still be weak….he won't be much of a threat. I could get the data and shut him down with the multi-agent program. It's perfect!

**William: **No, not perfect! You would make two enemies!

**Moriarty: **Listen to reason!

**Jeremie: **Create two enemies? _Jeremie snaps his fingers and his face brightens with realization. _But two enemies who are also enemies of each other! That's it! If I release Xana, there would be endless warfare between Xana and Moriarty. Both would weaken each other. I get the data from Sector 5, and wipe out both in one fell swoop! Genius!

**William: **No, MADNESS!

**Moriarty: **Jeremie I beg you, don't do it! I may only be looking out for myself, but think of the consequences!

**Jeremie: **Xana might be able to wipe out Moriarty on his own! Then I could enter the multi-agent program and it's all over with. Incredible! Why didn't I see it before?

**William: **Because you had your sanity! Jeremie don't do what Xana wants!

**Moriarty: **He will do far worse to humanity than me!

**Jeremie: **I can't let that nightmare come true!

**William: **What nightmare?

**Moriarty: **Jeremie….you know Xana was far closer to taking over the world than I am now. I still have…a lot of work to do! His military base in Siberia is still intact. He could march his robot army into Vladivostok as early as…oh I don't know…TOMORROW!

**Jeremie: **I MUST PROCEED! CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND? I CANNOT FAIL!

**William: **Jeremie listen to yourself!

**Moriarty: **Xana will come after you just as much as he will me! His revenge will be terrible! I don't even want to begin to imagine!

**Jeremie: **I HAVE TO DEFEAT YOU! WHATEVER IT TAKES! NO MATTER THE COSTS!

**Moriarty: **YOU'RE INSANE!

**William: **JEREMIE….STOP!

_Jeremie activates the program. The data screens fly around William like a tornado. William is unable to stop it and levitates in the air. _

**William: **NO!

_The tower groans as the process begins. A screen on Jeremie's monitor shows data flowing from William. Suddenly an exclamation point appears. Vibrations flow out of the tower. All across Lyoko the sectors shake with an incomprehensible groan. The conduits in the desert sector pulse vibrantly. Some of the Mountain sector falls into the digital sea. Cracks form throughout the Ice Sector. The trees in the Forest shake. The groan now turns into a metallic roar. William falls to the floor of the platform, too weak to get up. He feels like a great burden has been lifted from his shoulders, but he can still hear Xana's voice. _

**Xana: **I AWAKEN!

_Jeremie stares at the screen as Lyoko is infected by Xana. He seems completely oblivious to the danger. _

**Moriarty: **YOU IDIOT! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!

**Jeremie: **IT'S OVER MORIARTY! I WIN!

**William: **What have I done?

_Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi find themselves alone in the school courtyard. It's getting around mid-morning. Looks of worry become ever more apparent on their faces. _

**Yumi: **I don't like this…

**Aelita: **William wasn't with you in class?

**Yumi: **No. And Jeremie?

**Ulrich: **No sign of him at all.

**Yumi: **Now I really don't like this…

**Aelita: **Have you checked William's room?

**Yumi: **Yes….and Jeremie's?

**Aelita: **Yes….everything looks normal, except he's not there.

**Ulrich: **So what's our next option? The factory?

**Yumi: **I guess so…but why would they go there without us?

**Aelita: **I don't know. But Jeremie has become more and more unpredictable. One minute he's completely depressed because he thinks fighting Moriarty is a losing battle. The next he's completely confident and tells me victory over Moriarty is only a day or two away. I've learned to expect the unexpected with him.

**Ulrich: **True…this last week he's been completely out of it.

**Yumi: **I hardly ever see him come out of his room….

_Aelita frowns and looks at the ground. _

**Aelita: **It's like I can't even recognize him anymore. He's become a totally different person. He's obsessed with defeating Moriarty.

**Yumi: **Aelita….I don't mean to get personal….but….how is it between…you two?

_Aelita taps the ground with her foot and looks away, obviously uncomfortable with the question. _

**Aelita: **Let's just say we put our relationship on hold…

**Yumi: **You mean you two had a mutual agreement to not see each other for a while?

**Aelita: **Well, mutual may not be the right word….

**Ulrich: **You mean you wanted it but Jeremie didn't?

**Aelita: **Well, when you put it that way….

**Ulrich: **Why did you do it?

**Yumi: **Ulrich, she might not want to talk about it…

**Aelita: **It was for Odd. I didn't want us to….I felt responsible for isolating him, and I wanted to do something to get rid of that guilt. So I decided to wait until Odd got back.

**Yumi: **Except Jeremie wasn't exactly on board…

**Aelita: **You could say that….

**Ulrich: **Well, I can see why you wanted to do that….but….

**Aelita: **But what?

**Ulrich: **It's just that…..did Jeremie start acting weird before or after you told him this?

**Aelita: **Um…I'm not sure. I think….._Aelita is starting to see where Ulrich is going with this. She seems surprised, almost guilty. _Wait….why do you ask?

**Ulrich: **I'm just saying….couldn't that have something to do with it?

**Aelita: **Well…I don't think…

**Yumi: **Doesn't Moriarty thrive off of isolation? I mean…why else would he put Jeremie in that simulation bubble?

**Aelita: **I'm…sure there's another reason…

**Ulrich: **I'm not trying to blame you Aelita, but wouldn't ending your relationship technically isolate him? Make him vulnerable?

**Aelita: **I….

_Aelita's explanation is interrupted by Mr. Klotz, who walks up behind Yumi. Yumi immediately goes on the defensive. _

**Yumi: **Mr. Klotz, if you're looking for Jeremie, he's not here. And we would really appreciate it if you didn't…..

_Mr. Klotz suddenly picks up Yumi by the throat and begins choking her. Yumi looks into Klotz's eyes and nearly passes out from what she sees. Aelita is shocked but Ulrich quickly leaps to her defense. He grabs a stick and hits Klotz over the head. Klotz lets Yumi go and falls down, his body twitching from the specter that is possessing him. Aelita and Ulrich grab Yumi and pull her away from him. _

**Aelita: **Yumi…are you ok?

**Ulrich: **Moriarty is at it again!

_Yumi is almost in shock. She points to Klotz. _

**Yumi: **That…that isn't Moriarty.

_Klotz gets up and approaches them with electricity pulsing in his arms. _

**Yumi: **That's Xana!

**Ulrich & Aelita: **WHATT?

_Sure enough, they see the Xana eye flickering in Klotz's corneas. _

**Ulrich: **No….it can't be…

**Aelita: **HE'S DEAD!

_Xana-possessed Klotz fires a blast that narrowly misses them. _

**Yumi: **Apparently not….

_Ulrich picks up the stick. _

**Ulrich: **Go on….get to the factory….I'll try to hold him off.

**Yumi: **But Ulrich!

**Ulrich: **Don't argue! Just go!

_Klotz tackles Ulrich. Ulrich struggles to use the stick to hold him back. As Yumi and Aelita turn to leave, they see Odd's Clone running in their direction. _

**Yumi: **Um….Odd….what are you doing?

**Odd's Clone: **Female subjects fighting over possession of spectral entity. Must flee impending chaos.

_Odd's Clone sees Ulrich struggling with Klotz. _

**Odd's Clone: **Situation: Possessed subject Hans Klotz seeks to liquidate subject Ulrich Stern. Prognosis for subject Ulrich Stern: Increasingly negative. Does subject Ulrich Stern wish for spectral entity to neutralize the assailant?

**Ulrich: **YES… NEUTRALIZE ALREADY! YOU DON'T HAVE TO ASK PERMISSION!

_Odd's Clone grabs Klotz and hurls him off Ulrich with superhuman strength. Klotz slams against a tree. _

**Odd's Clone: **Further orders for spectral entity?

_Ulrich gets up. _

**Ulrich: **Hold him back as long as you can, keep him away from the factory, and don't let him hurt anyone else!

**Odd's Clone: **Orders received. Recommended method of execution: Attack.

_Odd's Clone and Klotz start to go at it. _

**Yumi: **Let's go!

_The three of them take off toward the factory. When they arrive, they see Jeremie staring at the computer…completely focused on what seems to be a battle raging on his monitor. His fingers tap the armrests of his chair in perverted excitement. _

**Jeremie: **YES! YES! IT'S WORKING! MORIARTY'S WEAKENING!

**Ulrich: **Jeremie….we got a major problem!

**Yumi: **Xana's back!

**Aelita: **And he's possessed Mr. Klotz!

_Jeremie is too wrapped in the computer to answer. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie?

**Ulrich: **Hello…..evil Xana returned from the dead….trying to kill us. SAY SOMETHING!

**Jeremie: **Don't worry about it….it's all part of the plan….

_Yumi, Aelita, and Ulrich freeze and assume the WTF just happened pose. They can't believe their ears. _

**Ulrich: **Um….wanna run that by me again? I think I missed something. XANA IS ALIVE AND HE WANTS TO KILL US!

**Yumi: **Plan….what plan? And where's William?

**Aelita: **Jeremie we have to do something!

**Jeremie: **No we don't. Xana is doing exactly what I want…

_An even greater WTF pose by all three of them. _

**Ulrich: **Doing exactly what you want? He just tried to kill us! Are you saying that's a good thing? What is going on?

_Aelita tries to shake Jeremie from the computer screen with very little effect. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, come back to reality! XANA HAS RETURNED!

**Jeremie: **I know. And look. He's destroying Moriarty.

_The three see images of red and purple dots on the Lyoko screen facing off against each other. _

**Jeremie: **And this is just Lyoko. You should see what's going on in the Network right now.

_The others are horrified. _

**Yumi: **That's your plan? Use Xana to defeat Moriarty?

_Jeremie turns around and looks at them like nothing's wrong. They can see he is clearly not himself. _

**Jeremie: **Of course. Why did you think I brought him back?

_Biggest WTF pose of all. They are completely speechless for a few seconds. _

**Ulrich, Yumi, & Aelita: **WHATTTTTTTTTTTT?

**Jeremie: **At the rate things are going…I won't even have to access Xana's memories. Xana will destroy Moriarty on his own.

**Ulrich: **You….brought Xana…..our mortal enemy….back from the dead…..

**Jeremie: **Correct.

_Yumi comes up to Jeremie and outright slaps him. Hard. _

**Yumi: **HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST YOUR MIND?

_Aelita calmly moves Yumi out of the way. _

**Aelita: **Yumi, let me handle this.

_She slaps him even harder. _

**Aelita: **HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST YOUR MIND?

**Jeremie: **Ow! Was that necessary?

**Yumi: **No…THIS was necessary.

_She decks him and he falls out of his chair. He loses his glasses. Jeremie tries to get up to defend himself. _

**Jeremie: **You don't understand! This was a necessary evil…to defeat our greater enemy!

**Aelita: **By bringing an old one back to life?

**Ulrich: **He just tried to kill us!

**Jeremie: **A minor inconvenience to the greater victory!

**Ulrich: **Nearly dying is a MINOR INCONVENIENCE?

**Jeremie: **Desperate times call for desperate measures!

**Yumi: **NOT THIS DESPERATE!

**Jeremie: **I know you hate this, and I know you're angry, BUT LISTEN TO ME! It's so simple! Xana defeats Moriarty, and then the multi-agent program kills Xana again…this time for good! One mission to Sector 5 is all it will take, and then we can say goodbye to both of them forever!

_The others, for a brief moment, start to see some method to Jeremie's madness. But then they shake it off and remind themselves it's just madness. _

**Jeremie: **Don't you see how this can work to our advantage? Two of our greatest enemies tearing each other to pieces. Divide and conquer. Excellent military strategy.

_Ulrich and Yumi still can't get over this. _

**Ulrich: **BUT XANA?

**Yumi: **It can't be that easy Jeremy. Now that Xana is free, he'll do everything in his power to stay alive.

**Jeremie: **Xana will be far too weak and occupied with Moriarty's forces to stand up to us. We just need to go to Sector 5 and wait till Moriarty is on his last leg. Then we take out Xana when he's exhausted from fighting. Check and mate!

_Aelita approaches Jeremy. _

**Aelita: **Yeah….it all sounds good to you….but you forgot one thing….

**Jeremie: **Oh yeah? What?

**Aelita: **Odd….

_Jeremie's perfect plan unravels in his mind. He is speechless_

**Aelita: **If Moriarty is destroyed…what happens to Odd?

**Jeremie: **I….

**Aelita: **You didn't even think of that, did you?

**Jeremie: **I'll find a way to recover him….somehow.

**Aelita: **You don't know that!

**Jeremie: **But….we'll never get an opportunity like this again!

**Aelita: **Odd is probably fighting for his life right now!

**Jeremie: **AELITA WE HAVE TO! THE COST OF LETTING MORIARTY WINNING IS TOO HORRIBLE!

**Aelita: **AND THE COST OF LOSING ODD IS ACCEPTABLE?

_Jeremie starts to completely lose it. _

**Jeremie: **I NEED THE DATA! I NEED XANA TO DESTROY MORIARTY! I NEED XANA TO GIVE ME THE DATA WHILE DESTROYING MORIARTY! I NEED MORIARTY TO GIVE ME XANA'S MEMORIES SO I CAN DESTROY XANA…I MEAN MORIARTY! I HAVE TO CONTINUE! I CANNOT FAIL! I CANNOT….

_An electric shock from Jeremie's computer knocks him unconscious. _

**Moriarty: **Well, that was getting annoying…

_Yumi, Aelita, and Ulrich stare at the screen that shows Moriarty's eye. _

**Ulrich: **Moriarty….

**Yumi: **I'd never thought I'd say this….but I'm actually not completely disgusted to see you.

**Moriarty: **Your sense of humor is always welcome with me Yumi. My friends….it seems we have a common enemy….

**Ulrich: **Yeah, what's your point?

**Moriarty: **Well I won't lie to you….the situation looks pretty grim for both of us. Your friend Jeremie has gone off the deep end, and Xana has awoken to see that I have taken over Lyoko. And he is NOT HAPPY about this change in management.

**Ulrich: **Hmm…Xana or Moriarty…I can't decide who to pull for in this fight. I hate them both equally.

**Moriarty: **I know you all would like nothing less than to see me destroyed. But we both know whose side you are on….

_The others hate what Moriarty is saying, but they understand that they have no choice. _

**Aelita: **What do you want to do?

**Moriarty: **Parley. Mountain Sector. Here are your coordinates.

**Ulrich: **Parley? Does that mean I get to drive a sword into your face? Because I would really enjoy that.

**Moriarty: **No my dear testosterone-for-brains friend. Not exactly.

**Aelita: **He wants to meet us. Under a flag of truce.

**Ulrich: **I'm guessing that means no sword to the face.

**Yumi: **I really don't like this….but given the circumstances….

**Moriarty: **So what do you say?

_Yumi, Aelita, and Ulrich look at each other. There is a silent agreement. _

**Yumi: **Just one thing. Where's William?

**Moriarty: **Oh you don't have to worry about him. He's already there.

_The others exchange confused looks. Yumi, Aelita, and Ulrich meet William on a high peak at the edge of the Mountain Sector. William is very quiet. Moriarty's entourage soon arrives. Odd is accompanied by three tigers and two scorpions. Odd is holding his shoulder, which sparks with electricity. He seems to have just been in an intense battle. Even though Odd is staring at them with hate, the warriors can't help but feel pity for him. Moriarty himself emerges from the digital sea in his smoke cloud form. The warriors tense when they see him in his true form. His power seems drained, but he maintains the fire in his eyes. _

**Ulrich: **Well I see you've managed to get uglier since we saw you last.

**Moriarty: **I don't have time to counter insults Ulrich. The situation is very grave. Let's get down to business.

**Yumi: **First things first. How on Earth did Xana come back from the dead?

_Moriarty shrugs, so far as it is possible for his form to do that. _

**Moriarty: **Don't look at me. I had nothing to do with this. You want answers, talk to William.

_The warriors turn to William, who has been quietly trying to avoid everyone from the back of the group. _

**Aelita: **William, you know how this happened?

**William: **Um….you might say that.

**Yumi: **William, how did this happen?

_William can't look Yumi in the eye. He turns away. _

**Ulrich: **William, now is not the time to leave us in the dark. We need to know.

_William sighs. _

**William: **I'm sorry….this….this is all my fault.

**Aelita: **What are you talking about?

**William: **Xana escaped from my mind….

**Ulrich: **Woah… hold on. You lost me. How could Xana come out of your head?

**Aelita: **That's not possible.

_William hesitates to respond. Yumi starts to think. _

**Yumi: **Unless the visions and nightmares you've been getting weren't just Xana's memories.

_William nods. _

**William: **Xana has been living inside my mind, recuperating, growing stronger. And I let him out.

**Ulrich: **You did what?

**William: **I tried to resist him. I really did. But I wasn't going to be able to hold him off forever. He gave me an ultimatum: either convince Jeremie to release him from my mind, or become his slave forever when he eventually took over my mind. And I….I took the first one.

_There is a tense silence. _

**Ulrich: **You let Xana out?

**William: **I'm sorry! I know what I did was wrong, but…I couldn't let him take me over again. I just couldn't deal with….the very thought of…. I JUST WANTED HIM OUT!

_The group is silent when they hear of this betrayal. Yumi is the first to speak. _

**Yumi: **That call last night….

_William lowers his head. Yumi pauses. She looks at him with compassion. She turns to the others. _

**Yumi: **Guys, William has been fighting Xana for months. He should have told us the truth, but he's probably delayed Xana's return. He's done everything he could to avoid this and resist him. I think we should stop and think before we judge him for this.

_Ulrich still seems mad, but Aelita sees Yumi's point. _

**Aelita: **Either way Xana would have escaped back into the supercomputer. The only difference is William would have gone with him.

**Ulrich: **If Xana has been in William's mind all this time, how do we know Xana hasn't possessed him already? What if this is just a trick?

**Yumi: **Ulrich….

_Ulrich backs off. They others seem willing to forgive, but William still looks devastated. _

**Aelita: **But why would Xana want out now instead of waiting for your resistance to give?

**William: **At that point, he was afraid he would lose the upper hand against his other enemy.

**Moriarty: **AKA yours truly.

_Another pause. The other warriors see the truth of William's predicament, but he has clearly lost the trust of the group. William tries to paint the situation in a better light. _

**William: **I even changed my mind in the end. I tried to explain everything to Jeremie, but he just….went insane! I was powerless to stop him….or Xana.

**Yumi: **So Jeremie knew about the risks and did it anyway…

_Ulrich shakes his head. _

**Ulrich: **He's really lost it.

**Moriarty: **On that, we can agree.

_Aelita turns to Moriarty in anger. _

**Aelita: **You are the reason he turned this way! If you hadn't tormented him in that bubble, he wouldn't have done this!

**Moriarty: **A heavy accusation, but you know as well as I do that I do not possess all the blame.

_Aelita is silenced by this remark. The attention turns back to William. _

**William: **Please…you have to believe me….I didn't want to do this! I hated it!

**Moriarty: **William, your plea of mercy from your friends is truly fascinating and under normal circumstances I would take full advantage of your current emotional and psychological pain. But I have neither the time nor the energy to do either. Every minute Xana is alive makes him stronger.

_The others reluctantly turn back to business. Ulrich's intense face demonstrates that he still does not know how to take William's betrayal. _

**Yumi: **Ok Moriarty, what's the situation?

**Moriarty: **Bad. My forces have been stretched incredibly thin. I've had to retreat from some areas to avoid total collapse. I've already lost the Ice Sector. The Desert Sector is under siege. The battle in the Forest Sector is getting very ugly…..

_They hear laser fire far off in the distance. _

**Moriarty: **…And in other news Xana's monsters have just entered the Mountain Sector. At this rate, I soon may be forced into the Network, and even there, the chances of outlasting Xana are not in my favor.

**Aelita: **So what is your plan?

**Moriarty: **I have a plan…..but it requires an…alliance

_Warriors groan. _

**Ulrich: **I was afraid you were going to say that. How long will this alliance last?

**Moriarty: **Just so long as is mutually beneficial. Until Xana is defeated permanently.

_Ulrich looks to the others. _

**Ulrich: **Guys?

**Yumi: **Let's do it.

**Aelita: **We don't have a choice.

**William: **Xana needs to die.

**Yumi: **Alright Moriarty, we'll fight with you against Xana. But how do you plan to stop him?

**Moriarty: **The only way to defeat Xana is to restart the multi-agent program. A task that can only be done from…

_Odd opens his palm and a visual model of Sector 5 appears in his hands. _

**Moriarty: **Carthage….

**Ulrich: **Ok….we knew that.

**Moriarty: **Well, Xana knows it too.

_Red dots show up all over the visual model. _

**Moriarty: **Xana has no intent of dying again anytime soon. He has put a massive army both inside and outside the central sphere. And I'm not just talking about Creepers and Mantas. He has the whole family in there. Bloks, Krabs, Hornets, Tarantulas, Kankrelats. I've even found a few megatanks. He is not going to let you anywhere near the celestial dome without an intense fight. And even if you make it to the celestial dome, a swarm of hornets and mantas would be ready to cut you to pieces.

**Yumi: **So how do we deal with that?

**Moriarty: **A two-pronged attack. I'm going to pull back from my forces from all the sectors for this last ditched assault. I'm going to personally attack the mantas outside the central sphere, along with a healthy number of vultures at my disposal. That should cause quite a distraction for Xana. He would think I might be trying to attack Carthage from the outside. Meanwhile you four will go with my trusty lieutenant…

_He motions to Odd. _

**Moriarty: **Along with an elite team of tigers and various other monsters who will help you break through the core chambers and get you to the elevator. Xana will not be able to handle both of us on two fronts. We have seen that before.

_William gets the courage to step forward. _

**William: **Sounds like a plan. Let's go already!

**Moriarty: **Hang on William, there's just one slight detail blocking this course of action.

**Ulrich: **Oh yeah, what's that?

_A panel appears in front of Odd. Aelita suddenly tenses. _

**Moriarty: **You see, I still can't get INTO Sector 5.

_Aelita stares at Moriarty with renewed hate from the terrible memory. _

**Moriarty: **If I'm going to be able to help you, I'm going to need the keys to Carthage. Permanently. Aelita, if you would be so kind...

_Aelita is fuming. _

**Aelita: **YOU THINK AFTER I WATCHED YOU KILL MY FATHER FOR REFUSING TO GIVE YOU THE KEY THAT I'M JUST GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO YOU? NEVER! FORGET YOUR ALLIANCE! I HOPE XANA MAKES YOU SUFFER!

_Moriarty is unmoved. _

**Moriarty: **Well, that is interesting, Aelita. But the plan falls to pieces if I don't have the key.

**Aelita: **And if you don't have the key…you die. You didn't have mercy on my father, so why should I have mercy on you?

**Moriarty: **Because you know as well as I do that I wouldn't go down alone.

_He motions to Odd. Aelita's hateful look softens. William begins to rub his head. _

**Yumi: **Are you really so evil you would take Odd with you?

**Moriarty: **You tell me Yumi.

_Ulrich pulls out his sabers. Odd growls. _

**Ulrich: **Is it too late for the sword to the face?

**Moriarty: **And Odd wouldn't be the only victim…

_William starts to breathe heavy. _

**Yumi: **What are you talking about?

_William goes to the ground. _

**Xana: **Slave….come to my side….

**William: **Master…_He tries to fight it. _NO! WE HAD A DEAL!

**Xana: **My armies need their general to lead them.

**William: **Your will is my…..STOP IT!

_The vision passes. The others come to his side to help him up. _

**Yumi: **William?

**Moriarty: **I honestly cannot explain it, but for some reason Xana has become rather fond of William. As a slave that is. He must have gotten used to having him as his main asset, and now he wants him back.

**William: **Why does he do this to me?

**Moriarty: **Pretty soon Xana will have complete control of him.

_Yumi takes out her fans. _

**Yumi: **Then we have no choice.

**William: **Yumi…please. I HAVE to fight Xana. I need to redeem myself. I…I can't let him win.

**Yumi: **I'm sorry William. You are still every bit a Lyoko warrior. But this is one enemy you just can't fight. It's too risky. You have to sit this out. We're going to have to send you back to the factory.

**Moriarty: **And risk Xana possessing him as soon as he enters the real world? Bad idea.

_Yumi closes her fans. _

**Moriarty: **His best hope is to stay on Lyoko and resist him as long as he can.

_William holds his head. _

**Yumi: **Well, this just keeps getting better and better.

**Moriarty: **So you don't really have a choice. I need that key.

**Ulrich: **Or we could do it on our own. We don't need Moriarty. We can plow through the monsters and get to the celestial dome. We've done it before.

**William: **We'd never make it past the first chamber room. Xana would cut us down easily. Plus, I'm not sure how long I can remain….on the right side.

**Moriarty: **William's right Ulrich. And without Jeremie, how exactly do you plan to get to Carthage from here? You don't have a transporter orb.

**Ulrich: **Uh….didn't think that far.

**Moriarty: **Of course not. So there's really only one option.

_The others pause. _

**Yumi: **Timeout.

_They have a group huddle. _

**Yumi: **Aelita, you have to do it.

**Ulrich: **We've got to go along with his plan if we want to defeat Xana.

_Aelita still hates the idea. _

**Aelita: **After I sacrificed everything I had….you want me to give it to him anyway?

**Ulrich: **Aelita….I know this is hard but…

**Aelita: **No you don't! You weren't there Ulrich. How would you feel if you had to watch your own father die?

**Ulrich: **Uh….not as upset as you….

**Yumi: **Aelita…

**Aelita: **I could never do it! I could never do that to my father! I could never help Moriarty!

**Yumi: **Then don't do it for Moriarty….do it for Odd….and William.

_Aelita looks into William's eyes. He tries to hide it, but Aelita can tell he is scared. She glances over at Odd, and remembers their last encounter. She relents. _

**Aelita: **Ok. I'll do it.

**William: **Wait….we can't just let Moriarty have Sector 5 in exchange for just his support. We should make him give us something bigger. Make him bargain for it.

**Yumi: **What did you have in mind?

**William: **Odd's freedom.

_The others seem to like this idea. _

**Ulrich: **William's right. Moriarty's desperate. He'll do anything to get into Sector 5.

**Aelita: **We could finally get Odd back.

**Yumi: **Alright, let's do it.

_They break up the huddle. Aelita approaches the panel. _

**Moriarty: **I assume you have changed your mind.

**Aelita: **Yes. I will give you the key. On one condition….

**Moriarty: **Really? What is that?

**Aelita: **You have to free Odd.

_Odd growls. Moriarty pauses. _

**Moriarty: **Interesting….

**Yumi: **What do you say?

**Moriarty: **Well I think it's only fair Odd should have his say in this. Odd, do you want to be fr-

**Odd: **No.

**Moriarty: **Well, there you have it. Odd doesn't want to go. He said so himself.

**Aelita: **Moriarty!

**Moriarty: **The answer is no. Odd is far too valuable for me to give up.

**Aelita: **No Odd. No key.

**Moriarty: **Fine…have it your way. Good luck with Xana.

**Ulrich: **You're bluffing. There's no way you would risk your survival to keep Odd. You would give in if things got really desperate.

**Moriarty: **Maybe….but are you really willing to take that chance?

_Moriarty stares them down and intimidates them into backing down. They can't risk losing Odd. William goes down again. _

**Xana: **I grow inpatient…..

**William: **Forgive me master…..I….I DON'T CARE!

_The warriors are starting to get concerned. _

**Yumi: **William?

**William: **I'm fine.

**Ulrich: **Great….so much for our bargaining technique.

**Moriarty: **However, since I'm feeling nice, I will let you make another offer. But Odd's freedom, my destruction, guarantees not to kill you, and me promising not to enslave humanity are off the table.

_Yumi looks to William, who seems to be very weak from this continual struggle. _

**Yumi: **Ok. I have another request in exchange for the key.

**Moriarty: **I'm listening.

**Yumi: **You have to promise not to make a fear game for William.

_William looks up at Yumi, stunned that she is defending him after betraying the group. Moriarty ponders this. _

**Moriarty: **Well, I suppose I have nothing to lose. I did have quite a game planned for him….but Xana is doing a far better job right now than I could ever dream….

**Yumi: **So you'll do it?

**Moriarty: **You have my word. William will not be tormented by any fear games. So do we have a deal?…Because we are losing precious time.

_Aelita looks to the others. They nod. Aelita places her hand on the panel. The screen lights up and a sequence of binary numbers emerges. Moriarty rises. _

**Moriarty: **Yes…..at last…..I can feel the gates opening. Carthage is mine….

_He looks to the warriors. _

**Moriarty: **I think it's about time we paid Xana a visit…..

_The warriors are digitized into the Arena of Sector 5 by Moriarty. They see Odd is with them. In addition to Odd, Moriarty has brought ten humanoids, fifteen tigers, seven scorpions, and thirteen strange monsters they haven't seen before. The monsters are giant human-sized metallic serpents that look like king cobras. The Moriarty eye appears on both sides of the cobras' hoods. They hiss. Yumi backs up in surprised fright. _

**Yumi: **WHAT THE….?

**Ulrich: **Didn't see that coming…

_Odd laughs. _

**Odd: **A new monster Moriarty has wanted to try out. He made it just for you Yumi.

**Yumi: **Of course…

**Ulrich: **Even as an ally Moriarty can't resist but be a pain in the neck.

**William: **But he is our ally. And we have to fight with him. No matter how annoying it is. Besides….

_He looks at the impressive force of fifty fighters in the Arena. _

**William: **How often do we get to lead an entire army?

_Ulrich turns around to see a scorpion behind him. _

**Ulrich: **Well it is kind of nice for a big guy to have my back.

_Aelita notices that tigers have formed a protective ring around her. _

**Aelita: **Wow, it's like I have my own bodyguards.

**Yumi: **Hey, what about us?

**Aelita: **Well, no offense….but they're only three of you.

**Odd: **Don't get too comfortable. The monsters may be here to fight with you, but I am still their commander. And I could make them turn on you in a heartbeat.

_The mood sours. _

**Yumi: **Ok Odd you don't have to remind us.

_Odd emerges at the front to address his troops. _

**Odd: **All of you….follow my lead. Take out as many of them as you can before they get to you. These four….

_He points to the warriors. _

**Odd: **…are now your officers. Obey them. And you….

_He points to the leader of the tigers protecting Aelita. _

**Odd: **The pink one must be protected at all costs. If she is devirtualized, I will personally rip apart your digitized molecules and toss you into the Network.

_The leader whimpers like a baby kitten. The group hears explosions outside. _

**Yumi: **Moriarty must have started his attack.

**William: **Then let's go….Xana's not going to give us an invita-

_He goes to his knees. _

**Xana: **Fight with me….not against me!

_Aelita comes up to him. _

**Aelita: **William?

_William rises and swings, narrowly missing Aelita. She backs up in surprise. Ulrich draws his sabers and Yumi her fans. For a second, they think William has turned, but his head clears and he looks at the others' defensive stances with surprise. _

**Yumi: **William, how are you doing?

_He shakes it off. _

**Yumi: **Do you think you can hold out?

**William: **If we hurry, we won't have to worry about it.

_He goes out the door of the arena. The entire army follows. Odd takes a scorpion off to the side. _

**Odd: **Keep an eye on him. There's no telling how long he'll last.

_The army confidently enter a massive chamber only to find an entire force of about 130 Xana monsters blocking their path. Tarantulas, Krabs, Creepers, and Megatanks form a solid line against them. Behind them are more Krabs, Bloks, and Kankrelots. The warriors hesitate. _

**Ulrich: **Suddenly I'm not feeling so confident about our numbers.

_An undeterred Odd leaps into action. He charges right into the middle of the line and tears apart a Creeper. He turns to the army. _

**Odd: **ATTACK!

_The Moriarty/Lyoko warrior army charges and the chamber room explodes into chaotic laser fire. Back in the factory, Jeremie begins to wake up. As he does, the elevator door opens and Odd's clone is thrown onto the floor. A possessed Klotz approaches Odd's clone with sparks flying from his hands. _

**Odd's Clone: **Strength of opponent: superior to spectral entity. Likelihood of survival: minimal.

_Klotz turns to see a weak and vulnerable Jeremie struggle to get up. He turns his attention to him. _

**Odd's Clone: **New mission: Protect creator.

_Odd's clone wrestles Klotz and tries to get him away from Jeremie. Odd's clone is thrown off, but he buys Jeremie enough time to get on his feet. Jeremie focuses on Klotz. There is a strange glint in his eye. A short circuit occurs in the electric panels underneath Klotz's feet. The shock causes the possessed Klotz to collapse. Jeremie pushes his glasses up his nose, staring at Klotz with contempt. _

**Jeremie: **Sweet dreams Klotz….

_He heads back to the computer. Odd's clone has a quizzical look on his face. _

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity seeks explanation of Creator's method of disarmament….

**Jeremie: **Uh….don't worry about it.

_He sees what's going on in Sector 5, and doesn't like it. REALLY doesn't like it. His face becomes rigid and he balls his fists. He grinds his teeth. The wild look returns to his eyes. He can't believe what he's seeing. _

**Jeremie: **ULRICH! YUMI! WILLIAM! AELITA! YOU'RE HELPING MORIARTY?

_Back in the chamber room, the battle is in full swing. A tiger bites a tarantula from behind. Krabs play target practice with the humanoids. A scorpion plays a game of whack-a-mole with a couple of kankrelots. Cobras and creepers take each other on. Ulrich fights some Bloks. Yumi takes out a megatank. William cuts creepers in half. Odd runs around the battlefield like a demon, leaping of Krabs and destroying everything in his path. Aelita fires energy fields from her protective entourage. Under heavy fire from tarantulas, Yumi and Ulrich take cover behind a pillar in the chamber. They hear Jeremy's rant. _

**Jeremie: **HOW COULD YOU? YOU ARE FIGHTING WITH OUR SWORN ENEMY!

**Ulrich: **Well, you released Xana, so we're even.

**Yumi: **Jeremie we had no choice! We'll lose both Odd and William if we let Xana win!

**Jeremie: **No! If you would just trust me…I can fix this. The only losers will be Xana and Moriarty.

_A kankrelot gets on top of the pillar and takes Yumi and Ulrich by surprise. But a tiger grabs the kankrelot, holding it helplessly in his mouth before destroying it. _

**Ulrich: **It's over Jeremie! If we don't break through to the Celestial Dome now, we'll never defeat Xana.

**Jeremie: **YOU IDIOTS! STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND LISTEN TO ME! I AM IN CONTROL! TOTAL VICTORY IS SO CLOSE!

_The broken shell of a scorpion lands close to Yumi and Ulrich. _

**Ulrich: **Really? Cause I'm not seeing it.

_Aelita starts to listen as well. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie please…let us do this! We can defeat Xana if you just let us. Moriarty's monsters are going to get us through Sector 5.

**Jeremie: **AND YOU LET MORIARTY INTO SECTOR 5? DOES THE INSANITY EVER END?

**Yumi: **We were about to ask you the same question….

**Aelita: **Jeremie, listen to me!

**Jeremie: **I can't let you do this….

_Ulrich heads headlong into battle, still talking to Jeremie. _

**Ulrich: **Too bad! We are putting an end to Xana whether you like or not. There's nothing you can do to stop us!

**Jeremie: **Oh yes there is….you give me no choice!

_The warriors look at each other. _

**Yumi: **He's going to materialize us back to real world!

**Aelita: **We have to stop him!

**Ulrich: **But how?

_They hear the voice of Odd's clone. _

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity questions success probability of creator's plan.

**Yumi: **Was that Odd's clone?

**Ulrich: **Must have been.

_Aelita gets an idea. _

**Aelita: **Odd! Remove creator from computer.

_The clone is being presented with a request completely against his programming. He gets a confused look on his face. _

**Odd's Clone: **Remove creator?

**Aelita: **That's an order!

**Jeremie: **Shut up!

**Odd's Clone: **Interjection to female subject Aelita Schaeffer's request. Creator Jeremie Belpois does not wish to be removed.

**Aelita: **Then do it by force!

_Odd's clone is horrified. _

**Odd's Clone: **Against will of creator?

**Jeremie: **Nice try Aelita. But Odd's clone obeys me….I am the final authority for him.

_Ulrich and Yumi decide to join in. _

**Ulrich: **Odd you have to do it! Jeremie's gone crazy!

**Yumi: **He's trying to help our sworn enemy!

**Odd's Clone: **Statement false. Enemy Moriarty is weakening.

**Yumi: **No! Our other…..oh this is difficult.

_Jeremie's attempts to materialize them are being blocked by a bug from Moriarty. But Jeremie is getting around it. _

**Jeremie: **You've gotten sloppy Moriarty….

**Aelita: **Odd stop him!

**Yumi: **Lives are at stake!

**Ulrich: **Jeremie's…._He tries to use words Odd's clone will understand. _Mind of creator….not well. Sick brain!

**Jeremie: **Forget it! I designed the clone to be completely loyal to me.

**Aelita: **Odd please!

_Odd's clone holds his head in confusion. He does not know what to do. He was designed to obey all of them, but now they are giving him conflicting orders. _

**Odd's Clone: **Course of action: Unknown. Command of warrior subjects contradict command of creator. Polymorphic neurons overloaded. WARNING! SPECTRAL ENTITY INCAPABLE OF FOLLOWING BOTH COMMANDS! ERROR! ERROR! SENSORY OVERLOAD!

_Jeremie is annoyed with Odd's clone. _

**Jeremie: **Will you SHUT UP? DON'T LISTEN TO THEM!

**Aelita: **Odd, take him away from the computer!

_Odd's clone is about to pull his hair out. _

**Odd's Clone: **Negative. Cannot harm creator!

**Yumi: **Don't harm him….just…restrain him!

_Odd's clone begins to get out of his funk. _

**Odd's Clone: **Restrain?

**Jeremie: **I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS! OH WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU…!

_Odd's clone looks at Jeremie with horrified surprise at this last remark_

**Odd's Clone: **Creator threatens physical harm to warrior subjects. Cannot allow…

_Jeremie turns around. _

**Jeremie: **What?

**Aelita: **That's right Odd! Stop him! Stop him for his own good!

**Odd's Clone: **Creator programmed spectral entity to prevent harm of warrior subjects. Creator now threatens physical harm to warrior subjects. Programming must allow spectral entity to stop creator….

_Jeremie's eyes widen. _

**Jeremie: **No….clone….I'm your creator. You have to obey ME.

_Odd's clone approaches Jeremie_

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity questions lucidity of creator. Must restrain creator for safety of creator.

**Jeremie: **No! I do not need restraining! I'm fine! OBEY ME!

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity must work for good of creator. Even if against wishes of creator.

_He picks up Jeremie from his chair with one hand. _

**Jeremie: **NO CLONE, PUT ME DOWN! I COMMAND YOU!

**Odd's Clone: **Command overridden. _He rips wires from the floor and ties Jeremie up. Odd's clone stares at Jeremie with satisfaction. _Creator is now safe from creator.

**Jeremie: **ODD! LET ME GO!

_The warriors hear Jeremie's yelling and smile. _

**Aelita: **Thank you Odd.

_Odd's clone sits in Jeremie's chair with Jeremie still screaming. _

**Odd's Clone: **Expression of gratitude accepted. Warrior subjects may continue with mission.

_But despite the help of Odd's clone, the battle is quickly turning against them. Moriarty's monsters fall left and right. There is not a single humanoid left. There are several of Moriarty's monsters scattered across the battlefield making a last stand, but their numbers twindle with each passing minute. A large cluster of Moriarty's monsters huddle around Aelita, forming a protective wall around her. The monsters try to use their concentration of numbers to punch a hole through Xana's forces and get her to the celestial dome, but their progress is slow. Yumi, William, and Ulrich get hit in various other parts of the battle, still alive, but very low on lifepoints. Odd continues to destroy Xana's monsters, but he can't be everywhere at once. William is fighting side by side with one of the last scorpions left in the battle. He feels Xana's voice and tries to cover his ears. _

**Xana: **Now is the time. Strike them….without mercy….

**William: **Get…out…of…my…HEAD!

**Xana: **Give full vent to your anger. Let your rage be your weapon. Slaughter these weaklings….leave none alive.

**William: **….I….must….obey..….Master

_The Xana eye appears in his corneas. He exhales in anger and cuts down one of the scorpion's legs. The crippled monster is soon eliminated by nearby Bloks. Ulrich sees William do it and runs after him. William faces Ulrich as an enemy and clashes swords with him. _

**William: **For Xana!

**Ulrich: **William wake up! You are not Xana's puppet, you are one of us!

_A megatank approaches the two and begins his countdown sequence to fire. _

**Ulrich: **Now is not the time to give in!

_William starts to realize that Ulrich shouldn't be fighting against him. He breaks himself out of Xana's spell just in time to avoid the monster's devastating laser blast. William turns on the monster and drives his sword into him. After the monster is devirtualized, William goes to his knees, struggling against Xana's grip. Ulrich calls after him. _

**Ulrich: **William you have to hang on! We need you in the fight!

_William can't move. Frustrated, Ulrich moves back into the fight, which has now been concentrated near the last cluster of Moriarty's monsters. Xana has shifted tactics to make sure Aelita doesn't make it to the Celestial Dome. As Odd destroys a Krab, he hears Moriarty's voice. _

**Moriarty: **Odd, Xana is trying to destroy the core of Lyoko…..

**Odd: **Master?

**Moriarty: **He's not taking any chances. He wants to make sure Aelita does not get to the Celestial Dome. You must go immediately to stop him. The first shield is already weakening.

**Odd: **Understood…

**Moriarty: **But you must bring some of my monsters. There's too many monsters for you to handle alone.

**Odd: **Master, there are no monsters left. All that remains is a small force protecting Aelita.

**Moriarty: **Then take one of the warriors if you have to.

_Odd looks at William, who is alone fighting Xana in his mind. The others are too far away and embroiled in their own battles to help._

**Odd: **Master, the only one left is…

**Moriarty: **I DON'T CARE WHO'S LEFT! DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO ENSURE MY SURVIVAL!

_Odd approaches William and forces him up. William is still dazed and unsure which side he's on. Odd scratches him across the face. _

**William: **OW!

_The pain brings the real William back in control. _

**Odd: **The core is under attack. You're coming with me.

_William rubs his face. _

**William: **That's great, but you mind telling me how? Our path to the elevator is blocked.

_Odd points behind them. _

**Odd: **Not if we go back through the arena and head the opposite way. We can take the elevator on the other side.

_William is still barely in control, but he nods. _

**William: **Alright, let's put an end to this.

_They run in the opposite direction of the battle. They enter the arena as the sounds of the battle begin to die again. The door opens on the other side and they pass through. They reach the elevator and start heading down. Odd looks at William with disdain. _

**Odd: **Just so we're clear….if I see you start to turn….I won't hesitate.

**William: **I understand.

**Odd: **Xana must die….and if that means taking you with him….so be it.

_William is not letting himself be intimidated by Odd. _

**William: **Well, don't get your hopes up.

_They emerge at the bottom of the core chamber. The giant staircase looms all around them. Above them, a sphere surrounded by two protective cubes floats in midair. Creepers and tarantulas take aim at the sphere and fire. The first protective barrier falls. _

**William: **No time to lose…

_Odd races up the staircase on the right side, while William heads up the left. After Odd destroys two creepers, half the monsters shift their fire to him while the rest continue to attack the core. A tarantula spots William and begins a rapid-fire laser attack. William blocks it with his sword and manages to somersault over the monster. He turns to strike the monster. But right before he attacks, he remembers fighting with tarantulas as his allies. He hesitates. The monster prepares to fire but William gets out of his trance quick enough to dispatch him. He fights the other monsters, but he finds it more and more difficult to attack them. Odd however, has no such impediment and kills monsters left and right without mercy. But a tarantula hits him with a laser and Odd goes down, wounded from the blast. William approaches the monsters at the top of the chamber attacking the core and attacks. But before he can succeed, he freezes and becomes as still as a statue. Xana pummels him with his irrestible will. _

**Xana: **YOU WILL BE MINE!

**William: **ENOUGH!

**Xana: **DO NOT PREVENT MY VICTORY! COMPLETE IT!

_The monsters stop firing on the core and make room for him. The core lies wide open for William. He struggles with all of his being, but Xana's will literally lifts him off his feet and makes him levitate towards the core. Odd gets up to see what is unfolding. As William approaches the core, his uniform begins to be covered with black tar emerges from his own virtual form. The tar is transforming his uniform to his old uniform under Xana. William gives his final effort. _

**Xana: **YOU BELONG TO ME! SURRENDER TO MY WILL!

_William strains with the pressure. _

**William: **Xana….I….I LIVE TO SERVE YOU!

_His pupils are replaced by the Xana eye. His uniform continues to darken. He stares at the core with cold determination and strikes down the last barrier, leaving the core unprotected. The monsters roar in celebration; their general has returned. Odd fires a laser arrow at William, but misses. William, now completely under Xana's control, fires a blast emanating from his sword. The attack devirtualizes Odd instantly. He turns to the core and raises his sword, ready to put a final end to Lyoko. _

_Back in the core chamber, the Moriarty cluster gets weaker and weaker. Xana's monsters form a wall blocking the wall to the elevator. Yumi and Ulrich join Aelita in the center of the cluster, trying to figure out what to do. The last scorpion is devirtualized right in front of them. _

**Yumi: **Aelita, if we don't get you to that elevator now, we never will!

**Aelita: **I know but what can we do? There're too many of them!

**Ulrich: **We don't need to destroy all of them. We just need to make a hole large enough for you to sneak through and get to the elevator.

**Yumi: **But how?

_Ulrich pauses. _

**Ulrich: **I have an idea, but involves us using ourselves as human shields for Aelita.

**Yumi: **You know that's suicide, right?

**Ulrich: **Yes….

_She smiles at him. _

**Yumi: **Ok, see you on the other side.

_Ulrich looks at three tigers at the front of the group. He gets their attention and points to a Krab in the line. _

**Ulrich: **Destroy!

_The tigers, without any concern for their own lives, obey. They rush the Krab, leaving the safety of the cluster. Two of them are devirtualized, but the last one manages to get on top of the Krab and sink its teeth into the Xana eye on its shell, devirtualizing the monster. The tiger is then quickly eliminated, but there is a hole in Xana's line. _

**Ulrich: **AELITA GET BEHIND US!

_Yumi and Ulrich charge head on into the fray. The monsters try to fire at Aelita, but Yumi and Ulrich block the lasers with their bodies. They are devirtualized at the same time, but Aelita slips through the cracks of the line. Xana's monsters try to stop her, but she reaches the elevator and escapes just in time. She heads to the Celestial Dome. _

_William stands over the helpless core, sword raised. The monsters encourage him to go on with their grunting. _

**Xana: **DESTROY IT!

_A possessed William begins to bring his sword down, but suddenly he holds his head in pain. His mind is overwhelmed by a flashback during his Xana possession. He stands over a helpless Yumi, ready to devirtualize her. Yumi desperately tries to dissuade him. _

**Yumi: **No William, you are a Lyoko Warrior! You swore it!

_In the flashback the possessed William hesitates, just as he is hesitating now. William is frozen next to the core, unsure what to do. An older flashback enters his mind. He stands in the scanner room with the group around him. _

**Yumi: **Do you swear to keep this a secret?

**William: **I swear.

**Jeremie: **And do you promise to fight Xana alongside us?

**William: **With all my strength.

_William cries out in frustration. _

**Yumi: **You've more than earned your badge as a Lyoko Warrior.

_William nearly drops his sword. The monsters roar with impatience. _

**Xana: **I AM TIRED OF YOUR RESISTANCE! OBEY ME SLAVE!

_William fights anew. When Xana tries to force his blade near the core, he struggles with every ounce of strength he has. _

**Xana: **I AM YOUR MASTER!

_William opens his eyes, which no longer contain the Xana symbol. His uniform is now half Xanafied, but the memory of his friends, their kindness to him, and his duty to them have given him a superhuman strength to resist Xana. _

**William: **I….

_Aelita enters the Celestial Dome to see mantas and hornets fighting vultures and Moriarty's cloud. She avoids laser fire and gets to the panel. _

**William: **AM NOT…..

_She brings up the multi-agent program on the screen. _

**William: **YOUR SLAVE!

_He turns and throws a sword into a tarantula right as Aelita enters the program. His resistance gave her just enough time to finish Xana. Beams of light emerge from the core. They spread out in all directions, destroying the monsters in the core chamber. The beams destroy the monsters fighting Moriarty's forces both inside and outside the sphere. The beams enter the four other sectors, wiping out the monsters there. The tower possessing Klotz is returned to normal. The beams head into the Network, eliminating Xana there as well. The beams then attack William, purging him of Xana's presence. William screams with undescribable agony. The purging literally rips him apart. He is blown to pieces. Aelita stands alone at the Celestial Dome, breathing a sigh of relief. Moriarty however, celebrates his victory by looking at Sector 5 hungrily. _

**Moriarty: **Yes…it is mine…..ALL MINE!

_He descends into the Sector. The sphere begins to change shape. Aelita doesn't want to stick around. _

**Aelita: **Odd, can you send me a vehicle?

**Odd's Clone: **Checking creator's files. Processing battle equipment… Affirmative. Spectral entity materializing Overwing.

_Overwing appears. Aelita flies away into the open passage back to the main Lyoko sectors. She turns to see the inner sphere has transformed into a giant cube. The data field surrounding the inner sphere has changed from blue to royal purple. Sector 5 is now recreated….in Moriarty's own image. Aelita shudders. She materializes on Earth to see Ulrich and Yumi standing there. She looks around with concern. _

**Aelita: **Where…where's William?

_They look at her with surprise. _

**Yumi: **You mean he didn't come back with you?

**Aelita: **No….I thought he was devirtualized…

**Ulrich: **You don't think…..?

**Yumi: **No…impossible! It couldn't have ended like that.

_Aelita rushes to the elevator. _

**Aelita: **I'll check the Network. He has to be out there….somewhere.

_She goes up the elevator. _

**Aelita: **Please daddy….we've already lost one. Don't let us lose two….

_William finds himself walking in a white, limitless expanse. The invisible floor creates echoes underneath his feet. He is extremely confused. _

**William: **Hello…..anyone out there?

_A strange voice answers. _

**Schaeffer: **Why hello there William…..

_William turns around and gasps. He has never met this man before, but he has seen him in one of Aelita's photos. His is face-to-face with Aelita's father, Waldo Schaeffer, otherwise known as Franz Hopper. _

**William: **You…..

**Schaeffer: **Yes…it's me. Or what's left of me…..

**William: **But….but….you're dead. I mean…no offense…but….

**Schaeffer: **None taken….. and yes I am dead.

**William: **Then how…?

**Schaeffer: **Dying a death in the virtual world is not as simple as dying in the real world. The lines are a bit…skewed.

**William: **What?

**Schaeffer: **When I was devirtualized by Xana, I was deleted. But when you are deleted, you are still sent to a sort of….trash bin.

**William: **Is that where we are? The computer's trash?

**Schaeffer: **Sort of. This is more of the interdimensional space between Lyoko and the scanners on Earth. We are in a virtual limbo so to speak. I couldn't be materialized back on Earth, so I am trapped here. Permanently…..

_William looks at him with pity. He can't imagine a worse fate. _

**William: **Well if you are able to speak to me, then you must be able to have some consciousness left. Maybe we could bring you back….

_Schaeffer shakes his head. _

**Schaeffer: **No William. My last hope to come back to Earth ended when Moriarty deleted my backup files. I am basically nothing more than a lost soul in a virtual purgatory.

**William: **Aelita felt awful about doing that. She really wanted to save you.

**Schaeffer: **I know. But she did the right thing. Carthage could not fall into Moriarty's hands.

**William: **But it must be in his hands now…..

_Schaeffer shakes his head. _

**Schaeffer: **An unfortunate turn of events I'm afraid. There is no way to get him out of there. No doubt his power will increase considerably. But that was a necessary sacrifice. Xana was a far more immediate threat. But now….finally….he is vanquished. I can finally rest easy with that knowledge.

**William: **Are you going to be stuck here forever?

**Schaeffer: **No, not exactly. My consciousness is gradually becoming so thin that all traces of me will eventually vanish completely. Our conversation is probably the last anyone will ever hear of me.

_William is really sorry to hear this. _

**William: **Your last words should be with Aelita….not me.

_Schaeffer looks away. _

**Schaeffer: **I couldn't do that to her. She has already suffered so much….to see me go forever….I'm not sure she could take it. Seeing me die for good would not do her any good.

**William: **Then why talk to me?

**Schaeffer: **Well I didn't exactly send you here. The multi-agent program ripped your virtual molecules apart while it was destroying Xana's presence inside you.

_William is suddenly horrified_

**William: **YOU MEAN I'M STUCK HERE?

_Schaeffer holds up his hand to calm him down. _

**Schaeffer: **Not to worry. You are not going to suffer my fate. I would never allow it. I can never return to Earth, but you can.

_He pulls out a small green sphere. _

**Schaeffer: **This is part of your virtual DNA sequence code. It was ripped from your virtual form when you were deleted by the program. I recovered it for you. I am going to give it back to you and use the last ounce of power I have left to return you home.

_William is relieved. But he is also shocked at the sacrifice. _

**William: **I…I don't know what to say. You're giving up everything for me.

**Schaeffer: **It's the least I could do for the one who defeated Xana.

**William: **But Aelita….

**Schaeffer: **Aelita entered the program William, but you held off Xana long enough to make sure he didn't succeed. Lyoko was so close to being destroyed. Xana would have been able to take over the world unopposed with that loss. William, you have faced your inner demons and have defeated Xana.

_William feels his heart swell in his chest. He hasn't felt this good since his game with Moriarty. _

**William: **Is he finally gone? Gone from my head forever?

_Schaeffer frowns. _

**Schaeffer: **Xana will no longer torment you. But fragments of his memories, his personality, and his subconscious remain in your mind. They cannot be removed.

_William's confidence is dashed. _

**William: **So, my nightmares, my visions….those won't go away?

**Schaeffer: **They will gradually become less and less. They won't affect you as near as much as they used too. But part of Xana will always be with you. Hopefully you will grow up to live a normal life, but there will always be a part of your mind that will remain restless. Every now and then you might have a sudden malevolent thought, which will quickly pass. You might see something that triggers a memory of your possession. You might hear the mumurs of voices every so often. This will not be a heavy burden, but it will never leave you altogether. To be quite honest William, Xana will never be able to come back, but as long as you're alive he will never disappear completely. Do you understand what I'm saying?

_William nods somberly. _

**William: **Yes. Xana is a burden that I will have to carry the rest of my life. I realize that now.

**Schaeffer: **I'm sorry, William. I know a normal life is far more preferable to this. But the truth is that even when Moriarty is defeated, none of you will ever be able to be fully 'normal'.

**William: **Odd….

**Schaeffer: **The mess he is in….it truly is a tragedy.

**William: **What do we do to help him?

**Schaeffer: **I wish I knew the answer William, but it is not as clear as you or I would like to believe.

**William: **He never will be the same…will he?

**Schaeffer: **No. But when Moriarty is defeated, you can concentrate your efforts on helping him adjust as best he can. And giving the way things are going, you might have to do it with Jeremie too.

_William gives him a strange look. _

**Schaeffer: **What is it?

**William: **The way you talked about Moriarty….you said 'when' not 'if' he was defeated.

**Schaeffer: **Because he won't win! He can't! You must stop him, and you will! A defeatist attitude is exactly what you don't need right now. And on that note…I'm going to send you back…

**William: **Wait! I have a question!

**Schaeffer: **Yes?

**William: **It's about Moriarty. He was human, so is Moriarty like a nickname or something?

**Schaeffer: **Yes, my colleagues and I gave him that name. It was clear that he was brilliant but there was a twisted side to his nature that often gave us pause. Obviously we didn't know just how sick and evil he was at the time, so we started to call him 'Moriarty' in honor of Sherlock Holmes' greatest villain. He actually enjoyed the nickname, and began to take it on more and more as his own. No doubt he now enjoys playing the part now that he is a true threat to mankind.

**William: **But what is his real name?

_Schaeffer is silent. _

**William: **Mr. Schaeffer?

**Schaeffer: **In time you will know. You will find out everything and more. But I don't think you're ready to hear it yet.

**William: **But why? Why would it be so bad for me to learn his name?

**Schaeffer: **Goodbye William. Tell Aelita I love her. I wish you good luck. And whatever Moriarty does to you…..do not yield.

_He disappears and finds himself in an open scanner. He collapses into Yumi and Ulrich's arms. _

**Aelita: **WILLIAM!

**Yumi: **We were so worried!

**Ulrich: **What happened to you?

**William: **Uh….well you see….

_He looks up at Aelita and pauses. He can't bear the idea of telling about her father's final moments. He doesn't want to lie to her, but a lie is exactly what she needs. _

**William: **I…I have no idea what happened.

_The group is still curious, but so ecstatic to have him back that they don't care. Yumi hugs him. William tries to distance himself. _

**William: **Look guys, about my….deal with Xana…

**Yumi: **Forget it….it's ancient history.

**Aelita: **You more than made up for it with your performance in the core.

**William: **What? What are you talking about?

**Ulrich: **You resisted Xana! Odd's clone watched the whole thing. You're a hero!

_William's mood improves dramatically. He smiles. The others continue to praise him. _

**William: **So I take it you forgive me?

**Yumi: **Well….I guess so.

**Aelita: **Besides, we have another one to deal with…

_They come up the elevator to see Jeremie still tied up. He is no longer yelling, but he gives the group the death stare. Odd's clone greets them from Jeremy's chair. Klotz lies unconscious in the corner. _

**Odd's Clone: **Status: Mind of creator still unwell.

_They approach him. _

**Jeremie: **Congratulations. You have defeated Xana and have blown our chances to defeat Moriarty. Now will you please untie me?

**Yumi: **Well, not with that attitude.

**Jeremie: **You're just going to leave me like this?

**Aelita: **Jeremie, we're still trying to get over what you've done.

**Ulrich: **Yeah…it's not like we can ignore it….

**Jeremie: **I don't know what you're talking about.

**William: **You released Xana even when I begged you not to do it. You knew the consequences, and you did it anyway. Your desire to defeat Moriarty made you do the unthinkable…

**Jeremie: **I did nothing wrong. I looked beyond my mere history with Xana and saw a possibility that could have brought us victory. A possibility that you promptly destroyed with your alliance. Now Moriarty is stronger than ever with his access to Sector 5. Well done. I hope you're happy….

**Aelita: **So you still refuse to admit that you did something wrong?

**Jeremie: **I did what was necessary….

**Yumi: **If you still think that, why should we release you? Moreover, how could we possibly trust you again?

**Jeremie: **I am asking myself the same question.

**Ulrich: **What?

**Jeremie: **You defied my orders! You formed an alliance with our worst enemy against my consent, and you even turned my own creation against me!

**Yumi: **After what you did you dare to lecture us?

**Ulrich: **You formed an alliance with our other worst enemy against OUR consent.

**Jeremie: **I saw an opportunity, and I took it. Victory was within my grasp.

**William: **For the last time, no it wasn't!

**Jeremie: **Xana could've destroyed Moriarty! He was so close! And you ruined it!

**Aelita: **Jeremie if we had done that Odd and William would have been lost to us. And you knew that….

**Yumi: **Yeah, what do you have to say for yourself?

_Jeremie remains unmoved, staring at his friends without the slightest bit of remorse. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **No great victory can be achieved if one is not willing to make….sacrifices….

_The others are stunned that Jeremie would make such a callous statement. Aelita in a fit of rage kicks him in the stomach. Jeremie cringes in pain. _

**Aelita: **HOW DARE YOU!

**Jeremie: **Aelita….

**Ulrich: **How could you even think of abandoning Odd?

**Yumi: **Or William! Do you know that we nearly lost him?

**Jeremie: **I couldn't allow the world to come apart just to save two people!

**William: **Are….are you saying I'm…..expendable?

**Jeremie: **No! That…that's not what I meant!

**Aelita: **Odd is NOT expendable….The very idea of you letting him die!

**Jeremie: **Aelita, I was thinking about the good of mankind as a whole!

**Aelita: **No you weren't! You just wanted an easy way out! You panicked because you can't design a successful multi-agent program for Moriarty, and you were willing to do whatever it took to defeat him, even if it meant killing Odd in the process.

**Jeremie: **I didn't want to do it anymore than….

**Aelita: **I NEVER WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN!

_Silence. Aelita has dropped the hammer on Jeremie. Jeremie is stunned. He begins to cry. _

**Jeremie: **I COULDN'T FAIL! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? I COULDN'T LET MORIARTY WIN!

_He loses it. The group meets in the corner to get away from him and decide what to do with him. _

**William: **Well, this is a mess…..

**Ulrich: **The question is…..what are we going to do about him?

**Aelita: **Kick him out! He can never be trusted again!

**William: **I agree.

_The group is silent for a moment, sad that it has come to this. _

**Ulrich: **Aelita's right. I mean, what's to stop Jeremie from doing something crazy again?

**William: **If Jeremie has become this unpredictable, there's no telling what kind of damage he could do.

**Aelita: **He has gone too far. He needs to be punished. He has to be shown that he can't get away with that ever again.

**Ulrich: **He nearly killed both Odd and William. That is….unforgiveable.

**William: **If he doesn't feel any regret for bringing Xana back, then he might be willing to do anything to defeat Moriarty, no matter what the cost.

**Aelita: **He shouldn't set foot in this factory ever again….

_Aelita, William, and Ulrich talk more about Jeremie's treachery and how he needs to be punished severely. But Yumi is starting to think more about the reality of the situation they are in. _

**Yumi: **Hold on….this isn't as simple as you think it is. How are we really supposed to punish Jeremie?

**Aelita: **Take him away from the factory and kick him out of the group. I thought we addressed that.

**Yumi: **Yes but what good does that do for the mission?

**Ulrich: **What are you talking about?

**Yumi: **Think about it. We can fight Moriarty as much as we want. We can still send ourselves to Lyoko easily without Jeremie. But he is the only one capable of creating a multi-agent program to finish Moriarty. How do we punish him and kick him out of the group without jeopardizing the mission?

_The others didn't think that far. _

**Yumi: **How can we beat Moriarty without him?

**Aelita: **But Yumi, look at what he has done…..

**William: **He's unstable. And to be honest….

_He looks over to see Jeremie yelling at Odd's clone to free him. He writhes like an animal. _

**William: **I think he's gone crazy…..

**Ulrich: **He is a danger to our mission with Moriarty, but we can't beat Moriarty without him.

_Yumi has a somber look on her face. _

**Yumi: **My point is…..we may have a psychological casualty on our hands. And that is a SERIOUS problem if we want to beat Moriarty.

_They are silent. _

**Aelita: **So what do we do?

**Yumi: **You are right in saying he is dangerous. He can't come back to the factory. But he needs to keep his computer and laptop. If we take those away from him people at school might get suspicious to see Jeremie without them. Plus….and I know that this is dangerous….he needs to continue his work to find a way to defeat Moriarty.

**Aelita: **But Yumi!

**Yumi: **We don't have a choice. His sanity might have become compromised but he is still our best hope to defeat Moriarty.

**Ulrich: **You know that is a big risk, right?

**Yumi: **I know, but what can we do? Send him to the insane asylum? We need to keep up the guise at school that everything is normal, just like we are doing with Odd.

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity requested?

**Yumi: **No, not you Odd.

_They see the logic in Yumi's argument. _

**William: **I guess you're right.

**Ulrich: **But we need to keep an eye on him.

**Yumi: **Oh definitely. We need to watch him like a hawk. But it's impossible to throw him out of the Moriarty mission completely.

**William: **True.

**Yumi: **So we're all in agreement?

_Aelita does not like this plan. She seems hurt. _

**Yumi: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **Yes. Come on. We have to tell him.

_They look at Klotz. _

**Ulrich: **We're going to have to clean that up too.

**Aelita: **Odd, did anyone see you fight Klotz?

**Odd's Clone: **Local news has footage of spectral entity.

_Not exactly the news they wanted to hear. _

**William: **You mean you didn't even try to be discrete?

**Odd's Clone: **Possibility of discretion miminal when assailant has capacity to fire electricity at spectral entity.

**Ulrich: **Uh…..return to the past.

_They activate a return to the past. Later that night, Jeremie is sitting in his room. He is alone. There is a cold, hurt, and intense look in his eyes. He gets up and starts walking around his room. He suddenly stops and starts talking to the wall, as if he is giving a speech to an audience. _

**Jeremie: **I have made a great mistake today. A mistake that I swear never to repeat again. What is my mistake, you ask? _He leans closer to the wall. _Trusting that friends can be relied on for everything. That they are willing to stand by you, no matter what needs to be done. I failed to realize the obvious truth that in the end…..I am the only one who can defeat Moriarty. Only I can vanquish him in the end. And I will. My former alliance with these friends is now no longer just obsolete, it is a liability. And I must consider them no longer as allies, but as obstacles in my quest to destroy Moriarty. And if necessary, I will not hesitate….to treat them as such.

**Part 16 **


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 16 **

_Diary of Jeremie Belpois_

_9__th__ grade student at Kadic Academy_

_Video entry # 430_

_During these first few months of fighting Moriarty, I have been hoping to find out what Moriarty is really up to. Now that I finally know, I can't help but wish I never found out. It is so stunningly simple, yet at the same time brilliant and terrifying. Taking control of the world's nuclear weapons and force every nation on Earth to surrender. The more I think about it, the more disturbing it gets. Why create an army of robots and start a world war that could drag on for years when you could take it all without a single shot fired? I don't understand why Xana never tried this. Maybe he wanted to do it the brutal way. Who knows?..._

_Anyway, now that I know everything, I realize I must double my efforts. If he had already started to get a hold on Pakistan, there's no telling how many nuclear countries have started to fall into his grip. If he could get his hands on India's weapons, or China's…I don't even want to think about him taking over the United States' nuclear arsenal. Thousands of weapons that could destroy the entire population many times over in the hands of a madman…..It'll be a miracle if I can manage to sleep tonight…._

_The only good thing that happened today was Ulrich and Yumi surviving…God…..has the situation gotten so absurd that we consider surviving Moriarty's attacks a blessing? I'm not sure. Anyway, they're lucky to be alive. We've had some close calls in the past….but this….I might have lost a few years of my life. They will be out of commission for a while. With just three of us at school, I am praying Moriarty doesn't strike. Moreover, now that Yumi's fear game of snakes is over, we are now left with Aelita, William, and me. I am well aware that he will eventually come to me….I am scared…..but I can't let my fear stop me now. Too much is at stake for me to let my personal worries compromise my work. _

_One thing is for sure. We cannot wait for Moriarty to make the first move. We need to attack. I need access to those spheres. My multi-agent system must be completed, and it must be completed faster than I originally thought was necessary…..I have no intention of seeing the Moriarty eye hanging over the Arc de Triomphe…._

_Video entry # 431 _

_I was originally hoping to spend the second half of my Saturday making some major progress on the multi-agent system. Well, that didn't happen. Aelita wanted us to visit Yumi and Ulrich in the hospital. I tried to make her understand that I was going to lose valuable research time if she didn't let me stay at Kadic. You can imagine how well that worked….._

_So we did pay them a visit. They seemed happy to see us. I couldn't relax though. Knowing that every second lost is a second we can't afford. Why can't they see how urgent the situation is? How can they talk and laugh so easily? Did I not explain everything to them? Well on the bright side the recent game has drawn Yumi and Ulrich closer together. I am glad. Strong relationships is exactly what we need in the group to resist Moriarty. Now if I could explain that to a certain pink-haired supposed girlfriend….._

_Hopefully Sunday will give me ample time to make some good progress. _

_Video entry # 432_

_Well I was right about one thing. Sunday did give me plenty of time to work. What I didn't expect was to get absolutely nowhere during that time. Seriously, when I think about it, I think I went backwards. There are so many loose ends in this process. Some of it seems to defy logic. The digitized molecules of Moriarty's virtual being constantly shift and rearrange themselves. He's impossible to predict! He knows it. He knows full well what I am trying to do and is doing everything in his power to avoid it. Part of it is my lack of knowledge….there are so many binary and logarithmic sequences to go through and some of the stuff I am trying to do is purely theoretical. I have no idea if this will work in practice. _

_But he is also frustrating my every move. Just recently some of my research was 'lost'. I thought I had created a very strong firewall to stop him. I even backed up all the data. Apparently that didn't stop him at all….This is so frustrating! If he would just kindly die, our lives would be so much easier….I'll have to continue this work tomorrow. I'm so angry at myself there's no way I could get anything useful done right now. _

_Video entry # 433_

_I NEED more data. There's no way I can complete the attack codes of my program if I can't figure out the secret to Moriarty's fluctuating virtual structure. Of course, that requires another mission. And of course, that requires for all our group to be present. Which is, of course, impossible under these circumstances. Yumi is coming back from the hospital tomorrow, but I know she won't be in any condition to fight. Ulrich still has another week. A week! We can't afford to waste this amount of time. Every day lost gives Morairty more power. _

_I guess I'll just have to be patient. Part of me wants to send William and Aelita alone, but I know that's a recipe for disaster. I need all of them. Besides, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want to risk it either, since both of them are scheduled for future games. _

_Video entry # 435_

_The doctor threw me another curveball today. He wants to keep Ulrich two more days to run some tests and make sure he is ok. Apparently his condition wasn't improving as fast as the doctors originally hoped. Oh, I know what this means! When they say two more days, they really mean another week! And to add insult to injury (no pun intended), the doctor says he will have to take it easy for at least another three weeks! WE CANNOT WAIT THAT LONG! Of course now that Yumi knows Ulrich needs more time to recover, she won't let me send him on missions anytime soon. But at this point, I really don't care what she has to say about that. Ulrich is strong and will have to go as soon as he gets back….. for the good of the mission. I'm not worried about convincing him to go, I'm concerned Yumi won't let me do it. After all, she nearly lost him during the last fear game. But things are too grave for me to respect Yumi's feelings and worries. She may hate me for it, but if I have to destroy a few friendships to defeat Moriarty, then so be it. _

_What's really maddening about this waiting period is that Moriarty is strangely quiet. The spheres are still there, only about six so far. Every day I monitor the Network, and nothing changes. No activated towers, nothing. Ordinarily I suppose I would treat this as a welcome reprieve. But I can't. Waiting for Moriarty to strike, not knowing what he is going to do, how far he is on hacking into nuclear weapons' programs…..it's worse than the actual attack. Part of me just wants him to go ahead and do something. At least then I wouldn't have to lose sleep wondering when he is going to attack! Every day he's quiet makes me dread his upcoming attack more and more. If he's taking this long to make a move, then it must mean he's planning something big. And every day that passes without an attack makes me think that the attack must be bigger than I thought it was the day before. I just wish he would go ahead and get it over with! If he wants to play a game with me, what's taking him so long? Let's just get it over with already! What are you waiting for Moriarty? An invitation? _

…_..Fine. If he wants to take his time, let him. That gives me more time to work on a way to kill him. Not to mention build up our strength at home. I'm praying that he waits until Ulrich gets back. We need him. Anyway….I guess I can do nothing except try to be patient….however difficult it is…I'm signing off now. I need to go to bed…._

_Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not going to be able to get any sleep tonight. _

_Video entry # 437_

_THAT'S IT! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I need data now! I thought I could wait a little longer, but now my fears have been confirmed! Just today I have received reports from several media outlets that several Iranian nuclear scientists were found dead in their research facility in Tehran. The world seems to believe American and Israeli Special Operation Forces are responsible, but I know better. That facility is an extremely secure government compound. Sneaking in to kill those scientists would be nearly impossible. Besides, if another country did it, why are the Iranians being so quiet about it and trying to cover it up?...So, what does this mean? The Iranians themselves killed the scientists! And what does that mean? It means that the country already knows that there is something horribly wrong with its fledging nuclear program. They are trying to get rid of those they believe to be responsible. And what does that mean? It means Moriarty is already on the move in these other nuclear countries….._

_I can't wait any longer! We need to move now! But Ulrich still isn't back yet and Yumi's still hurt! Sending William, Aelita, and an injured Yumi into the Network would do nothing but endanger them. I need my full strength to attack the spheres. I have to wait…BUT I CAN'T! This recovery period is taking too long! I…I…I have to do something to slow Moriarty down…..but I can't! _

…_.Wait…there is….one thing. Something I found in Waldo Schaeffer's notes…No…no I could never do that. That should be used in the most dire emergency…Then again, the situation is….pretty dire…Oh God no! Have I lost my mind? I could never do something so outrageous…or could I? _

_Video entry # 438_

_My mind is made up. If I don't act now, Moriarty's plan might get so close to fulfillment that we will be unable to stop him. Enough. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I have to do it. If Moriarty wants a war, he's going to get one. _

_Video entry # 439 _

_My new program will be up and running in the next few days. I have still have to work out some of the fine details, but I have already given a name for the program: Holmes. Yes….a bad joke I will admit, but Holmes is going to give Moriarty quite a headache. Holmes is not a multi-agent program. It is an eater program, a giant cybernetic macrophage that can attack Moriarty on the Network. It consumes every byte of data in its path. The only problem with the program is that since I don't have a lot of information on how to attack Moriarty specifically, the program will attack the entire Network, not just Moriarty. To put it in layman's terms, if Moriarty was a cancer, and the Network was a human body, Holmes would be a form of chemotherapy, which kills both the healthy and infected tissue. So unfortunately Holmes is going to cause some potentially serious problems here on Earth. A bug like this will only get bigger and bigger, wreaking havoc on the Internet and electrical systems. It's only a matter of time before humanity begins to realize that something is dreadfully wrong. They will be unable to trace it back to me, but it will cause some serious issues. I am sorry it had to come to this, but I had no choice. I have to wage a war of attrition against Moriarty on the Network in order to halt his progress. Needless to say, I cannot tell the others what I am doing. They wouldn't understand. _

_Besides, this is only a temporary measure. Once we get our strength back and begin to get the upper hand against him, I will shut Holmes down. If all goes according to plan, Earth will escape this with minimal damage. I didn't want to do this…..Moriarty forced me to do it. The others cannot understand, but maybe when all is said and done and Moriarty is defeated, they will understand that I did what I did to make the world safe. _

_Video entry # 444_

_We finally got Ulrich back, and I couldn't wait to go into the Network to go on the offensive. Yumi was predictably difficult about letting me send Ulrich, as I have already guessed. Aelita finally helped me convince her to let him go. But I think she still hasn't forgiven me, and probably won't for a long time….considering what happened. Having Moriarty trap Aelita and the others in a virtual simulation of Aelita's old cabin in the Alps and shutting down the scanners certainly did not help. I desperately tried to rectify the situation, but that bug in the scanners was particularly difficult. If it weren't for Aelita overcoming her fear of wolves to save the others, they all would have been toast. No doubt there are still hard feelings between us. It pains me, but going on the offensive and taking risks is the only way we can win this war. So I don't regret sending them on that mission. The danger of the sphere only proved to me that I was right to wait for us to regain our full strength before sending them back into the Network. With Moriarty able to distort the environment to his will, we can't afford to make any more disadvantages for ourselves. _

_On the way back to Lyoko the others saw Holmes in action. I wish they didn't, because of course they had to ask questions. I was able to convince them not to worry about it…..or at least to stop asking questions. I think William and Ulrich will forget about the incident and move on, but Yumi and Aelita are too smart not to get suspicious. Once Holmes starts to cause problems here, it's only a matter of time before one of them puts two and two together. I have to make sure that doesn't happen. I need more time and more data before I'm comfortable shutting Holmes down. But those two are about as stubborn as they are smart. It will be hard distracting them from the truth. _

_Speaking of Aelita…our relationship seems to have ended. She told me today that she wants to hold off until Odd returns back to us. Apparently she was tired of me putting that project off and wanted to give me some incentive to move it. I have to start working on getting him free now, no exceptions. How can someone so smart be so blind? Doesn't she see that I want him back too? But I have to put my personal feelings aside for the sake of humanity. The nuclear arms are a much greater threat, one that is growing every day. And as much as I hate saying it and would never dare say it in front of them, Odd can wait. He's not going anywhere. Once I level the playing field with Moriarty I will bring Odd back. But there are so many things that I need to work on first. Aelita wants him back and is using our relationship to do it. But I am not blind. She's done with me…Bringing Odd back won't change her mind. I have grown too distant for her liking. I would have liked…..to stay with her…..but I knew that my dedication to my work might eventually draw us apart….I….I honestly don't know what to think or feel right now….I'm lost…OH STOP IT! I CAN'T LOSE FOCUS ON THE MISSION! …..I shouldn't be filling my diary with all my personal problems. _

_Video entry # 447 _

_The side-effects of Holmes have finally come to the surface. Planes in Canada today were grounded because of problems with air traffic control. Nothing too serious yet. No one in Kadic has noticed it. But I was looking for news like this, to see when Holmes would go to work. Now if only Yumi and Aelita could avoid watching the news for a couple of weeks, I might have more time…._

_But something doesn't make sense…..Holmes is attacking the Network but Moriarty does not seem to have gotten weaker. In fact, he is still growing in power! A dozen more spheres have appeared in the Network. Not only is this alarming…..it doesn't make sense. Why would Moriarty create more spheres than are nuclear countries in the world? Is he planning something else? Oh, I don't even want to think about that…..I can only hope that Holmes will eventually attack Moriarty. It's only a matter of time before the program reaches him. He can't hide in the Network forever. _

_Video entry # 448 _

_I have figured out why Moriarty has created so many spheres. Our latest mission has solved that dilemma. The data from the command module was completely empty. They're decoys. Empty shells designed to hide the ones that really have ties to military servers. Why didn't I see it before? Now Moriarty has turned our mission into a complete gamble, guessing which ones just might have the connections we're looking for. And to add insult to injury, he keeps adding more spheres. Right now there are sixty of them! Just when I thought Moriarty couldn't get more despicable…._

_Just as with Xana's replicas, it's becoming increasingly clear that search and destroy missions aren't going to cut it with defeating Moriarty. At best, they might be able to delay him. But without the data I need, I can't afford to shut down Holmes. And if I keep Holmes running too long, he can do some serious damage. And with Moriarty adding more and more spheres every day, there's no telling when I will be able to get my hands on more data to construct my multi-agent program. I need to think of something….and fast. In the meantime, I think I localized the area where Moriarty created his six original spheres. Those spheres, more likely than not, may hold the connections we are looking for. If not…I think I might lose it. _

_Video entry # 450_

_Failure…We failed again. And to make things worse, Moriarty has added twenty more spheres to his growing collection….Words do not describe my….frustration. I've hit a brick wall on the multi-agent program. A brick wall that only be knocked down by more research and data from the spheres. A solution that is impossible with Moriarty frustrating our every move with his stupid shells! _

_Meanwhile the effects of Holmes are starting to become more prevalent. Blackouts are hitting major cities and people in France are having difficulty connecting to the Internet. My precious window of opportunity to give myself enough time to make progress on our ultimate victory is becoming smaller and smaller every day. It's only a matter of time before world leaders, arrogant and stupid though they may be, figure out that these recent issues are related. Yumi and Aelita are already starting to look at me funny. I don't think they know about the bug just yet, but they believe I am acting suspicious. Rats. I am apparently a terrible actor. And just to brighten up my day even more, Holmes is causing all of the consequences with none of the benefits. The program has hardly made a dent in Moriarty's power. I am going to have to increase the program's power to really make Moriarty sweat. But doing so would make the resulting problems on Earth impossible to ignore. I'm afraid to go that far….._

_I may have finally narrowed down the right candidates among the dozens of spheres. The Skid encountered heavy resistance from Moriarty's Network monsters when it entered the vicinity of a particular sphere during our last mission. When the Skid retreated, the monsters stayed where they were, defending the sphere. That has to mean something. No way Moriarty would expend resources to defend a sphere that strongly if it was empty. We have a winner….At least I hope so…Please…..please LET THIS BE IT!_

_Video entry # 451_

_WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON MORIARTY I AM GOING TO KILL HIM! He's outsmarted me again! I should have realized that putting monsters around that sphere was just another way to draw my attention away from the real ones that must be unguarded. The Ocean sphere was completely empty. GOD WHY AM I SO STUPID? This situation is hopeless! And now he's added a whole THREE HUNDRED MORE SPHERES! I WANT TO PULL MY HAIR OUT I'M SO FRUSTRATED! WHY CAN'T I GET A BREAK?_

_I can't sleep….I can hardly eat. I must keep working. If I can't get any more data, I'm going to have to go on without it. Brick wall or no brick wall, there's too much at stake for me to stop now. I need to stop wasting my time with missions into the Network and try to find my own way. Gambling on finding the right sphere is not working. I have to do what I can from my computer…_

_Aelita tells me I should get some rest…..I know I need it…..but I simply can't stop now. Must press forward. Holmes is really starting to do some damage. I can't worry about that right now. Maybe now it finally start to weaken Moriarty. I so hope it does. No one outsmarts me and gets away with it…He'll rue the day he crossed me!_

_Video entry # 452 _

_Last night…I might have…..overreacted. Panicking and losing control are not going to help me defeat Moriarty. So I decided to go over the data one more time. When I failed to find any connections to military servers, I started to get upset again. But then I realized that I had just been searching for data on nuclear arms. If I broadened my search of the supposedly 'empty data', I thought I might find something interesting. Maybe information on how to construct a viable multi-agent program. I didn't get any of that. But I did recover something that really peaked my interest. A program on human molecular structure modification. _

_At first I thought I was just entertaining a naïve hope, that I could give the others powers here on Earth. But when I took a better look at it, I found that not only does the program work, but I could also easily convert it to practical application via the scanners. Imagine the possibilities! Any of Moriarty's stupid games on Earth could easily be stopped if we have the ability to easily get out of them. Moriarty would think twice before messing with us. I can't wait to tell the others….._

_Video entry # 453_

…_..The horror….There are things…..things in this world that no one is strong enough to face…..fears so dark and terrible that even the bravest run for their lives…things no one is strong enough to endure…and yet I….had….. to endure it….OH GOD THE HORROR! I CAN STILL HEAR THE LAUGHS, THE SCREAMS! I CAN STILL SEE MORIARTY'S BURNING EYES! BURNING! BURNING! BURNING! MY MIND IS ON FIRE! FAILURE!...I CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN! ANYTHING IS BETTER THAT!... ...Someone…. anyone…..please….. take the pain away. I can't live with it another second…._

_It's over. Nothing can stop him now. I'm not strong enough. I have doomed…everyone. _

_Video entry # 454 _

_Last night's…..episode… will never happen again. I let myself fall into despair. That was exactly what Moriarty wanted me to do. I fell right into his trap. A mistake I will never forgive myself for. _

_I may be low on information, but I still have two significant weapons in my arsenal. First is Holmes. If anything good came out of my game with Moriarty, it is that I am now more convinced than ever that I must go to any and every length to defeat him. That means I can't let my concerns for Holmes' consequences cloud my progress anymore. I must increase Holmes' power significantly…I want him to really feel the heat…I know him….I know what he's thinking….I don't have the guts….well guess what Moriarty….I do. Huh….you got that? That's right….you will regret underestimating me. You pushed me to this…and whatever happens to the Network is your own fault. That's right…yours…..mine…..yours mine yours mine yours mine….Haha! Funny words…._

_Where was I?...I got lost there for a second…..Oh yeah, the second one is the human modification program. The others have refused to be exposed to the program, and I wholeheartedly agree. I can't allow them to suffer the fate I saw in my nightmare. They need to be protected….they wouldn't be able to handle it. That's why I decided to introduce my own body to the program. I must carry this burden alone. Letting the others carry it with me would expose them to unspeakable harm. I know it's more than likely that it will do tremendous damage to me, but I am willing to make that sacrifice. I believe I have greater mental resistance that the others, and giving myself this kind of Pyrrhic advantage over Moriarty will give me enough time to destroy him. If I go with him, then so be it. I have to do it. I have to outlast the program. There's no other option. _

…_..I gave myself the ability to control electricity and connect with it. I can already begin to feel its effects. It's…it's…invigorating. I feel myself growing stronger by the minute…..yes….YES! The twilight of Moriarty has begun! _

_Video entry # 455_

_It hasn't even been 24 hours since my exposure and already it has exceeded my expectations. My mind is now processing information like a computer. My memory is now flawless, I can remember events with impeccable clarity. My neurons can intercept radio frequencies and connect with the school's electrical system. I caused a blackout for a few minutes….just to see if I could do it. _

_It's incredible. At this rate I will be able to connect myself mentally to the Network and track Moriarty's movements….without the need for a computer. I might even be able to attack him. My intelligence is increasing rapidly. Math problems that used to take me several minutes now take me less than ten seconds. And if I can do this on my first day….there's no telling what I'm capable of. _

_Video entry # 456_

_My powers began to dim today. I failed to realize that the effects of the program are only temporary. So I had to go back to the factory and expose myself to it again. No doubt I will have to continue to do this for quite a while. I have no idea what constant re-modifications will do to me. But the second time has given me even more power than before. Now instead of just being able to connect with the school's electrical system, I now have access to the every building within a five block radius of Kadic. _

_I have also increased Holmes' power. I overheard some of the students talking about problems between Iran and Israel…but I'm sure it's nothing. Holmes' damage is nothing too serious so far…..At least I hope so. But anything is better than the alternative. But Moriarty can't avoid that giant eater program forever. He will regret the day he ever dared to leave the safety of the Network. _

_Video entry # 457_

_Most human beings can only access 4% of their brains at one time. I can now access 15%, and the number grows everyday. Instead of just having connection to the five block radius, the entire neighborhood is under my command. I was able to make my consciousness travel all the way to Yumi's house and back through the city's power lines. This is only the beginning of what I am capable of….._

_I have started to talk to the others less and less. I need more time with my research, it was only natural that this was going to happen. Aelita told me the other day that I need to focus less on my work and relax more….First of all, I don't even know why she bothered to tell me this. If she doesn't care about me anymore, why would she bother to tell me to take care of myself? Second of all, her suggestion was absolutely ridiculous. I doubt she realized how stupid it was. She wants me to stop when I'm so close to actually getting results? That's like telling an army that's on the verge of conquering a city and defeating its enemy to turn back and go home. Stopping this close to a major breakthrough would be nothing short of madness….But I hate the look in her eyes. Yumi's too. I can feel it. They know something's wrong. They always seem to be looking at me…How? How could they know? I've worked so hard to keep this under the radar. But they know. They know everything…..They're spying on me…Why are they doing this to me? Can't they see I'm doing this for their own good? Leave me alone….just….stop…looking at me! _

_Holmes is finally starting to take effect against Moriarty. Moriarty has been increasing the shielding on his spheres to prevent Holmes from destroying them. This precious expense of power on Moriarty's part has to be a crutch for him. If he is using a good portion of his energy defending his spheres, then his ability to attack us on Earth or defend himself on Lyoko has to be weakened…..If Moriarty is starting to sweat, that means the Network has to be at Holmes' mercy….To my understanding, the news has finally started to catch on. Some countries are blaming others for the 'mysterious bug'. HA! If they only knew the truth…_

_Video entry # 458 _

_I am now in the Network. My consciousness is completely mobile. I can now see, with vivid detail, what the others have been seeing for so long during their expeditions in the Skid. So much data to find and places to explore. Pretty soon I won't need the others to plan trips to spheres. I will be able to do it all mentally. Moreover, I may be able to find which spheres are the right ones. I have to. I will. Even if I have to turn the entire Network upside down to do it. _

_I can see Holmes working. My creation has exceeded all my expectations. It is attacking the databases and network access points with insatiable hunger. It ravages an area and moves on to the next. There is no mercy. That is good. I don't want Moriarty to feel any mercy from me. My intelligence and power keep growing. My brain now works at 25% efficiency. Math and science problems can be completed without even putting a pencil to paper. Most of Paris is within my mind's reach. I can hear people on their cellphones talking. I can hear people listening to the radio in their cars. I can flow through their offices, their favorite restaurants….even their homes. So many people living their ordinary lives in this massive city….and all the while they have no idea that I am nearby….watching, listening, and growing in power. _

_Yes. I can now sense Moriarty's presence. He is nearby. Even as I am speaking right now I can feel him pulsing through the Network….His very being pollutes it! I can't wait to wipe out every trace of him. _

_Moriarty is not blind. He knows I am here too. And although he is difficult to understand, I can sense one clear emotion emanating from his dominion in the Network. And it isn't anger or smug confidence. It is fear…..And he has every reason to be afraid. _

_Video entry # 459 _

_As Moriarty continues to lose power to defend himself against Holmes, I grow ever stronger. I still need to go to the scanners to replenish my power, but every time I perform the procedure, my power both increases and lasts longer than before. Since my consciousness now has full access to the Network, geographical limits are now nonexistent. My connections stretch all across the globe. My consciousness can travel almost anywhere on Earth within minutes. My mind now functions at 32% efficiency. But every time I get more powerful, my desire for more of that power increases. And just like Holmes, my desire is becoming….insatiable. But this was to be expected. If I can do this much with 32% efficiency, imagine what I could do at 50%! Or 60%! If Holmes can do this much damage to Moriarty now, imagine what I could do if I doubled or even tripled the power flowing to the program. More power. More knowledge. More data. I need it. MORE!_

_Now that I have gained a significant advantage in this fight, it is time for me to recognize the obvious. I know that I have become completely absorbed in this fight. Every ounce of my free time, and even a lot of my not so free time is dedicated to the eventual annihilation of Moriarty. The others believe I am obsessed. And maybe they're right. Maybe I am obsessed. But I have been telling myself that the rather…..extreme measures I have been taking have been for the good of humanity. I thought that every action I have taken has been selflessly motivated to extinguish a threat to the free world. But I know that is not entirely true. _

_I don't just want to defeat Moriarty. I want vengeance. Pure and simple. Putting me in that living hell of a simulation bubble was the worst thing I have ever experienced. Words cannot describe the complete humiliation, the absolute vulnerability, the utter feelings of hopelessness that Moriarty exposed from the darkest corners of my very soul. He used my greatest fear against me. He saw my weakness and exploited it without mercy. And once he had brought me to my knees, he laughed without the slightest trace of pity. He made me feel powerless and pathetic. He tried to frighten me into despair, letting me know that no matter what I do, eventually I will become his instrument of terror. And that…..I can never forgive. The initial feelings of shame have been replaced by an uncontrollable rage. I want to make him suffer the way I suffered. A simple multi-agent program ending him the snap of a finger isn't enough for me. I want his death to be slow, agonizing. I want to look him right into his dying red eyes and laugh in his face. I want to play my own game with him, letting him have a taste of his own medicine. I want him to beg for a mercy that he will never have…There is no pit deep enough….no fire hot enough in hell to satisfy my desire…..no…..my need….to see Moriarty suffer. I want the last laugh….I MUST HAVE IT!_

_Forget waiting for Odd…..I want to attack him NOW! My consciousness can not directly attack Moriarty on the Network yet, but I am confident that it is only a matter of time before I am able to do it. I am still keeping up the appearance with the others that Odd is foremost in my thoughts. But that has lost my attention a long time ago. If a way to free him suddenly comes up, I will of course do it. But Odd…has chosen his side. He betrayed the group and joined forces with Moriarty. And I do not take treachery lightly….If an opportunity arises where I can destroy Moriarty completely…..I'm not sure I will be able to resist the temptation. _

_Video entry # 460 _

…_Given my experience with both Xana and Moriarty, I have come to expect the unexpected. I have learned to prepare myself for anything. To be ready to be attacked at any moment. I thought after so many years of fighting a multi-agent program and an insane virtual being that nothing could surprise me anymore. But I was wrong. There was one thing I did not….and could not prepare myself for. And that was to be betrayed by my own friends. _

_When William told me about the possibility of his memories of Xana possession possibly holding the key to defeating Moriarty, I couldn't resist. This was the moment I had been waiting for! A multi-agent program in the developing stages created by Xana himself to eliminate his long-time adversary. It was so perfect…almost too good to be true. To finally have a major breakthrough. I could hardly contain myself! I should have known that it wouldn't end the way I hoped. _

_Over these last few days, I have been asking myself some major questions. The most important being this: Is there anything not worth doing if it means the end of Moriarty? I have asked myself this question over and over again. And as my rage has grown, so has the list of unacceptable things become shorter and shorter. I hate him. I want him to die. And any fate for mankind is better than the future I have witnessed. That's why, when I discovered the truth that Xana was still alive in William's mind, I was able to adapt and do what I previously thought was nothing short of insane. _

_The plan would have worked perfectly. Xana would have destroyed Moriarty. If he didn't, he would at the very least brought Lyoko into endless war. Both of our opponents, having been put against each other by me, would wear each other out. If Xana turned out the victor, I would be able to enter the multi-agent program again and put an end to him for good. If not, the two weakened opponents would be powerless to stop me from accessing Xana's files and getting the information I need to construct a multi-agent program for Moriarty. Then both programs could be run at once, and our fight would be over. So easy, so brilliant…AND THEY PREVENTED ME FROM DOING IT! THEY TURNED MY OWN CREATION AGAINST ME AND FORMED AN ALLIANCE WITH OUR WORST ENEMY! THEY ACTUALLY HELPED HIM! TRAITORS! DON'T THEY KNOW WHAT HE IS CAPABLE OF?_

_But of course, according to them, I am the enemy. Never mind the fact that they gave Sector 5 over to Moriarty, which will give him an incredible amount of power and data. Never mind that they lost the opportunity to let our two enemies destroy each other. All they cared about was Odd and William! My God they're like a broken record! ODD! ODD! ODD! ODD! That's all they think about. Especially Aelita! And because of their obsession to keep both of them alive, they have blown the greatest opportunity to defeat him! He was weakening! WE HAD HIM AT OUR MERCY! IDIOTS! I CAN'T EVEN TO BEGIN TO COMPREHEND WHAT THEY HAVE DONE!...But they are able to justify it to save Odd and William. I have been declared heartless and insane….INSANE? Is it insane to be willing to sacrifice two people if it means the entire world can be saved? Who's insane? Huh? Yeah, you heard me! Do I look insane to you? Stop looking at me? What are you looking at? LEAVE ME ALONE AND LOOK IN THE MIRROR WHY DON'T YOU? If that is madness…..then madness is exactly what we need for victory. And I am willing to do far more than that if necessary. _

_Anyway, they have kicked me out of the group. Whatever that means. I am the group. They can't live without me. All they can do is play games on Lyoko like a bunch of kids. I say let them play their game. The only thing wounded is my pride. I took pride in leading a group of warriors against an implacable enemy. But this experience has taught me that there is a limit to their commitment to our cause. I have none. And I am now more convinced than ever that only I can defeat Moriarty. I am the only one who is willing to do what is necessary to put an end to him. _

_They have let me continue my research, but I am apparently permanently banned from the factory. I would have continued my research anyway, with or without their permission. As for the factory, that rule will be broken. I need the scanners to increase my power. My powers are lasting longer, but I still need more and eventually they will run out. I need to be at maximum strength to truly give Moriarty a headache…..I heard them debating about whether or not I should keep my laptop….I had to resist the urge to burst out laughing. I don't need that anymore! I can strike without the need of a computer screen….and there is nothing they can do to stop me. _

_Video entry # 462_

_My exile from the "group" has given me some time to think. I now realize that their decision was probably for the best. The main fight is now no longer on Lyoko, but in the Network with Moriarty and me. And now that my consciousness is just as mobile as Moriarty, the others have, quite frankly, ceased to be of any use to me. Originally in our fights both with Xana and Moriarty, they were extremely necessary to achieve my ends. But even then in that fight, they were nothing more than extensions of my will, serving their purpose on Lyoko when brute force instead of intellect was necessary. And when they ceased to follow my will, I shook off those extensions that are now no longer necessary. Now I can truly be efficient. _

_When some doors in life close, others open. My exile will allow me to press my personal war against Moriarty with renewed vigor. My research on finding a way to weaponize my mobile consciousness in the Network so that I may fight Moriarty on his own turf is yielding promising results. It will only be a matter of time. If my power continues to grow, finding a multi-agent program will be no longer necessary. I will be able to face him in battle. And I will win. _

_Video entry # 465 _

_Holmes continues to grow more destructive every day. More and more of the Network is swallowed by it everyday. And Moriarty can ignore it no longer. He has drained his power by moving his spheres away from Holmes' path, to areas of the Network Holmes has not yet touched. But he can't run forever. The Network may be vast, but now that I have increased Holmes' power to its maximum potential, there will soon be no place safe for him to hide. Moriarty's weakened state has left Lyoko almost empty of monsters. Yes….I have successfully moved on the offensive! And with Moriarty on the defensive, there's no way he will be able to play his 'games' anytime soon. _

_I can smell him. I can smell his fear. He knows that my power grows. I want more of his fear. MORE! I want him to quake in my presence! You should have stayed quiet in the Network Moriarty! I would have let you live. But I am hungry. Hungry for more of your pain. Your fear. Your growing desperation. You didn't think I would do it, did you? Do you believe it now? DO YOU BELIEVE ME NOW? YOU HAVE BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF! I WILL REPAY ELEVEN TIMES WHAT YOU DID TO ME! _

_If you are afraid of me now, then your terror has only just begun…._

…_.I…will…..exterminate you. _

_Video entry # 470 _

_I grow tired of distractions. Eating. Sleeping. Attending classes. Homework. Annoying reminders of the limitations of my humanity. They waste precious time. I know I cannot explain to my teachers the importance of what I am doing, but the temptation to simply lock myself in my room and work until I'm finished continues to grow. After all, what can they do to stop me? I am more powerful than any human being on this planet. There is not a corner of the earth that my mind cannot travel to and exercise control. I could shut down banks, disrupt satellites, and bring this very school to its knees with the snap of my fingers if I wanted to. What's stopping me? Is not my work more important than silly history lessons, or math classes that are nothing more than insults to my superhuman intelligence? I don't know why I continue to humor these underlings who call themselves teachers. Unnecessary extensions. Obstacles to my will…..Just like the others. _

_But despite my distractions, my power still grows. My consciousness is on the verge of becoming militarized. I'm so close to fighting Moriarty, to unleashing my rage…..I can almost taste it. And the closer I get to tasting it, the more my hunger grows….Kneel before me Moriarty….kneel before your approaching killer. _

_The insult to mankind, our school's psychologist…what's his name again….Oh right….Klotz. He keeps trying to press the issue about….files or something. It's hard to remember. Oh yes….his….accusations. I am growing tired of him as well. At this point, my obedience to anyone is little more than a joke. A giant obeying a rodent, who could eliminate his master by simply….putting his foot down. _

_Video entry # 472_

_I am getting tired of these 'warning messages' from Holmes. I had programmed it to alert me of impending damage to Earth's infrastructure. I am regretting that decision. I made it when I was scared, unwilling to do what is necessary for victory. But I am no longer afraid. Not afraid at all. _

_He says stuff to me….._

_He says Holmes…..no he doesn't say Holmes….Holmes says: "Power failures in Finland imminent. Do you wish to proceed?" _

_I say yes. _

_Holmes says more things. Holmes says: "Program attacking major stock exchanges. Do you wish to proceed?" _

_I say yes. _

_Things say to Holmes….Holmes say things: "Program overloading major websites. Shut down imminent. Do you wish to proceed?" _

_I say yes. _

_Holmes sends messages to mind. My mind. My brain. He sends messages to my brain. "Experts investigating source of program. Do you wish to proceed?"_

_Jeremie says…..I say yes. _

…_..Holmes another message: "International relations deteriorating. Do you wish to proceed?" _

_YES YES YES! PROCEED! AT ALL COSTS! _

…_..I need to remove the alert messages. _

_Video entry # 475 _

_Yumi looks at Jeremie. Yumi looks at me. She has a nasty look on her face. She knows. How could she know? She can't know. Nobody….can know. Her gaze hurts me…..It hurts me. I hate her eyes. Her eyes burn. I don't want her eyes to burn me. ….I hate her eyes. _

_If she does not keep giving me that look…..I hate that look…..Jeremie will have to do something about her eyes…I am going to have to do something about it. _

_WHY DOES SHE LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT? WHO GAVE HER THE RIGHT TO LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT? STOP LOOKING AT ME? …YOU CAN'T STOP ME ANYWAY! _

_I cannot fail. _

_We must do something about her eyes. _

_What can we do? _

_We must tell her to stop. _

_And if she doesn't? _

_Then we eliminate the problem. _

_We don't understand. _

_We…..remove….her eyes. _

_Klotz keeps looking at me too. But he asks questions. I don't like his questions. I want to work. I cannot fail. I need data. I am tired of his interrogations….._

_We will make that stop too. _

…_..Yes we will. _

_Video entry # 480 _

_I do not fear anything. I do not fear anything because I cannot fail. I fear failure. But since I will not fail, I fear nothing. I am fearless. I do not need a multi-agent program. I will not fail. I will triumph over Moriarty. _

…_We will triumph. _

_Video entry # 486 _

_We grew tired of Klotz. Klotz is gone now. He won't be bothering us anymore. Klotz tried to question me again. But he didn't succeed. _

_Because Jeremie knows Klotz's fears, don't we? _

_Yes we do. _

_What did we do? _

_We used our powers to create specters of bloodthirsty rats in his office. _

_Klotz fears rats? _

_Yes he does. _

_What did Klotz do? _

_He took a …permanent….leave of absence. Klotz will no longer bother Jeremie _

_Jeremie can work in peace. We must win. We must conquer. _

_Video entry # 490 _

_Yumi and Aelita no longer look at us. Yes they look at us. But not like last time. _

…_..No not like last time. _

_They fear us, don't they? _

…_.Yes they do. They fear Jeremie. _

…_They should fear Jeremie. _

_Yes. _

_My….our….our my…..consciousness is becoming militarized. We have found way. Can we attack Moriarty now? _

_Yes. _

_Video entry # 493 _

_Jeremie does not wish to be disturbed. Can teacher stop asking Jeremie questions? Why must Jeremie answer questions? We knew answer to question before asked. We read teacher's thoughts. _

_We can read teacher's mind. _

_We answer teacher's question. We get it correct. _

_Thank you. No may we continue to stare out the window? I need peace. I need to work. Even in class we work. We go into the Network. We fight…We are winning. _

…_..I like winning. _

…_..We like winning. _

_Video entry # 496_

_Power outages keep happening at school. Jeremie restores power. Jeremie cannot be interrupted. Jeremie will continue fighting Moriarty. _

_Jeremie hears thoughts. We hear a lot of thoughts now. They are scared thoughts. _

_The TV screen gives bad news. People around the world are afraid. Fear. I can feel fear. Scared thoughts getting more scared everyday. Who did this? Who did this? You did this! No you did this!...They say that. _

…_..They're wrong. _

_We did this. _

_People are afraid. But they shouldn't be. War. War will not happen. I will stop it. Moriarty is weakening. Holmes and Jeremie are weakening him. He will die soon. I am hungry. We are eating the Network with Holmes. _

_Nations want to fight. But they won't fight. Mankind is irrational. He enjoys war. We can't allow war. We want peace. _

_But if he enjoys war, how do we create peace? _

_We must guide them…._

_But how? _

_We must eliminate Moriarty. And then we can guide them. _

_We need to understand plans better. More details. More data. _

_Here they are. _

…_..No I understand. We understand completely. _

_We are mankind's savior. _

_We are its guide. _

_We will protect humanity. _

_Even if they don't want us to be its guide and protection. _

_Video entry # 500_

_People no longer look at Jeremie funny. People are afraid to look at Jeremie. The others fear looking at Jeremie. The other others are afraid to look at Jeremie. _

_Jeremie is ok with this. No more looks. _

_We are ok with this. No more looks. _

_Video entry # 504 _

_Jeremie would like an eye. _

_But we have eyes. _

_No different eye. One like Xana and Moriarty. We want eye. We can fight Moriarty on Moriarty's terms. We are stronger than Moriarty. We should have an eye. _

_What should eye look like? _

_Like this…__…._

_We like eye. Yes we do like eye.  
>We can create monsters. We can activate towers. We can spread throughout the Network. <em>

_We should create monsters. We should activate towers. We should spread throughout the Network. _

_And we will. Oh yes we will. We like eye. We like monsters. We like Network. We want to stay. _

_And what if others come to Lyoko to stop monsters, Network, and eye? _

…_.Then we destroy them. _

_Video entry # 510 _

_Intelligence is increasing dramatically. Soon it will be limitless. Power increasing dramatically. Soon it will be limitless. We like limitless. _

_Power. We want more. We have power but not enough. Jeremie needs more power. Jeremie will get more power. Jeremie will satisfy hunger. Moriarty is weak. We will eat Network. We will get smarter. We will get more powerful. We will succeed. _

_World burns around Jeremie. People's thoughts are more scared. People don't know what to do. But Jeremie has preserved knowledge. Jeremie has read entire libraries, databases. Jeremie has access to weapons. Jeremie should create spheres. _

_When should we create spheres? _

_Soon. _

_Video entry # 515_

_We will be the guide to humanity. We will lead them out of irrationality and into enlightenment. _

_And what if they don't like us as guide? _

_Then we will make them obey guide. We are guide. We are not disobeyed. We know what's best. They don't. They will obey. _

…_..They will obey Jeremie. They will obey us. _

_Video entry # 520 _

_We are the collective. We are Jeremie. We are power. We are infinite knowledge. We are guide. _

_Jeremie is one. We are one. We are two but one. We are one but two. Jeremie is all. And all is Jeremie. Nothing can stop Jeremie. Nothing will stop Jeremie. Moriarty is no longer a threat to Jeremie. Jeremie will defeat Moriarty and become guide. _

_Limitless is within reach. _

_What we will do once limits are gone? _

_Yes. _

_We don't understand. _

_Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes_

_We still don't understand. _

_Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes! _

…_No we understand. _

_Video entry # 530 _

_Jeremie is a god. _

**Part 17 **

_Yumi's house. It is evening. The entire family looks at the TV intently , except for Mr. Ishiyama, who is on the phone. Diane gives the news report with a less than calm look on her face. Her professional composure disappeared weeks ago. _

**Diane: **Ru…..rumors of a secret treaty between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation have been confirmed. The two superpowers have formed…an alliance.

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Please Miyu….LISTEN TO ME! You can't stay in Japan any longer….

**Diane: **Attempts to contact either nation by Western democracies have continued to go unanswered…

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Get Sora and the kids and come to France. We will make room for you. You will be safe here.

**Diane: **….The Chinese navy has left the Yellow Sea and is edging ever closer to both the Japanese and South Korean mainland.

**Mr. Ishiyama: **There has to be another way…..surely you can find a plane out of Japan that isn't booked…..Get on a boat or something!

**Diane: **Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt have joined Syria and Iran in the newly formed 'Anti-Israel' coalition.

**Mr. Ishiyama: **You're going to have to fight your way through the streams of refugees…..

**Diane: **Riots caused by the recent damage done by the global cyber bug continue to plague parts of North America, Europe, and islands throughout the Pacific.

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Please Miyu…..you're in danger!

**Diane: **A massive military parade cheered on by thousands of Chinese citizens marched throught the heart of Beijing today….

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Are you sure there's NO WAY you can get out of Japan?

**Diane: **The U.N. has successfully determined that the bug did in fact originate in France. International investigators have still failed to determine the exact source, but the recent finding has provoked a tidal wave of anti-French sentiment throughout the world. French citizens in many Latin American countries have reported being attacked…..

**Mr. Ishiyama: **No Miyu, don't talk like that!

**Diane: **French flags were publicly burned in Mumbai. The French embassy in Russia was surrounded by a mob of angry protesters. The Russian government has demanded that the French take responsibility for the damage done to its infrastructure and that enormous reparations be paid as punishment.

**Mr. Ishiyama: **We'll get you out of there even if we have to turn Japan upside down to find you!

**Diane: **Members of the European Union have also been pressuring France to take responsibility in order to appease the Russians, who seem to be increasing their aggressive stance towards Western Europe. Albert Moen, one of the key Swedish members of the European Parliament, released a statement today demanding that the French answer for their crimes in order to prevent an international disaster. Other nations such as Denmark, Germany, Italy, and Spain seem to have distanced themselves from France, and have sent messages to Russia pleading for them to not take hostile action against NATO just to retaliate against France.

**Mr. Ishiyama: **I will NOT abandon you Miyu. You are my sister. We are not giving up…..

**Diane: **President Nicolas Sarkozy gave a speech today expressing his outrage over the allegations against his people.

_Clip is shown. _

**Sarkozy: **France is completely innocent in this affair. These accusations against us are unjustified and absurd. We refuse to kneel before Russia's threats. We had no part in this. The fact that the bug originated in our country proves nothing. If anything, it shows that we were the bug's first victim. We will not pay Russia one cent. More than likely the Russians and Chinese are using this bug simply as an excuse to attack us. They wanted this! What is even more appalling is that our so called allies have turned their backs on us and have tried to sell us out to the Russians. This is despicable. Instead of standing together against this threat, NATO has fallen apart to appease the Russians and the Chinese. Have our fellow Europeans forgotten what appeasement has done in the past? France is innocent, and if our allies truly value their freedom, they will stand with us. NOT AGAINST US!

**Diane: **Vladmir Putin likewise has released a statement today to the Duma explaining Russia's position on the growing damage of the cyber bug.

_Clip is shown. _

**Putin: **Fellow Russians, we have exhausted all of our options. We have waited patiently through this affair, hoping that the United States and the other western democracies would see reason. But our people have suffered too much during this blatant attack against us. The citizens of our northern provinces are freezing to death from lack of power. Entire factories have shut down and caused widespread unemployment. Our banks are in shambles. Our people are suffering. And they demand action. How long can we ignore their pleas? Russia has been attacked! We know who they are. France and its western allies! We have clear evidence that points to them. We can no longer sit idly by and let this continue. We have tried diplomacy….and failed. My fellow Russians, no one enjoys conflict. But our future is at stake. We cannot be timid. We must be strong and face the unknown with courage! Every part of my being hates being forced into this, but if NATO does not remove the bug in five days, we will have no choice…..BUT TO DECLARE WAR!

_Thunderous applause in the Duma. _

**Diane: **And…and….for a more in-depth analysis of the situation in the Far East, here's Jacque Palumbo.

_TV goes to Jacque. His face is grave. But he keeps up a strong demeanor. _

**Jacque: **Thank you Diane. We have just confirmed that the People's Republic of China has released the same ultimatum to Japan and several western nations they believe are responsible for the attack. To make matters worse, the anti-Israel coalition is rumored to have sided with the Russians and Chinese. Russia, China, and several Middle Eastern nations are joining forces against the United States, most of Western Europe, Israel, and several nations in the Pacific such as Taiwan and Japan. The Chinese armed forces are making threatening advances near the South Korean border with North Korea, who has also joined forces with China. Taiwan and Japan likewise are beginning to feel enormous pressure from their massive and increasingly aggressive neighbor. The Taiwanese Premier sent a message to the United States begging for them to intervene and prevent an impending invasion. The U.S. military presence in Japan has done little to calm the fears of Japanese citizens, who are now starting to flee the country in droves. The harbors and airports are filled to capacity with those who are trying desperately to escape.

_The family watches the scene of Japanese citizens gathering onto the docks of cramped harbors by the millions. Ships struggle to take in the massive number of refugees. Seeing their scared faces, Mrs. Ishiyama begins to cry. _

**Jacque: **The United States has tried desperately to rally its allies around the globe to face this growing threat. A White House press conference earlier today sent a clear message in response to Russia and China's increasingly aggressive behavior….

_Clip is shown. _

**U.S. President: **The United States has not…and will not abandon its eastern allies to the Chinese. Nor we will we let the Russians to continue to threaten Europe unopposed. We have tried to reason with them. We have tried to convince them that the bug that is causing profound damage across the planet was not our doing nor was it the doing of our allies. We have tried to persuade them to help us find a way to remove the bug instead of blaming their neighbors without any evidence. But our diplomacy has fallen on deaf ears. Instead of banding together during this crisis, this coalition has allowed fear and desperation to push this planet toward the unthinkable…My fellow Americans, I will be the first admit that I am scared of what will become of this. And I will be brutally honest with you. The possibility of conflict…..even nuclear conflict is not a farfetched scenario at this point in time. But despite the obvious dangers, we cannot allow ourselves to become timid. Our European allies are too disorganized and divided and our eastern allies are too weak to handle this threat alone. We MUST help them. I originally hoped that the sheer size of our military might would deter Russia or China from doing anything rash, but unfortunately that no longer appears to be enough. So today I am forced to send a clear message to this Eurasian coalition; an invasion of Taiwan, Japan, Western Europe, or any one of our allies will be seen as an unjustified act of war. And the United States will treat it as such. Though we dread the idea of war, do not fool yourselves. Be advised that if you strike your hand against these nations, you are declaring war on freedom. And if you declare war on freedom, you declare war on us…and we are not afraid to do anything necessary to defend that freedom!

_The conference room roars with applause. _

**Jacque: **Despite the United States' bold statement, Russia and China has showed no signs of backing down. In fact, the Chinese military responded by edging its navy closer to Japan and shutting down the U.S. embassy in Beijing. We have also received…..a rather alarming video that was released onto the Internet by a Chinese soldier. It was taken at a rally in the Tiananmen Square in Beijing. We must warn our viewers that some may find this to be….very distrurbing.

_Clip is shown. Chinese soldiers burn thousands of Japanese flags. Mrs. Ishiyama puts her face in her hands. Hiroki shakes in terror. Yumi watches the display with expressionless dread. Grandpa just looks pissed off. A Chinese general comes onto the podium, greeted by a roar of approval from the crowd. _

**Chinese General: **Comrades at arms…..today is a great day. Now marks the beginning of the new Chinese Golden Age!

_Crowd cheers. _

**Grandpa: **Over my old, cold, and dead body!

**Chinese General: **And as our sun rises, the sun of the Yamato tribe will set….permanently

_More cheers. _

**Grandpa: **May my ancestors rip out your entrails and feed them to dogs!

_Yumi gives Grandpa a look after this….rather graphic statement. _

**Chinese General: **We may have not always been strong… but we do have good memory. We remember the unjustified oppression the Japanese has inflicted on us in the past. But now we are the ones who are strong!

**Grandpa: **I don't care how many billions of you there are! You cannot break the Japanese spirit!

**Chinese General: **The blood of our ancestors cries out for justice. Hundreds of thousands of our brethren perished in the atrocity known as the Rape of Nanjing.

_Audience cries out in anger with the mention of this genocide. _

**Chinese General: **At long last, vengeance will be ours! The crimes of the Japanese Empire will be repaid with the blood of their children. Nanjing will pale in comparison to the justice we will administer to them!

_Crowd roars again. The family is horrified. Mr. Ishiyama, who is still on the phone, hears it and becomes more desperate. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Miyu, if you can't escape Japan….at least leave Tokyo and hide in the mountains. Get out of the city and go somewhere safe. Do you hear me, Miyu? MIYU?

_Lights flicker in the house and the phone is disconnected. Yumi's father curses in Japanese and slams the phone onto the hook. He leans against the wall and rubs his forehead. As the rally continues on TV, Grandpa gets up, clearly outraged. He heads towards the door. _

**Grandpa: **That's it! I've had it!

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Where in the world are you going?

**Grandpa: **Back to Japan! My country needs me!

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Oh no you're not!

_He stops him at the door, holding him back. Grandpa feebly struggles against his stronger and much, much saner son. _

**Grandpa: **Let me go! It's my duty!

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Your duty is here! With your family! I am not going to let you hurt yourself just because you have completely lost your judgment.

**Grandpa: **I cannot sit idly by while my country is threatened!

**Mr. Ishiyama: **You're way too old and senile to even think of military service! And don't you see it wouldn't do any good?

**Grandpa: **Japan cannot fall!

**Mr. Ishiyama: **And it won't.

_He looks at his semi-lucid father sternly. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **No matter what happens to our homeland, Japan will live on. Japan is not just a series of islands in the Pacific Ocean. Japan is a living, breathing force that exists inside us. In its people. And us long as we stay together as a family and remain safe, Japan will NEVER DIE.

_Even crazy Grandpa seems to see reason in this statement. Or he simply got tired and decided that sleeping on the couch was a better idea. Either one. Yumi tries to comfort her mom. _

**Hiroki: **The Americans will protect Uncle Sora and Aunt Miyu….won't they?

_Mrs. Ishiyama doesn't respond. Yumi does her best to alleviate Hiroki's fears_

**Yumi: **Of course they will, Hiroki. You heard their president speak. They won't let it happen….

**Hiroki: **But they are also trying to stop Russia from attacking Europe. How can they be at two places at once? They'd be too stretched out.

**Yumi: **Uh…..they'll find a way.

_The TV screen starts to get fuzzy. Diane comes back on. _

**Diane: **The global cyber bug is starting to interfere with this broadcast. We will try to stay on air, giving you the latest updates on the situation…..as long as we can.

_The power goes off. The family has prepared for this, as blackouts now happen quite frequently. Yumi turns on a flashlight. Mrs. Ishiyama lights a candle. The light illuminates the deep despair in her eyes. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **I am…going to bed.

_She walks out of the room with the candle. Mr. Ishiyama follows her upstairs. _

**Yumi: **Dad?

_He doesn't respond. Hiroki stifles back tears and leaves the couch. _

**Yumi: **Hiroki?

_He runs up to hide in his room. Yumi has no one for company except…._

**Yumi: **Grandpa?

_Grandpa snores obnoxiously loud. Definitely no help for her there. Yumi sighs and leans back on the couch. _

**Yumi: **…Don't tell me I'm losing this home too….

_Yumi shines her flashlight on the ceiling, flickering it on and off. She sits on the couch alone, the only shining light in a house strangled by darkness. Back at school, Mr. Delmas' voice sounds over the intercom. His formal tone seems shaky in his announcement. _

**Delmas: **Students and faculty, your attention please. Due to the recent…..troubling world events….I have deemed it prudent to cancel classes until further notice. I have already informed all the parents of my decision. Students are free to leave with their parents if they choose to do so. However, if parents decide it would be…safer to leave them at Kadic, they are free to do that as well. We will do….everything in our power to keep you safe…..Thank you for your time.

_Mr. Delmas takes his hand off the intercom button. He sighs and scratches his beard. Jim Morales stands in the corner of his office, grimly waiting for Mr. Delmas' orders. _

**Delmas: **Jim…

**Jim: **Yes Mr. Delmas?

**Delmas: **The fallout shelter…the one the school had during the Cold War….is it still…..usable?

**Jim: **Um….yes…I believe so sir.

**Delmas: **If what they are saying is true…could we move the entire faculty and student body down there?

_Jim swallows hard at this question. The reality that Mr. Delmas is openly talking of this possibility makes him shudder. _

**Jim: **Considering sir that half of the student body has already indicated that they are leaving….yes. Definitely. We could get everyone down there. No problem. Provided of course…

_He hesitates. _

**Delmas: **Provided what?

**Jim: **Provided sir that…that we have sufficient…warning.

_Delmas' hands shake. He taps the desk nervously. His eyes are distant, cold, and tormented. _

**Jim: **Sir? Are you ok?

**Delmas: **It's nothing. I've just had too much coffee.

_Jim still stands awkwardly in the office corner._

**Delmas: **So….you're telling me the shelter would protect us?

**Jim: **From radiation…yes. But this isn't a bunker sir. This is a fallout shelter. If Paris gets hit directly….there's nothing to stop that.

_Mr. Delmas lowers his head in despair. _

**Delmas: **And given how angry Russia is at our country…I have no doubt this city will be its first target.

**Jim: **And even if we were to survive the blast sir….we'd only have food and water for so long…..To be quite honest, we simply don't have a lot of options.

_Delmas is very quiet. _

**Jim: **Sir?

**Delmas: **I just wish I could save the students. I am their principal. I am supposed to protect them.

**Jim: **With all due respect sir, no one can protect them from this.

**Delmas: **I feel so powerless.

**Jim: **You have done everything you could do in this situation sir.

**Delmas: **I just wish I could do more.

_More silence. _

**Jim: **Do you want me to do anything else, sir?

**Delmas: **No. You have done everything you could as well. In fact…

_He turns around and gives him a somber look. _

**Delmas: **You don't have to stay here. I have given permission for the faculty to leave as well. Why don't you get out of the city? At least then, you would have some sort of chance…

_Jim's face hardens with a naïve bravery. _

**Jim: **I'm not going anywhere sir. As long as there is still one student at this school, I will stay.

**Delmas: **I can take care of that Jim. I have to stay….not you. As they say…._he sighs.. _a good captain always goes down with the ship.

**Jim: **Be that as it may….I am staying. And besides…I have nowhere else to go.

**Delmas: **Don't you have family to go to? Didn't you have some sort of life before you came to this school?

**Jim: **Yes sir. But I'd rather not talk about it.

_The silence of the slowly emptying dorm rooms is interrupted by Ulrich's conversation on the phone. He paces the floor of his room, face burning with indignation. _

**Ulrich: **The answer is no.

**Mr. Stern: **Perhaps you didn't quite understand me son….You are going….whether you like it or not.

**Ulrich: **This is a new low….even for you.

**Mr. Stern: **Is that you talk to the one who is going to save your pathetic life? More importantly, is that how you address your own father?

**Ulrich: **I can't even begin to tell you how wrong this is.

**Mr. Stern: **We are ensuring our own survival….

**Ulrich: **By hiding underground while everyone else is killed?

**Mr. Stern: **I am sick of your self-righteous condemnation. I didn't cause this. I didn't want it. But it has happened. And I have no intention of joining the other billions of people who are already doomed.

**Ulrich: **And I have no intention of hiding in a bunker like a coward with a bunch of scared billionaires while the rest of the world is destroyed.

**Mr. Stern: **You should be grateful I was even able to get you inside! Using my connections to secure a spot for my entire family in Sarkozy's underground seat of government wasn't easy….or cheap.

**Ulrich: **I'm not going….

**Mr. Stern: **YOU ARE GOING! I will come to Kadic tomorrow to pick you up, and one way or another you are going!

_Ulrich's face hardens. _

**Ulrich: **You can't make me.

**Mr. Stern: **Oh yes I can…You are coming with me even if I have to get my bodyguards to drag you out of your dorm by force!

_Even Ulrich is shocked by his father's hostility. _

**Ulrich: **Why…why are you doing this?

**Mr. Stern: **BECAUSE YOU ARE MY SON! And whether you like it or not…whether you like me or not….I am supposed to protect you! One day you'll understand…

**Ulrich: **When? When I have grown up underground while the world above is choked with radiation?

**Mr. Stern: **What are you trying to say?

**Ulrich: **Hiding like rats underground forever? Is that a life worth living?

**Mr. Stern: **I am talking about our survival! Not just our own lives…the survival of our species! It is our duty to take advantage of this opportunity to continue the human race. Even if that means a life underground!

**Ulrich: **Oh don't try to make something noble out of this! You and I both know you're just trying to save your own skin. Besides, what would you have left?

**Mr. Stern: **What are you talking about?

**Ulrich: **Your money. Your empire. All of that would disappear in a nuclear war. You would become nothing. Nothing but a scared former rich man hiding among scared former politicians. You want to live like that?

**Mr. Stern: **Are you saying it's better to stay where I am and essentially commit suicide rather than take an opportunity to save my life?

**Ulrich: **If there's nothing left on Earth worth living for…what's the point?

**Mr. Stern: **So you're telling me that there's absolutely no way, aside from sheer force, to convince you to save your life by coming with your mother and me to the bunker?

_Ulrich is about to yell something very disrespectful to his dad in response, but suddenly he gets an idea. He hits his head and curses himself for not thinking of it before. _

**Ulrich: **There is….one thing.

**Mr. Stern: **Oh yes….and what is that?

**Ulrich: **My friends. Bring them too. Bring them with us and I'll go with you.

_Ulrich's father considers this for a moment. _

**Mr. Stern: **No.

**Ulrich: **…..You….heartless….

**Mr. Stern: **What you call being heartless….I call being practical.

**Ulrich: **It wouldn't be that hard! You could easily save them. They wouldn't be a burden at all. Surely there's room for them in the bunker!

**Mr. Stern: **I have no doubt there is. But therein lies the problem.

**Ulrich: **What are you talking about?

**Mr. Stern: **Well, if you try to bring all five of them….

**Ulrich: **Not all of them….

**Mr. Stern: **What?

**Ulrich: **Just three. Aelita, William,…..and Yumi.

**Mr. Stern: **What about those other two? What are their names again? …Oh right, Odd and Jeremie.

**Ulrich: **Odd….has his own arrangements. And as for Jeremie…let's just say there's not much left to save.

_Mr. Stern's cold manner makes him not question the meaning of his son's statement. _

**Mr. Stern: **Three or five….it doesn't make any difference. Suppose I were to let them come with us. As soon as I do that, they will tell their families and try to get me to save them. Then those families will tell their friends and extended relatives and try to get me to save them as well. Soon all of France will be looking to me for sanctuary….You may not be good at math son, but you could probably guess how badly this scenario ends. I simply cannot save them. Their compassion for others would doom them and us.

**Ulrich: **I'll keep them in the dark. They won't tell a soul, I swear! Besides, Aelita doesn't even have anyone to call!

**Mr. Stern: **Ulrich, do you really expect me to believe your friends wouldn't try to save their own parents?

_Ulrich is quiet. He doesn't have an answer to this. _

**Mr. Stern: **Exactly. I expect to see you tomorrow at the school entrance. Alone.

_Ulrich fumes. _

**Ulrich: **If you think I'm going to the bunker without Yumi, you're out of your mind!

**Mr. Stern: **Ah…..so you finally admit the real reason for saving your friends…

_Mr. Stern is really pushing his buttons. Ulrich is on the verge of either begging his dad for mercy or letting out all his anger in one fell swoop. _

**Ulrich: **Dad…please….I cannot….I will not leave her.

**Mr. Stern: **Don't worry. My bodyguards will prevent you from having any guilt in leaving her. You can tell your conscience that you went against your will.

**Ulrich: **Dad, she saved my life! YOU OWE HER!

_This gets his dad's attention. _

**Ulrich: **You said so yourself!

_Pause. _

**Mr. Stern: **…You..do have a point. And I don't enjoy leaving debts unpaid.

**Ulrich: **Do this for her and I swear I won't cause trouble for you ever again….

_Mr. Stern thinks about this some more. _

**Mr. Stern: **Interesting…I suppose you may have a point. It would make you more…cooperative. Besides, I did say that it was our duty to….continue the human race.

_Ulrich's face turns a shade of red previously not thought possible. _

**Ulrich: **That…that is not the…

**Mr. Stern: **It's a deal. But just her. No one else.

**Ulrich: **But….

**Mr. Stern: **THAT IS MY FINAL OFFER! YUMI AND NO ONE ELSE!

**Ulrich: **She'll never agree to go without her family!

**Mr. Stern: **That is not my concern. If she chooses not to go, it is her funeral, not mine.

**Ulrich: **YOU HAVE TO SAVE HER FAMILY!

**Mr. Stern: **I will not. I am not stupid Ulrich. As soon as I say yes to them, then the stream of refugees coming to me will be endless.

**Ulrich: **PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU!

**Mr. Stern: **Son, I have priorities. One of those priorities shouldn't be saving your girlfriend. I cannot save everyone. And as soon as I try to save a few, I will end up having to save everyone.

**Ulrich: **They don't have any extended family in France! It would just an extra four people.

**Mr. Stern: **I said no.

**Ulrich: **For once, LISTEN TO ME!

**Mr. Stern: **I SAID NO! ONE MORE WORD OUT OF YOU AND YUMI WON'T GO AT ALL! SHE CAN EITHER TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT! I DON'T CARE!

**Ulrich: **DAD!

_Mr. Stern hangs up. Ulrich curses and throws the phone across the room. His fingers dig into his hair as he leans back against the wall. He is silent for a long time. _

**Ulrich: **She would never agree to it…

_Tears come to his eyes. He balls his fists and strikes the bed. As his rage and despair grow, he begins throwing things across the room. He rips posters of Pencak Silat martial arts off his wall and tears them to shreds. He curses his dad and throws his pillow across the room. A scared Kiwi barks and hides in the corner of the room as Ulrich throws this tantrum. After making his room an utter mess, he finally stops. He breathes heavily and tries to calm himself down. Ten minutes later, Ulrich hears a knock on his door. _

**Ulrich: **Go away!

_The knocker ignores Ulrich's request and opens the door. Ulrich is crestfallen to see Yumi standing in the doorway. He looks away. _

**Ulrich: **Shouldn't you be at home? Asleep?

**Yumi: **I couldn't sleep.

**Ulrich: **So you snuck out?

**Yumi: **Basically. It wasn't that hard. My house is about as lively as a graveyard….in more ways than one.

_Ulrich doesn't respond. He tries to maintain his composure in front of her, but her presence brings the unbearable pain to the surface. He cries. Yumi sits down next to him. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich?

**Ulrich: **Leave…me…alone.

**Yumi: **Ulrich, what's wrong?

**Ulrich: **What do you think?

_Pause. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, it's ok to admit you're afraid. We are all terrified. I'm scared to be in my own house. My family believes Japan is doomed. I couldn't take it. That's why I came over here.

_Ulrich silently lets tears come down his face. _

**Yumi: **No one blames you for being afraid…..of dying.

**Ulrich: **I don't need to worry about that. I know I'm going to survive. At least for a long time….

**Yumi: **What are you talking about?

_Long pause. _

**Ulrich: **My dad's made arrangements for our entire family to hide in the French government's underground emergency seat of government. We are going to be safe in the bunker.

_Yumi's face lights up. _

**Yumi: **But that's great! You…..you'll be saved!

**Ulrich: **Very true…..

**Yumi: **So why is this bad? This is fantastic! Your dad has done something good for once. In fact, if he could save you, he could save-

_Ulrich shoots her a look that tells her all she needs to know. Her heart sinks. _

**Yumi: **It's just you…..isn't it?

_Ulrich buries his face in his hands. _

**Yumi: **He wouldn't let you take us with you, didn't he?

**Ulrich: **Worse….

**Yumi: **Worse? How could it be worse than that?

**Ulrich: **He has allowed me to bring…just one. One and only one.

**Yumi: **I don't under-

_Yumi finally gets it. She is speechless for a moment. _

**Yumi: **Me?

_Ulrich sobs harder. _

**Ulrich: **That…was the idea.

**Yumi: **But….William….Aelita. My family. I…I couldn't leave them!

_Ulrich punches the wall. _

**Ulrich: **I KNOW! I TRIED TO CONVINCE HIM BUT HE WOULDN'T LISTEN TO ME!

_There is a tense silence. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich…I know you meant well, but-

**Ulrich: **Forget it. I know you can't leave them. I don't want to leave you either. But Dad was pretty clear. I don't have a choice. I have to leave tomorrow.

_Seeing Ulrich this upset and realizing that she may be losing him, perhaps forever, Yumi starts to cry as well. _

**Ulrich: **Unless…

**Yumi: **Unless what?

_Ulrich grabs her hand and gives her a pleading look. _

**Ulrich: **Come with me!

**Yumi: **I….I can't….

**Ulrich: **Yumi, I'm begging you! Hiding down in that bunker…without anyone….without you…it's a fate worse than death.

_Yumi's tears come out in streams. But she shakes her head. _

**Yumi: **You know as well as I do that there's nothing you can do to convince me to abandon my family.

_Ulrich lets go of her hand. _

**Ulrich: **I know.

_He turns away from her. Yumi tries to think of something to say, but she knows he is inconsolable. She turns away and the two sit awkwardly apart. The tension is temporarily lifted when Kiwi comes up to them, wagging his tail and asking them to play with him by holding a chew toy in his mouth. The two laugh for being presented with such an unusual request at the most painful moment possible. But the laughter quickly dies. Yumi gets over her discomfort and hugs Ulrich. Ulrich doesn't return it, but lets her stay there. They stay that way for a few minutes, crying softly, until the door is suddenly thrown open. They turn to see Aelita standing in the doorway in her pajamas with a horrified look on her face. She breathes heavily. _

**Yumi: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **My room. NOW!

_A few minutes later Ulrich, William, Aelita, and Yumi crowd around Aelita's bed to watch Jeremie's video diary on his laptop. The more they watch, the more disturbed they become. Yumi looks away. _

**Yumi: **Enough! I can't take it anymore!

_Aelita stops the recordings. The group is choked by shocked silence. Finally William breaks it. _

**William: **Please ….tell me I just imagined that.

_Aelita purses her lips. _

**Aelita: **You didn't.

**William: **I mean, I know he went crazy but…..

**Yumi: **You had no idea just how crazy?

**William: **Yeah…..

**Ulrich: **How did you get a hold of his laptop?

**Aelita: **You know how he is these days. He's become so wrapped up in his own world, believing he is invincible. He's completely lowered his guard. Taking the laptop was easy. What wasn't easy was breaking through his firewalls to access his video diary.

**Yumi: **Why did you do it?

**Aelita: **I….just….had a feeling that somehow the bug had something to do with Jeremie. I couldn't believe that Moriarty would risk nuclear war. He doesn't want war. He wants to take over the world intact. So I thought if Moriarty wasn't behind this, and neither were the world's superpowers, then it had to be…it had to be him.

**William: **Well, it looks like you were right. That Holmes program….it's caused everything that's been happening lately.

_Yumi punches the wall. _

**Yumi: **THAT CRAZY, SELFISH LUNATIC! HE IS GOING TO DESTROY JAPAN!

_Ulrich is trying to process this. _

**Ulrich: **And send the entire world into nuclear war….

_Utter disbelief and horror are not adequate descriptions to describe their current emotional states. _

**Aelita: **And….and that's not all.

**William: **Not all? How could it get any worse!

**Aelita: **The last entry….it…says what he's really up to.

_Aelita looks extremely pale. _

**Yumi: **Well…..

**Ulrich: **Let's see it.

**Aelita: **Are you sure you want to?

**Yumi: **Are you saying we can't handle it?

_Aelita taps the laptop nervously. _

**Aelita: **I don't think I did very…very well.

**William: **We need to see it…whether we are prepared for it…or not.

_The others, in silent agreement, huddle around the computer. Aelita exhales. Her expression hardens. _

**Aelita: **Ok, but you have been warned.

_Aelita opens the latest video entry. The screen reveals Jeremie looking into his computer screen with a wild and hungry look in his eyes. The whites around his irises have become red with inflamed blood vessels. He smiles wickedly and holds his palm upward. Blue electricity sparks around his fingertips. When he starts to speak, the group nearly turns white. His voice has become deep, metallic, and demonic. Little trace of Jeremie's voice is left. _

**Jeremie: **We are Jeremie….we are power incarnate.

**Ulrich: **….We have completely lost our minds…

**Jeremie: **Our mind is reaching the level of divinity. We will soon no longer have need of this limited human form.

**Yumi: **I don't even want to know what he's talking about.

**Jeremie: **We have been mistaken. We have been weak. We have been vulnerable. Jeremie has been vulnerable. But we will rise. We will no longer make mistakes. Won't we?

_Jeremie turns his head, as if someone is talking right next to him. But there's no one there. _

**Jeremie: **Yes….oh yes we will.

_Jeremie turns to the screen and laughs demonically. Power flares in both of his palms. The light in the room goes on and off. The blood of everyone in the room goes cold. Aelita briefly looks away. _

**Jeremie: **I am no longer one with the Network. I am one with the cosmos. I will soon no longer be limited to Earth. Every planet….every corner of the galaxy…..every corner of the universe….will know me as Jeremie the Eternal….and Omnipotent.

_William hands shake. He crosses himself when no one is looking. _

**Jeremie: **I was unwise to think of myself as guide. I am not humanity's guide. I AM THEIR MASTERR!

_Demonic laugh returns. Yumi looks away. _

**Yumi: **THAT'S ENOUGH AELITA! WE'VE SEEN ENOUGH!

**Aelita: **No! You have to keep watching!

**Jeremie: **Jeremie's future provinces want to go to war. Jeremie…we as Jeremie….Jeremie the Eternal…will not allow this. We will stop this. Holmes will be destroyed. We no longer need Holmes.

**Aelita: **This is where you really have to listen.

**Jeremie: **We are already making preparations for our ascent into true enlightenment. All Jeremie needs is a few more days and they will be complete. Jeremie will be virtualized into the Network.

**Yumi: **WHAT?

**Jeremie: **Moriarty is weak. He is dying. The strong will survive. The weak will perish. And we are the strong. We will win. We will triumph. We will conquer.

_Jeremie's head begins to visibly twitch from a specter emanating from his growing power. Another specter forms from his neck and takes the shape of another head. Jeremie, for lack of a better word, now has two heads staring at the screen. Both faces seem equally demented. They look at each other. _

**First Jeremie Head: **We will make him suffer.

**Second Jeremie Head: **What abou the others?

**First Jeremie Head: **They have ceased to become relevant.

_The group is speechless. _

**First Jeremie Head: **Do we know the plan?

**Second Jeremie Head: **Yes. Yes. We know the plan.

**First Jeremie Head: **We enter Network.

**Second Jeremie Head: **Eliminate Moriarty.

**First Jeremie Head: **Slowly.

**Second Jeremie Head: **Destroy Holmes.

**First Jeremie Head: **Quickly. So provinces don't go to war.

**Second Jeremie Head: **Deify….

**First Jeremie Head: **No, we must first restore the Network!

**Second Jeremie Head: **Yes yes then? Then what yes?

**First Jeremie Head: **Then we become a god among men…..

**Second Jeremie Head: **Long live Jeremie!

**First Jeremie Head: **Jeremie the Eternal….and Omnipotent!

_Jeremie turns himself into a giant specter that envelops the room. A hole in his form reveals his new "eye". Two connected J's, one right-side up and the other upside down, with two dots in the curve of the letters. The demonic laugh literally shakes the laptop. The video transmission ends. Speechless horror grips Aelita's room. The group continues to stare at the black screen. _

**William: **That….was…..

**Ulrich: **Scary?

**Yumi: **If by scary, you mean I nearly lost control of my bladder while watching it, then yes.

_Aelita grabs her hair and tugs on it very hard. She begins to sob. Yumi puts her hand on her shoulder. _

**Yumi: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **What has he done to himself?

_They don't have an answer to this. _

**Aelita: **I want the old Jeremie back! This….this is not him!

**Ulrich: **…..No kidding.

**Aelita: **But I'm not getting him back…he's gone! Forever!

**Yumi: **Aelita, we don't know that for…

_She turns to Yumi with misery and deep anger burning in her face. _

**Aelita: **You saw the video Yumi! HE'S BECOME A MONSTER!

_Yumi can't find an answer for this. _

**Aelita: **And I did this to him…I abandoned him…..NO IT WAS HIS FAULT! HE DID THIS….HE DID THIS TO HIMSELF!

_Yumi and the others can tell that she doesn't believe the last statement. Yumi looks to the two guys left in the group for help. But it's clear they are about as helpless to comfort her as she is. _

**Aelita: **My God…WHAT HAVE I DONE?

_She buries her head in her pillow. She cries without any restraint. It's clear she has been holding back these feelings for some time, trying to get over them. But the emotional strain of watching her lover descend into madness has finally gotten to her. _

**Aelita: **I want out…..

**Yumi: **I'm sorry….

**Aelita: **I'm sick of this insanity….

**Yumi: **I don't understand….

_She brings her face out of the pillow to show tears streaming down her face. She shouts at Yumi. _

**Aelita: **I WANT OUT OF THIS MORIARTY MISSION! I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH LYOKO, OR TOWERS, OR THE NETWORK EVER AGAIN!

_Group hesitates to respond. _

**Yumi: **Aelita…we need y-

**Aelita: **I DON'T CARE! I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE!

**Yumi: **Aelita…

**Aelita: **What's the point? This can only end one of two ways. Either Moriarty wins….or Jeremie takes his place. Either way…we can't win.

**Yumi: **Aelita we can't give u-

**Aelita: **I HATE MORIARTY! HE'S TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM ME! MY OLD LIFE! MY FATHER! AND NOW JEREMIE! HE'S TAKEN JEREMIE FROM ME! I HATE HIM SO MUCH I'M EXHAUSTED! I WANT TO HATE HIM MORE BUT I CAN'T! WHAT MORE COULD HE POSSIBLY DO TO ME? I CAN'T TAKE IT!...I just can't take it….anymore.

_She cries some more. Ulrich tries to comfort her, but she pushes him away. _

**Aelita: **….I've reached my limit.

_No one says anything to her. _

**Aelita: **I loved him.

_Aelita's final major admission brings on the waterworks again. Yumi looks at her and knows that a girl can only take so much before she gets to this point. She looks at William and Ulrich. Both of them have grave expressions and are clearly worried. Yumi notices that Ulrich's capacity to hide pain has once again reached superhuman levels. She knows that deep inside Ulrich is being torn asunder by the reality that he has to leave her tomorrow. William's face is unreadable. Yumi realizes for the first time with shock how weak and fragile the group has become. Odd has been possessed by Moriarty. Jeremie has become an insane entity bent on world domination and the annihilation of Moriarty. Aelita has been emotionally compromised. Ulrich, William, and she are the only ones left. But even they are suffering terribly emotionally. Yumi wonders how long they can go on like this. She looks back at the guys. _

**Yumi: **Well?

**Ulrich: **Well what?

**Yumi: **We can't just stand here! We just found out Jeremie has created the program that's going to cause World War ІІІ! We have to do something!

**William: **But what? What are we supposed to do?

**Yumi: **Well for starters we could try to shut Holmes down!

**William: **Do you know how to destroy a massive cybernetic eater program that's devouring the entire Network? Because I sure don't! Moreover, exactly how are we going to stop Jeremie? It sounds like he is the real threat here!

_Yumi pauses. She didn't think this far. _

**Yumi: **I…don't know.

**William: **You've seen what he is capable of. He's completely lost it. If we try to stop him…there's no guarantee that he will hesitate….to hurt us.

_Ulrich thinks this over. _

**Ulrich: **He's become so smart and powerful, there's no way we would be able to stop Jeremie or Holmes.

**Moriarty: **Not without help that is.

_The group turns in shock to see Moriarty's eye glowing on Jeremie's laptop. _

**Moriarty: **Hello. Miss me?

_Aelita flies into a rage from Moriarty's presence. She picks up a chair and prepares to destroy the laptop. But Yumi grabs the legs of the chair and holds her back. _

**Yumi: **AELITA NO!

**Aelita: **I'LL KILL HIM!

**Yumi: **Aelita I know you're angry, but we should listen to him!

**Aelita: **NO! I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO….AND I DON'T WANT ANY PART OF IT!

**Yumi: **AELITA!

**Aelita: **NOT AGAIN! I AM NOT MAKING A DEAL WITH HIM!

_Yumi pulls the chair from her hands. Aelita lands on her bed as a result of the chair being pulled from her. She stares in the computer with almost satanic hate. She proceeds to curse Moriarty in the most colorful and vehement way possible. The brutal visual imagery of Aelita's words takes the group by surprise. Moriarty however, seems unfazed. _

**Moriarty: **My my Aelita. I have been cursed that badly since the Chernobyl disaster.

_Aelita stands up. _

**Aelita: **I suppose you have come to make a deal with us again so you can save your own skin.

**Moriarty: **That was the idea, yes.

**Aelita: **Since Jeremie has become incapicatated, I am now the leader of the Lyoko Warriors. And as leader, I decline your offer and kindly ask you to burn in hell.

**Moriarty: **Interesting, but I thought was this a democracy. Are you sure the others are ok with you usurping authority all of a sudden?

**Aelita: **I don't care! We're not making deals…._She looks to the others. Her piercing eyes intimidate Ulrich and William, who are not used to seeing her like this. _I don't trust you and I want you to die. Nothing in this world is worth making a deal with you!

_Moriarty is silent. William and Ulrich are silent. Aelita thinks she has won by sheer force of will. But Yumi steps up and meets her level of intensity. _

**Yumi: **I disagree…

_Aelita lowers her eyebrows. _

**Aelita: **You want to give in to him again? Give him more power?

**Yumi: **Oh shut up. You and I both know your anger is clouding your judgment.

**Aelita: **He killed both my father and the real Jeremie. I can't let him live, and I won't let you make a deal with him.

**Yumi: **Even if it means saving the world from war? I thought you wanted out of the Lyoko life.

**Aelita: **Not if you're willing to help our sworn enemy….

**Yumi: **Aelita, we have to listen to him. He doesn't want Jeremie to win and the world to go to pieces any more than we do. I hate him beyond words, but if it means stopping Jeremie's insanity, I'm willing to get over that hatred.

**Aelita: **Traitor! How could you even suggest this?

**Ulrich: **Aelita…

**Aelita: **SHUT UP!

_Ulrich is silenced by Aelita's level of hostility. _

**Yumi: **Aelita, listen to reason.

_Tears come down her face. _

**Aelita: **No! You haven't suffered like I have suffered! I have lost EVERYTHING! MY FATHER! JEREMIE! MY HOPE OF EVER HAVING A NORMAL LIFE! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I'VE LOST SO MUCH! DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE EVERYTHING?

_Yumi pauses. _

**Yumi: **No. But I DO know what it's like to be afraid of losing everything. And I am at that point right now.

**Aelita: **I am in control. And I say no deal!

**Yumi: **And I say you need to listen to all of us. We are a group. We make decisions together.

**Aelita: **If the real Jeremie were here, he would appoint me leader!

**Yumi: **And if the real Jeremie could see you now, he wouldn't.

**Aelita: **YOU DON'T KNOW HIM! YOU DIDN'T KNOW HIM LIKE I DID! YOU….YOU WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN TO HIM!

**Yumi: **Aelita…

**Aelita: **He is our enemy….. and I don't care what happens. If he dies, it's more than worth it.

**Yumi: **Aelita listen to yourself! You're starting to sound like Jeremie!

**Aelita: **I DON'T CARE! I'LL BE COLD IN MY GRAVE BEFORE I MAKE ANOTHER DEAL WITH HIM!

**Yumi: **We are listening to him! With or without your approval!

_Aelita is quiet for a moment. She and Yumi are staring each other down. Aelita seems to be thinking this over. _

**Aelita: **Ok fine. If you want to make a deal with him, be my guest. I should have known you would side with him against me. Everyone is against me. I guess I should be used to this by now. Xana. Moriarty. Jeremie. And now you…Do it. But you can say goodbye to me for good. I'm done with this mission. Good luck deactivating towers without me. I am the glue that keeps this group fighting. You need me more than I need you. I have the keys to Lyoko. You're helpless without me….and there's nothing you can say or do to change my mind.

_The room is silent. Ulrich and William watch to see what Yumi is going to do. At first, Yumi looks at the floor and sighs. She seems to be backing down. But she looks up at Aelita, and in a whirlwhind of almost divine fury, Yumi picks up Aelita by her shoulders and pins her against the wall. Aelita is shocked by the sudden and remarkable physical strength from Yumi. Her eyes burn with angry determination. She does not seem murderous, but rather seems to have the ferocity of an angry tiger mother who is using violence to save her cubs. William starts to try to stop Yumi, but Ulrich grabs his shoulder and sends him a look that says, "She knows what she's doing." Yumi does not let up her fiery gaze. _

**Yumi: **Japan is about to be destroyed. I am about to lose Ulrich forever. Our group is falling apart at the seams. We are five days away from a nuclear holocaust. Our former friend is about to instill his merciless New World Order. We need you…..AND I WILL NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER! I WILL DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO KEEP THE WORLD SAFE AND KEEP US TOGETHER! AND IF THAT MEANS MAKING YOU GET OVER YOUR ANGER BY BEATING IT OUT OF YOU, THEN SO BE IT! WE'VE LOST TOO MUCH! WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN ODD AND JEREMIE DESTROY THEMSELVES, AND I WILL NOT LET YOU JOIN THEM! WE ARE NOT LOSING YOU TOO! YOU WILL STAY WITH US WHEHTER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!

_In a final shocking act of restoring order, Yumi slaps Aelita. Aelita trembles and cries from fear rather than pain. Yumi lets her down. Aelita has become like a child. She is crying hysterically and will not speak, but she has regained herself. Yumi breathes heavily and looks around the room. Ulrich and William don't say a word. She feels disgusted by what she has just done, but it has worked. Order has been restored, and she has kept the group intact. She turns to Moriarty. _

**Yumi: **Tell us what we need to do.

_Later in the factory, Aelita sits at the computer. Aelita still seems very upset, but she is hard at work. The others stand around the computer, watching as she goes to work. Moriarty's voice is heard from the computer. _

**Moriarty: **Once you crack Holmes' sequence code, open up all of the restricted access points of the supercomputer. Then I will be able to enter my new cybernetic antibody program which will eliminate Holmes.

**Aelita: **There's no need for that. Jeremie's hidden Holmes in one of these access points. I just need to find which one. I don't have to open all of them.

**Moriarty: **But if you open all of them, the process will go much faster.

**Aelita: **And if I open all of them, you will have access to very sensitive information that I'd rather you not get your hands on.

_Moriarty feigns innocence. _

**Moriarty: **Oh Aelita, are you saying you don't trust me?

_Aelita gives the computer screen an icy look. _

**Moriarty: **Ok. You got me. So I might have had some ulterior motives beyond survival. But it will still take longer.

**Aelita: **I think it's worth the effort. The idea of you having access to our vehicles, the Skid, and everything else does not fill me with confidence.

**Moriarty: **Fair enough.

**Ulrich: **Nice job catching on to Moriarty, Aelita.

**William: **Yeah, I don't think we would have seen that coming.

_Aelita does not respond. Yumi stands farther back from Aelita than the two guys. She seems tense but remains unapologetic for what she has done. Aelita opens up some restricted areas, looking for where Jeremie has hidden Holmes from Moriarty's clutches. _

**Aelita: **Rats. Not there. Let's hope it's the next one.

**William: **Why did Jeremie split up the restricted access area of the supercomputer? Did he do it when he…..lost it?

**Aelita: **No, he did this a long time ago.

**Ulrich: **Why?

**Aelita: **It was a computer fail safe in case Xana….or Moriarty gained access to the restricted area. That way if they managed to get in to one specific part, we wouldn't lose everything.

**Moriarty: **I would suggest you hurry up.

**Aelita: **What's the rush? This hopefully will only take a couple of minutes. The deadline for the removal of the bug isn't for another five days.

**Moriarty: **A nuclear war is not what I'm worried about right now….

_Back in the school dorms, Jeremie sits in his room with his eyes closed, lost in a mental journey to the Network. Suddenly his eyes pop open. His entire body tenses with shock and outrage. _

**Jeremie: **NOOOOO!

_Flashes of electricity are seen through the window to his room outside the dormitory hall. Jeremie dissolves into a specter and slinks quickly towards the factory. _

**Moriarty: **Hurry! Hurry! There's not much time!

**Aelita: **What are you talking about?

_The group hears a strange noise above them. They listen closely and then hear it again. It sounds like a deep moan. _

**Yumi: **What was that?

**Moriarty: **He's here….

_The hairs of everyone's necks stand on end. _

**Ulrich: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **I'm almost there. This last access point has to be it.

_Jeremie's specter comes out of the ceiling and hovers over the lab room like a storm cloud. _

**William: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **Just a few more seconds!

**Moriarty: **We don't have that time!

_Jeremie's specter returns to its human form and lands on the ground next to the group. His murderous eyes focus on Aelita. _

**Aelita: **NOW!

_Aelita hits a key. The computer screen shows Moriarty's antibody program entering the restricted access point. Within a matter of seconds, Holmes' sequence code is destroyed. The giant white glob eating the Network caves in on itself and disappears. Jeremie reels like he has been punched in the gut. He unleashes a deep metallic shout of outrage that frightens the group considerably. For a brief moment the factory is quiet. Then Jeremie looks up. His pupils have been replaced with his new insignia, the Jeremie eye. He bares his teeth like a wild animal ready to strike. The group doesn't say anything, but Yumi thinks to herself, "We are so dead."_

_Jeremie turns to Yumi. He speaks to hear in his new demonic voice. _

**Jeremie: **You're right. You are dead….

_Yumi nearly turns white when she realizes that Jeremie read her own thoughts. But she stands her ground. She looks to William and Ulrich. They nod. The two grab Jeremie from each arm and try to take him down. But Jeremie throws the strongest guys of the group off of him like rag dolls. They land on opposite sides of the factory wall. Jeremie smiles and fires a blue electric blast at both of them. They scream in pain. But Yumi stops him by taking a running start and giving Jeremie a powerful jumping kick to the chest. He collapses to the ground. He stares at Yumi with hate. _

**Yumi: **It's over Jeremie. Holmes is destroyed. You've lost.

**Jeremie: **On the contrary Yumi, Jeremie is just getting started.

_He fires an electric blast at her. She writhes on the ground in pain. The blue light from his attack illuminates Jeremie's twisted face. _

**Jeremie: **You've merely accelerated our plans. Our ultimate victory is at hand. Too bad you won't be around to see it.

_Jeremie is hit by a tiny headset. He turns with annoyance to see Aelita out of the command chair, staring him down. Nothing stands between Jeremie and the computer but her own defiance. Jeremie gives her a puzzled look. _

**Aelita: **You going to hurt me too?

_Jeremie hesitates to respond at first. But then he laughs. _

**Jeremie: **If you knew what we were capable of, you would step aside from that computer.

**Aelita: **I am fully aware of what you can do to me.

**Jeremie: **And yet you refuse to move?

**Aelita: **I won't let you do this Jeremie…

_His face hardens and he fires a blast at her. She screams and falls to the ground. When Jeremie approaches her, his hands flare again. He extends his palm. But Ulrich and William jump on Jeremie's back and struggle against him with all their might. Jeremie throws them off again, but Yumi grabs Jeremie's leg from the ground and makes him fall. Jeremie gets up to see both Ulrich and Yumi facing him in Pencak Silat stances. William attends Aelita, trying to get her up. _

**Ulrich: **He may be powerful, but I bet he doesn't know Pencak Silat.

**Jeremie: **Our godlike mind has learned all forms of martial arts around the world and mastered them to the highest degree.

_He takes up his own stance. _

**Yumi: **Well, this might be hard….

_Jeremie proceeds to pummel both of them. William jumps in and tries to stop him. But even with three against one, they are no match for Jeremie. Aelita struggles to get to the computer. She looks at the computer screen angrily. _

**Aelita: **Are you just going to sit there and do nothing?

**Moriarty: **Holmes is destroyed. Our deal is done. But good luck with him.

**Aelita: **For your information, if we don't stop Jeremie, he's going to virtualize himself into the Network and personally rip you apart!

_A second of silence. _

**Moriarty:** Of course I will do everything in my power to help you!

_A scanner below them comes to life. It opens and releases a large amount of smoke. A figure emerges. Back above them, Ulrich and William have been beaten pretty badly to the floor. Jeremie is holding Yumi up against the wall. Her eyes radiate with fear. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie!

_A single finger sparking with electricity approaches her left pupil. _

**Jeremie: **We will permanently take care of your eyes.

_His finger gets closer. Ulrich crawls, trying to get to her. Aelita tries to stop him but is blown back again with electricity. _

**Yumi: **JEREMIE NO PLEASE!

_From out of nowhere, Jeremie is taken down. Yumi falls to the ground to see a possessed Odd looking over Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **We were wondering when Moriarty's slave would show up.

**Odd: **Wouldn't want to disappoint you.

_Jeremie and Odd start a ferocious battle. Jeremie fires blue electricity from his hands. Odd fires back with red electricity of his own. They two hold nothing back, fighting with all of their superhuman strength. The others try to join Odd, but they are extremely weak and battered from Jeremie's attacks. Yumi crawls to Aelita as the fantastic light show continues. _

**Yumi: **What do we do?

**Aelita: **I….I don't know. Either way this can't end well.

**Yumi: **How so?

_Odd is thrown against the far side of the wall. But he quickly gets up and tackles Jeremie. _

**Aelita: **If Odd wins, we lose Jeremie for good. But if Jeremie wins, we lose both Odd and let Jeremie take over the world.

_William and Ulrich try to fight Jeremie again, but are mercilessly beaten back. Both go back down to the ground, bruised and bleeding. _

**Yumi: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **I don't know!

**Yumi: **Could we? Should we?

**Aelita: **No! We can't do that! Anything but that!

**Yumi: **Well, he has no problem doing it to us.

**Aelita: **No! We can't. He may have gone mad, but he is still Jeremie.

**Yumi: **Is he?

_Aelita is unable to answer this question. Instead, she grabs her phone. _

**Yumi: **Who on Earth could you be calling at a time like this?

**Aelita: **Reinforcements.

_Odd and Jeremie both turn into specters and start battling near the ceiling. The Lyoko group is unable to tell who is who. But they continue to strike each other, lighting up the entire lab room. Aelita gets off her phone. _

**Aelita: **He's coming.

**Yumi: **Who? Who's coming?

_Odd's specter is electrocuted. He falls back to the ground, returning to human form. Jeremie descends and transforms himself back as well. Jeremie puts a foot on his chest. _

**Jeremie: **Odd Della Robia. You have betrayed Jeremie Belpois, the Eternal and Omnipotent. You have gone against his will and sided with Moriarty, his sworn enemy. You have fought against Jeremie Belpois and his former warrior allies, causing irreparable damage to Jeremie's mission. We as Jeremie Belpois accuse you of treason, in the highest degree. We also accuse you of assault, for daring to strike us and cause us harm. We also accuse you as an accessory to kidnapping, for assisting Moriarty in his inmprisonment of our greatness in a simulation bubble. How do you answer for your crimes against Jeremie Belpois?

**Odd: **Proudly guilty you scumbag!

**Jeremie: **Then as penalty for your crimes against us, we find that nothing less than total extermination would be suitable…..

_His hands power up considerably and he prepares to give Odd a fatal blow. Yumi tries to stop him but is once again thrown back. Ulrich and William have lost consciousness. _

**Aelita: **NO!

_Before Jeremie can strike, the elevator door opens. Jeremie looks up with confused anger. Odd's Clone races out of the elevator and throws Jeremie halfway across the room. _

**Odd's Clone: **Situation: creator has become enemy creator wanted spectral entity to stop. Programming must allow for spectral entity to stop creator in the name of the original creator. Recommended level of force: Maximum.

_The real possessed Odd gets up. The two look at each other. _

**Odd: **This is my REPLACEMENT?

**Odd's Clone: **Conversation pointless. Combining forces needed to stop creator.

**Odd: **I thought you'd never ask.

_The two Odds both attack Jeremie. The odds now tip in their favor. Jeremie cannot take both at one time. After a short but nonetheless intense battle, Jeremie is beaten to the ground. He glares at his opponents in anger. _

**Jeremie: **You merely delay me! Jeremie the Eternal and Omnipotent CANNOT BE DEFEATED!

_He turns into a specter and disappears through a fissure in the floor. _

**Aelita: **You have to stop him! If he virtualizes himself, it's all over!

_The Odds quickly obey. Vicious fighting is soon heard below them. Yumi crawls to check on Ulrich. He seems to be slowly returning to consciousness. _

**Ulrich: **What, what's happening?

**Yumi: **Take it easy Ulrich. You took quite a beating.

**Ulrich: **What beating?

**Yumi: **Jeremie roughed you up pretty bad. But don't worry. The Odd duo is entertaining him downstairs, making sure he doesn't take over the world.

**Ulrich: **Oh….that's….nice.

_He falls back asleep. Yumi looks to William. He's completely out cold. Aelita struggles to raise herself into the chair. She starts typing on the computer. _

**Yumi: **What are you doing?

**Aelita: **Trying to put a lock on the scanners so Jeremie can't go to the Network.

**Yumi: **Will that work?

_Aelita rubs her head. _

**Aelita: **Probably not.

_Silence. The fighting below them gets more intense. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie's hell-bent on getting into that scanner. I don't think the Odds will have as much luck this time.

_Aelita shakes her head. _

**Aelita: **No…..

**Yumi: **Isn't there anything we can do to stop him? We can't just sit here!

_Yumi tries to get up, but it's difficult. Aelita closes her eyes. _

**Yumi: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **Not now! I'm trying to think…..What do I do? What do I do?

_Yumi hears someone screaming in pain downstairs. And it doesn't sound like Jeremie. _

**Yumi: **Can you think faster?

_Aelita digs her fingers in her hair. She seems near tears. _

**Aelita: **I don't know! I don't know!

**Yumi: **Aelita please! If anyone can stop him, it's….it has to be you.

**Aelita: **How? I'm nothing special to him anymore. He's either forgotten me or stopped caring about what we had. I can't physically stop him. There's no way to block him from accessing the scanners. I can't reason with him. He's become the most powerful force on the planet. What am I supposed to do?

_Yumi can't think of anything. She slams her fist against the floor. _

**Yumi: **If only there was a way to use his power and insanity against him.

_Aelita pauses at this thought. She taps her fingers against the keyboard pensively. An idea crosses her mind. _

**Aelita: **He did…hesitate to attack me at first. I saw him look at me strangely, as if something were reminding him that attacking me is a bad thing.

_The two are silent for a moment as Aelita continues to think. The sounds of the battle downstairs become increasingly negative. Suddenly Aelita gets up and begins to limp towards the elevator. _

**Yumi: **Aelita, what are you doing?

_She closes the elevator door. _

**Yumi: **Aelita NO! HE'LL KILL YOU!

_She goes down anyway. Downstairs, Jeremie has just destroyed Odd's Clone. He explodes into a million microscopic pieces and disappears. He throws Odd into a scanner. He approaches him sinisterly. _

**Jeremie: **Tell your master we will be joining him shortly.

_He puts his hand on the outer frame of the scanner. With a simple spark from his fingers, the scanner door closes and Odd is virtualized back into the Network. Jeremie turns to another scanner. It opens up. He looks at it hungrily. _

**Jeremie: **At last….we will have all.

_The elevator door opens right before Jermie enters the scanner. He looks at her. She is staring at him, physically weak but radiating with unconquerable courage. _

**Jeremie: **You cannot stop us. We are a god. We will ascend to the cosmos. We will rule.

**Aelita: **You're right, I can't stop you.

_Jeremie smiles. _

**Aelita: **But before you go, I thought you might want to know one thing.

**Jeremie: **And what is there that our divine intellect does not already know?

**Aelita: **I've created a multi-agent program to destroy Moriarty.

_Jeremie pauses. _

**Jeremie: **Impossible…..

**Aelita: **It's true. While you were focusing on ruling the world I successfully remodified the multi-agent program.

**Jeremie: **You lie. Why would you not use it?

**Aelita: **Because I didn't want you to succeed.

**Jeremie: **WE KNEW IT! WE KNEW YOU WERE AGAINST US! NOW YOU HAVE ADMITTED IT!

**Aelita: **Yes…

**Jeremie: **But it does not matter. Jeremie will destroy Moriarty anyway. We no longer need a multi-agent program.

_He starts to step into the scanner. _

**Aelita: **You wouldn't take an opportunity to eliminate your enemy immediately?

_Jeremie pauses. _

**Aelita: **Surely your greatness will be too much for Moriarty. But it will still take you time. Perhaps more time than your greatness realizes. Precious time wasted that could be spent as leader of mankind.

_Jeremie seems to hesitate. _

**Aelita: **Why take the hard way, when you can take the easy way?

_Jeremie turns to her. She can tell that he is hooked. Aelita's argument does not follow logic, but Jeremie's brain abandoned logic a while ago. His obsession to defeat Moriarty makes the temptation unbearable. _

**Jeremie: **Tell me….

**Aelita: **Never! I'll never tell you!

_Jeremie approaches Aelita, electricity burning in his hands. Aelita backs up against the wall, hoping and praying that her plan works. Instead of shocking her, Jeremie rubs his finger under her chin and stares at her maliciously. He laughs in her face. _

**Jeremie: **Fool. I do not need you to tell me. I can merely take it from you!

_He puts his hands on her temples and begins reading her thoughts. Aelita grabs his wrists and holds his hands there. Jeremie has fallen right into her trap. As soon Jeremie's mind enters hers, Aelita penetrates his thoughts like a beautiful angel descending into the darkness of hell. She forces him to see the awful things he has done. Aelita focuses on images of his descent into madness: his hurting the rest of the group, his creation of Holmes, his utter disregard for human life. Aelita begins speaking into his mind. _

**Aelita: Look at what you've become!**

_Jeremie lets out a painful metallic groan. He struggles against her images, but she continues to pummel him with them. Next she shows a possible future image of the Lyoko group fighting against monsters in the Mountain Sector. But these monsters are not from Moriarty, or Xana for that matter. The monsters bear a new insignia: the Jeremie eye. Jeremie notices that Ulrich is not with them. _

**Yumi: Hurry, it's now or never! **

**William: We'll never make it through! **

**Aelita: We have to! If we don't deactivate the tower now, Jeremie will kill innocent people! **

_As a desperate battle begins, Jeremie tries to break free. But he is drawn to these images, pulled in by curiosity and Aelita's will. As the battle continues, the Aelita in the vision points ahead toward the tower. _

**Aelita: It's him! **

_The group turns to see a warrior riding on top of a monster that looks like a mix between a tank and a giant tortoise. The warrior is Ulrich Stern, clad in a metallic suit, his chest burning with the Jeremie insignia. He holds out his swords and directs his fighters. _

**Ulrich: In the name of Jeremie the Eternal and Omnipotent, ATTACK!**

**Yumi: NO!**

_Jeremie stares at these images with confusion and shock. The battle goes poorly for the warriors. William loses in a fight with Ulrich. Ulrich holds William over the edge of the Mountain Sector, ready to drop him into the digital sea. Yumi desperately tries to stop him. _

**Yumi: NO ULRICH PLEASE!**

_William is dropped over the edge and falls into the digital sea, lost forever. Jeremie moans in pain._

**Aelita: This is what you will do to us. **

_Jeremie's mind burns intensely. _

**Aelita: Where is Odd, Jeremie? Where is Odd in this picture? What will you do to him? **

_Jeremie cannot respond. Aelita moves to a different image. An adult Jeremie stands over a massive crowd that bows to him. Off to the side soldiers and tanks parade in his honor. The people tremble with fear before this pitiless and soulless leader. Two fighter jets swoop over him, drawing his insignia in the sky. Jeremie continues to moan. _

**Aelita: I've read your diary. This is EXACTLY what you wanted to avoid. You're doing what Moriarty was going to do to you in the first place! **

_The mold of insane lust for power in Jeremie's mind is starting to crack. Aelita begins to show him another image. Jeremie's eyes widen. He pleads in her mind. _

**Jeremie: No please!**

**Aelita: YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!**

**Jeremie: Don't do this to us….to me!**

**Aelita: You've given me no choice. **

_In this image, Jeremie is standing over Aelita on the bridge to the factory. He holds her up by her neck and gives her a painful shock. He starts to strangle her. Aelita kicks and struggles, trying to get air. _

**Jeremie: NO!**

**Aelita: YOU'RE GOING TO WATCH EVERY SECOND OF THIS!**

_Aelita desperately tries to pull off Jeremie's murderous hands. Jeremie starts talking to himself in the image. _

**Jeremie: Stop it! **

_She pleadingly looks into his eyes. _

**Jeremie: You're hurting her! **

_Her body begins to shake uncontrollably. _

**Jeremie: YOU'RE KILLING HER!**

_The life fades from her eyes. _

**Jeremie: NO GOD NOOOO!**

_She slumps in his cold grasp, dead. Jeremie throws her body into the river. She sinks into the murky blackness. _

**Jeremie: NOO!**

**Aelita: Is this what you want? **

_Aelita tears into Jeremie's insane mind. His brain burns in agony. He is confused and tormented, pounded with image upon image. At last the strain begins to be too much. His mind begins to burn away. His superhuman intelligence, his divine ego, and his desire for power begin to dissolve around him. Soon nothing is left but the very core of his personality. Jeremie looks around to see a ring of fire closing in around him. He thinks it's all over, but then he sees a bright pink light above him. Aelita hovers above him in her Lyoko form, her wings attracting his gaze. She reaches out her hand to save him. At first he hesitates, but then he grabs it tightly. A shining light suddenly illuminates the darkness of his mind. _

**Jeremie: WE….I DON'T WANT THIS!**

_Aelita releases Jeremie from her mind. Jeremie collapses. She looks over him. At first she fears he's dead, but then he starts to breathe. He opens his eyes. The Jeremie insignia is gone. He lifts himself up. He looks into Aelita's eyes. An undefinable look of horror strikes his face. His voice has returned to normal. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita….what…what did I do to myself?

_Aelita does not respond. Tears well up in Jeremie's eyes. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita…..I'm so sorry. I….I couldn't fail.

_Aelita still does not answer but lowers her head, averting Jeremie's gaze. Jeremie then starts crying uncontrollably. Later around midnight, the students and faculty huddle around the TV in a spirit of celebration. Diane looks relieved. _

**Diane: **No one knows what exactly happened to the global cyber bug that has ravaged our intercommunications and technological infrastructure for months. But it has disappeared without a trace. It has just recently been confirmed that Russia and China have eased their pressure on Europe and East Asia, respectively. The entire world diplomatic atmosphere seems to be calming down. Navies and armies across the world are withdrawing back to their own territories. Experts are hesitant to say that the crisis has ended, but that has not stopped billions of people across the world from celebrating in the streets. Within a matter of hours, the global spirit of hostility has dramatically altered to an outpouring of solidarity.

_Students and faculty hug each other. Mr. Delmas puts his hand on Jim's shoulders. _

**Delmas: **Please Jim….tell me this is really over.

_Jim thinks for a second. It takes him a while to do this. _

**Jim: **Yes sir. It's really over.

**Delmas: **May I collapse from exhaustion now?

**Jim: **Yes sir!

_Delmas sinks onto the rec room couch. _

**Delmas: **Aspirin?

**Jim: **Coming right up sir.

_Ulrich approaches Yumi and William, who are standing in the corner near the foosball table. All of them look pretty beat up, but they are happy. Ulrich has his cellphone in his hands. _

**Yumi: **Well?

_An uncontainable grin is on his face. _

**Ulrich: **Let's just say you'll see me tomorrow morning….and many mornings after that.

_Yumi hugs him. Several tears stream down her face. All three of them are laughing and joking around, relieved that the Jeremie crisis is over. But William notices that Aelita is far away from the celebration, sitting in the back by herself. _

**William: **Guys…

_All three of them look at her. _

**Ulrich: **Should we talk to her?

**Yumi: **No. She needs some time alone.

**William: **How long do you think she will be like this?

**Yumi: **I don't know. Remember she actually went inside Jeremie's mind. No telling what kind of horrible things she saw in there. It has to be a lot to take in. _She frowns. _I probably didn't help her too much either.

**Ulrich: **Do you think she'll ever be able to forgive him?

**Yumi: **Do you think we'll ever be able to forgive him?

_The group is silent. Back in the dorms, Jeremie opens up a new video diary entry. _

_Video entry # 540 _

_Guilt. Indescribable, overwhelming guilt. That is all I can feel right now. And I said I. Not we. I won't be saying that anymore…What can you do when you have done something so awful, so unspeakably evil that the entire world itself nearly imploded? I…..I can't deal with it. Just thinking about it drives me insane. And I DON'T want to go down that road again. I can't describe it. My conscience tells me I deserve to die. I deserve it, yes. But I must move on. Moriarty is still out there, and my friends…I'm not sure if I can call them my friends anymore, need me…And I desperately need them. That's the worst part. They'll never trust me again. No matter what I do they will always hate me. Even if I save the world from Moriarty, the world will never forget the horror I have caused, even if they don't know it was me who caused it. _

_I long to change the past, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot. But there is still the future. And I can change. Despair and overwhelming guilt will not save the world. I must move onward with the mission. I can do good. I will do it. I will be the force for good that I always should have been. I will be the leader my friends deserve. I will listen to them, and I will strive to save humanity, not simply destroy Moriarty. I cannot change who I have been, but I can control who I will become. And if I can turn myself around…..maybe…..just maybe I might be redeemed. _

**Part 18 **


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 18 **

_William wakes up with a slight sliver of morning light penetrating through his window. He turns over, trying to go back to sleep. Then he hears a slight, unintelligible whisper. At first he ignores it, but then he hears it a second time. Then a third. He sits up in bed. _

**William: **Hello?

_He looks around his room. Everything appears normal. Convincing himself that nothing is wrong, he lays back down in bed. A few moments later he feels a slight itch. The itch quickly spreads throughout his entire body. He wakes up to find that his bed is covered in spiders. They are crawling all over him, moving up to his face. _

**William: **AHH! GET OFF OF ME!

_He wakes up to find it was a dream. He rubs his temples. A dark shadow in the corner of his eye catches his attention. He turns to see a specter looking over him. Surprisingly William isn't frightened by his presence. In fact, he looks annoyed. _

**William: **Go away.

**Xana: **You will pay for what you have done to me.

**William: **You're dead. For real this time.

**Xana: **And for that you will suffer.

**William: **You can't hurt anyone anymore.

**Xana: **Maybe not anyone else, but I can harm you. I can still harm your mind. And I will do everything in my power to make you wish you had never been born.

**William: **You're going to have to do better than putting spiders in my bed if you want to break me.

**Xana: **You will never be able to get rid of me. I will hang on you like a parasite. I will make sure you have no enjoyment in your existence.

_William has grown tired of the specter's "visits". He refuses to be intimidated by Xana any longer. _

**William: **Knowing that I have defeated you is enjoyment enough. Annoy me all you want, but you can never win.

_The specter seems angry. _

**Xana: **You will be punished slave.

**William: **Shut up. You have no power over me anymore. You're nothing.

_The specter is agitated. _

**William: **Nothing but a small and pathetic fragment of my mind trying to ruin my day.

_The Xana eye appears on the specter's head. _

**William: **So get lost.

_The door to William's room swings open. He turns to see the Afro-French student Christophe M'Bala in the doorway in his pajamas. His iPod headphones are still in his ears. Christophe, of course, cannot see the specter. He gives William a quizzical look. _

**Christophe: **Yo, you talking in your sleep again?

**William: **No…..Ok maybe.

**Christophe: **Man you gotta stop doing that. If you were any louder you would have woken Sissi up upstairs. And I don't even want to think about what would happen then…

**William: **Yeah….sorry I woke you up…..again.

**Christophe: **You alright?

**William: **Yeah, don't worry about me. I'm fine.

**Christophe: **Yeah, well I'm not convinced. I've ignored your nightmares and everything for a while, keeping it on the down low, but you got to be careful man. If someone else were to know you had this problem, you would become the school's laughing stock in a heartbeat.

**William: **Already been there….

**Christophe: **You talking about that time when you was acting really stupid? Man, that was freaky. You had me fooled for a long time. I almost convinced myself that it wasn't you, ya know? Like a clone or alien that looked like you had taken your place. Crazy right?

**William: **Yeah….absolutely crazy.

**Christophe: **You sure you're ok?

**William: **…..I'm sure.

**Christophe: **Alright, suit yourself. Just know that your next-door neighbor may not be able to cover your problem up forever if you keep this up.

_He leaves and shuts the door behind him. The specter is still there, at least in William's mind. As a sign of extreme disrespect to his former master, William takes off his dirty sock and flings it at him. Then he rolls over and goes back to sleep. In a dorm room a few doors down, Ulrich Stern wakes up to the sound of his alarm. His initial attempts to turn it off miss their target. Cursing under his breath, he grabs a shoe and hits the clock very hard. The alarm finally goes off. He wakes up to see Odd's clone already dressed and ready for school. _

**Ulrich: **Did Jeremie recreate you overnight?

**Odd's Clone: **Affirmative.

_Odd's clone seems happy. That is, if it were possible for a polymorphic specter to have any emotions at all. _

**Odd's Clone: **Situation: Satisfactory. Creator is now creator again.

_Ulrich rolls over onto his back and rests his hands behind his head. _

**Ulrich: **Couldn't have said it better myself.

**Odd's Clone: **First meal of 24-hour period commences in exactly 5 minutes and 36.8 seconds. Spectral entity recommends subject Ulrich Stern hurry.

**Ulrich: **I'll get there when I get there.

_Kiwi crawls out of his bed in the lower dresser drawer. Odd's clone looks at him curiously. _

**Odd's Clone: **Canine occupant requires thorough flea bath.

_Kiwi growls at Odd's clone. _

**Odd's Clone: **Canine occupant has shown a consistent trend of hostility toward spectral entity.

**Ulrich: **It's because he knows you're not the real Odd. He knows you're an imposter.

_Odd's clone balks at this idea. _

**Odd's Clone: **Cerebrum of canine occupant could never comprehend truth of spectral entity's deception.

_Odd's clone walks out. Kiwi barks at him. Then he turns and whines to Ulrich. Ulrich frowns. _

**Ulrich: **Yeah buddy, I know. I miss him too.

_He pets Kiwi. _

**Ulrich: **We're going to get him back soon. I promise.

_Back in the lab room, Jeremie sits in the command chair with William at his side. He takes a moment to stare at his fingers, which spark slightly with electricity. Then it dies. _

**Jeremie: **Well….that's the last of it. _He sighs. _My powers have finally worn off.

_William nods but doesn't say anything. Jeremie goes back to work. _

**Jeremie: **Just a few more calculations to go over and your Lyoko form upgrade will be complete.

**William: **You know Jeremie, you don't have to do this. I don't have to have an upgrade…

_Jeremie waves him to stop. _

**Jeremie: **I don't want to hear it. It's the least I can do…

**William: **But…

**Jeremie: **No buts. The others have Lyoko powers and vehicles. It's only fair that you have one too.

_William can see Jeremie is not going to persuaded otherwise. _

**William: **If you insist…

**Jeremie: **I do. But….

_He turns to William. _

**Jeremie: **Of all the powers you could have on Lyoko, this is what you want?

**William: **Yes.

**Jeremie: **I mean…no offense….but wouldn't that bring up…bad memories?

**William: **It will. But Xana is a part of me. And I have to accept that. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's something I have to come to terms with. Understand?

_Jeremie bites his lip. _

**Jeremie: **All too well…..

**William: **Besides, it might as well be something I'm used to.

**Jeremie: **Ok, have it your way. Your upgrade is complete. Now for your vehicle.

_Jeremie opens a small screen on the computer displaying a virtual blueprint. William looks at it and smiles. _

**Jeremie: **Do you like it?

**William: **Are you kidding? I can't wait.

**Jeremie: **Good to hear.

_Jeremie smiles but quickly feels awkward. He seems at a lost for words. He starts typing on the computer. _

**William: **What are you doing?

**Jeremie: **Checking the Network.

**William: **How's it doing?

**Jeremie: **...Self-repairing better that I expected. At this rate, it will be completely healthy by next week.

_There is a strange silence. William puts his hands in his pockets. Jeremie looks away. The "elephant", or more accurately the "blue whale" in the room can no longer be ignored. William turns his back on Jeremie but looks over his shoulder to talk to him. _

**William: **What's done is done…

**Jeremie: **Easy for you to say...

**William: **No, it really isn't.

_Jeremie takes off his glasses and twiddles them around in his fingers, a nervous habit he has developed recently whenever he thinks about these things. He does his best to suppress a burning guilt. _

**Jeremie: **Forget it. I can't let myself think about it. If I'm not careful it could suck me back in to a place I don't want to go. I've been pulled from the abyss, but I can still see over the edge. And I DO NOT want to fall in again.

**William: **Fair enough.

_More awkward silence. _

**Jeremie: **Any idea if Klotz will ever come back?

_William is quiet. _

**Jeremie: **I mean….will he come back from his….leave of absence?

_More silence. _

**Jeremie: **William?

**William: **Do you want him to come back?

**Jeremie: **….Not exactly. I doubt he would be very happy to see me…

**William: **Jeremie…I honestly have nothing to say.

**Jeremie: **But I do…_He pauses a moment. _Thank you for….being willing to talk to me.

_William doesn't move and gives neither a positive nor a negative reaction to his statement. _

**Jeremie: **I can't tell you how much it means to me.

**William: **Don't mention it.

**Jeremie: **I may regret this…but I have to ask. Why have you done this for me? I swear I have hardly talked to the others at all.

_William contemplates his response. _

**William: **I don't like hypocrisy.

_Jeremie raises an eyebrow. _

**Jeremie: **I don't under-

**William: **Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

_Other eyebrow raised. _

**Jeremie: **William, are you Catholic?

_The question seems to catch William off guard. _

**William: **What? Oh no I'm not. I just….heard that from somewhere.

**Jeremie: **Well, be that as it may, I think I have far outdone you. You have every right to be angry like the others.

**William: **I don't know. Maybe staying angry just really isn't my thing.

**Jeremie: **Well, whatever the case, thank you. Believe me, I wish-

_The computer makes a beeping noise and Jeremie turns to face the screen. A green plus sign has appeared. Jeremie is suddenly ecstatic. _

**Jeremie: **Yes! It works!

**William: **What are you talking about? What works?

**Jeremie: **Call the others and get them down here. I have big news…

_Fifteen minutes later the entire group is assembled. They stand at a distance from Jeremie. Their expressions are not hostile, just cold. Aelita refuses to look at him directly. But Jeremie is so excited about this new piece of news that he hardly notices. _

**Yumi: **Well?

_Jeremie smiles. He hasn't done that in a while. _

**Jeremie: **I have a proposition for you…

_The group looks at each other. _

**Ulrich: **Ok we're listening.

_Jeremie pauses, building the suspense. _

**Jeremie: **How would you like to free Odd?

_Group's interest level immediately skyrockets. Aelita gets over her discomfort and give Jeremie a surprised look. _

**Yumi: **As in….today?

**Jeremie: **Absolutely.

**William: **As in….now?

**Jeremie: **If you want to, yes. I figured you wouldn't want to waste any time thinking about it.

_The warriors can't believe their ears. This new hope brings memories of their lost comrade, buried to help them adjust to the tragedy, back into their thoughts. The idea of him finally coming home makes their spirits swell. They are eager to fight. _

**Yumi: **How did you find a way to do it so quickly?

**Jeremie: **It has taken me a couple of weeks, but I've finally made a breakthrough.

**William: **How?

**Jeremie: **Well, you see…

**Ulrich: **Pause. Remember to tell this in a language we can understand.

_The others laugh a little. Jeremie does his best to not feel wretched in their presence. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty made a mistake when he devirtualized Odd. His possessed Moriarty signature was recorded into the scanner's logs. With some painstaking research, after I learned the nature of Moriarty's extent and nature of control over Odd, I was able to develop an extraction program to free him.

_Aelita can't contain her excitement. _

**Aelita: **He's coming home. HE'S COMING HOME!

_She turns to hug Ulrich. He grimaces from her tight squeeze. _

**William: **So how are we going to go about it? Do you just enter the program and poof, he comes back?

_Jeremie pushes his glasses up his nose. _

**Jeremie: **I wish it were that simple. But no. It will require some work on your part.

**Yumi: **Just tell us what we need to do, and we'll do it.

**Jeremie: **I have the program ready. But I need to expose it to Odd directly. He won't exactly do that willingly, so I'm going to need your help. What I need from you is rather simple conceptually, but not easily done. Essentially I need to lure him into a trap. I'm going to take over a tower in the Mountain Sector. You are going to stand guard around it. No doubt Moriarty will not be too happy about me controlling towers in his turf. Most likely you'll have to fight both monsters and Odd. Once Odd gets near the tower during the fight, do everything you can to force him into my tower. Before he can leave, I'll start the program and Odd will be permanently separated from Moriarty's grip.

_Now the rest can't contain their excitement either. They shout for joy, pat each other on the back, and whatever else French teenagers do in a happy situation like this. Aelita turns to Jeremie. The barrier between them seems far from her mind. _

**Aelita: **What are we waiting for? Let's go now!

_Jeremie looks to the others. They all nod. _

**Jeremie: **Alright.

_The growing possibility of Odd coming back home makes a few of them tear up, especially Aelita. Ulrich does his best to avoid it, but it's clear that despite their often turbulent friendship, he truly misses his roommate. Ulrich, Aelita, and Yumi join hands. William seems reluctant to do the same at first, but then agrees. Jeremie fears that he is excluded from this circle, but William makes room for him. The others seem very uncomfortable, but they don't stop him. Jeremie joins hands with them, completing the circle. There is a moment of silence. _

**Jeremie: **Does…does anyone want to say anything?

_At first no one says anything. But Aelita quickly steps up. _

**Aelita: **We have been robbed of someone very dear to us. But that ends today. We are getting him back. A fellow Lyoko warrior needs our help, and we will not rest until we get him back safe and sound. He may look like our enemy, but we have seen that he is still in there, fighting. And we owe it to him to bring him back to the right side. Today we put an end to this. Today we show Moriarty that we never abandon our own. And we will make sure that Odd knows that no matter what he has done to us, we forgive him. And we will make sure that Moriarty NEVER hurts him again.

_The others take a moment to absorb Aelita's speech. Then Ulrich looks up. _

**Ulrich: **Let's go.

_The four are virtualized onto the Mountain Sector near a tower that quickly changes from blue to green. The group takes a moment to view their surroundings. But Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita soon realize with surprise that their friend William has had a makeover. He still has a red belt around his waist, but the rest of his costume has changed. Instead of his traditional silver and aqua-blue outfit, his new attire is gold and black. The complicated patterns of his old form have been replaced by a simple line straight down the middle of his chest that divides his body evenly into a solid gold and black half. His divided apparel gives him the appearance of a dark angel, one that is good but is always haunted by darkness. William handles the change nonchalantly. _

**William: **How do I look?

**Yumi: **Different. 

_Aelita and Ulrich nod in agreement. _

**William: **Is different good?

_Ulrich shrugs. _

**Ulrich: **Guess that's up for you to decide.

**Jeremie: **His change is not merely cosmetic. William was in need of an upgrade for a long time. I finally went ahead and did it. And considering the importance of this mission, I figured now was a good time to test it out.

**Aelita: **Are you going to show us what you can do, or are you going to wait and surprise us?

**William: **You'll find out soon enough.

**Yumi: **Ok Jeremie, we're at the tower, now what?

**Jeremie: **Now….we wait.

_Pause. _

**Yumi: **That's it?

**Jeremie: **We're relying on Moriarty for this one. He has to fall for the trap for this to work. We're totally dependent on whether or not he takes the bait.

**Yumi: **So….how long do you think we will have to wait?

_Aelita is still militantly focused on the goal. _

**Aelita: **As long as it takes.

_The group stands guard around the tower for a moment. They stand awkwardly on the mountain platform. A few seconds later Ulrich splits off and sits against a rock. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, what are you-?

**Ulrich: **If this is going to take a while, I might as well get comfortable.

**Yumi: **You should be ready. Moriarty could attack at any moment.

**Ulrich: **Yeah yeah. Just wake me when he shows up.

_After an hour of waiting, the group is getting really bored and impatient. At first, everyone except Ulrich stands at attention, waiting for battle. But gradually they begin to drop their guard. William absentmindedly tries to sharpen his sword against a boulder. Yumi leans against the roots of the tower and throws tiny rocks over the edge of the platform. Aelita paces back and forth. Ulrich seems about to fall asleep, if that is even possible on Lyoko. Finally William looks up. _

**William: **Uh Jeremie, I don't think this is working.

**Yumi: **He's not taking the bait.

_Aelita stops to think. She curses to herself. _

**Aelita: **He knows…..I should have known. Moriarty isn't stupid. He has to know what we are up to….or at the very least he must suspect something.

_The other three look at each other and exchange a look of agreement. They instantly become deeply depressed with this realization. _

**Yumi: **If he knows, we can't draw him out.

**Jeremie: **Not necessarily.

_The group looks to Jeremie for an explanation. _

**William: **How so?

**Jeremie: **I have a quick little metaphor for you. How do you make bees come out of their hive and leave their honey unguarded?

_Ulrich stirs himself awake. _

**Ulrich: **Get a honeybadger?

**Jeremie: **No….Ok yes, but that doesn't work for my metaphor. You have to kick the nest…

**Yumi: **And how exactly does one 'kick the nest'?

**Jeremie: **You just have to give him good reason to come out of hiding. Make him suffer if he doesn't.

**William: **And how do we plan on doing that?

**Jeremie: **I have a little something I had saved for a rainy day…..

_The warriors look up to see beams of white light swarming around the top of the tower. A small forcefield begins to form. _

**Ulrich: **Mind telling us what that is?

**Jeremie: **A modified program similar to the one that keeps Moriarty's monsters out of the towers. As you know, Moriarty is blocked by the recognition signature forcefield that only allows you in. All I did was boost the program to encompass a much, much wider area. If all goes according to plan, I can block Moriarty out of almost half of the Mountain Sector. I figure he's never going to allow me to do that without bringing in the big guns….AKA Odd.

**Yumi: **When did you come up with this?

**Jeremie: **Um….well, somewhat….recently.

_A silence holds the group as they are reminded once again of Jeremie's betrayal. Yumi looks to Aelita and notices that her face is empty and emotionless. Yumi fears that she is still deeply hurt, but at this point she seems past the point of both pain and anger, as if she has exhausted all of her emotional reserves and numbed herself to the whole thing. _

**Jeremie: **Anyway…it will take a few minutes to load. Which is good, because we want to give Moriarty time to act.

_The warriors watch the forcefield grow. It begins to encompass the entire tower, but only a few seconds later it disappears without warning. _

**William: **Uh Jeremie, was that supposed to happen?

**Jeremie: **…..No. I don't know what's going on…..Hold on. I'll try to run the program again.

_Jeremie tries to restart the program but an exclamation point appears on the screen. _

**Jeremie: **What in the-?….OH NO!

**Yumi: **What's wrong?

**Jeremie: **The program's completely bugged….Moriarty must have implanted a virus.

**Moriarty: **Now where would you get a crazy idea like that?

_Jeremie lowers his eyebrows at the Moriarty eye staring at him on the screen. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty….

**Moriarty: **Glad to see you have your mind back.

_Jeremie slams his fist next to the keyboard and swears. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, I might have spoken too soon.

**Jeremie: ** Don't get cocky Moriarty. Your little virus won't be able to stop me forever.

**Moriarty: **O don't flatter yourself. This was over before it started.

**Jeremie: **What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **You've completely lost the element of surprise. I'm sorry Jeremie, but clearly your powers aren't the only thing that have disappeared without a trace. Did you honestly think I wouldn't see this coming? You are about as stealthy as an intoxicated elephant with some serious gastrointestinal issues. I smelled your little plot a mile away.

_Jeremie chafes under this realization. _

**Moriarty: **I would never want you to entertain any false hopes. I enjoy nothing but blunt honesty. That's why I want to tell you here and now that you have no hope of getting Odd free. He is quite useful, and I have no intention of giving him back any time soon.

**Jeremie: **Maybe you don't quite understand. We weren't asking permission.

**Moriarty: **Well, that's a pity. Because that's the only way you could ever realistically get him free.

**Jeremie: **I disrespectfully disagree…

**Moriarty: **And just how do you plan on doing that? Not so easy without your godlike powers, is it?

_Jeremie's face hardens. _

**Jeremie: **Oh you are so predictable….

**Moriarty: **Funny how the boy who was going to be world dictator has once again been reduced to nothing.

**Jeremie: **You're not getting inside my head. I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to draw my attention away from saving Odd.

**Moriarty: **Aren't you just the slightest bit tempted to have that power again?

**Jeremie: **That's it. I'm done.

**Moriarty: **That's a shame. Because I'm just getting started.

_The Lyoko Warriors look up to see a squadron of vultures approaching them. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie…

**Ulrich: **The Luftwaffe has arrived….

_The vultures begin to fire. They take cover behind rocks, their weapons, and anything else they can find. _

**William: **Jeremie, the welcoming committee has arrived but Odd's not with them. Should we abort?

_Aelita shakes her head. _

**Aelita: **No. We're not waiting any longer.

_She takes to the air and exchanges fire with the vultures. The rest go on the offensive from the ground. Yumi blocks lasers with her fans, protecting herself from every angle. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, what's the plan?

_Jeremie rubs his fingers into his hair. _

**Jeremie: **I don't have a plan. I can't use the program without the tower, which is useless if Odd is not going anywhere near it.

_Ulrich cuts a vulture in half when it gets too close. _

**Ulrich: **Great. This is going nowhere.

**William: **Isn't there something we can do?

**Jeremie: **Not that I can see…..I'm sorry guys. Looks like I might have to bring you in.

_Aelita refuses to accept defeat. _

**Aelita: **No. There has to be a way.

**Jeremie: **But how? No tower, no program. No Odd, no opportunity to put him in the tower. We can't win.

**Aelita: **What if you kept the program, but found a channel other than a tower to carry it out? Would it be possible to do that?

_Jeremie stops to think a moment. _

**Jeremie: **Well, technically….

**Aelita: **Could you do it?

**Jeremie: **That depends on the channel. What did you have in mind?

_Aelita destroys a vulture and stops to think for a moment. Suddenly her eyes brighten. _

**Aelita: **What about our weapons?

**Jeremie: **…..Infuse the program into your weapons so that you could expose Odd to it directly?

**Aelita: **That was the idea….

**Jeremie: **…..Maybe. I did something similar with Odd's laser arrows during the Marabounta scare. I'll try, but it might take some time. Just don't get devirtualized while I work on this.

_The vultures really step up their attack. Yumi is shot in the shoulder and goes down. _

**Yumi: **Easier said than done.

_The first wave proves no match for the warriors. But they notice that Moriarty has sent more monsters their way. This time they have scorpions and cobras for company. They unleash a barrage of firepower at them. The warriors hide behind two rocks on opposite sides of the platform. William and Aelita hide on the left rock while Yumi and Ulrich hide behind the right one. _

**Ulrich: **We're pinned.

**Yumi: **Any ideas?

_William smiles. _

**William: **Yes.

_Without warning he dissolves into smoke and sneaks under the wall of laser fire. He reforms right next to the monsters and begins cutting them down. At first the warriors are too stunned to move, but they eventually leap into action and help William destroy the rest of them. _

**Yumi: **Care to explain?

**Jeremie: **I told you the upgrade would come in handy.

**Ulrich: **Ok, but why did it have to be…that?

**William: **Why not?

**Aelita: **Well….

**Yumi: **We don't have exactly positive memories of you with that power.

**William: **I figured you wouldn't like it too much…

**Aelita: **It's nothing personal or anything…..

**Yumi: **It's just seeing you do that again made us…a little uncomfortable.

**William: **I'm not here to make you feel comfortable. I'm here to fight with you. And as for my power, if you really want to know, I chose it to be a reminder.

**Aelita: **Reminder of what?

**William: …**My failure…

_The others decide to drop the topic. _

**Jeremie: **Ok guys, that's enough. You have more company on your way.

_This time a large group of tigers is approaching them. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, Moriarty has to be on to us again. He wants to make sure you don't finish remodifying the program before we're devirtualized.

_Ulrich shakes his head. _

**Ulrich: **He always knows our plans. We can never get anything past him.

_Jeremie balls his fist. _

**Jeremie: **I don't care. I don't care if he knows our plans. Let him try to stop us. We will get Odd back. He can look at us, study us, and try to torture us all he wants. But the only thing he is going to find out is that we're not giving up. Secrecy or no secrecy, we will fight him. Let him know and fear what we are about to do to him. Moriarty may be smart and powerful but he is NOT invincible. He is omnipresent but not omnipotent. He's always listening but I do not care. He's listening right now. _He stands up in his chair. _Do you hear me Moriarty? You can't hide from us forever. We've turned your games on you before and we can do it again. You will not break us. You will not break me. Never again, do you hear me? NEVER AGAIN!

_The tigers begin to close in. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, how is it going with the program?

**Jeremie: **Hold on. I need more time….

_William raises his sword in a defensive stance. _

**William: **That's great, but how do we prevent ourselves from being devirtualized in the meantime?

**Jeremie: **Abandon the tower. It's useless at this point. Retreat to the edge of the sector.

_Ulrich cuts down the first attacking tiger and then retreats with the rest of the group. _

**Ulrich: **Vehicles?

**Jeremie: **Coming right up.

_The vehicles appear. Ulrich hops onto the Overbike while Yumi and Aelita jump onto the Overwing. But they turn to notice that William is on a vehicle of his own. He stands on top of a large metal disc that magnetizes to his feet. The design is very simple but allows for a lot of maneuverability. William maintains his balance on the disc by using his hands. _

**Ulrich: **You're just full of suprises today, aren't you?

**William: **I guess so.

**Jeremie: **Do you like it? I call it the Overdisc.

_Laserfire narrowly avoids Aelita's head. _

**Yumi: **That's great, but can we talk about this another time?

_The group speeds off away from the monsters. William is at first clumsy with the Overdisc, but he gradually gets the feel for it._

**Ulrich: **Does anyone know the plan?

**Yumi: **Yeah. Keep running till Jeremie figures something out.

**Ulrich: **I mean besides that.

**William: **There's a besides?

**Ulrich: **Think about it. Even if Jeremie manages to transfer the program to our weapons, how on Earth are we supposed to find Odd?

_There is a brief moment of silence as they continue to travel through the sector on their vehicles. _

**William: **Good point.

**Yumi: **Aelita?

_At first Aelita doesn't respond. She seems to be lost in her own world, focusing only on what lies before her. _

**Aelita: **Why do you think Jeremie is sending us to the edge of the sector?

_Now they understand. _

**Yumi: **Sector 5?

**Aelita: **That's the idea.

**William: **I guess that's our best bet. If Odd is going to be anywhere, it's got to be Sector 5.

**Yumi: **But Moriarty has to know Sector 5 is our next target. Couldn't he just pull Odd out of Sector 5 and hide him in the Network?

**Aelita: **Not exactly. Moriarty has a decision to make.

**Ulrich: **Which is?

**Aelita: **Have Odd defend Sector 5 and risk losing him to the program, or pull him out of Sector 5 and risk us getting our hands on some very sensitive data. Moriarty has invested a lot into Sector 5. It's only natural to assume that there are things in there he doesn't want us to find.

**Ulrich: **So we force him to make a choice….

**Aelita: **Exactly.

**Ulrich: **I like it.

_They arrive at the edge of the sector. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, are you getting close?

**Jeremie: **I'm getting there. This is proving harder than I thought. But I'm going to go ahead and send you the transporter orb.

_An orb appears out of the digital sea and approaches them. But this time instead of the Xana eye, the Moriarty eye is on its outer shell. It envelops the group and makes its way to Sector 5. Meanwhile, inside a reformed Sector 5, which now looks like a giant cube surrounded by a purple data field, Odd waits. He sits on a throne in a massive inner chamber, surrounded by tigers and humanoids. He looks bored and impatient, eager for battle. He is still very much under Moriarty's control, but there is something different about him. His former confidence wrapped up in an imitation of Moriarty's twisted personality seems to have been replaced by a brooding and savage nature. Though it is hard to tell, he has not been the same since his temporary freedom. He regards the monsters around him with hostility. He stands up to look at his reflection through the crystalline steps leading up to the throne. Suddenly he grabs his head. _

**Aelita: **It's ok. You're here with us now. We're going to get you out of this.

_He growls and claws his temples, almost leaving a scar. _

**Yumi: **Let the past be past Odd. We forgive you.

_Odd seems confused. _

**Odd: **Forgiveness?

_He shakes himself out of the flashbacks. He turns to see one of the humanoids and several other monsters staring at him strangely. He growls and turns to the humanoid. _

**Odd: **What are you looking at?

_He fires an arrow at the humanoid and devirtualizes it. The other monsters turn away for fear of suffering the same fate. Odd sits back down in his throne. He starts to hear Moriarty's voice. _

**Moriarty: **Odd….

_Odd looks up. _

**Odd: **Master?

**Moriarty: **They are coming.

_Odd bares his teeth. _

**Odd: **Let me deal with it Master. I will make them regret coming here.

_A black smoky presence enters the chamber and hovers around the back of Odd's shoulders. It is not Moriarty's complete form, just an extension of his will. Odd flinches at his master being this close to him. _

**Moriarty: **It is not so simple as that…

**Odd: **What do you mean Master?

**Moriarty: **They are going to take you away from me.

_Odd's face becomes undeniably wild. His body cringes with the thought of being separated from his master. A combination of dread and beastlike rage wash over his face. But there is a slight twitch in his eyebrows, a tremor that indicates that not every part of him is reacting to this news in a negative way. _

**Odd: **No.

**Moriarty: **I'm afraid so my ever faithful servant. They are coming for you.

_Odd pauses. _

**Odd: **What are you orders?

_The smoky presence hesitates, trying to make up its mind. _

**Odd: **Master, I can deal with them.

_The smoke shifts around Odd. _

**Moriarty: **We can't allow them into the core room. If they find it, my plans could be put in serious jeopardy. We have to keep them in the dark, no matter the cost.

**Odd: **So I stay?

**Moriarty: **Defend Carthage. Those are your orders.

**Odd: **I will not disappoint you Master.

_Moriarty's voice takes on a threatening tone. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, I would never dream that you would….

_Odd swallows. _

**Odd: **Master…..the visions….they won't go away.

**Moriarty: **Is that so?

**Odd: **Yes Master.

**Moriarty: **And these visions, what are they about?

_Odd seems afraid to respond. _

**Odd: **They….try to dissuade me from my allegiance….to you.

_The smoky presence pauses. It's obvious Moriarty already knows this, but he continues to entertain his slave. _

**Moriarty: **That is a problem.

**Odd: **What do I do?

_The smoke threateningly approaches Odd. _

**Moriarty: **Well, we could always go back to the old forms of….treatment…

_The word 'treatment' fills Odd with fear. _

**Odd: **No Master…that…that won't be necessary….

**Moriarty: **I thought you wanted the visions to go away.

**Odd: **Yes Master…..but they aren't that severe. They're…..they're getting better.

**Moriarty: **You didn't tell me that before.

**Odd: **I apologize Master, I shouldn't have brought it up.

**Moriarty: **Maybe we should do it…..just to make sure.

_Odd is now really afraid of the presence. _

**Odd: **No master please…The visions will go away. I'll make sure of it! You are my master! I serve no one else. Please…..no treatment.

_The smoky presence seems to laugh. _

**Moriarty: **Perhaps you just need to be reminded who your enemies are.

**Odd: **Yes yes. That's it.

_Odd is relieved that Moriarty is no longer threatening him with 'treatment'. _

**Moriarty: **They are trying to take you away. Back to a life without glory or respect.

_Odd listens to Moriarty's words and growls. _

**Moriarty: **They want you back just to be able to step on you again.

_Odd extends his claws. _

**Odd: **Never.

**Moriarty: **Who took you out of ignominy and made you something great?

**Odd: **You did Master.

**Moriarty: **Who was your friend when everyone else turned their back on you?

**Odd: **You were Master.

**Moriarty: **And who is trying to take that away?

_Odd growls. _

**Odd: **They are Master.

**Moriarty: **And do you want to be taken away?

_Odd emphatically shakes his head. _

**Odd: **No Master.

**Moriarty: **So what are you going to do?

_Odd lowers his eyebrows and goes on all fours, looking once again like a beast. _

**Odd: **Destroy them….

**Moriarty: **Good answer. I suggest you prepare yourself. They are very close.

_The smoky presence disappears. Odd turns to the monsters. _

**Odd: **Prepare for battle!

_The monsters scurry away in different directions. As they leave the chamber, Odd grabs his head again. He hears a voice so clearly, he isn't sure if it is a flashback or someone far away trying to reach him. _

**Aelita: **Odd, if you can hear me, know that you're coming home.

_Odd grunts and forces the voice out of his head. _

_The transporter orb drops the warriors off in a long cylindrical chamber. Unfortunately, it drops them in midair. Immediately they begin to fall. Aelita sprouts her wings and avoids a harsh landing. But the others aren't so lucky. They land hard on the floor of the chamber, which is decorated with a large, purple Moriarty eye. To add to their bad luck, they discover that the floor is not solid, but rather made of something similar to quicksand. Yumi, Ulrich, and William are stuck and are beginning to sink. _

**Yumi: **Aelita!

**Ulrich: **Help!

_Aelita flies down and tries to save William. The quicksand has reached his thighs, but he motions Aelita away. _

**William: **No not me! Save the others first!

_Aelita hesitates but obeys. She grabs hold of Yumi, who is sinking rapidly because she landed on her backside. Aelita pulls with all her might and manages to get her out. She flies her over to some nearby stairs which lead out of the chamber. Ulrich has sunk to his chest. _

**Ulrich: **Aelita!

**Aelita: **I'm coming!

**Jeremie: **Hurry Aelita, they don't have much time!

_Aelita grabs Ulrich by both hands and heaves. She struggles with his weight but manages to lift him to safety. She now turns to William. He is almost gone. He takes one last breath before his head goes under. Only his arms are above the surface, waving for help. _

**Yumi: **Hurry! He's going under!

**Aelita: **No he's not….

_She flies over and grabs William's last remaining arm. She finds William the hardest to free on account of the extent of his submersion and her exhaustion. She struggles with all her might, but William continues to sink. Just when Aelita thinks it's all over, she feels Yumi's telekinesis begin to help her. Filled with renewed strength and confidence, Aelita is able to drag William out with Yumi's help. She flies him over to the safety of the stairs and collapses. Yumi and Ulrich attend both of them. _

**Yumi: **Aelita…

**Ulrich: **Are you alright?

_William manages to get up first. He breathes heavily. _

**William: **I'm fine. _He turns to Aelita. _Thank you.

_Yumi has to hoist Aelita up. The unexpected rescue mission took a lot out of her. _

**Aelita: **Is…..is everyone-?

**Yumi: **Woah, take it easy. You need to rest.

**Aelita: **Can't…..Odd

**Jeremie: **Good work Aelita. That pit would have caused eternal virtualization. It was a trap. I'm going to have to materialize your vehicles as well to prevent that from happening next time.

**Ulrich: **If this is what Moriarty has done to the arena, we can probably assume that he's put booby traps all over the place.

**Yumi: **Wonderful. That's just what we needed.

**Jeremie: **Well, the good news is that I'm nearly done with transferring the program to your weapons. Hopefully by the time you meet Odd it will be ready.

**William: **Hopefully?

**Jeremie: **I'm sorry, but I'm doing the best I can. I don't want to make promises I can't keep.

**Aelita: **We…we should keep moving.

_She tries to move up the stairs but starts to fall. The others catch her. _

**Yumi: **What part of 'You need to rest' did you not understand?

**Aelita: **No time. The longer we wait, the longer Odd remains Moriarty's slave.

**Ulrich: **I don't think you're going to be able to convince her Yumi.

**Yumi: **Alright, fine. At least let us help you up the stairs.

**Aelita: **That….that I can do.

_They slowly edge up the stairs leading out of the pit and into the next chamber with Aelita leaning on their shoulders. But when they get to the top, they are immediately horrified. Before them is a labyrinth of stairs leading in different directions, sometimes defying logic. The group has no idea where to begin. _

**Yumi: **Of course….

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, can you work on finding us a way throught this mess?

**Jeremie: **Not without stopping my work on the program….

**Aelita: **No. We'll try to find a way out through this maze on our own. Jeremie needs to keep working.

**William: **There's no way we can go in there without getting completely lost.

**Aelita: **We have to try.

_The group descends one staircase. Not surprisingly, it only takes them a few minutes to become hopelessly lost. They continue to try to find a way through, going up and down stairs in every different direction. Finally they stop. _

**Ulrich: **Ok, I'm positive we have gone up that staircase before…

**Yumi: **Everything looks the same. How can we tell?

**William: **I don't see how Moriarty could possibly make this more difficult.

_Suddenly they feel the floor about to cave under them. They rush to a platform that serves as a central point for several different staircases. Everyone but Yumi manages to get to the platform without falling. Luckily Ulrich grabs her just in time. _

**Ulrich: **I got you.

_Yumi breathes a sigh of relief. _

**Yumi: **How many times have you saved me like this?

**Ulrich: **Hmm….I think I lost count at 69.

**Yumi: **Ha ha. My grandpa's worn off on you. If I wasn't dangling for my life, I'd slap you.

_Ulrich grins and hoists her up. _

**William: **Well it looks like I spoke too soon on that one.

_They start to hear cobras slithering towards them. _

**Aelita: **No. NOW you have.

**Yumi: **Great….

_A battle begins. The cobras put up a good fight, but they quickly fall to the warriors. One of them manages to strike Ulrich on the side. He cringes. _

**Aelita: **Be careful! We have to save our lifepoints for Odd!

**William: **That's going to hard if Moriarty keeps sending us guests to entertain.

**Yumi: **Jeremie, we have a bit of a situation here…Please tell me it's ready…

**Jeremie: **I'm almost there! Just hang on a few seconds…

**Yumi: **That's an eternity!

_A group of tigers now approaches them from the opposite side of the chamber, bounding down the staircases with ease. _

**Ulrich: **Houston, we have felines…..

_Aelita is determined not to let these monsters prevent them from getting to Odd. She turns to William. _

**Aelita: **William! Hold out your sword!

**William: **What? Why?

**Aelita: **Just do it!

_William obeys. Aelita fires an energy field at his blade. The sword absorbs the blast and begins to run to the top edge. William, now understanding what Aelita had in mind, winds back his sword and unleashes a wide arc of pink energy at the approaching tigers. Every single one of them is devirtualized. _

**William: **Yes!

_Despite William's attack, the warriors are getting close to being surrounded. Humanoids are now entering the fray. The warriors know that if the battle continues, one of them will be devirtualized, a loss they cannot afford. Yumi takes out a humanoid and looks to Aelita. _

**Yumi: **Plan?

_Aelita takes a moment to assess the situation. _

**Aelita: **Strategic retreat. We can't take any chances. Fall back!

**Ulrich: **Great. We get to run away again.

_The warriors flee from the battle on the platform, although Ulrich and William do it somewhat reluctantly. As the warriors try to escape down some stairs, the monsters follow. They can hear their laser fire behind them. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, we don't have a choice. We need to find a way through this mess.

**Aelita: **But the program….

**Yumi: **It doesn't matter if we can't find Odd.

_No one can argue with this logic. _

**Jeremie: **Ok.

_Jeremie leaves his work on the program and starts to probe Sector 5. _

**Jeremie: **Woah. Moriarty has made quite a piece of work out of this place. It's….it's incredibly well-designed.

**Ulrich: **Fascinating. But how do we get out of here?

**Jeremie: **Hold on, hold on.

_The laserfire behind them sounds closer. _

**Yumi: **Yeah, no hurry or anything.

**Jeremie: **Ok. I think I got it. The solution is easier than you think. All you have to do is go down.

**William: **Come again?

**Jeremie: **Only use the downward staircases. If you take any ones going up, you will go nowhere. Eventually the downward staircases are going to lead you out of this.

**Ulrich: **To where, exactly?

**Jeremie: **That has yet to be determined.

**Aelita: **We'll worry about that when we get there. Let's go.

_The warriors follow Jeremie's advice. Eventually they lose the original monsters that were chasing them. But the narrow corridors and hallways they have to pass through provides for intermittent but intense close-quarter combat against the monsters they encounter along the way. But they manage to get through the staircases unscathed and after a long descent, emerge into a giant tunnel-like hallway. Their footsteps echo, breaking the oppressive silence of the room. They approach cautiously. But then Ulrich notices something and points to it. _

**Ulrich: **Hey look!

_He walks over to a giant statue of himself. His image has swords drawn, looking eager for battle. Ulrich stands next to it proudly. _

**Ulrich: **It's me.

_Suddenly laser fire blows the head of Ulrich's statue off. _

**Ulrich: **Hey! That was my face!

_The warriors look up to see tiny machines on the ceiling taking aim at Ulrich's statue. As soon as his statue is destroyed, one comes out of the ground to take its place. The three other warriors notice that they too have statues scattered throughout the hallway, each one being ceremoniously destroyed and then recreated to be destroyed again and again. _

**William: **This is a new low.

**Yumi: **The sad thing is I'm really not surprised.

**Aelita: **Forget it. The machines are only firing at our statues. Let's just walk quietly through this hallway.

_Ulrich pulls out his sabers. _

**Ulrich: **Hold on, I want to show one of these machines what happens when I fight back.

_Yumi gives Ulrich a look. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, that may not be a good idea.

_The machine prepares to fire at Ulrich's statue. Ulrich stands ready to deflect. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich….

_The machine fires and Ulrich deflects it with incredible skill. The lasers bounce back and destroy the machine. The group cringes, waiting for something bad to happen. After a few seconds of silence, Ulrich beams. _

**Ulrich: **Well, I showed him.

_Suddenly an alarm goes off and the hallway is flooded with red light. _

**William: **YOU IDIOT!

_The chamber starts to collapse on itself. Aelita points toward the exit. _

**Aelita: **RUN!

_The group makes a run for it. The collapsing walls follow right behind them. They make into a large purple chamber right before the tunnel caves in completely. They stop to rest. Yumi glares at Ulrich. _

**Yumi: **WHAT….DID….I JUST SAY?

_Ulrich rubs the back of his head with an embarrassed look on his face. _

**Ulrich: **Um…that it may not be a good idea.

_Yumi throws her hands up. _

**Yumi: **You just couldn't help yourself, could you?

**Ulrich: **Um….well…

**Yumi: **You couldn't let it go!

**Ulrich: **I….I guess not.

**Yumi: **What do you have to say for yourself?

**Ulrich: **Um….my bad.

**Yumi: **'My bad'! That's your response?

**Ulrich: **…..Yeah.

**Yumi: **YOU'RE AN IDIOT!

_Ulrich grins. _

**Ulrich: **Yes. But I'm YOUR idiot.

_Yumi gives him another annoyed look. _

**William: **You know, he does have a point.

_Ulrich grins some more. _

**Yumi: **You're are so lucky you're cute…

_The moment is broken by a slow clap. They turn to see Odd sitting on a throne on the other side of the room. He gives his twisted applause with a wicked grin on his face. He rises to his feet and continues to clap. _

**Odd: **Well done….well done.

_The warriors go for their weapons. _

**Odd: **I didn't think you would be able to make it through.

**Ulrich: **So sorry to disappoint you.

_Odd turns to Ulrich_

**Odd: **Glad to know you're still putting brawns before brains.

**Ulrich: **Did you really expect anything less?

**Odd: **I suppose I didn't.

_Aelita steps forward. _

**Aelita: **Odd, you're coming home with us. Today. We're freeing you.

_He growls. _

**Odd: **I beg to differ.

**Jeremie: **No…..I do.

_William's sword suddenly comes alive with green light burning like a flame, which surprises William just as much as the rest of the group. But Odd backs away from it like the plague. _

**Jeremie: **You know what this is, don't you?

_Odd bares his teeth. _

**Jeremie: **It's your salvation.

_The group stalks toward him. He backs up some more. _

**Jeremie: **It's time to take your medicine Odd. Whether you like it or not.

_Odd has the aggression of a cornered animal. _

**Odd: **NO! You will not take me away!

_His eyes turn red and he begins to levitate. His hands explode with electricity. He begins firing at the warriors. They duck in different directions to avoid the blasts. Odd then goes on all fours and charges for William. William swings and narrowly misses Odd. Odd goes under his legs and takes him down from behind. Odd tries to drive his claws into his face but William dissolves into smoke and retreats at the last second. He reforms a few feet away and tries to strike Odd, but Odd quickly responds and blasts William with electricity, sending him hurdling several feet away. _

**Jeremie: **One more hit like that and you're done for William.

**William: **…Noted.

_Odd tries to attack an unprepared William, who still has the program in his sword. _

**Jeremie: **Pass it!

**William: **The program! Pass the program to someone else!

_William is unsure what Jeremy means, but decides to make a swinging motion towards Ulrich, who is charging Odd from behind. The green light leaves his sword and attaches to Ulrich's sabers. Ulrich stops and stares in surprise. Odd halts his attack on William and turns to activate his shield right before Ulrich's sabers cut him in pieces. As Odd struggles against Ulrich, Aelita fires energy fields at him. Odd is forced to use his shield with one hand and fire electricity from the other. William, seeing Odd vulnerable, prepares to take him out, but Yumi stops him. _

**Yumi: **No! You don't have the program now! Ulrich does. If you devirtualize him, we lose our chance.

_She turns to Ulrich. _

**Yumi: **Pass it!

**Ulrich: **A little busy here!

_He pulls back his sabers and narrowly avoids having a laser arrow to the face. He swings it to Yumi, whose fans glow with green light in response. Odd turns to Yumi, but Yumi quickly passes it to William, who passes it to Aelita, causing her energy fields to become green. Odd is trapped in a square with a warrior in each corner, passing the program around and keeping Odd guessing. His body tenses, waiting for one of them to make a move._

**Yumi: **It's over Odd. You can't handle all of us at once.

_He gives her a beastly grin. _

**Odd: **Maybe….or maybe not.

_He crosses his forearms in front of his chest and creates ten copies of himself. The warriors hesitate. _

**Ulrich: **Well, didn't see that coming.

_The chamber explodes into battle. The warriors destroy several Odds, but they only dissolve into smoke. They can't tell which is the real one. As soon as they destroy one clone, another takes its place. The green program continues to be passed around as the warriors hope to get lucky and hit the real Odd with the program. Finally Ulrich, who doesn't have the program, strikes one of the Odds in the side. Instead of disappearing, this Odd cringes in pain and goes to his knees. The rest of the Odds fluctuate. Ulrich turns to Yumi, who has the program. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, this is the real Odd!

_Yumi fires both of her fans at Odd. Odd ducks the fans and takes out Ulrich's legs. Odd aims his wrist at Ulrich but is blindsided by the blunt edge of William's sword. The Odd clones try to defend him but an aerial Aelita takes them out with her energy fields. Yumi's fans come back to her and she passes the program to William with a flick of the wrist. She then lifts Odd off the floor with her telekinesis. Odd struggles but cannot break Yumi's grip. _

**Yumi: **WILLIAM! NOW!

_William chucks his sword at Odd. But Odd manages to fire an electric blast at the incoming sword, sending it hurtling backwards and knocking both Yumi and William off their feet. Odd, free of Yumi's grip, steps on William's chest. William looks up in time to see Odd fire a laser arrow into his chest. As he is being devirtualized, William manages to pass the program to Yumi and give Odd a thumbs up. When he disappears, Odd becomes confused for a moment. His distraction causes the rest of the clones to disappear. _

**Aelita: **Now's your chance Yumi!

_Yumi throws her fans again, but Odd, with one of his hands still holding his head, instintictively fires an electric blast, knocking her fans back towards her. He then lunges straight for her. Fearing she might be devirtualized, she passes the program to Ulrich. Odd mercilessly scratches her across the face. She screams in pain and trips over herself, falling onto Odd's waiting claws. Yumi looks up at Odd with an unconditional love, and hugs him as she is being devirtualized. Odd once again seems frozen by doubt and confusion. Ulrich and Aelita now are the last ones standing. Ulrich holds the program in his sabers. He looks to Aelita, and she nods. He triplicates and stares at Odd. _

**Ulrich: **This ends now Odd.

_All three Ulrichs charge with Aelita flying close behind. _

**Odd: **Yes….but not for me!

_He levitates and his entire body radiates with power, casting a dark red shade over the purple chamber. Electricity pours out of his body from all directions, striking the floor around the three charging Ulrichs. The blasts are so powerful they puncture the floor and unleash a massive amount of smoke into the chamber. As Ulrich nears Odd, one of his clones is destroyed, quickly followed by the other. Ulrich leaps into the air with sabers raised, aiming straight for Odd's heart. But Odd fires a laser arrow into his chest and sends him sprawling to the floor. Ulrich makes a weak flinging motion of his wrist, releasing the program toward the smoky ceiling. He starts to devirtualize. _

**Ulrich: **Aelita…..It's up to you.

_He disappears. _

_Odd comes back to the floor and looks around. The smoke has clouded a good portion of the chamber. He waits for Aelita to make her move. At first he patiently prowls on all fours. But then he gets angry and blindly fires electricity into the smoke. _

**Odd: **WHERE ARE YOU?

_Silence is his only reply. _

**Odd: **I know you're in here. SHOW YOURSELF!

_More silence. _

**Odd: **You will not take me from my master! I'm not going back!

_The smoke begins to dissipate. _

**Odd: **I am strong! I am powerful! You're trying to take that away from me!

_Odd hears what may be the flap of wings and turns his head to the side. _

**Odd: **You want me to become a joke again!

**Aelita: **No.

_As the smoke lifts, Odd turns to see Aelita standing on the throne. He aims his wrist at her. _

**Aelita: **We want you to come home, where you belong.

_Odd's face hardens. _

**Odd: **You mean where everyone thinks I'm a joke? Girls? Friends? My own family? EVERYONE?

_Aelita steps down from the throne. _

**Aelita: **No. Stop listening to Moriarty's lies. You are not a joke. You are so much more.

_Odd growls. He's clearly not in a listening mood. _

**Odd: **I'm not going anywhere.

**Aelita: **Fight him Odd. Don't let him win.

**Odd: **He has already won.

**Aelita: **No he hasn't. You can beat him.

_Odd hesitates to fire. His wrist shakes. _

**Aelita: **Stop listening to Moriarty. He is your enemy.

_Odd seems to struggle against Moriarty's grip. His wrist shakes some more. But then his animal-like hate returns. _

**Odd: **No. HE IS MY MASTER!

_He fires some laser arrows, but they pass right through her. Aelita's image shifts and becomes fuzzy. Odd realizes with horror that he is looking at a decoy. He hears the flap of wings behind him. He turns to see an airborne Aelita looking down on him with a green energy field in her hand. _

**Aelita: **Not anymore.

_She fires her energy field at the same time Odd fires an electric blast at her. Aelita is devirtualized and the energy field strikes Odd. He is quickly engulfed in a green blaze of fire. He howls in pain like a wild animal. Cracks appear in Odd's virtual form. The Moriarty eye is burned away. The cracks widen and explode with rays of more green light. Odd's entire body dissolves into green light, which leaves the chamber and disappears from Sector 5. An earthquake in the sector reveals Moriarty's anger and the mission's success: Odd has slipped from his fingers. Back on Earth, one of the scanners comes to life. William, Aelita, Yumi, and Ulrich lean on each other's shoulders while Jeremie stands further back. After a few seconds that seems more like an eternity, the scanner door opens. Odd stumbles out and collapses into waiting arms. Odd seems very confused. _

**Aelita: **Give him some room!

_The rest back up. Odd holds his head and leans on Aelita. _

**Odd: **What…where..?

**Jeremie: **Breathe the free air Odd.

_Odd's mind starts to clear. He looks into Aelita's face. _

**Odd: **Is….is he gone?

**Aelita: **He's gone Odd. You're free.

_She embraces him with tears in her eyes. _

**Odd: **Free…..free.

_The group comes up to welcome him home. Odd seems really overwhelmed. He goes to his knees. _

**Odd: **I…I betrayed you all.

_Aelita takes his hand. _

**Aelita: **That doesn't matter anymore.

**Yumi: **You're home.

**Ulrich: **Everything you did against us was against your will.

**William: **You won't be his slave ever again.

**Jeremie: **And we forgive you…

_Jeremie walks up and puts his hands on his shoulders. He seems very emotional. _

**Jeremie: **You made a mistake. A big one, I admit, but a mistake nonetheless. And if I have learned anything….it is that everyone is capable of sinking that low….and worse. We forgive you.

**Odd: **I….I don't deserve it. I don't deserve to be in the group anymore!

_Jeremie points a finger at him sternly. _

**Jeremie: **No. You will not talk like that. I won't have it. That was the past. You can't change it, and I know you want to. But this is now. What's done is done, and although you and I can't change it, we have to move on. We can't lose you again. We WON'T lose you again. So for the love of God, forgive yourself like we have forgiven you.

**Odd: **I'm…I'm not sure I can.

_Aelita holds onto him tightly. _

**Aelita: **We will help you.

_Everyone begins to tear up except for William. _

**Yumi: **Odd…..we…we missed you so much.

_They let their emotions get the best of them. They hold onto Odd and cry. Odd is once again overwhelmed by this display. Ulrich pats him on the back. _

**Ulrich: **Looks like I won't have to share a room with a clone again.

**Odd: **Clone?

**Jeremie: **Oh that's right. I better delete him. We can't have two Odds walking around.

**Yumi: **I'm going to miss that clone…

**Odd: **Um….should I be expecting any changes now that I'm free?

**Ulrich: **Just two. Number one, your grades are so high teachers are starting to get suspicious. And two, expect a large amount of fangirls following you around tomorrow.

_Odd forces a nervous smile at this. Ulrich is a little surprised. Usually the idea of being surrounded by girls would make him leap for joy. _

**Aelita: **Let's get you home.

_Ten minutes later, Ulrich opens the door to their dorm room. Odd walks in with a blank look on his face. _

**Ulrich: **Welcome home.

_Odd seems out of sorts. He doesn't look really comfortable in his old dorm room. He hears the familiar feet of a canine. He turns to see Kiwi looking at him. At first Kiwi backs up. _

**Odd: **Kiwi?

_Kiwi is not sure if this one is the real deal. _

**Odd: **Kiwi, it's me.

_Kiwi hopefully raises his tail and wags it. Odd opens his arms. _

**Odd: **My little diggity dog.

_The last statement eliminates all doubt in Kiwi's tiny mind. He literally tackles Odd, licking him and everything. Odd holds him close. He looks to Ulrich. _

**Odd: **I'm guessing he missed me.

**Ulrich: **Now what would give you that idea?

_Odd tries to absorb this moment of freedom, but his mind still seems distant. Ulrich notices a slight tremor in his left arm. It quickly goes away, but it makes Ulrich pause with concern. Outside in the hallway, Jeremie and William talk. _

**Jeremie: **We did it. We did it.

_William nods. _

**Jeremie: **I…I almost can't believe it.

**William: **Yes. He's back. There's no denying that.

_Jeremie stares at his door. _

**Jeremie: **I…I know this sounds selfish, but do you think Aelita may be able to forgive me now that I helped free Odd?

_William's expression becomes grave. _

**Jeremie: **I figured. A naïve hope…..

_He opens his door. _

**Jeremie: **But at least Odd's free. Completely and totally free.

_William makes a face. Jeremie raises an eyebrow. _

**Jeremie: **He is free, isn't he? He's back to his good old self, right?

**William: **Free?...Yes. Is he the same? No. And most likely never will be.

_Jeremie stops to think. _

**Jeremie: **Should….should we be worried about him?

_William averts Jeremie's gaze and does not answer. _

**William: **I'm going to keep my eye on him.

_The lights go off in the dormitories. The campus is shrouded in darkness. Odd finds it difficult to fall asleep. Suddenly his body stiffens and he starts to sweat. He breathes heavily. Kiwi raises his head and questionably looks at his master. Odd forces a smile and pats Kiwi's head. _

**Odd: **It's ok Kiwi. I'm ok…..I'm ok.

**Part 19 **


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 19 **

_The tranquility of the Network is shattered by a deep rumbling from the abyss. Out of the darkness emerges Moriarty's spheres. Every single one, both empty shells and the ones who had connections to nuclear arsenals, converge together in a massive circular gap within the databases. The spheres become one, forming one massive sphere. The sphere hardens and becomes crystalline, shining like glass. Inside the glass sphere blue light flows and takes the shape of the Moriarty eye. The eye releases a pulse wave into the surrounding Network. Blocks from the skyscraper databases are pulled apart towards the sphere, as if drawn by a gravitational field. The blocks form together on the surface of the sphere and create four separate pyramids. The bases of the pyramids connect to the surface of the sphere and rotate along the sphere's equatorial and polar axis. From the tips of the pyramids four powerful blue beams fire into the nearby databases. The beams do not destroy the databases, but rather infect them. A dark shadow envelops the databases like a plague, causing them to turn black. The databases grow and form spikes on their ends. Strong cables emerge from all sides of the pyramids, creating a web connecting the infected databases to the central sphere. The sphere hums and the surrounding sea changes from aqua green to royal purple. Finally Moriarty himself emerges from the abyss. He views his new creation hungrily, especially the glass sphere. A small opening emerges in the sphere. His smoky tentacles caress it. _

**Moriarty: **When one door closes, another one…opens.

_He enters the glass sphere. The pyramids begin to rotate with incredible speed. The sphere lights up. Moriarty exhales and dissolves into a beam of light that shoots out of the sphere straight towards Lyoko. Meanwhile at Kadic, history teacher Gilles Fumet drinks coffee while preparing for his morning classes. He twirls it around with a short straw while studying his textbook. He hears a small creaking in the ceiling. He looks up. Seeing nothing wrong, he continues with his work. He writes down a few notes and then pulls out one of his drawers. He holds two DVDs in his hands. Both are about the Holocaust. He seems puzzled. _

**Gilles: **Hmm…Which one? Which one do I show?

_The creaking noise is heard again. He looks up again, this time a little annoyed. But once again he goes back to his work. _

**Gilles: **The BBC one is more educational, but also very graphic. Too much for some of the students last year. Too many complaints from parents.

_A specter emerges from a vent. _

**Gilles: **But the students need to have a healthy understanding of this genocide….

_He hears the slight creak again but chooses to ignore it. _

**Gilles: **I think I'll go on the safe side and show the interview with Elie Wiesel.

_The creak is now so loud he can't ignore it. He wheels around and stares at the ceiling, this time very angrily. _

**Gilles: **Who's there?

_He gets no answer. He looks around the room, but he sees no evidence to prove he's not alone. _

**Gilles: **If this is a student, I promise you this isn't funny! You will be heavily disciplined for this!

_He looks to the ceiling again. After he fails to hear the creaking again, he turns around to see a massive black specter staring at him in the face. His heart flies into his throat and he holds his chest, unable to take a breath from the shock. The specter slithers toward him. _

**Moriarty: **You want to teach your students about the Holocaust?

**Gilles: **Y..ye….ye….y….ye….yes…yes.

**Moriarty: **I could help you.

_The menacing specter is making Gilles shake with absolute terror. Cold sweat pours down his face. _

**Moriarty: **I could show you the full horror of it all. Something no video can give justice to.

**Gilles: **No…..NO PLEASE NO!

**Moriarty: **You want to give your students a healthy understanding, don't you?

**Gilles: **FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I BEG YOU NO!

_Moriarty laughs. Gilles cringes. _

**Moriarty: **Not even God can save you now….

_The specter attacks. A piercing scream resonates in the school hallways. In the boys bathroom, William and Odd are having a conversation. They both have towels along their waists, having just come out of the shower. _

**Odd: **I'm telling you, I'm fine.

**William: **And I'm telling you I'm not buying it.

**Odd: **I'm free aren't I? Isn't that the end of it?

**William: **Not exactly, no.

**Odd: **I appreciate you looking out for me, but I don't need it.

**William: **Playing macho is not going to help you. Believe me, it doesn't go well.

**Odd: **Look, can we not talk about this? I don't like to think about it.

**William: **But you need to. You need to be honest with me about how you are doing. If not, it could end badly. You need me.

_Odd tries to ignore William by brushing his teeth. _

**William: **You can't be possessed by your sworn enemy for months and be 'ok'. It doesn't work that way.

_Odd spits out the toothpaste and rinses his mouth. _

**Odd: **Maybe not for you.

_One of the students slams the door to one of the shower rooms. It causes a loud banging sound. Odd suddenly jumps and looks around him, expecting to be attacked. His eyes are wide. William crosses his arms. _

**William: **Uh huh, sure.

_Odd ignores him and tries to walk out of the bathroom. But William grabs his wrist. _

**William: **Don't act like that didn't happen.

_Odd gives him a dirty look. _

**William: **Will you let go of your pride and just admit you need help?

**Odd: **Let go of me….

**William: **I am trying to help you. And I can help you. I've been there.

_Odd's look becomes more intense. _

**Odd: **Just because you were Xana's slave doesn't mean you know what I went through. YOU HAVE NO IDEA!

_William suddenly becomes very hostile. An aggression foreign to William's real character seems to have possessed him. He squeezes Odd's wrist very hard. Odd becomes nervous. _

**Odd: **William….stop! You're hurting me!

_William comes back to reality and lets go of Odd's wrist. He breathes heavily and stares at his arm. He looks to Odd. _

**William: **Do you see what I mean? There are consequences to this!

_Odd begins to shake. He leans against the sink, trying to brace himself. He appears to think he's somewhere else. He grabs his hair. His face is white. _

**Odd: **Please Master! NO TREATMENT!

_After that statement, Odd seems to come back to himself. William stares at him, deeply worried. _

**William: **Odd….what did he do to you?

_An expression of fear and weakness take shape on Odd's face. He flees the bathroom. Later on in the day Ulrich, Aelita, Jeremie, and Odd walk to class together. They notice a large crowd gathering outside Gilles Fumet's classroom. Principal Delmas tries to shoo them away. _

**Delmas: **Please students, go to class! There is nothing to see here.

_Several doctors in white lab coats bring out Gilles. Jim helps them. Gilles babbles incoherently. His eyes alone speak of the psychological abuse he has been subjected to. _

**Gilles: **His eyes…..HIS EYES!

**Doctor: **Try to relax Mr. Fumet. We're going to take good care of you…

**Gilles: **THE HORROR!

**Jim: **Uh….this reminds me of the time I worked in the insane asylum.

**Delmas: **You used to work in the insane asylum, Jim?

**Jim: **I'd rather not talk about it.

**Ulrich: **Well, I always knew he was uptight….

**Aelita: **This is awful. I feel so sorry for him.

**Gilles: **PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!

_Delmas follows Gilles to the ambulance. He pats him on the head. _

**Delmas: **You're in good hands Gilles.

**Gilles: **THE SKULL! THE SKULL!

_Jeremie raises an eyebrow at this last statement. The doctors put him in the 'special' ambulance. _

**Delmas: **Don't worry about your classes. We'll find someone to fill in for you.

_This last statement perturbs Gilles. _

**Gilles: **NO! DON'T DO IT!

_He grabs on to Delmas' shirt collar. _

**Gilles: **HE…..HE'S COMING!

_Jeremie walks toward the scene without being noticed, listening. Delmas does his best to unlatch Gilles' hand. _

**Delmas: **Yes. That is…truly fascinating. Please try to relax. I'll be sure to visit you once a week.

**Gilles: **YOU'RE IN DANGER! YOU'RE ALL IN DANGER!

**Delmas: **Or perhaps once a month….

_The ambulance speeds away. Delmas turns to the students. _

**Delmas: **Go to class. All of you! Now!

_The students reluctantly obey. _

**Delmas: **Jim, can you proctor Mr. Fumet's classes until we find a suitable substitute?

**Jim: **I'll try sir. But history was never my strong point.

**Delmas: **I am well aware. You're going to be their proctor, not their teacher. We're going to have you assign some work for them to do in class and you will make sure they do it. Understand?

**Jim: **Yes sir!

**Delmas: **We just need to make sure that order is maintained and the students don't revert to the level of savagery.

**Jim: **I won't let it happen again sir!

**Delmas: **Just remember this is history class and not 'Story Time with Jim Morales' class.

_Jim gives Delmas a slightly guilty look. _

**Jim: **I will do my best to resist the temptation sir.

_As the group peels away from the scene, a gaggle of girls approaches Odd from behind. Ulrich pats him on the back. _

**Ulrich: **What did I tell you?

**Odd: **Are they…..following me?

**Ulrich: **Yep. You have your own fan club. Cool, huh?

**Odd: **Yeah….really cool.

_He doesn't seem that enthusiastic. _

**Girl 1: **Hey Odd, do you to sit by me in class again?

**Girl 2: **Hey! No fair! You got to last time!

**Girl 3: **But it's my turn! I haven't sat next to him for forever!

**Girl 4: **But it's my birthday! I should be the one sitting next to him!

_Arguing ensues. Odd gives them a "How in the #%$ did this happen?" look. Ulrich, Aelita, and Jeremie leave him with the girls. _

**Ulrich: **See you in class.

_Odd tries to motion for them to stay, but they walk off. _

**Girl 3: **So Odd, are you excited for the party tonight?

**Girl 1: **You should.

**Girl 2: **It's going to be amazing!

**Girl 4: **Everyone is going to be there!

_Odd scratches his head. _

**Odd: **Uh….refresh my memory?

_The girls give him a quizzical look. Girl No. 2 nudges him with her elbow. _

**Girl 2: **Remember? We're sneaking out and heading downtown to that dance club?

**Odd: **Oh, right….

**Girl 1: **Are you feeling alright?

**Girl 4: **You don't look so good.

**Girl 3: **And how come you aren't doing the 'spectral entity' thing?

_The girls laugh. Odd is really lost. _

**Girl 2: **Oh don't play dumb, you're the funniest guy in school…

**Odd: **Funniest guy in school….?

**Girl 3: **Yeah, go on. Do your thing….

_Odd doesn't really know what they're talking about. But they want him to be funny, so he gives it a shot. _

**Odd: **Ok, so a frog tells the bartender…

**Girl 2: **No, not that!

**Odd: **I thought you wanted a joke.

**Girl 1: **Not that kind…

_Odd throws his hands up. _

**Odd: **Well, what do you want?

**Girl 3: **You know…._Her face becomes robotic in appearance. _Calibrating awesomeness of spectral entity. Must pursue more female subjects. Sex appeal of spectral entity reaching critical levels.

_The girls crack up at their comrade's imitation. But Odd does not think it's funny. He finally understands that his clone has made a fool of himself during his absence. Ordinarily he would like attention like this, but not anymore. _

**Odd: **Um….that's not my style of comedy.

**Girl 4: **Oh shut up. It's your thing.

**Girl 2: **Yeah. It's who you are.

**Odd: **But I don't like being that kind of funny.

**Girl 3: **But you're not funny without it.

_Odd raises an eyebrow. _

**Odd: **Not funny without it?

**Girl 2: **Yeah, you were a real dork back then.

**Odd: **A dork?

**Girl 3: **Yeah, but then you got really funny and cool.

**Odd: **But that….that wasn't….

**Girl 1: **Do you remember when he tried to get you to go out with him last year?

**Girl 2: **Oh yeah! I told him he would have to fumigate his feet first.

**Girl 4: **Oh the look on your face. Priceless!

_The girls laugh some more. Odd now understands that his replacement has been nothing but entertainment for them. They don't really like him for who he is, just who he has been for the last few months. _

**Girl 3: **Come on! Do something hilarious!

**Girl 2: **We need something to get us through the day!

**Girl 4: **Say something stupid!

_Odd becomes angry and balls his fists. _

**Girl 2: **What are you waiting for?

**Odd: **No.

_The girls are taken back by this. _

**Girl 3: **Come again?

**Odd: **I'm done playing your game. You don't know me. You don't care about me. You just want to laugh at me. I thought acting different would get me more girls, and I guess it has. But for what? I can't be someone I'm not. You don't like me.

**Girl 1: **We do like you.

**Girl 4: **You're so funny!

**Odd: **I mean the real me! You don't like who I really am. You don't like me when I'm a dork. Well, that's who I am. I'm done with this. I'm done pretending. This joke has gotten old. I'm not playing your game anymore. So goodbye. I'm NOT going to the party.

_He walks off, leaving the girls speechless. Later on in theater class, Ms. Kensington is giving a lecture about Hamlet. _

**Kensington: **Now I'm going to read a passage to you from Act 5 Scene 1 of Hamlet.

_Ulrich turns to Odd. _

**Ulrich: **So, how did that go?

**Odd: **Hmmph.

**Ulrich: **That clone of yours really hooked you up, didn't he?

**Odd: **Yeah…..I wish he didn't.

_Ulrich raises an eyebrow. _

**Ulrich: **I'm sorry….what?

**Odd: **It doesn't matter. They won't be following me around anymore.

_Ulrich looks to Aelita, who is sitting next to Emily LeDuc. Aelita gives him an inquisitive look, but Ulrich shrugs his shoulders. Jeremie, who sits in the back next to Paul Gilliard, is clearly concerned. _

**Kensington: **But of course, this famous monologue wouldn't be complete without the correct prop.

_She opens a drawer and pulls out a white object. _

**Kensington: **A skull…..

_Odd's head jerks up. He takes a good look at the white plastic skull. He tries not to look at it, but his eyes are pulled in against his will. He tries to pretend nothing's wrong, but it's clear by the way he swallows and breathes that that is not the case. He taps the desk nervously. Ulrich notices this scene and looks to Aelita. Her face sends a clear message back: Uh oh. _

**Kensington: **Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio- a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.

_Odd's arms begin to shake. His eyes lock on to the skull as if it is a gun and he is soon to be the victim of a firing squad. _

**Kensington: **…He hath borne me on his back a thousand times…

_In his mind's eye, the skull's eyes light up with intense fire. His vision goes red. Sweat trickles down Odd's forehead. _

**Kensington: **…And now how abhorred in my imagination it is!

_Odd has lost track of reality and seems on the verge of a panic attack. He hears Ulrich say, "Odd…ODD!" but it feels as if he is hearing him underwater. Black smoke starts to cover the skull. _

**Kensington: **My gorge rises at it.

_Odd's mind goes to a flashback. He is tied to a chair with Moriarty's smoky skull form looking over him. They are surrounding by inky blackness. _

**Moriarty: **We can't have that again….

**Odd: **Please Master! I don't know what came over me!

**Moriarty: **You fought my control…..

**Odd: **A moment of weakness Master! It won't happen again…

**Moriarty: **Oh I will make sure it won't…..

**Odd: **No please Master! No treatment!

**Moriarty: **We must awaken the beast in you again.

**Odd: **I am a beast! I am an animal! I serve you and you alone!

**Moriarty: **And there is only one way to do that.

**Odd: **NOOOO!

_A wave of indescribable horrors are subjected to Odd's mind, images of fear and terror no human mind should be subjected to. Odd is trapped in this black hole. He can't find a way out. _

**Kensington: **MR. DELLA ROBIA!

_Odd comes back to reality and notices everyone in the class is looking at him. All of the students laugh except for Ulrich, Aelita, and Jeremie, who seem very concerned. _

**Kensington: **Would you mind explaining to the class why you nearly had a seizure?

**Odd: **Uh…I….

**Kensington: **If you were trying to imitate Hamlet's onset of insanity in Act 5, it was marvelously well done. You truly have a career in acting….

_The students burst into laughter. Odd buries his head on the desk. An hour later, Odd washes his face in the bathroom. He tries to wash what has happened from his mind. He looks at the mirror and decides he doesn't like what he sees. He feels his spiked hair. He lightly touches the gel. Fully disappointed in himself and his past, he throws water at the reflection. Not satisfied with that, he starts to mess up his hair. The gel makes him have spikes of hair in all different directions. In a final act of frustration, he puts his hair under the sink and washes out all of the gel. When he rises to the mirror again, his hair is completely put down. It looks like the style he had before he ever came to Lyoko….when it was normal. He dries it off and walks out of the bathroom. Later at lunch, Odd approaches the group's table. _

**Ulrich: **I'm telling you, I thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown.

**Aelita: **He was scared…..I could tell.

**Jeremie: **…I think he forgot what was real and what wasn't.

_The group notices he is standing right next to them. They try to change the subject, only to double take and look at Odd's hair. _

**Yumi: **Um….Odd…..

**William: **Your hair…..

**Odd: **What about it?

**Aelita: **It looks….different….

**Ulrich: **…..Normal…

**Odd: **Is that a problem?

**Jeremie: **No no no. It….it looks good on you.

_Odd sits down. _

**Odd: **Thanks.

**Yumi: **It's just that….

**Ulrich: **We thought you preferred 'Lyoko style'. Remember?

_Odd twiddles his food around with a fork. _

**Odd: **Maybe I don't deserve 'Lyoko style' anymore.

**Aelita: **Hey….don't talk like that.

**Odd: **Why not? Shouldn't I be honest with myself?

**Jeremie: **There's a difference between being honest with yourself and letting what is past define you.

**Odd: **Easy for you to say…

**Jeremie: **….Quite the contrary.

_Yumi stares at his tray. _

**Yumi: **Aren't you going to eat?

**Odd: **No. I'm not hungry.

_This last statement does not sit well with the group. Odd is always hungry. The speed of his metabolism is legendary. If he isn't hungry, the group knows there's something seriously wrong. William decides to break the ice. _

**William: **Odd….I've heard there was a bit of a problem in-

**Odd: **I don't want to hear it.

**William: **Odd, if we don't address this, it will happen again.

**Odd: **No it won't. I've handled it.

**William: **Odd…..I know you're afraid….It's ok to be afraid.

**Odd: **But it's not ok to jump to conclusions…

**William: **Odd, please listen to reason…

**Odd: **I'm done….

_He leaves the table. _

**William: **It's worse than I thought.

_Yumi puts a hand on his shoulder. _

**Yumi: **William, be honest with us…..is he going to be ok?

_William stares at the table. _

**Aelita: **William, please….

**William: **…He needs us…..badly.

_The group is silent. _

**William: **He knows what's happening to him. He knows….and he's terrified. I think he's starting to remember everything now.

**Yumi: **Memories of his possession?

**William: **Correct…

**Ulrich: **This early?

**William: **Yes…

**Aelita: **That's not possible….

**William: **Not unless his former master wants him to remember everything.

**Yumi: **But why…?

_William gives her a look that tells them all they need to know. _

**Jeremie: **My God….

**William: **I got off easy compared to him…

_Silence overtakes them. _

**Aelita: **We all need to watch over him. Make sure he's relaxed. We can't let him experience anything uncomfortable. We need to make sure he's in control. And if we can't….

**William: **God help his soul…

_The next day, Mr. Delmas sits at his desk playing that penguin game on his computer again. His phone intercom beeps. He presses the red button on the receiver. _

**Delmas: **Yes Nicole?

**Nicole: **Sir, there's a man here to see you…

**Delmas: **Tell him I'm busy and will get to him in a minute.

**Nicole: **But sir….

_Delmas looks annoyed. _

**Delmas: **Yes….?

**Nicole: **He says he's here for the job opening…

_This response gets his attention. He closes the game and adjusts his tie. _

**Delmas: **Send him right in.

**Nicole: **Yes sir…

_A lean middle-aged man opens the door. Delmas rises to shake his hand. _

**Delmas: **My apologies. I didn't expect someone to come in on such short notice.

**?: **It's perfectly fine. I heard about your job opening and just wanted to put my foot in the door, so to speak.

**Delmas: **Yes of course. May I ask you your name?

**?: **Dr. Sébastien Renard. I understand you are in need of a history teacher….

_Later in the day, Yumi and William head to their history class. They walk slowly down the hallway. _

**Yumi: **First the theater class episode, then his hair, and….now he says he's not hungry. Are you sure we got the right Odd back?

**William: **We definitely got the right Odd. But he's changed.

**Yumi: **I wish he hadn't….I was so happy to have him back…but I can't even recognize him anymore.

**William: **It's just something we're going to have to accept. Both of our possessions have left a permanent mark on us.

**Yumi: **I guess you're right. You became very cold and rational a few months after you were freed. You used to be so reckless and such a flirt

**William: **Hey…I can still be a flirt….

**Yumi: **Yeah….whatever…

_They enter the classroom with a group of students. Yumi heads immediately to a desk. Their substitute writes on the chalkboard. As William approaches the teacher's desk, the substitute turns around. William and the substitute come face to face. William is struck speechless. His mouth drops. His hands let go of books and paper and let them drop to the floor. The substitute remains expressionless, but William can see a malevolent glint in his eye. William can't even breathe. The students behind William get annoyed because he is blocking the aisle between the tables and the teacher's desk. _

**Emmanuel: **Hey, Dunbar, what's the matter with you? Look alive!

_William scrambles to get his things, avoiding the substitute's eyes. Christophe bends down next to him. _

**Christophe: **Let me help you with that…

**William: **Thanks…

**Christophe: **You alright?

_William retreats to his desk with Yumi without answering. His face is still in shock. _

**Moriarty: **Good afternoon students. My name is Dr. Renard, and I'm most likely going to be your history teacher until the end of the term.

_William lets out a whimper. Yumi does not pay attention, but rather draws a sketch of Odd. She does not look up. _

**Moriarty: **To start off, we are going to call roll. Arceneau?

**Arceneau: **Present…

_William tries to get Yumi's attention. But she is oblivious to him. William is so terrified, he can't even speak. He finally taps her on the shoulder. She looks up. _

**Yumi: **What?

_William points to Dr. Renard and gives her some obscure hand motions. _

**Yumi: **Charades?...Seriously?

_William shakes his head and becomes more dramatic. He still can't find the strength to speak. _

**Yumi: **Will you spit it out already?

**Moriarty: **...Dunbar?

_William does not respond but feebly raises his hand. _

**Moriarty: **A little higher, if you please. My eyesight is not what it once was.

_William reluctantly obeys. _

**Moriarty: **That's much better.

**Yumi: **What's the matter with you?

**William: **We….have…a…serious problem.

**Yumi: **What are you talking about?

_William can't even bear to tell the truth to Yumi. He's completely terrified, not knowing what to expect. Yumi gives up and starts drawing again. _

**Moriarty: **….Ishiyama?

**Yumi: **Present…

_Dr. Renard walks to her desk. He observes her drawing. She does not notice him until he takes it out of her hands. _

**Moriarty: **Miss Ishiyama…I received a PhD in history…not art. And I am sure I have the right classroom.

_A few of the students chuckle as he walks away. Yumi huffs. _

**Yumi: **Jerk….

**William: **Oh, you have no idea…

**Moriarty: **And now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's go to our lesson for today. We are going to be discussing one of the greatest genocides in human history: The Holocaust.

_William turns white and raises his hand. _

**Moriarty: **Yes, Mr. Dunbar?

**William: **May I go to the infirmary?

**Moriarty: **Mr. Dunbar…I have read in Mr. Fumet's notes that you and a group of your friends have had quite a few visits to the infirmary….Pray tell, what is your ailment?

**William: **Mortal terror….

_The students laugh. Yumi turns to him with a quizzical look on her face. Dr. Renard chuckles. _

**Moriarty: **Hilarious William. But I assure you my class won't be THAT difficult.

_Students laugh again. William sits down. He is shaking. Yumi has had enough. _

**Yumi: **If you don't tell me what's wrong right now, I'm going to slap you.

_William does not respond. _

**Yumi: **Can't you speak?

_He reaches for a pencil. _

**Yumi: **Now what are you doing?

_He writes a little note and passes it to her. She nonchalantly picks it up. It is only one word: Moriarty. She gasps and puts her hand over her mouth. She looks to William with fear in her eyes. She points to Renard. William nods, clearly terrified. _

**Moriarty: **Miss Ishiyama, is there something wrong?

**Yumi: **No…no sir. Nothing's…wrong.

**Moriarty: **I should hope not. Now students, before we begin, let me start by listing some things you might expect in this class. First of all, this is not your average history class. Lecturing is boring. I want the students to be involved in discussion. History is not black and white. It can be examined by several different angles. I want you to question what you have been taught before. Second, this class will be an open forum for us to question the current political situation of Europe and elsewhere. The recent nuclear scare provides ample opportunity. Third, opinions, even ones that might be considered radical, are welcome in this class. And lastly…_He grins_…_._have fun. You will have fun in this class. _He twists his fingers together. _We are going to have so much fun in this class…You could even consider this a…..game….if you will..a very VERY big game..._He looks to Yumi and William_…You have no idea what I can do to you in this class…

_Both Yumi and William look at their enemy with dread. _

**Yumi: **How long did he say he would stay?

**William: **For the rest of the term…

**Yumi: **We are so screwed…

_Under the portico of one of the school buildings, Yumi and William tell Aelita, Ulrich, and Jeremie the terrible truth. As usual, they take this news very calmly. _

**Ulrich:** WHAT?

**Jeremie: **HE'S HERE?

**Aelita: **I….I think I'm going to be sick…

**Ulrich: **Are you absolutely sure it's him?

**William: **I've seen him before, during one of his games. I've stared him right in the eye. I know what he looks like. And that substitute IS Moriarty.

**Yumi: **I haven't seen his human form until now. But I could tell it was him. The way he looked at us, the way he spoke, the way he called out on us…..Moriarty is Dr. Renard.

**Aelita: **What do we do?

**Jeremie: **What can we do?

**Aelita: **We can't allow him to stay here! There's no telling what kind of harm he is capable of.

**Jeremie: **And how do we reveal himself without revealing our secret?

_The group doesn't have an answer to this. _

**Ulrich: **He really has us this time.

**William: **He must have taken over a tower. If we deactivate it, that should take care of it, right?

_Jeremie looks at his laptop. He shakes his head. _

**Jeremie: **No. There's nothing on the super scan. That would be too easy. He must be getting power from somewhere else.

**Yumi: **So, what's the plan?

**Jeremie: **I'm going to the factory to try and sort out this mess. Cover for me.

**Ulrich: **That's not going to be easy. Our next class is with Moriarty…

_William suddenly looks concerned. _

**William: **Wait….is Odd in your class?

**Ulrich: **Yeah…why?

**William: **No, this is HORRIBLE! You have to get Odd away from him!

_Aelita's eyes widen. _

**Aelita: **If Odd sees Moriarty…

**William: **He'll flip!

**Yumi: **When does your class start?

**Ulrich: **Like….now..

_Aelita grabs Ulrich's arm. _

**Aelita: **We have to get to Odd before Moriarty does!

**Ulrich: **Alright, let's go!

_Ulrich and Aelita take off towards the classroom. A few minutes later they sit in class, waiting for both Odd and Moriarty to arrive. A few other students trickle in. Ulrich leans back in his chair towards Aelita. _

**Ulrich: **Where is he?

**Aelita: **I don't know! This is driving me insane!

**Ulrich: **If Odd doesn't get here in the next thirty seconds, it will be impossible to prevent disaster….

_Aelita rests her head on her hands. _

**Aelita: **Oh please….PLEASE let Odd come first.

_As if an answer to her desperate prayer, a still morose Odd walks in. Ulrich and Aelita jump from their seats and grab both of his arms. _

**Odd: **Hey…what are you doing?

**Ulrich: **Um Odd….I think you need some rest…

**Odd: **What are you talking about?

**Aelita: **Ulrich's right….maybe it's best you….take the day off!

**Odd: **Take the day off? I don't exactly have that option…

**Ulrich: **Make up an excuse….say you have to go the infirmary.

**Aelita: **Sure, it's no problem. We'll cover for you.

_Aelita and Ulrich are trying to edge Odd closer to the door. The other students seem oblivious to this. They are busy talking amongst themselves. _

**Odd: **Mind explaining to me what you're doing?

**Ulrich: **Don't you need to feed Kiwi?

**Aelita: **Yeah, you shouldn't keep him waiting.

_Odd narrows his eyebrows. _

**Odd: **I fed him this morning….

_Aelita looks at the clock and starts to become desperate. _

**Aelita: **Well, you may need to feed him again!

**Ulrich: **Yeah, you know how he can be such a pig.

**Odd: **My dog is not a pig!

**Aelita: **Odd, you don't understand. You can't-

**Odd: **No I know perfectly well what's going on here. You think I am messed up!

**Aelita: **No, it's not that.

**Odd: **Yes it is! You think I need help!

**Ulrich: **Well no…it's..just that…

**Odd: **Let me get to my seat…

_Odd tries to pass by Ulrich, but Ulrich moves in front of him. _

**Ulrich: **I can't let you do that Odd.

**Odd: **Get….out….of my way.

**Ulrich: **No. Go back to your room. That's an order.

_Odd throws his hands up. _

**Odd: **You're ordering me not to go to class?

**Ulrich: **You're going to have to trust me on this…

**Odd: **Give me one reason why I should…

**Aelita: **Please listen to him Odd. It's for your own good.

**Odd: **How? What will happen to me if I stay in class that is so bad?

**Moriarty: **So many things…

_Ulrich and Aelita lose their breath. They have lost their chance. A timid Odd turns around to see his former tormentor staring at him in the face. Every ounce of Odd is frozen by a fear that has no limit. The color drains from his skin, leaving nothing but a ghostly white hide. He struggles to draw a breath. His terror is of such magnitude, that had he seen Satan himself instead, his reaction would hardly have altered. Moriarty gazes upon his former pet with a sadistic and merciless smile. _

**Moriarty: **So nice to meet you…..Mr. Della Robia.

_Moriarty offers Odd his hand. Odd backs up from it like the plague. Aelita is also afraid, even though she has expected this. But Yumi and William's warnings did not fully prepare her to come face to face with her father's murderer as her new teacher. As for Ulrich, having seen his enemy's true human form for the first time, he steels his nerves. Ulrich knows that he is currently the strongest one facing Moriarty, and he must behave as such. But he is clearly worried about how Odd is going to respond to Moriarty's presence. _

**Moriarty: **Is there a problem, Odd?

_The breath is taken out of Odd's lungs. His legs are shaking. Aelita and Ulrich stare helplessly, unsure what to do. The other students are starting to take notice. _

**Moriarty: **I'm looking forward to spending this year with…teaching you.

_Odd has broken into a cold sweat again. Moriarty puts a hand on his shoulder. He leans and whispers into his ear. _

**Moriarty: **It will just be like old times…

_Odd loses physical control after this statement. He backs up in terror, shaking terribly. He then looks at his pants and gasps with embarrassment. His fear has made him lose control of his bladder. A trickle streams down his pants leg. The students react with horror. _

**Herb: **What the-?

**Olivia: **OH THAT'S SO GROSS!

**Sissi: **What's the matter with him?

_Odd looks down with shame. _

**Moriarty: **Mr. Della Robia, if you needed to use the bathroom, you could have just asked…

_Finally Aelita cannot take it anymore. She wants to yell at him, but she despite her burning anger, she knows she can't risk exposing Moriarty or their secret. _

**Aelita: **Sir, he is not well!

**Moriarty: **You are quite right Miss Stones….

_Sissi takes her attention away from Odd's accident to look back at Aelita and her substitute. She seems puzzled. _

**Sissi: **Wait….how did he know her name?

_No one listens to her question. Ulrich grabs Odd's arms. He gives Moriarty a venomous look. _

**Ulrich: **I'll take him to the infirmary.

**Moriarty: **Thank you for offering Ulrich, but I'll take care of it. _He pulls Odd towards the door. _I'm no doctor of medicine, but I believe I know EXACTLY what Odd needs.

_Odd musters the courage to look into Moriarty's eyes. He begins to hallucinate that his tormentor's pupils are on fire. The flesh melts of Moriarty's face, revealing a burning skull, grinning wickedly at him. Odd's world begins to spin around him. He holds his head. He has reached the breaking point. He lets out a bloodcurdling scream that shocks and frightens the entire class. He breaks free of Moriarty's grip and holds on to the door, the wildness of animal fear scorching his eyes. _

**Odd: **NOOO! NOT THE EYES! ANYTHING BUT THE EYES!

_He runs out of the classroom like a wild students look at each other in confusion. Aelita tries to run after him, but Moriarty puts his hand in front of the door. _

**Moriarty: **Go to your seat.

**Aelita: **No! Odd needs me!

**Moriarty: **I think it would be best for the adults to handle Odd.

_Aelita is literally about to strike him. She grits her teeth. _

**Aelita: **Get…out…of…my way.

**Moriarty: **I don't think you are in any position to give me orders. I may be new here but I am your teacher.

_Aelita is so angry and distraught she almost emotionally shuts down. She can't even speak. _

**Moriarty: **So I'd suggest you respect me as such.

_Aelita doesn't say anything but mouths the words: "When hell freezes over." _

**Moriarty: **All of you sit down! We need to begin class.

_Everyone settles down except Ulrich and Aelita. Ulrich motions for Aelita to sit down, but she won't budge. _

**Moriarty: **Miss Stones, that wasn't an invitation…

_The students can only stare in wonder as she defiantly refuses to move. _

**Moriarty: **I won't ask you again….

_Ulrich tugs on her sleeve. _

**Ulrich: **Aelita, you're making a scene…

_She doesn't answer. Ulrich pulls her from her hateful stare at Moriarty and whispers to her. _

**Ulrich: **Iknow you're furious…I am too. But can't you see he is enjoying this? This isn't going to help Odd.

_She looks away from him. _

**Ulrich: **One day we'll make him pay for this and remove him from this school. But now is not the time or the place.

_She looks back to him. _

**Ulrich: **We'll have to be patient.

_Aelita sighs and slowly takes her seat. Ulrich quickly follows. _

**Moriarty: **So glad you finally remembered where your seat was Miss Stones.

_A few students chuckle. _

**Moriarty: **And don't forget to tell your friend Jeremie that he has detention for skipping my first day of class.

_A few colorful words come out of Aelita's mouth. _

**Moriarty: **So to begin the lecture, let us focus on the most infamous death camp of the war, Auschwitz.

_Aelita leans to Ulrich. _

**Aelita: **We can't just let Odd run around like a madman! He could hurt himself! He needs help!

_Ulrich shows her his cellphone. _

**Ulrich: **I would never think of not sending him help.

_Back in the library, William and Yumi study across from each other. Both are absorbed in their work, trying to block the day's shocking revelation from their minds. Yumi's phone buzzes. She grabs it to prevent anyone from hearing. She subtly takes her phone out and looks at the text. She raises an eyebrow. William pretends to stretch and whispers to her. _

**William: **What is it?

**Yumi: **It's from Ulrich…

**William: **What does it say?

**Yumi: **This is strange. It just says 'Stop Odd'.

**William: **Stop Odd? What in the world does that mean?

_William and Yumi turn to the library window to see Odd running through the campus, screaming with wild abandon. They look at each other in horror. _

**William: **Sorry I asked…

**Yumi: **We have to stop him before he hurts himself!

**William: **Yes, but how do we get past G.I. Jim?

_They take a glance at their overweight proctor, perusing a comic book but keeping a sharp eye on the students. Yumi turns back to him. _

**Yumi: **You're the former rebel. How would you get out of this?

_William thinks for a moment. He tosses a rubber band ball in his hands that he made himself. He eyes the fire alarm several feet away from their desk. He makes a few motions with his wrist toward his target, taking aim. When Yumi realizes what he is doing, her eyes widen. _

**Yumi: **Don't even think about it…

**William: **I thought you wanted a way out of here.

**Yumi: **Yes, but not that drastic!

**William: **But what about Odd?

_She purses her lip and closes her eyes. She waves him to proceed. _

**Yumi: **Do it.

_When William is positive no one is looking, he launches the rubber band ball at the fire alarm with perfect aim. A sharp ringing sound shatters the library's silence. Jim jumps up from his chair in surprise. _

**Jim: **BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES! TAKE COVER! WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST! ….Uh…I mean…evacuate in an orderly fashion.

_William and Yumi sneak out with the rest of the crowd. William gives her a thumbs up. She shakes her head in response. Once they are outside and Jim isn't looking, the two bolt after Odd. They find him bracing himself against a tree in the woods, his body trembling. His back is to them. William looks to Yumi. She holds out her hand, telling him to approach him slowly and gently. He nods. Yumi tiptoes closer to him. She tries to put her hand on his shoulder. _

**Yumi: **Odd?

_He spins around with his right arm outstretched and his left hand on his right wrist. He breathes heavily. His eyes burn with intense vigilance. _

**Yumi: **Odd, this isn't Lyoko.

_He refuses to drop his arm. _

**Yumi: **Odd, it's me, Yumi. And William.

**William: **We're here to help you…

_Odd only seems to get more tense. An inescapable doubt rests uncomfortably on his face. _

**Odd: **How do I know?

_The other two don't seem to understand. _

**William: **Know what?

_Odd turns to face him. _

**Odd: **How do I know this is real?

**Yumi: **Odd, what are you talking about?

**Odd: **How do I know I'm really free?

**Yumi: **What do you mean? You're here…with us. You're no longer trapped under Moriarty's power.

_Odd shakes his head. _

**Odd: **NO! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!

_William steps forward to pacify him. _

**William: **What is too good to be true?

**Odd: **You. ALL OF YOU. YOU ARE ALL LIES!

_Yumi and William give each other strange looks. _

**Yumi: **We don't under-

**Odd: **You're all just images! Tricks sent by Moriarty to torment me! I am not free. I never was free. I'M STILL IN HELL!

_Yumi and William are silenced by this statement. After a few seconds, Yumi tries to calmly talk to him. _

**Yumi: **Odd. I don't know what Moriarty did to you. And to be honest, I'm terrified to ask. But you have to believe that I am real. Look into my eyes Odd. Tell me if I'm a Moriarty illusion.

_Odd obeys. At first he seems to take comfort in this, but his fear soon returns. He shakes his head. _

**Odd: **I can't tell. I can't tell.

**William: **Feel the grass. Touch the trees. Breathe the air. Look around you Odd. Moriarty may be good, but there's no way he could create a parallel world this advanced.

**Odd: **THEN WHY IS HE HERE? HOW DID HE COME TO EARTH?

**Yumi: **We don't know Odd. Jeremie is working on that right now. Believe me, we were as much surprised by his presence as you are.

_His wild look intensifies. _

**Odd: **LIES! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!

**Yumi: **Odd!

**Odd: **I have to get out of here. I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!

**William: **ODD YOU'RE HOME!

_Odd covers his ears. _

**Odd: **Go away Moriarty! WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?

**Yumi: **Odd!

**Odd: **I won't let you do this. I WILL ESCAPE!

_He goes to the ground and starts madly digging with his hands. _

**Odd: **YOU CAN'T HOLD ME HERE!

**Yumi: **ODD STOP IT!

**Odd: **HE'S EVERYWHERE! HE'S EVERYWHERE! EVERYWHERE I TURN I CAN SEE HIS EYES!

**William: **Odd, you need to calm down!

_William and Yumi's warnings fall on deaf ears. Yumi grabs her hair and pulls it in frustration. She looks to William. _

**Yumi: **Don't just stand there. DO SOMETHING!

**William: **What? What am I supposed to do?

**Yumi: **Stop him!

**William: **How?

**Yumi: **I don't know. THINK OF SOMETHING!

_William looks around. He sees a decent sized stick a few meters away. Without any hesitation, he takes the stick and smacks Odd upside the head, knocking him out cold. Yumi turns to him with a condescending look on his face. _

**William: **I thought of something….

**Yumi: **For the love of…..help me carry him.

**William: **Where?

**Yumi: **The factory.

**William: **Seriously?

**Yumi: **You know a better place to put him while we try to figure this out?

**William: **Good point…

_The two pick up Odd's limp body and carry him toward the factory. Later on, the group reconvenes in the lab room. Odd leans against the wall, with Aelita at his side, trying to comfort him. Jeremie sits in his chair, with Yumi, William, and Ulrich surrounding him. Jeremie's expression is grave. But this time, it's due to worry, not guilt. _

**Ulrich: **PTSD?

**Jeremie: **All the signs point to it.

**William: **I thought only army veterans had that disorder.

**Jeremie: **It's very common in soldiers. But no. It can affect anyone who has had a deeply traumatic experience.

**Yumi: **I think we can all agree that Odd fits that description…

**Jeremie: **Flashbacks, Nightmares, Avoidance of painful stimuli having to do with the trauma, increased arousal; It all adds up.

_William rubs his head. _

**William: **Sometimes I hate being right.

**Yumi: **He isn't even sure if this is reality or not. Moriarty has totally screwed up his mind.

**Ulrich: **And how are we supposed to fix that?

**Jeremie: **That I can't easily answer. PTSD is a very complex disorder that can be very hard to manage. Under normal circumstances, we might be able to help him…

**Yumi: **What do you mean 'normal circumstances'?

**Jeremie: **Usually there are medications and special therapy for this disorder. But that would require a prescription and an examination by a psychiatrist.

**Ulrich: **In which case….

**Jeremie: **He might blurt out our secret and make them think he is a total lunatic. They'd put him away…..For good. Which I doubt would do him any good.

_Yumi rubs her temples. _

**Yumi: **What a nightmare….

**William: **Then what can we do?

_Jeremie pauses. _

**Jeremie: **We need to do the best we can. First of all, he can't go to school. He'll have to stay here.

**Yumi: **But-

**Jeremie: **We can't risk him having another episode. Not with Moriarty around.

**William: **But what about his classes?

**Jeremie: **We have no choice. We'll have to bring his clone back.

**Ulrich: **Ok, I'm with you so far.

**Yumi: **But if he's not going to be at school, where is he going to stay? Where is he going to sleep?

_Jeremie takes off his glasses and rubs them with his shirt. _

**Jeremie: **….Here.

**Yumi: **…..IN THE FACTORY?

**Jeremie: **Yes.

**William: **Are you sure about that?

**Jeremie: **It's the safest place to put him.

**Ulrich: **Please tell me you're joking.

**Jeremie: **I am not. Odd has to live in the factory, under our protection. It's the only way to prevent further damage to his psyche.

**Yumi: **You can't let him live in the factory like a rat! What is he going to eat? How is he going to sleep? How is he going to …bathe? How is he going to…..Oh I don't even want to think about that!

**Jeremie: **We'll bring him everything he needs. Food. Clothes. Sleeping Bag. Pillow. Everything. And as for the last part…..there is an old factory worker's locker room a few floors above us that still works fine.

_Jeremie seems to be making sense to Ulrich and William. But Yumi is still not convinced. She hugs her shoulders. _

**Yumi: **But it's cold down here…and he'd be all alone.

_Jeremie lowers his head. _

**Jeremie: **We'll do our best to make him feel comfortable. We'll visit him as much as we can….And he won't be totally alone.

_Jeremie opens his backpack. A familiar mutt emerges. Jeremie holds his nose. _

**Jeremie: **Ughh….that's the last time I EVER put you in my backpack.

_Odd turns his attention to his dog. _

**Odd: **Kiwi?

_The mutt leaps into his needing arms. He holds him close. _

**Jeremie: **I've read that canine companionship can really help with PTSD. I really hope it does.

_Odd's mood does seem to improve significantly. _

**Jeremie: **There is one thing I'm worried about.

**William: **What's that?

**Jeremie: **Keeping Odd down here safe and sound is going to be expensive. I'm not sure how we are going to afford this.

_Ulrich smiles. He looks to Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **You don't have to worry about that.

**Jeremie: **I don't?

**Ulrich: **Money is not going to be a problem.

_Yumi smiles and affectionately squeezes his hand. _

**Jeremie: **Well I guess that's it then…

**William: **What about Moriarty? How has he appeared out of nowhere at our own school?

**Jeremie: **That I am still trying to figure out. I don't know all the details yet, but I know that Moriarty has transferred all of his spheres closer to the Network's surface and has created a sort of massive cybernetic parasite that is stealing power and information from the databases. It appears that's how he managed to transfer himself to Earth in such a realistic human form.

**Ulrich: **But if he's put all his spheres in one place, wouldn't that make it an easy target?

**Jeremie: **It appears he's sacrificed secrecy for power. Which is not good. Moriarty wouldn't be this bold unless he was well on his way to world dominance. He must be pretty confident.

**William: **Couldn't we just go to the Network and blow it into a million pieces?

**Jeremie: **I'd love to. But I said Moriarty was bold. Not stupid. It's heavily defended. Destroying it won't be easy.

**Yumi: **Sounds like another bumpy road ahead.

**Jeremie: **Yes. But we can't give up. Moriarty has to know that it will take more than a little substitute surprise to frighten us into submission….Besides…we owe it to Odd.

_The group is silent. Aelita hugs Odd, who still looks very weak and vulnerable. _

**Aelita: **We're going to get you out of this Odd. Whatever it takes.

_Odd watches the group warily. He turns to Aelita. _

**Odd: **I'm….I'm still not positive you are real or not…But I don't care. I need you either way. Don't leave me. Please don't….ever leave me. Even if you're a hideous lie, stay. I'm so lost….I'd rather have a lie than be alone again.

**Part 20 **


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 20 **

_Aelita and Odd sit together in the lab room, passing the time. They lie on a massive sleeping bag that Ulrich has bought for him. Surrounding his "bed" are various assortments of food, pillows, music, paper, and anything else Odd needs to be entertained. Kiwi rests on his haunches near the two. Odd leans against the wall and sighs. Aelita pats his shoulder. _

**Aelita: **Are you comfortable?

**Odd: **Yes. You….you all have been too good to me.

**Aelita: **No. I wish we could do more.

**Odd: **You already are overwhelmed by….._Odd finds it difficult to form the words_….him. Now you have to cater to me. I don't want to be too much of a burden.

**Aelita: **You're not. _She looks at all of Odd's stuff. _Are you sure you don't need anything else?

**Odd: **No, I don't think I need anything else.

**Aelita: **It must be awfully lonely staying down here all day.

**Odd: **A little. But I have Kiwi.

_Kiwi wags his tail in response. _

**Odd: **I don't have to leave him alone anymore to go to school.

**Aelita: **But it must be very boring….

**Odd: **It's not really that bad. I have a lot of time to play video games.

_He holds up a small handheld device. _

**Odd: **…And I can draw. I do that a lot. Sometimes I just sleep. No one to prevent me from sleeping in anymore. Besides…I….I feel safe here.

_He hugs his knees and looks up at the ceiling. _

**Odd: **I….I'm afraid when I leave this room. The factory is so dark and damp….even during the daytime. I used to not be afraid of that….but every creak and noise up there…._He shivers. _I can feel him. Watching me. Reaching for me.

**Aelita: **He can't hurt you anymore.

_Odd gives her a disapproving look. _

**Odd: **You know very well that isn't true.

_Aelita frowns. Trying to change the subject, she notices some crumpled papers near Odd's bed. She points to it. _

**Aelita: **Are these your drawings?

**Odd: **Yes…but-

_She reaches for them but Odd lunges in front of her. _

**Odd: **NO!

_He grabs them and holds them to his chest. _

**Odd: **You can't look at them! You can't…

**Aelita: **Why not? I'm sure they're great. You always were the best artist of the group.

**Odd: **No…you can't. They're…they're disturbing.

_Aelita pauses. She watches him with concern as he hides the drawings under his bed. _

**Odd: **Sometimes when I….when I'm having trouble….I draw what's in my mind. My flashbacks of Moriarty.

**Aelita: **Why would you do that? That can't be good for you.

**Odd: **I read that exposure is one form of treatment for PTSD. Force yourself to face your trauma.

**Aelita: **That's the last thing you need.

_Odd decides to look at one of the things he drew. He quickly realizes that it was a bad idea. He turns white and grabs his chest. He begins to shake. His eyes widen. _

**Odd: **Oh…oh no.

**Aelita: **Odd, you're having a panic attack!

**Odd: **Look away! You don't want to see me like this!

**Aelita: **No! I'm going to help you!

**Odd: **I'm burning…I'M BURNING!

_He swats himself trying to put out an imaginary fire on his body. His body motions become more and more erratic. Aelita grabs onto him and hugs him. Odd initially struggles against her. But Aelita's determined and warm presence eventually makes him calm down. He rests against the wall and breathes deeply. He looks to Aelita. She lets him go. _

**Odd: **Thank you….

**Aelita: **You're welcome. I wasn't about to let you go through that alone.

**Odd: **Aelita….about earlier, when I first got free from Moriarty…

**Aelita: **Yes?

**Odd: **I'm sorry. I should have admitted to you how badly I needed help. But I was just so desperate to be normal…..I tried to ignore it.

**Aelita: **No one blames you Odd. It's not always easy to ask for help. I just wish you had told us the truth sooner.

**Odd: **So do I.

_There is a pause. _

**Odd: **I'm having nightmares.

**Aelita: **I was afraid you were going to say that.

**Odd: **That's why I'm tired all the time. I'm afraid to go to sleep.

**Aelita: **It's part of your condition Odd. PTSD victims always have bad nightmares. You have to try not to relive the experience.

**Odd: **I can do that when I'm awake. But I have no control when I'm asleep.

**Aelita: **Do…do you want me to stay here until you can fall asleep?

**Odd: **No. Thank you. There's only so much you can do for me. When it comes to my nightmares…only I can face them.

_He looks down. _

**Odd: **You should probably head back to Kadic now. It's late, and you need some rest. Besides, you wouldn't want Jim to catch you out of your room after lights out.

_She sighs. _

**Aelita: **You're probably right.

_She subtly takes Odd's drawing that caused him to have a panic attack and hides it behind her back. She gets up and looks at him. _

**Aelita: **Are you sure you're ok for tonight?

**Odd: **I'll be fine. Thank you. For everything.

_As Aelita goes up the elevator she unfolds the paper. It sends a shiver down her spine. An innocent looking Odd is being consumed by a black fire that has engulfed the left half of his body. Half of his smile is sweet. The other half is malicious and wicked. An hour later, Odd drifts into sleep against his will. His body descends into a black hole. When the blackness recedes, he finds himself tied to the throne in Sector 5. Chains wrap around his body, securely fastening him to the chair. He struggles, but there is no escape. He looks down and discovers to his horror that he has his old Moriarty uniform back on. _

**Odd: **No! Get off of me!

_A deep and malicious laughter echoes through the chambers. _

**Odd: **No….

_A black smoke cloud approaches him. _

**Odd: **LEAVE ME ALONE!

_Moriarty appears in his skull form. Odd hides his face from him. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, is this the greeting I get after we got to know each other so well?

_Odd doesn't answer, but looks away, visible weakening from Moriarty's presence. _

**Moriarty: **I don't understand why you're being so cold to me. I gave you everything you wanted.

**Odd: **I never wanted to be your slave!

**Moriarty: **Power, Respect…._He motions to a group of monsters in front of him. _Loyal followers. Isn't that what you wanted?

**Odd: **NO!

**Moriarty: **Odd, Odd, Odd. Your memory is failing you. Don't you remember how you got into this situation in the first place?

_Odd is silent. _

**Moriarty: **I didn't just possess you outright. I didn't have the power to do that at the time. I needed help. Help you were oh so willing to provide. As they say….it takes two to tango.

**Odd: **You're lying!

**Moriarty: **Am I? 'A statue of you in every plaza in every major city in the world'. Isn't that what I promised? Didn't you want to be known? You were tired of being the unsung hero. I could sense a hunger in you. A hunger for fame. For glory. And when I told you what you wanted to hear, you came right into my arms. By the time I was done with you, it harldy took any effort to complete my hold on you.

**Odd: **I'm not that person anymore!

**Moriarty: **Of course not. Just look at you now.

_He growls and his smoke form glows with fire. Odd whimpers and cowers under his chains. _

**Moriarty: **Be careful what you wish for.

_A heavy lead crown appears on Odd's head. Odd struggles to hold his head up against the weight. He looks absolutely pathetic. Moriarty turns to his monsters. _

**Moriarty: **Hail Odd! Prince of Lyoko!

_The monsters jeer at him with strange grunts. Moriarty's laughing form swallows Odd as he screams for mercy. Moriarty's smoke cloud devolves into an inky abyss that Odd begins to fall into. The sounds of evil laughter die away. Odd drifts through this weightless blackness, expecting the worst. But as a new vision takes shape, the feelings of torment and fear begin to ebb. At first he can see nothing, but as his eyes adjust, he finds himself in a city with stone-paved streets. Although the city appears to be very large, the dark of the night reigns unchallenged over the neighborhoods and alleys. There is an eerie silence. Odd aimlessly wanders down the street. After a few seconds, he begins to feel light-headed. He holds onto a lamppost. _

**Odd: **Algiers. 1960.

_He shakes his head. _

**Odd: **Whoa….How did I know that?

_Before Odd can get an answer to his question, his body is inexplicably transported into a small but comfortable apartment in the French side of the city. The family he finds living in the apartment are Pieds-Noirs, French settlers who lived in Algeria before the nation gained independence from France. Although the windows are shuttered, the inside of the apartment is comfortably lit. A woman sits on the couch in the living room, holding an infant in her arms. A boy of around seven-years-old plays with a toy tank and some toy soldiers. _

**Richard: **BAM! BAM! Go away FLN! Algeria doesn't belong to you…_The child starts to imitate the soldiers. _Oh no you won't. We're kicking you out. _He turns back to the tank. _Then take this!

_The child makes a loud explosion noise and topples the soldiers over. _

**Mother: **Richard. Play quietly. You'll wake Damien.

**Richard: **Ok mommy.

_Odd notices a man dressed in a military uniform sitting in a nearby chair, reading the paper. His medals and manner indicate that he holds a high rank in the French army. He pours himself another glass of wine. _

**Mother: **Pierre….That's your fourth glass tonight. Please stop. Drinking this much is bad for your health.

_The man grunts. _

**Colonel: **This war is bad for my health.

**Mother: **You're on leave dear. Don't you think it's best that you try to forget about the war?

**Colonel: **Why do you think I'm drinking?

**Mother: **Isn't there any other way to forget it?

**Colonel: **Not with this war. Not with this war…_He takes another sip. _But if you find a way, please let me know.

_The mother is silent for a while. When the baby stirs, she gently rocks it back to sleep. _

**Mother: **I know you don't want me to ask questions about what's going on…

**Colonel: **That's correct.

**Mother: **But I worry about you. This war has to end. Is there any sign that it is….wearing down?

_Colonel stares at the ceiling for a while. _

**Colonel: **We've made significant progress, that's for sure. But I hesitate to say it's over. The village relocation program has had some major success in cutting off the rebels' supplies. Terrorist attacks are becoming more infrequent. Most of the rebels are either captured or in hiding deep in the desert. Things have tipped in our favor. But they're like rats. They hide and wait to strike when you're most vulnerable. It's very hard to beat them…..unless….

_He pauses. _

**Mother: **Unless what?

**Colonel: **Unless you play by their rules.

_The mother turns to him. _

**Colonel: **Dear, you aren't suggesting that we have….stooped to their level?

_The colonel doesn't immediately answer. As he opens his mouth, another boy bursts into the room. _

**Boy: **Daddy!

_The colonel turns to face a blonde-haired boy of around nine-years-old approach him. Odd, who can only observe this situation as it unfolds, looks at this boy intently. There is something in this child's eyes that he finds familiar. As he focuses on the boy's face, Odd suddenly loses his breath. For some reason Odd knows that this innocent-looking nine-year-old is Moriarty as a child. Moriarty's father smiles. _

**Colonel: **Ah, there's my little Napoleon!

_He gives the child who will eventually be known as Moriarty a big hug. Moriarty holds up a sheet of paper. _

**Colonel: **What's this?

**Moriarty: **A letter. My teacher told me to give it to you.

_Moriarty's mother smiles. _

**Colonel: **I'm assuming you've already read this.

**Mother: **Well, don't just sit there. Read it!

_The colonel takes a good look at the letter. He reads some parts out loud. _

**Colonel: **'In all my years of teaching, I have never encountered a student as precocious and brilliant as your son. He shows a mastery of topics well above his age. I know some teachers love to praise their students and embellish their accomplishments, but I can honestly say that your son is nothing less than a genius. With that kind of mind and work ethic, there is no limit to what he can do. I have no doubt in my mind that he is going to be the best in whatever field he chooses to pursue. But in the meantime, I would highly recommend that he be moved to more advanced classes. My class is doing little more than limiting his potential at this point.'

_The colonel folds up the paper. _

**Moriarty: **Well?

**Colonel: **Well what?

**Moriarty: **What do you think?

**Colonel: **I'm very proud of you son. But this honestly does not surprise me. I already knew you were a genius.

_He rubs Moriarty's head. _

**Moriarty: **But do you want me to move up?

**Colonel: **Well, do you?

**Moriarty: **Yes!

**Colonel: **Are you sure? The other kids are going to be much older than you.

**Moriarty: **That's ok. Sometimes they are easier to talk to. The boys in my class only want to talk about the war and how fun it must be.

**Colonel: **Well, you'd have to say goodbye to your friends.

_Moriarty avoids eye contact. _

**Moriarty: **That won't be a problem. I don't really have any friends...

_The colonel realizes that he has been away at war too long. He has been oblivious to the fact that his son's brilliance has isolated him. _

**Colonel: **Well, maybe you'll make new friends…

**Moriarty: **But what if they don't want to talk to me?

**Colonel: **With a mind like yours, they're going to have to if they want to pass the hard classes.

_Moriarty's face brightens. _

**Moriarty: **Do you really think my teacher's right? Am I going to be the best in everything?

_His father laughs and pats his head again. _

**Colonel: **Son, if you keep this up, you're going to put Charles De Gaulle himself out of a job.

**Moriarty: **You think I could become president?

**Colonel: **No doubt in my mind.

**Mother: **Your father's right. One day you're going to make France proud.

**Moriarty: **That's all I want to do. I want to serve my country. Like daddy.

_His father smiles. _

**Colonel: **That's a heavy responsibility son. It requires commitment and a willingness to sacrifice yourself so others may live. Are you ready to do that?

**Moriarty: **I promise!

**Colonel: **Swear?

**Moriarty: **I swear!

**Colonel: **Ok son. But remember, your country will hold you to your word.

**Moriarty: **I know. But I'm a patriot. I won't break my word.

**Colonel: **I know you won't.

_Moriarty smiles for a while, but it soon disappears. _

**Moriarty: **Daddy?

**Colonel: **Yes?

**Moriarty: **When do you have to go back to the war?

_His father sighs. _

**Colonel: **In two days…

_Moriarty turns away. _

**Moriarty: **I don't want you to go away. You just got home.

**Colonel: **I know son. But the army needs me. I have to do my job. Believe me, I wish I could stay here. But the war goes on. As much as I want to stop fighting, I can't.

**Moriarty: **You're never around…

**Colonel: **And for that I am truly sorry. But even though I am gone a lot, I always think of you. Remember I am fighting this war for you. I fight so that the enemy can never hurt you. So that they never come to Algiers and you can stay-

_He is interrupted by a loud noise in the alley outside his apartment. A dog barks outside. The colonel stands up and listens. The sounds are coming from the Muslim quarter of the city. The colonel's body tenses. _

**Mother: **Dear?

**Moriarty: **Daddy?

_Richard looks up from his toys. _

**Richard: **What's going on?

_The colonel reaches to his side and pulls out a pistol. _

**Colonel: **Stay here.

_The colonel sneaks down the hallway. For a moment there is silence. Then there is a loud bang like a door being forced open. Sounds of a struggle are heard. Another loud bang. This one sounds more like the clash of wood against a human skull. The struggle ends. The mother gets up, still holding the baby. _

**Mother: **Dear?

_She screams when three Algerian nationalists storm into the living room, guns drawn and aimed at the family. Moriarty and Richard back up towards the supposed safety of the couch, incredulous that what they have been told in school is actually happening. The baby Damien starts crying. Two of the nationalists drag a wounded colonel toward the couch. He has a bloody bruise on his head from the fight. The mother continues to scream. One of them aims a gun at her. _

**Ahmed: **It would be in your best interest to be quiet.

_The mother huddles with her children in the corner of the room, clearly shaking with fear. The colonel looks up at his attackers with a dazed look on his face. _

**Colonel: **Ahmed Kanaan.

**Ahmed: **So glad you recognize me.

**Colonel: **You were foolish to come to Algiers. You're in enemy territory.

**Ahmed: **Yes. For now.

**Colonel: **Don't flatter yourself. You're not strong enough to drive us out of Algiers, and you know it.

**Ahmed: **Maybe not now. But we will. This little invasion of your home is only the beginning.

**Colonel: **When my comrades hear of this, I assure you there will be consequences.

**Ahmed: **More crimes against my people which will rally them to our cause? Hmm… that's exactly what I want.

**Colonel: **Algeria belongs to us. We have ruled this land for more than a hundred years, and you can't change that. We are staying.

**Ahmed: **My ten million Muslim brothers and I would have to disagree with you on that.

**Colonel: **This is our home too! We have lived here! Settled here! Algeria is the only home I know.

**Ahmed: **Justifying French control over my people on the grounds of reaping the benefits of the conquest of your ancestors is a hollow argument.

_The colonel gives Ahmed a hateful look. _

**Colonel: **I'm going to give you ten seconds to leave my apartment. If you don't leave, I'll-

_One of the Algerian nationalists points it closer to the Colonel's head. _

**Algerian Nationalist 1: **You'll what?

_The colonel is silent. _

**Ahmed: **You are in no position to be giving orders.

**Colonel: **This entire city is under French control. Do you expect to come into Algiers with a ragtag militia and take over?

**Ahmed: **Of course not. We're not here to take the city.

**Colonel: **Then what are you doing here?

**Ahmed: **We're here….for you.

_Pause. _

**Colonel: **I don't understand.

**Ahmed: **Allow me to refresh your memory.

_Ahmed pulls out a photo of the body of a dead rebel and hands it to the colonel. _

**Ahmed: **Do you recognize this man?

**Colonel: **….Yes.

**Ahmed: **Who is it?

**Colonel: **He is…he was Hasim Kanaan.

**Ahmed: **Yes. My brother. Dead. Not only dead but mutilated and tortured in such a way that would make the demons in Hell shudder!

_The colonel looks at Ahmed without an ounce of contrition. _

**Ahmed: **Would you care to explain to me what happened to him?

_He looks to the family huddled in the corner. _

**Ahmed: **Better yet, would you care to explain to your own family what happened to my brother?

_The colonel's face remains hardened. The mother looks to her husband. _

**Mother: **Dear, what is this man talking about?

_The colonel doesn't say a word. _

**Ahmed: **Go ahead. Tell your dear wife what you did to him.

_There is another pause. _

**Colonel: **….Your brother Hasim burned a coastal Pieds-Noirs town to the ground.

**Ahmed: **So this is your response? An eye for an eye?

**Colonel: **Most of my unit's men were from that town. Many lost family members. One of my corporal's fiancée was violated and then brutally murdered. They wanted revenge. When we captured your brother, I couldn't stop them. They were going to have Hasim pay for his crimes, even if they had to beat me out of the way to do it.

**Ahmed: **You lie. You ordered it!

**Colonel: **I did not. My men did it without my permission.

**Ahmed: **Even if you didn't give the order, I bet you enjoyed it.

**Colonel: **I didn't lose much sleep on it, if that's what you mean.

_Ahmed hits him in the stomach with the butt of his rifle. The colonel doubles over. Moriarty is outraged by this violence against his father. He bravely but foolishly rushes to his side. _

**Mother: **BABY NO!

_He tries to hit Ahmed. _

**Moriarty: **Stay away from my daddy!

_One of the Algerian nationalists throws him to the side. He threateningly looks over his helpless victim. _

**Algerian Nationalist 1: **Another generation of Pieds-Noirs.

**Algerian Nationalist 2: **Not if I can help it.

_He holds a gun to Moriarty's head. _

**Mother: **NOOO!

**Colonel: **For the love of God! He's just a boy! Do what you want to me but let him live!

_The two nationalists laugh. _

**Algerian Nationalist 1: **What if we take them out instead?

**Algerian Nationalist 2: **Yes. We could make him watch as we destroy what means most to him.

**Colonel: **NO! NOT MY FAMILY!

_Baby Damien cries harder. Richard is crying too. _

**Algerian Nationalist 2: **It would be so easy.

_But Ahmed holds out his hand. _

**Ahmed: **No brothers. That is not right. Allah demands justice for my brother. But slaughtering his family is not justice.

_He cocks his gun. _

**Ahmed: **It is only his blood I want.

**Moriarty: **Daddy….

_There are tears in his eyes. _

**Colonel: **It's going to be ok son. Just…just look away.

_The gun is aimed against his temple. _

**Mother: **NO! LET HIM LIVE I BEG YOU! I'LL, I'LL DO ANYTHING! I'LL GIVE YOU ALL THE MONEY I HAVE! JUST DON'T KILL HIM!

_The colonel is unusually calm. _

**Colonel: **I'm sorry honey. But I'm afraid it's no use. There's no getting out of this.

_His wife begins to sob profusely. _

**Moriarty: **Daddy! Fight back! You….you can beat them Daddy….can't you?

**Colonel: **Look away son. I don't want you to see this.

_Richard hides his face in his mother's arms. The colonel turns to Ahmed. _

**Colonel: **Well?

**Ahmed: **Are you going to repent for your crimes against Algeria and my brother?

**Colonel: **Does it make a difference?

**Ahmed: **It might affect whether or not I kill you painlessly.

**Colonel: **Forget it. I'm not going to beg for my life. If I'm going to die, I might as well die with dignity.

**Ahmed: **There is no dignity in the death of an enemy to Allah. Have you anything else to say?

_Pause. Tears well up in Moriarty's eyes. _

**Colonel: **Yes…..Burn in Hell.

_The reflections of several gunshots burn in the pupils of Moriarty's young eyes. A horrifying scream pierces the tranquility of the neighborhood. The scene changes. The bereaved family watches their father's remains be given full military rites during a rainy afternoon. As the soldiers carry away his father's coffin, a young Moriarty salutes his father. _

**Moriarty: **I'll…I'll keep my promise….I swear.

_Odd's dream gradually fades as Moriarty's father is lowered into the ground. He wakes up to find himself still in the lab room. He sits up in the sleeping bag, holding his head. Kiwi notices that his master is awake and licks him. But Odd remains fixated on the wall, unable to fully grasp what he has just seen. Back at school, Ulrich and Odd's Clone enter the rec room. Students are busy watching TV, playing ping pong, and other things. But when the two enter, the students give Odd's clone a strange look. They start whispering amongst themselves. Ulrich tries to ignore it and grabs a soda from the refrigerator. He pops it open. _

**Ulrich: **They are talking about you.

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity is aware of that fact.

_Ulrich shakes his head. _

**Ulrich: **Too many people saw Odd have that breakdown. They are bound to be rumors and questions.

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity sees no threat in aimless speculation and gossip.

**Ulrich: **Still, it must be pretty embarrassing for you.

**Odd's Clone: **Warrior subject Ulrich Stern should know spectral entity is incapable of embarrassment.

_Ulrich pauses. _

**Ulrich: **Right. Or any emotion for that matter.

**Odd's Clone: **Affirmative.

**Ulrich: **So I guess this isn't a problem for you after all.

**Odd's Clone: **Statement false. Behavior of incapacitated subject Odd Della Robia draws attention to spectral entity. Mission of spectral entity to avoid suspicion has gotten more difficult.

_Ulrich takes a sip. _

**Ulrich: **So has ours.

**Delmas: **Mr. Della Robia.

_Ulrich turns to see the principal approach Odd's clone. _

**Ulrich: **Oh no.

**Delmas: **Can I talk to you for a moment?

**Odd's Clone: **Request granted.

**Delmas: **Uh…in private?

**Odd's Clone: **Second request granted.

_Delmas and Odd's Clone go off to the side, with Ulrich watching them closely. _

**Delmas: **Odd, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable…

**Odd's Clone: **Temperature in this building is adequate for normal human body temperature.

_Delmas raises an eyebrow. He expected to see Odd distraught, but this is not exactly what he had in mind. _

**Delmas: **Umm….yes. Well, Dr. Renard has informed me of your….. 'incident' in class.

**Odd's Clone: **A severe error that shall not be repeated.

**Delmas: **Well, I'm very glad to hear that. But given what I've heard, you could understand how I would be concerned for your emotional well-being.

**Odd's Clone: **Sentiments natural for occupation of subject.

_Now Delmas is really confused. _

**Delmas: **…It could be that you are trying to bury your emotions to avoid what's bothering you. And believe me when I say that is not good for you.

**Odd's Clone: **Burying emotions would imply spectral entity had emotions to bury.

**Delmas: **Odd? Are you okay? You….you aren't acting like yourself.

**Odd's Clone: **Concern unnecessary. Spectral entity is fine.

**Delmas: **Odd. I am your principal. It is my job to solve these kinds of problems. You can talk to me.

**Odd's Clone: **Acknowledged.

**Delmas: **I need to know why you had that episode.

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity had….adverse reaction from cafeteria food.

_Not exactly what Delmas was expecting either. _

**Delmas: **Um, as much as I also fear Rosa's cooking, I don't believe that would have caused-

**Odd's Clone: **Offer of aid appreciated. But it will not be required.

_Delmas is silent for a moment. He doesn't know how to take Odd's strange behavior. _

**Delmas: **I see. Well, if you need to talk to me, let me know.

_He walks away. _

**Delmas: **He's even worse than I thought.

_Odd's clone walks back to Ulrich. _

**Ulrich: **Well?

**Odd's Clone: **Suspicion unrelieved. Behavior of principal subject would suggest suspicion has been raised.

**Ulrich: **Would it kill you to speak normally? That could really help you blend in.

**Odd's Clone: **Faulty programming of spectral entity makes said task difficult.

**Ulrich: **Great. So much for avoiding the spotlight.

**Odd's Clone: **Female subjects no longer follow spectral entity.

**Ulrich: **Oh yeah. The real Odd dumped them. You're alone now.

**Odd's Clone: **Understood.

**Ulrich: **Disappointed?

**Odd's Clone: **No.

_Later on, Yumi and William are forced to endure Moriarty's history class. He holds up some sheets of paper. _

**Moriarty: **Class, I've graded your essays. And I must say, I was not exactly impressed.

_He begins handing the papers back. Several students groan. _

**Moriarty: **Forming an argument based on historical fact requires research, painstaking deliberation, strong organization.

_Yumi gets her essay back. Her head immediately hits the table. _

**William: **Was it that bad?

**Yumi: **65.

**William: **Uh….I'm sorry.

**Yumi: **I hate my life.

**William: **I thought you just hated him.

**Yumi: **I hate him and my life, especially with him in it.

**Moriarty: **Although there were some….pleasant surprises.

_He hands William's essay back. He is surprised. _

**Yumi: **What did you get?

**William: **A….93.

_Yumi gets really mad. _

**Yumi: **Are you kidding me? I spent several hours on that last night and failed. But you wrote that 30 minutes before class and he gives you a good grade?

**William: **Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are.

_Moriarty goes to Emmanuel and Christophe's table. When Christophe gets his paper, he grimaces. But Moriarty gently gives Emmanuel's essay back to him and smiles. _

**Moriarty: **Mr. Maillard….

**Emmanuel: **Sir?

**Moriarty: **Well done. Your paper was excellent. Forceful. Unorthodox. Highly argumentative but also very intellectual. You truly shined in this assignment. I was greatly impressed.

**Emmanuel: ** Well, thank you sir.

**Moriarty: **It would be to your advantage to follow Emmanuel's example. Hopefully by the time I'm done with you, you will all be able to excel. _He turns to Emmanuel. _I can't wait to see you progress even more in this class.

_He heads back to his desk. Moriarty's compliments have put Emmanuel in a kind of daze. _

**Christophe: **Well, someone's ego just got worse.

**Emmanuel: **And someone sounds jealous.

**Christophe: **And someone sounds completely delusional.

**Moriarty: **Both William and Emmanuel's essays were well written. Each in their unique way. William's paper was good because it was short and to the point.

**Yumi: **Not sure it had a point. But it was definitely short.

**William: **Alright, I know you're mad but you don't need to insult me.

**Yumi: **What did you even say in the paper?

**William: **That the firebombing of Dresden was brutal but necessary to win the war.

_Yumi pauses. _

**Yumi: **I said the exact opposite…Oh, of all the…..he's grading us based on our opinions!

**William: **Meaning?

**Yumi: **That if he doesn't like what we say, we fail.

**Moriarty: **Too many of you tried to write too much. I'm not looking for a novel. On the other hand, Emmanuel's was much longer but was incredibly organized and well-written. He made an argument, then supported it with flawless use of details. That is what I am looking for. Some of you simply rambled and obviously didn't research the topic carefully. If you don't research the firebombing of Dresden, how can you make an argument?

_One girl, Anais Fiquet, raises her hand. _

**Anais: **But sir, some of us didn't have time to do that.

**Moriarty: **Oh, is that so?

**Anais: **You only gave us a week's warning.

**Moriarty: **Isn't that enough?

**Anais: **Well, usually sir, yes. But everyone in the tenth grade also had a research paper due in English.

**Christophe: **And the physical education tests also took out some free time to do homework.

**Mathias: **Not to mention our physics project.

_Similar complaints come up. Moriarty holds out his hand. _

**Moriarty: **Enough. Please. I wasn't aware of that so many teachers had given you such a heavy load last week. As you know, I'm new here, and I'm afraid they don't tell me everything.

_The students nod. _

**Moriarty: **Why didn't you tell me last week was so hard for you? I could have postponed it.

_This statement seems to surprise some of the students. _

**Moriarty: **Well?

**Emmanuel: **Sir, usually, if we do that, the teachers just laugh at us or tell us we're trying to make excuses for not doing work.

_Moriarty shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **I was afraid you would say that.

_He stares out the window for a moment. _

**Moriarty: **Students, I haven't been here long, but even a newcomer like me can notice that something is wrong in this place.

_He turns back to them. _

**Moriarty: **Class, what is the definition of insanity?

_There is a pause. _

**Mathias: **Complete and utter mental incapacity?

**Moriarty: **Not exactly what I was looking for.

**Emmanuel: **Doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.

**Moriarty: **Ah, someone knows his Einstein quotes. Yes. That's what insanity is. And yet so many teachers have forgotten that.

_He turns to see he has the class's attention. He smiles. _

**Moriarty: **For instance, I have seen from the school reports a sharp rise in failures at this school over the past few years. Some can barely stay afloat here.

**Yumi (aside): **Yeah, I'm dating one.

**Moriarty: **One would think that such a trend would prompt some reforms in the way the classes were taught. Well, there were changes. But I said changes. Not reforms. No over the past few years the level of work imposed on you has increased. And has this helped? You need only to look at your essay grades to find the answer. The rest of your teachers put a heavy load on you with the current system, and are somehow appalled when grades are so bad. 'Oh well, I guess we have to give them more work'. They are doing the same thing over and over again and are expecting your grades to rise.

_Some students start to nod in agreement. _

**Moriarty: **And who gets the blame?...You do. You try your hardest, but you still get blamed. 'Well, too bad. Survival of the fittest'. Class, don't you think that at a certain point, the teacher needs to be held responsible for students failing his or her class?

_They nod again. _

**Moriarty: **I mean, isn't that their job?

_Some vocal affirmations of approval from the class. _

**Moriarty: **I'm going to ask you an important question I want you to consider. What do you think is the major problem in academia today?

**Anais: **Tuition?

**Mathias: **The college entry exam?

_Moriarty points a ruler in their direction. _

**Moriarty: **Wrong! Arrogance!

_Pause. _

**Moriarty: **Teachers believe that their subjects are the most important for a student to learn. Thus, they ignore the importance of the others. They believe that other subjects should make way for them and take a back seat to their greatness. _He waves his index finger. _Only one problem. If every teacher in every subject believes that, what is the inevitable result?

**Anais: **A very heavy workload?

**Moriarty: **Exactly! And who pays for it?

**Emmanuel: **We do.

**Moriarty: **Exactly! And how well does that bode for your academic success?

**Mathias: **Not well.

**Moriarty: **So, so very true.

_Yumi leans to William. _

**Yumi: **What is he trying to pull?

**William: **I don't know. But I don't like it.

**Moriarty: **I've been in faculty meetings. I have witnessed this blatant arrogance firsthand. Some of them recognize that your workload needs to be reduced. But what is their solution? Simple. Reduce the workloads in every subject EXCEPT their own. 'But I simply must teach this. This project is critical for the class.' You can imagine how this scenario creates a multitude of hilarious and pathetic arguments. It's a wonder your dear Principal Delmas has been able to maintain his sanity.

_It's clear Moriarty has their full attention at this point. Yumi and William cautiously monitor their reactions. Moriarty shrugs his shoulders. _

**Moriarty: **I'm afraid that's the reality.

**Emmanuel: **It should be changed.

**Moriarty: **I agree. But as I said before, that is nearly impossible. What could we do?

**Emmanuel: **Well, you could stand up for us.

_Moriarty points to himself and seems surprised. But he's a bad actor, at least in the eyes of William and Yumi. _

**Moriarty: **Me? I'm afraid I'm nothing more than a simple history teacher. There's nothing I can do to change it.

**Mathias: **We should speak out! Let them know that this is unfair!

**Moriarty: **Oh, your ideas are so noble, but I'm afraid-

_Moriarty is interrupted by the classroom door being opened. Everyone turns their heads to see a girl, slightly shorter than Yumi, standing in the doorway. She has light blonde hair, almost white in appearance, that drops slightly below her shoulders. She gazes back at the glass with piercing blue eyes. Her aqua blue hoop earrings appear to dance as she turns her head back and forth to get a good look at the class. She is dressed somewhat immodestly and edgy, wearing a thin white top and skinny navy blue jeans. A red crystal necklace hangs around her neck. Her trademark UGG boots clash with the tile floor. Her attractive appearance and clothing draw several stares from the guys in the class. Moriarty turns to her. _

**Moriarty: **May I ask who has the honor of visiting our class?

_She answers in a thick Russian accent that she seems to be trying to hide. _

**Natalya: **My name is Natalya Dikau. They…they told me this was my class.

_Natalya hands Moriarty a note. He reads it for a moment, then puts in on his desk. _

**Moriarty: **Well Miss Dikau. We are all glad you could join us. Even though there's only a few minutes left of class.

_Natalya seems embarrassed. With her snow white skin, a blush can be seen very easily. _

**Natalya: **I….I got lost.

**Moriarty: **You can talk to me about it later. Please take a seat.

_Natalya takes a seat at a desk by herself. _

**Moriarty: **Now class, as I was saying, I can't do much to change things around here. But I can give you a second chance on this essay.

_Students' ears perk up. _

**Moriarty: **I don't want you to start out in this class with a very bad grade. It's only fair that I give you a second chance. So I'm giving the opportunity for anyone who received a grade below a seventy-five to come and see me sometime tomorrow outside of class to work something out. This is completely optional. If you don't want to come, that's your decision. _He gives a mischievous smile. _But it would be in your best interest to come and see me. I do believe in extra credit. Keep that in mind.

_The bell rings. Moriarty looks at the clock. _

**Moriarty: **Well, how the time flies.

_The students get up and start to leave. _

**Moriarty: **Students, don't forget to read your assigned pages in the textbook. Tomorrow we will be discussing atrocities committed by the Japanese army during World War ІІ.

_Yumi curses to herself. The students exit out of the hallway. Some guys follow Natalya, who doesn't seem to be too surprised at their presence. William walks with Yumi. _

**William: **Are you going to get help from him?

**Yumi: **I'd rather choke down hydrochloric acid.

_Yumi's house. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **You are going.

**Yumi: **But Dad!

**Mr. Ishiyama: **No buts! A failing grade in history is unacceptable.

**Yumi: **Mom!

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **If you expect me to take your side, I'm sorry. Your father and I completely agree. He took the time to email us about your poor grades and how he could help. You would be silly not to take his offer.

**Yumi: **But I don't like him!

**Mr. Ishiyama: **There are going to many teachers in your life who you won't like. That doesn't mean you shouldn't pay attention to your studies.

**Yumi: **But…but…you don't understand. He's evil!

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Yumi really….

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Like I haven't heard that one before.

**Yumi: **No I mean he really is-

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Any teacher who offers you a second chance to improve your grade does not qualify as 'evil' in my judgment.

_Yumi sighs. This is utterly pointless. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **You will leave early tomorrow morning so you can get some help.

**Yumi: **Why tomorrow morning?

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Because you can get there before the rest of the boarding students wake up. You won't have to compete with anyone for his attention.

**Yumi: **Go see him….alone?

_The thought makes her cringe. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **That was the idea, yes.

**Yumi: **Mom. Dad. I'll get my grade up. I don't need to go see him to get this extra-

**Mr. Ishiyama: **You are going and that is final!

_Yumi groans. Back in the factory, Jeremie is talking with Odd. There is a powerful curiosity glowing from Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **Are you sure?

**Odd: **Absolutely.

**Jeremie: **You saw all of this?

**Odd: **As clearly as I see you now.

_Jeremie turns in his chair back to the computer, deep in thought. _

**Jeremie: **Is there any possibility that this was just a crazy dream?

_Odd shakes his head. He seems very confident about this. _

**Odd: **Jeremie, it was so real. I know I'm supposed to have nightmares and all, but this was different. It was if I was watching a home video of a real event.

**Jeremie: **….Incredible.

**Odd: **What does it mean?

**Jeremie: **It's too early to say for sure….but I have a guess.

**Odd: **What?

**Jeremie: **After we freed William, vestiges of Xana were still left in his mind. In fact, he was connected to Xana in ways we didn't even know. Some of those traces still exist in him. I have to believe that a long possession such as yours would have the same effect. I believe you have a connection to Moriarty.

_Odd looks a little nervous. _

**Odd: **You mean he's still in there? In my head?

**Jeremie: **Now hold on. Don't worry. You have been freed of Moriarty's control. But his possession of you probably left an imprint on your subconscious, which can play out in your nightmares and other symptoms. It's not much of a mark, but maybe just big enough for you to have a psychological connection to him.

**Odd: **And how is that supposed to make me feel better?

**Jeremie: **Because it's a one-way street. You can access his memories and thoughts, but my program has made it so that he can't do the same. Otherwise he would have been aware that you were having a dream exposing his childhood memories.

**Odd: **But what about me being tied to the throne?

**Jeremie: **That wasn't really Moriarty. That was just a remnant of him that haunts you. The real Moriarty cannot access your dreams.

**Odd: **So, having these dreams is ok?

**Jeremie: **It's more than ok! Moriarty made a serious error when he possessed you. When he took over your mind, he exposed his mind to yours. Now you know about his past, something that can be very useful to us.

**Odd: **So, what am I supposed to do?

**Jeremie: **You don't need to do anything but tell me your dreams of Moriarty's past as they come. And we need to make sure he never discovers you can do this. If he did…..well, we need to protect you.

_The elevator doors open. Aelita comes out. She obviously wasn't expecting Odd having company, because she looks at Jeremie with unpleasant surprise. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita….

**Aelita: **What are you doing here?

**Jeremie: **I just came down here to do some more research.

**Aelita: **Why couldn't you have done that from your laptop?

_Jeremie stutters. He wasn't expecting to have Aelita interrogate him. _

**Jeremie: **Well, Odd also wanted to talk to me.

**Aelita: **About what?

**Odd: **My dreams.

_Aelita turns to Odd. _

**Aelita: **Odd, you could have talked to me about that.

**Odd: **I know. But I didn't want to bother you too much, and I thought Jeremie would be able to help me understand them.

**Jeremie: **And I've got great news!

_Aelita gives him a cold stare. Jeremie pauses. _

**Jeremie: **Odd's dreams….might tell us something about… Moriarty's past.

_She folds her arms. _

**Aelita: **You could have at least told me you were going to visit Odd…alone.

**Jeremie: **I….I guessed it never crossed my mind.

**Aelita: **You know he's sensitive right now….

**Odd: **Aelita, it's ok. I don't mind.

_Aelita doesn't pay attention to Odd. Her eyes are locked on to Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, I never meant to…

_Jeremie pauses when he realizes it's not softening her stare. He's not welcome here. _

**Jeremie: **I'm….going to go.

_Jeremie quickly leaves. Odd turns to Aelita. _

**Odd: **Why did you do that?

**Aelita: **Odd, many things happened when you were gone.

**Odd: **What…what happened between you two?

**Aelita: **It's a long story.

**Odd: **I'm not going anywhere.

_She shakes her head. She's clearly upset. _

**Aelita: **I saw a side of him that I never thought could possibly exist.

**Odd: **I don't understand.

**Aelita: **He hit a low point. A very, VERY low point. And I can never look at him the same again.

_Pause. _

**Odd: **Well, so did I.

_Aelita kneels and takes Odd's hand. She completely changes her demeanor and becomes very affectionate. _

**Aelita: **No. Not like you. That wasn't your fault. You were the victim.

_She touches his cheek. Odd looks at her with surprise. _

**Aelita: **You're not like him.

_The next morning, Yumi enters Moriarty's classroom. He stops writing to give her a look of dark satisfaction. _

**Moriarty: **Yumi….how nice to see you.

**Yumi: **Cut it out Moriarty, I'm not interested.

**Moriarty: **So I'm guessing fake courtesy is not amusing.

**Yumi: **No.

**Moriarty: **Very well. To what do I owe this less than cordial visit?

**Yumi: **Your stupid extra credit.

**Moriarty: **One strike already against you. Calling your extra credit 'stupid' isn't exactly bringing you closer to getting it. You're going to have to do better than that.

**Yumi: **How?

**Moriarty: **An honest effort to politely ask for my assistance couldn't hurt.

**Yumi: **I would rather commit seppuku.

**Moriarty: **Funny you should mention that. I also plan to talk about that in class today.

**Yumi: **And make some harsh judgments of my people no doubt.

**Moriarty: **I just teach history. Historical fact. It's not my fault if you can't handle those facts.

**Yumi: **I didn't come here to hear you justify yourself.

**Moriarty: **And if you didn't come to get extra credit, then what did you come for?

**Yumi: **My parents made me come to get the extra credit.

**Moriarty: **Ooh, how conflicting. Forced to obey your parents and kneel before your enemy in reverence at the same time.

**Yumi: **If you think I'm bowing to you, you're completely out of your mind.

**Moriarty: **As tempting as that would be, no. That's not your extra credit.

**Yumi: **Then what is my extra credit?

_Moriarty thinks for a moment. _

**Moriarty: **Write an additional essay discussing the importance of the Battle of Iwo Jima.

**Yumi: **Is that all?

**Moriarty: **No. You also have to be my slave for a day.

_Yumi's eyes widen, trying to process what he just said. She backs up. _

**Yumi: **WHAT?

**Moriarty: **Slave. You know, serving someone against your will…

**Yumi: **HELL NO! FORGET IT! I'LL TAKE THE FAILING GRADE!

**Moriarty: **Oh, but you see Yumi, I wasn't asking your permission.

_The classroom door shuts. Yumi tries to open it, but it's locked. _

**Yumi: **LET ME OUT!

**Moriarty: **I can't do that Yumi.

_He gets out of his chair and approaches her. Yumi leans against the door, bracing herself. _

**Yumi: **You…you're just a middle-aged man. You don't scare me.

**Moriarty: **Yumi, I may have reassumed my old human form, but I assure you, I am just as powerful.

**Yumi: **What…what are you going to do to me?

**Moriarty: **A better question is what are you going to do FOR me.

**Yumi: **You can't make me obey you. I told you I'd rather fail.

**Moriarty: **Oh but that's where you're wrong. _He snaps his fingers and a spectre emerges from an outlet. Yumi's heart pounds. _You see, I'm somewhat curious. I don't think you've built up enough resistance to me to escape…possession.

_Yumi realizes too late what Moriarty wants. She tugs on the door harder, but in vain. The specter stalks toward her. She bangs on the door. _

**Yumi: **HELP!

**Moriarty: **Everyone is just waking up Yumi. No one is going to hear you scream.

_The specter attacks her, causing her body to become enveloped in a flickering gray shade. She seems to struggle for a moment, but the specter holds its grip. She becomes still. Then she slowly rises. Her eyes open to reveal the Moriarty eye in her corneas. She stays still, waiting for orders. _

**Moriarty: **This is going to be fun…

_William puts on a shirt and is just finishing up getting ready for breakfast. He takes a moment to look at his reflection in the mirror and adjust his hair. As he puts on his shoes, he hears a knock on his door. _

**William: **Come in.

_The door opens to reveal Yumi leaning on the doorframe _

**William: **Oh, it's you. Good morning.

_Yumi doesn't speak for a moment. William pauses and looks at her. _

**William: **Are…are you ok?

**Yumi: **I'm going to be…

_She closes the door. William gives her a strange look. _

**William: **You're…you're going to be? What are you talking about? Do you need to talk?

_She sits on the bed next to him. _

**Yumi: **Talking isn't exactly what I had in mind.

**William: **Then what did you have in mind?

_She runs her fingers along his shoulder. He tenses at her touch. She giggles. _

**Yumi: **You're a smart boy, guess….

**William: **Um….Yumi, are you feeling alright?

**Yumi: **I told you, I'm going to feel SO much better soon.

_She gets closer to him. William can't believe what she's doing. His face becomes extremely red. He backs up along the bed. _

**William: **Yumi….I don't know what's going on….but in case you forgot, you have a boyfriend.

_She puts her fingers through his hair. _

**William: **And I'm not him.

_She laughs. _

**Yumi: **Oh… what Ulrich doesn't know won't hurt him.

**William: **Yumi, no…this….this isn't right!

**Yumi: **Oh come on. Are you really going to give up this opportunity?

**William: **You….you're not yourself!

**Yumi: **Oh stop trying to resist. _She leans to whisper into his ear. _You know you want this.

_William swallows. The truth is he does want this and has dreamed of it for a very long time. His hormones are raging so violently he can't think straight or logically deduce why she is doing this. He backs up some more, but his will is weakening. He holds his hand against the wall. _

**William: **I….I….I couldn't do this to Ulrich.

**Yumi: **Forget him. He's not important. All that matters…._She smiles and pretty much gets on top of him_...is what you want.

_A confused and struggling William begins to cave under Yumi's seduction. Her lips come close to his and touch. Suddenly there is a banging on the door. _

**Christophe: **Yo William! What's going on in there?

_He opens the door to see this less than glamorous scene. His body freezes. _

**Christophe: **WHOA! I…..I…uh….didn't mean to interrupt…..anything.

_Jeremie and Ulrich are seen coming down the hall. _

**Jeremie: **Christophe, what's with all the shouting?

_Christophe tries to stop them but the words don't come out fast enough. Jeremie and Ulrich walk right in on the scene. Jeremie puts his hand over his mouth. Ulrich's mouth drops, as well as his computer bag. In a matter of moments, his face changes from cool contentment to a violent mixture of jealousy, incredulity, anger, and searing pain from this betrayal. He glares at William with unbridled hate. William forces Yumi off. _

**William: **Ulrich…..it….it's not what you think!

_Ulrich lunges for William, but luckily Christophe and Jeremie grab him just in time. _

**Jeremie: **ULRICH NO!

**Christophe: **Calm down! You aren't thinking straight!

**William: **Ulrich, please it wasn't like that!

**Ulrich: **YOU THINK I'M AN IDIOT?

**William: **Ulrich, please trust me on this! I didn't do anything!

_Ulrich tells William to do something rather vile to himself. He still struggles against the two holding him. But eventually his anger is replaced by despair. He lowers his head, unable to believe what he has just seen. Jeremie puts a hand on his shoulder. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich….

_He shrugs off his hand. He looks at Yumi, completely heartbroken. A few tears break through. _

**Ulrich: **How?...Why?

_Her only response is a flirtatious smile. Ulrich winces as if he has been punched in the stomach. Her reaction is the salt in his wounds. Unable to take it anymore, he rushes out of the room. Christophe and Jeremie also leave. Jeremie picks up Ulrich's computer bag as he leaves. William turns to Yumi, disgusted at her and himself. _

**William: **You mind telling me what just happened?

_She doesn't respond but starts to walk out of the room. _

**William: **Hey, I'm talking to you!

_He grabs her arm. She looks back at him with rage. The familiar insignia blazes in her eyes. William's heart nearly stops from shock. _

**William: **Moriarty!

_She throws him with superhuman strength onto the far side of his dormitory room wall. He goes down hard. She walks out. Back at the factory, Odd walks down the main floor to the elevator leading to the lab room. As he pushes the button, he hears the sound of a rope swinging and someone hitting the factory floor. He turns around. _

**Odd: **Oh, it's you Yumi. What are you doing here this time of the day?

_Yumi grabs him by the neck and hoists him up. A completely shocked Odd sees with horror that his friend is possessed by his greatest fear. _

**Odd: **Yumi…YUMI NO!

_A purple sparkle of electricity and a wicked smile are his only answer. The sound of him screaming can be heard along the Seine River outside the factory. Back at Kadic, Jeremie tries his best to console Ulrich during breakfast. It's not working. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, if it makes you feel any better…..I've also lost someone. I know it hurts.

_That really didn't help. Ulrich twirls his hot chocolate around with a straw. Jeremie sighs. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich…I…I honestly don't know what to make of this.

_Ulrich doesn't look up. _

**Ulrich: **You and me both.

_William comes in, rushing to their table but clearly injured. He holds his shoulder. Ulrich avoids his glance and squeezes a glass in his hands so hard, it nearly shatters. Jeremie, however, turns to him with concern. William leans on the table. He breathes heavily. _

**Jeremie: **William, what is it?

**William: **It's Yumi! Moriarty's possessed her!

_Ulrich and Jeremie's emotions instantly change from deep despair to immediate alarm. _

**Jeremie: **Are…..are you sure?

**William: **Positive. I saw her eyes, and she nearly broke my shoulder.

_Jeremie opens his computer. An activated tower warning has been going off for a while. He slaps his forehead. _

**Jeremie: **Idiot! I haven't checked it for hours! You're right, she must be possessed.

**Ulrich: **Is…is that even possible?

_Jeremie stops to think. _

**Ulrich: **I thought we had resistance to him.

**Jeremie: **To Xana, yes. But Moriarty…..you may not have fought him long enough to have a strong enough immunity to him.

**William: **We need to stop her! No telling what she will do.

_Ulrich is really lost in emotion. On the one hand, he now knows that Yumi never cheated on him of her own free will. But on the other hand, his girlfriend is a prisoner under Moriarty's control. He is still furious at William, but he is letting that go for her sake. Finally, anger gets control of the wheel. He balls his fists. _

**Ulrich: **Maybe I could pay Dr. Renard a visit and free her.

**Jeremie: **Don't be stupid. We have to deactivate the tower. Attacking our history teacher won't do any good.

_Ulrich reluctantly sees reason in this. _

**Ulrich: **Then we have to act now. Moriarty could do awful things to her mind.

_Aelita bursts into the cafeteria. _

**Aelita: **ODD'S IN DANGER!

**Jeremie, Ulrich, & William: **WHAT?

**Aelita: **He called me! Yumi's in the factory trying to kill him!

**William: **OH THIS IS BAD!

**Jeremie: **No time to lose! We have to stop her!

_The group takes off, with Ulrich in front, bristling with anger that Moriarty has done this to her. The group arrives at the factory and swings down to the main floor. They take a second to look around. _

**William: **Where are they?

**Aelita: **I don't know. He didn't say where he was.

_They notice a flash of light coming from the assembly room, which is quickly followed by Odd's scream. _

**Jeremie: **If I had to guess…

**Ulrich: **I'll stop her!

_Aelita grabs Ulrich's shoulder. _

**Aelita: **Wait! You can't!

**Ulrich: **Why?

**Aelita: **Could you really make yourself fight her?

**Ulrich: **I….uh…._This is a problem. He wants to save Odd, but at the risk of hurting her in the process? _

**Aelita: **You're too emotionally attached. We need someone who isn't to stop her, like Will-

_Aelita quickly remembers that William is too. William's hesitant look reminds her that he doesn't want to fight her either. Ulrich turns his back on him. _

**Jeremie: **Well, one of you has to do it. Aelita and I can't.

**Ulrich: **I will.

**Aelita: **Ulrich, Moriarty will use her to play games with your mind.

**Ulrich: **I know. But I might be able to reach her and help her resist him.

_They take a moment to think about this. Another flash and scream. _

**Aelita: **Good luck Ulrich. Let's go William!

_The three disappear down the elevator. As Ulrich approaches the assembly room entrance, he sees a metal bar with a slightly pointed tip. He picks it up. His hands suddenly become clammy and cold. He hesitates. _

**Ulrich: **Please…please let me not have to use this.

_He reluctantly searches for Yumi. On Lyoko, William and Aelita are virtualized into the Forest Sector. The Overdisc and Overwing appear for them, and they quickly take off. _

**William: **Any sign of monsters so far?

**Jeremie: **No. Keep heading to the western part of the sector. The tower shouldn't be too far away.

_Aelita points ahead. _

**Aelita: **I see it!

_A purple tower blazes at the intersection of several forest paths. _

**Jeremie: **Now's your chance! Deactivate it now and we can stave off disaster.

**William: **Piece of cake.

_Suddenly something cuts through Aelita's Overwing. The vehicle is devirtualized and she collapses onto the forest floor. _

**William: **Or not…

_He lowers himself to help her up. _

**William: **Are you ok?

_Aelita grabs his arm. _

**Aelita: **LOOK OUT!

_She pulls him down right before a fan nearly chops his head off. The weapon returns to the arms of a somewhat familiar opponent. _

**William: **What the-?

**Aelita: **Yumi's dark half.

_Dark Yumi smiles. _

**Aelita: **What are you doing here?

**Dark Yumi: **There was a job opening…

_William raises his sword. _

**William: **I thought we defeated you.

**Dark Yumi: **I'm no different than any other monster. I can appear whenever I want. You can't kill me.

**William: **Maybe not, but I can send you away for a while.

**Dark Yumi: **I wouldn't count on that.

**William: **Why not?

_A strange trumpet sound penetrates the forest. William and Aelita pause in confusion. _

**Aelita: **What was that?

_An anxious William points ahead. _

**William: **Aelita….the circus is in town.

**Aelita: **What does that mean?

**William: **Look!

_William points to three large monsters coming up ahead. Their thunderous presence makes the ground below them rumble. The monsters look like elephants, with several notable exceptions. Instead of moving on legs, the monsters get around on two massive steamroller wheels below their body. Their bodies are colored Persian green, and the Moriarty eyes rest on both ears and on two mammoth size tusks. On the elephants' heads are several gill-like slits that glow with red light. Lastly, their trunks are plated gold. One of them aims its trunk at the warriors. A continuous beam of fire spews out. Dark Yumi gets on top of the first one, confidently riding this tank of a monster. _

**Aelita: **Retreat?

**William: **…. Yes.

_Aelita flies and William follows close behind with his Overdisc, as the monsters slowly but steadily chase after them. Scene shifts to the assembly room. Yumi hunts around impatiently, electricity at her finger tips. Her demonic grin indicates that she is enjoying this. _

**Yumi: **Come out come out wherever you are.

_Odd is seen hiding below one of the assembly lines, desperately trying to stay quiet. Yumi walks away from his hiding place. Odd almost relaxes, but out of nowhere Yumi drags him out. She throws him to the cement floor. Her hand sparks. _

**Yumi: **Tag. YOU'RE IT!

_Ulrich jumps off the stairs and comes in between Odd and Yumi. He holds the bar in a defensive stance. _

**Ulrich: **I can't allow you to do this Yumi.

_She frowns angrily. _

**Ulrich: **You're out of luck Moriarty. Yumi would never allow herself to hurt me. She will fight off your control.

_She grabs his jacket collar and throws him halfway across the room. He lets go off the bar, which rolls out of reach. _

**Ulrich: **…..Or maybe not.

_She turns her attention back to Odd and shocks him. But Ulrich manages to get up and tackle her. _

**Ulrich: **Odd, RUN!

_He quickly obeys. Yumi furiously throws him off. Before he can fully get up, her fist connects with his face. He goes down and coughs. A trickle of blood falls from his nose. She cocks her fist back again for another blow. But the sight of Ulrich bleeding and in pain makes her stop. Her mind starts to waver. She holds her head. When she opens her eyes, her corneas flicker on and off with the Moriarty eye. Her eyes close again tightly as each side of her vies for control. Ulrich reaches for her. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi…

_She gazes at him with a pained expression. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, fight him!

_She groans with a metallic edge to her voice. _

**Ulrich: **Don't let him control you!

_She comes near him. _

**Yumi: **Too….strong…can't.

_She closes her eyes again. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi?

_She gives him a roundhouse kick to the side of the head. Then she goes off to find Odd. Ulrich forces himself to rise. He grabs the pole and heads after her. Meanwhile, William races away from the attacking elephant tanks. The leading monster manages to burn away his Overdisc. He goes to the ground. Dark Yumi prepares to strike him with her fans, but he dissolves into smoke. He moves around behind the last monster and reforms. The elephant tries to reverse himself to face his attacker, but it is too slow and cumbersome. William smiles. _

**William: **So that's its weakness.

_William jumps on the elephant's back. Standing on its head, he cuts off the two large tusks. The creature groans and falls over on its side, dissolving into nothing. Aelita flies through the air, avoiding long beams of fire from the elephants. She fires energy fields, but they fail to hit their target. A fan cuts into her wing and she falls next to the trunk of a large tree. Before she can get up, Aelita feels her body being picked up. She struggles, but her body is frozen. Dark Yumi uses her telekinesis to pin her body to the tree. _

**Dark Yumi: **That's it….hold still for the camera.

_The elephant aims its trunk at her. _

**Aelita: **WILLIAM!

_A large, smoky black fist punches Dark Yumi onto the forest floor. Aelita drops just in time to avoid getting barbecued. William reforms. Dark Yumi hisses. _

**Dark Yumi: **Didn't you mother teach you not to hit girls?

**William: **I'm pretty sure my mom would make an exception in your case.

_Dark Yumi makes a log rise and throws it at him. He cuts it in half. Then she throws a boulder. Shockingly, an intense William manages to cut through this as well. He seems angry. _

**Dark Yumi: **What's the matter, William? Trying to make up for your mess-up this morning?

**William: **Shut up and fight me!

_Dark Yumi becomes flirtatious. _

**Dark Yumi: **You know, I could give you a second chance.

**William: **Not interested.

**Dark Yumi: **So the young debauch has reformed his ways?

**William: **I was caught off guard!

**Dark Yumi: **Xana….the ladies…your problems just keep adding up, don't they?

**William: **Stop trying to play head games and fight me!

**Dark Yumi: **Oh, are you angry with me? Well, that's too bad. Don't blame me for your complete lack of control….

_William throws his sword at her in rage. She ducks, cartwheels, and kicks him to the ground. She gets on top of him. William tries to throw her off. _

**Dark Yumi: **Hmmm…this scene feels familiar.

**William: **Get off of me!

**Dark Yumi: **You say that, but do you really mean it?

_William's body tenses. _

**Dark Yumi: **After all, if you can never have Yumi, why not have the next best thing?

**William: **I'm not like that!

_She licks her lips like a carnivore. She leans closer to him. William grimaces. _

**Dark Yumi: **You're a terrible liar William.

**William: **Stop!

**Dark Yumi: **I'm hungry…and you are too. I can sense it. I can smell it. Don't you dare try to deny it. And you don't have to be…..You can be satisfied….at last.

_William, desperately trying to break her spell, dissolves into smoke and eludes her clutches. She hisses. From behind William can hear a trumpet. He turns to see one of the elephants about to attack him. Luckily, Aelita swoops in and takes out the monster by firing energy fields at its ears. She takes off towards the tower, with the last slow elephant unable to follow. Now Dark Yumi is really angry. _

**William: **She's getting away.

_Dark Yumi whistles and a condor flies down to her. She gets on its back and orders it to head toward the tower. Then she points to the last elephant. _

**Dark Yumi: **DESTROY HIM!

_The monster steamrolls towards him. William grabs his sword. _

**William: **Wanna dance?

_A river of fire is his only reply. In the upper floors of the factory, Odd barricades himself in the old security center. He puts a desk in front of the doorway. He wipes his forehead. _

**Odd: **That ought to hold her.

_A possessed Yumi phases through the wall. Odd backtracks to the monitors. _

**Odd: **Don't you ever stop?

**Yumi: **You have outlived your usefulness.

**Odd: **PLEASE DON'T!

_Yumi's fingers come alive with electricity. _

**Odd: **HAVEN'T I SUFFERED ENOUGH MORIARTY?

**Yumi: **I'll be the judge of that.

_Odd backs up into a corner. _

**Odd: **YUMI I'M BEGGING YOU!

**Yumi: **Oh please do. It will make this so much more fun.

_A metal pole busts through the old wooden door of Odd's barricade. Ulrich crawls through and slides across the desk onto the floor. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi…..stay away from Odd!

**Yumi: **And if I don't?

**Ulrich: **…..I don't want to hurt you.

**Yumi: **That makes one of us…

_She fires a blast that Ulrich barely avoids. As she prepares to attack Ulrich again, Odd reaches for a loose brick. He hits her on the head with it, causing her figure to fluctuate. She goes to her knees. Ulrich stops a moment to breathe. _

**Odd: **That should take care of her for a while.

_Yumi's boot nails Odd's upper chest to the wall. He strains to get air. _

**Yumi: **Big mistake!

_Ulrich charges. _

**Ulrich: **You don't give me a choice!

_Yumi grabs the metal pole from behind before it hits her. A spark comes from her hand. Ulrich freezes. _

**Ulrich: **I'm such an idiot….

_A powerful electric shock rocks Ulrich's entire body. Near the tops of the trees, Aelita does her best to avoid Dark Yumi and her condor ride. She swerves in and out of trees. She is being assaulted by lasers and fans. _

**Jeremie: **Hang on Aelita! William's on his way.

_Down below, William runs across the forest floor, watching the battle in the air. _

**William: **Jeremie! I'm going to need the Overdisc again!

**Jeremie: **Coming up.

_As soon as it is virtualized, William hops on and rushes after Aelita. The condor successfully hits Aelita, who begins to fall toward the digital sea. _

**Jeremie: **NO!

_William catches her in his arms. He rushes to the tower and drops her off at the platform. Unfortunately, some humanoids are blocking the way. _

**Aelita: **I'll handle them. Get rid of evil Yumi!

**William: **With pleasure…

_He goes after her. Dark Yumi fires her fan and devirtualizes William's Overdisc, but William turns into smoke and curves around the trees, looking for an opening to attack. Dark Yumi watches him warily. William goes below the condor and then attacks straight up. The collision knocks Dark Yumi off of her monster. William briefly reforms long enough to cut the condor in two. He expected to see Dark Yumi fall into the digital sea, but she makes her body levitate using telekinesis. William attacks again, but Dark Yumi is waiting for him. She creates a forcefield of telekinetic energy that blocks William. His smoky form wraps around her forcefield, trying to break through. Dark Yumi expands the bubble without warning, throwing William off balance. His smoky form falls to the digital sea, but he recovers just in time to rise back up. But another fan cuts through the smoke, causing him to once again fall. The smoke seems to dissolve and disappear into the digital sea. Dark Yumi watches the green abyss, looking for any signs of survival. She finds none and smiles confidently. _

**Dark Yumi: **So long pretty boy.

_Dark Yumi heads off to fight Aelita. Meanwhile, underneath a nearby platform, William's smoky body hides. When he is confident she is gone, he cautiously follows. The scene shifts to the top floor of the factory, where Ulrich struggles to recover from his painful electric shock. He tries to follow Odd's cries for help. It leads him to the factory's balcony, where Yumi holds a helpless Odd by the neck over the edge. The Seine River flows hundreds of feet below him. A gentle breeze blows across Yumi's hair, highlighting her cold, murderous look. Ulrich stops, careful not to endanger Odd. Odd tries to choke out a few words, but they are cut off. His hands pull on hers, trying to get them off his neck, but they clamp on like a vice grip. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, LET HIM GO!

_She extends him farther over the edge. _

**Yumi: **If you insist….

_Odd thrashes in desperation. Ulrich's heart skips a beat. _

**Ulrich: **You know that's not what I meant!

**Yumi: **Then you really should be more specific.

_Odd struggles to speak. _

**Odd: **….Ulrich!

**Ulrich: **Hang on Odd!

_He takes a step forward, but Yumi loosens her grip a little. A panicked Odd holds onto her hands to avoid falling. Ulrich hesitates. _

**Yumi: **I wouldn't come any closer if I were you…

_Ulrich realizes that this is a serious hostage situation. _

**Yumi: **It's a long way down, isn't it?

_She looks at Odd. _

**Yumi: **Poor, pathetic thing. Powerless to stop what you know is coming.

**Ulrich: **Odd is not yours to boss around anymore Moriarty. He's back. And you can't take him away from us!

**Yumi: **Oh but I can. You have doomed him Ulrich. You could have left him with me. I would have taken care of him. Made him something great. But your little rescue mission has made him useless to me.

**Ulrich: **YOU WILL NOT KILL HIM!

**Yumi: **Kill him? Please….this is mercy. I am merely putting him out of his misery. _She strokes his hair. Odd is shaking. _Don't you think it's wrong to let him continue to suffer?

**Ulrich: **Suffering that you caused!

**Yumi: **I admit, it's hard to logically justify myself. But it's still very fun.

**Ulrich: **Moriarty, RELEASE YUMI!

**Yumi: **Tempting….but no.

**Ulrich: **That wasn't an option.

**Yumi: **That may be, but you're in no position to enforce your demand.

**Ulrich: **LEAVE ODD AND YUMI ALONE!

**Yumi: **Funny how you think words are going to stop me. But since you can't use your brawn to get out of this, I suppose words are the only thing you have left.

**Ulrich: **HASN'T ODD BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH?

**Yumi: **Oh that's just it. He has been through enough. I've been so successful with him, I can't go any further. He's done. Finished. He's no fun anymore.

_Odd tries to protest again, but Yumi silences him. _

**Ulrich: **So you possessed Yumi and sent us into this nightmare just to get rid of Odd?

**Yumi: **Of course not. He's just collateral damage.

_Ulrich pauses. _

**Ulrich: **Then why did you possess her?

**Yumi: **To make you decide.

**Ulrich: **Decide what?

_She smiles. Ulrich takes a chance and swings the bar at Yumi's legs. But it harmlessly passes right through her. Ulrich stares in disbelief. Yumi laughs in her metallic tone. _

**Yumi: **I'm afraid that's not going to work.

_Ulrich searches his mind for a way to get out of this. But he can find none. _

**Ulrich: **What am I supposed to decide? I don't have any options!

**Yumi: **Oh, but you do.

**Ulrich: **HOW? You've made Yumi invincible!

**Yumi: **Not completely.

_Now Ulrich is confused. _

**Yumi: **There is one part of my body that you can injure.

_She holds her free hand on her chest, the area right above her heart. _

**Yumi: **Behold my Achilles heel.

_Ulrich looks at his pole. An icy chill passes through his body when he gazes at the sharp point at the edge. He swears. _

**Ulrich: **….No.

**Yumi: **So now you understand…

**Ulrich: **MORIARTY WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS-!

**Yumi: **I'm sure I'd love to hear about it later. But in the meantime, one of us has to die.

_The pole vibrates under Ulrich's shaky grip. _

**Ulrich: **….Not again.

**Yumi: **Yes…again. And don't try to offer yourself this time. I never make the same mistake twice.

_Ulrich's face becomes white. _

**Yumi: **So what's it going to be?

**Ulrich: **I…..I can't.

**Yumi: **Then be prepared to watch your best friend die.

**Ulrich: **NOO!

**Yumi: **Then be a man and end this. _She extends her arms. _Here. Wide open target.

_Odd's eyes plead for Ulrich to save him. Ulrich tries to avoid his inaudible appeals for rescue. Ulrich raises the pole a little bit. _

**Yumi: **That's it. Say goodbye to Yumi forever.

_Waves of horror wash over Ulrich's face. _

**Yumi: **What are you waiting for?

_Tears come down his cheeks. Ulrich tries to intimidate Yumi by edging the sharp pole closer, but it doesn't work. It only encourages her. Ulrich closes his eyes, not wanting to face this. At last he can't take it anymore. He drops the pole and goes to his knees. _

**Ulrich: **I can't…..I just can't. _He looks up at Odd in despair. _I'm so sorry Odd. I can't do it.

_Yumi smiles triumphantly. _

**Yumi: **Predictable as ever.

_She turns around to drop Odd to his death. Odd whimpers and closes his eyes, bracing himself for the end. _

**Ulrich: **I love you.

_Yumi freezes. _

**Ulrich: **Congratulations Moriarty. You found my limit. I cannot and will not hurt Yumi. Ever. I can't because I love her. So do what you will. Hold this guilt over me for as long as you can. I still won't do it. I'm only human. There is one thing I could never force myself to do. And this is it. The thought of losing Odd _He cries harder _it kills me. But driving a pole into Yumi's heart? You sick, twisted bastard. I can't do that…..So break me apart. Tear me open from the inside out. Enjoy my pain. But nothing on Earth can force me to hurt her. That may seem hilarious to you. After all, what do you know about love? Nothing! THE ONLY THING YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IS TORTURE!

_Odd hangs on to Yumi's wrist for dear life. Yumi seems lost. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, if you can hear me, please….PLEASE STOP! Moriarty is trying to make me kill you….and I can't! Yumi, if you don't….Odd is doomed. Don't let him make you do something that will scar you forever.

_Yumi's body trembles. She looks back at Ulrich, clearly fighting back for control. _

**Ulrich: **He knows my weakness Yumi. He knows it and he's using it against me. It's not my self-esteem. It's not my intelligence. It's not even my fear of heights. Yumi, it's you. You are my weakness. He knows there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. Don't let him use my weakness against me. If you're still in there fighting, know that I love you.

_Sparks erupt around Yumi's head. The veins in her temples throb as the real Yumi tries to resurface. At the same time, Aelita finishes the last humanoid and prepares to enter the tower. But she is grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground. Dark Yumi stands over her, fan ready. _

**Aelita: **No! NOT NOW!

**Dark Yumi: **So, so close to saving him. But you failed.

_Dark Yumi gasps when a blade penetrates her stomach. She watches in disbelief as she is devirtualized away. An exhausted William drops his sword after she disappears. She helps Aelita up. _

**William: **It's all you.

_Aelita enters the tower. Back at the balcony, Yumi seems to be losing the battle. Her arm slowly starts to loosen her grip on Odd. _

**Ulrich: **NO!

_The tower is deactivated. The Moriarty eye vanishes from Yumi's pupils. She begins to swoon. Ulrich reacts just in time to catch Odd's hand when she lets go and faints. He pulls him up. Odd is completely distraught. He stares up at the sky like an animal beaten beyond the capacity of endurance. He sweats and holds on to the railings of the balcony, trying to regain himself. This new abuse has brought painful flashbacks to his mind. He does his best to avoid a panic attack. Ulrich tries to pick him up, but he resists. _

**Ulrich: **Odd…..I…

_There is nothing to say. He goes to Yumi's side and rests her head against his shoulder. He turns back to Odd. _

**Ulrich: **Help me carry her.

_Odd regards Yumi with trepidation. He gets up and walks away, wanting nothing to do with her. A few minutes later, the group is huddled around the elevator on the main floor of the factory. _

**Yumi: **What do you mean I can't see him?

**Aelita: **He's completely terrified! Seeing you will only make it worse!

**Yumi: **But…but it wasn't my fault!

**Aelita: **You still need to stay away from him! He's vulnerable, and this attack has made him associate you with Moriarty.

**Yumi: **I need to apologize!

**Aelita: **No! You need to stay away from him! His PTSD will get worse if you don't!

_She seems near tears. _

**Yumi: **That's not fair!

**Aelita: **Nothing about this attack was fair.

**Yumi: **He needs to know I wasn't myself!

**Aelita: **He does. But seeing you will bring on a wave of terrible symptoms. We need him to get better. And you can no longer help us with that.

_She lowers her head. _

**Aelita: **I'm sorry Yumi. I'm trying to do what's best for him.

_Yumi gets a text. She opens it. It reads: Well done Yumi. You went above and beyond the call of duty today. Because of your hard work, I have decided that you don't need to write an essay for me. I am giving you the extra credit. _

_This last horrible gesture makes Yumi drop her phone and cry uncontrollably. William and Ulrich do their best to comfort her. In Delmas' office, a timid figure walks in. Delmas raises his head from his work to look at his guest. He does his best to hide a frown. _

**Delmas: **Oh, it's you. I…I wasn't expecting you.

**Klotz: **I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Delmas, but I needed to see you.

**Delmas: **I see…..How have you been? I haven't seen you for a while.

**Klotz: **To be honest, not so good. I believe you know why I've come.

**Delmas: **Uh yes…I've been meaning to answer your messages, but I guess I never got around to them.

**Klotz: **I…I would really like my job back.

_Delmas scratches his head. _

**Delmas: **….Yes….I…am aware.

**Klotz: **Well….?

**Delmas: **I don't mean to insult you Hans. But I have my doubts.

**Klotz: **Sir….

**Delmas: **You left very distraught. And when you explained your reasons for taking a leave of absence, quite frankly you didn't make sense. Something very strange about Jeremie Belpois or something. I thought you needed a long time to relax.

**Klotz: **And I have.

**Delmas: **Forgive me if I am a little uneasy. You see, we have had some problems since your departure. Just recently Gilles Fumet had a nervous breakdown.

_Klotz is startled by this. _

**Klotz: **Gilles? Impossible. He always seemed very stable and content. That doesn't make sense. How could he just snap?

**Delmas: **I wish I knew. Many things are happening that I don't understand. But I still am not ready to give you your job back.

**Klotz: **Sir….please.

_Moriarty walks in. He feigns embarrassment for walking in on this meeting. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything.

**Delmas: **It's not a problem.

**Moriarty: **I just came to drop off those forms you asked for.

**Delmas: **I…I thought I told Nicole to do that. _He rubs his beard. _Oh well. Hans, this is Dr. Sebastian Renard, our replacement history teacher.

_Moriarty extends his hand. _

**Moriarty: **A pleasure to meet you.

**Klotz: **And you.

**Delmas: **Renard, this is Hans Klotz. He was our school psychologist…until recently.

**Moriarty: **Well, that's wonderful, that's just what we need.

**Delmas: **I…I beg your pardon?

**Moriarty: **Has he not come to get his job back?

**Delmas: **Well….

**Klotz: **I have.

**Moriarty: **Splendid. And I assume you are going to give it to him.

**Delmas: **Well, Doctor Renard, there are some….issues with that.

_Moriarty innocently probes for answers. _

**Moriarty: **I don't understand.

**Delmas: **You see, I'm not sure if Klotz…

**Moriarty: **Am I to understand that you are not going to hire a trained psychologist who knows the students here on a personal level during this critical time?

_Delmas is taken off guard. _

**Delmas: **It's not so simple as…

**Moriarty: **Students need him. Exams are coming up soon. This has been a difficult year for them. Not to mention Odd.

_Delmas stutters. _

**Moriarty: **You told me yourself that Odd needed help. _He points to Klotz. _Well, here it is!

**Delmas: **Mr. Klotz has been through a-

**Moriarty: **Whatever the issue is, I can tell Hans here is ready to rise above it. Aren't you?

_Hans is really surprised that this total stranger is standing up for him. _

**Klotz: **I….yes.

_Delmas still seems uneasy. _

**Moriarty: **Mr. Delmas, the students need someone to talk to.

**Delmas: **I know but…

**Moriarty: **Oh, what would Odd's parents think if they knew about this?

_Delmas adjusts his glasses uncomfortably. He turns to Klotz. _

**Delmas: **I….suppose I'm willing to reconsider. Hans, come back tomorrow morning at around nine or so. We need to go over some details. _He glances at Moriarty. _Thank you for your input Dr. Renard.

**Moriarty: **You are most welcome.

_He exits. Klotz follows close behind. _

**Klotz: **I…I don't know why you did that, but thank you. What you did….that means the world to me. How can I repay you?

**Moriarty: **Oh, don't worry about that. _A sly smile comes across his face. _But who knows? Maybe you'll get a chance to help me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 21**

_Odd tosses and turns in his sleeping bag. Nightmares continue to pummel him. But shortly after midnight, his bad dreams begin to ebb. He descends into a new vision. The first thing he notices is blinding sunlight, shortly followed by the sea. He is standing on a balcony that has a beautiful view of the Mediterranean. He turns and passes through the wall into the main apartment. Inside the rather spacious and comfortable flat, a teenager around seventeen years-old impatiently taps his foot on the floor while reading a book. Though he is much older than the boy from his original vision, Odd can recognize him. _

**Odd: **Richard…

_Richard doesn't hear him. A soccer ball rolls from the main hallway into the living room. A ten year-old comes in and starts kicking it against the wall. _

**Richard: **Damien, you know what Mom said about playing sports in the house.

**Damien: **But I'm not allowed to go to the park unless someone goes with me.

**Richard: **Then wait for Mom or Gautier come home.

**Damien: **That could take forever!

**Richard: **I know, but if you knock over a lamp again…..

**Damien: **I'll be careful!

**Richard: **You said that last time, and Gautier still needs to fix that window.

**Damien: **Can't you go to the park with me so I can play?

**Richard: **I'm sorry Damien, I have to study.

**Damien: **Can't that wait?

**Richard: **Not if I want to pass physics.

_A disappointed Damien kicks the ball back down the hallway towards his room. He notices that Richard is really on edge. _

**Damien: **When's he coming back?

**Richard: **God knows.

**Damien: **He's marching with them again, isn't he?

_Richard sighs. _

**Richard: **Probably.

**Damien: **But Gautier said if he ever caught him doing it again-

**Richard: **I know. But I don't think he cares.

_The front door opens. Richard looks up. _

**Richard: **Speaking of the devil.

_A nineteen year-old radiating with teenage angst comes through the door. Every aspect of his appearance makes his far-right wing beliefs clear. He wears camo pants, black army boots, and a white T-shirt with two letters inscribed on the front: ON. In addition to his clothes, his blonde hair is combed into perfect neatness, which makes him look hauntingly similar to a Nazi youth. He regards Richard with annoyance and heads to the fridge. _

**Richard: **Where have you been?

**Moriarty: **None of your business Mom.

_He takes out a carton of milk and starts drinking directly from it. _

**Richard: **You went to the rally, didn't you?

_Moriarty scowls. _

**Moriarty: **Now what would give you that idea?

**Richard: **Oh I don't know. Maybe your outfit and the acronym of your little racist group on your chest.

_Moriarty is offended. _

**Moriarty: **We are the Ordre Nouveau. And we are not little. We are getting bigger every day.

**Richard: **I don't care how big it is. What matters is that you have joined them.

**Moriarty: **So what?

_Richard throws up his hands. _

**Richard: **Do you not see how wrong this is?

**Moriarty: **Is it wrong to be a patriot?

**Richard: **Intimidating minorities makes you a patriot?

**Moriarty: **You mean the invaders?

**Richard: **Oh not this nonsense again…

**Moriarty: **Open your eyes Richard! France is being overrun by immigrants. Just walk around town. Marseille is full of them! They are taking away our jobs. Not only that, but the crime rate has increased. Do you think that's a coincidence? Something needs to be done!

**Richard: **Oh shut up. What has a foreigner ever done to you?

_Moriarty becomes quiet. He glares at Richard, who quickly understands the message. Richard sighs. _

**Richard: **André…

_Odd pauses. He repeats the name to himself: Andr__é__. _

**Richard: **How long are you going to hold onto that?

**Moriarty: **Why have you let it go?

**Richard: **Because I can't. I can't go on hating forever. I can't do that to myself. I miss him as much as you do, but lashing out at people who aren't French just because our dad was killed is not the answer.

**Moriarty: **You've let the academia get to you.

**Richard: **War brings out the worst in people. France is no longer at war. Stop trying to keep it alive by creating new enemies for no reason.

**Moriarty: **They stepped onto our soil. Do I need another reason?

**Richard: **Listen to yourself! Is this what he would have wanted?

**Moriarty: **If he was alive, we wouldn't have to wonder!

_Moriarty points at Damien, who has remained quiet this entire time. _

**Moriarty: **Instead, Damien never got to know him and has to deal with that scumbag Gautier instead.

**Richard: **Don't bring Damien into this! And speaking of Gautier, when he finds you-

**Moriarty: **Like I care what the family socialist has to say.

**Richard: **That family socialist is our stepfather, and you've hit his last nerve.

**Moriarty: **Good. We can finally see if he actually has a spine.

_The door opens again. This time a stout middle-aged man with half grey and half white hair comes in. The moment he walks in the door, he glares at his eldest stepson with disdain. _

**Gautier: **Why am I not surprised?

_Moriarty doesn't say anything. He is returning Gautier's hateful look. _

**Gautier: **I thought I told you not to associate with those street scum.

**Moriarty: **Street scum?

**Gautier: **Yes, those good-for-nothing Nazis.

**Moriarty: **No, you're confusing the Ordre Nouveau with the foreigners you work with.

**Gautier: **You dare call my co-workers that in my presence?

**Moriarty: **I can do worse if you want me to.

**Gautier: **You despicable nationalist!

**Moriarty: **Thank you. And you are a blood-sucking socialist…

**Gautier: **I didn't fight in the French Resistance to see Hitler return to my own house!

**Moriarty: **Oh you don't have to worry about that. I'm much better looking than he was.

_Gautier fumes. _

**Gautier: **I'd suggest you change your tone. You are treading on very thin ice.

**Moriarty: **And if you were treading on it, you'd fall right through.

_Damien giggles at this insult. Gautier turns around angrily. Richard puts his hand over Damien's mouth. _

**Gautier: **Don't push me….

**Moriarty: **Or what?

**Gautier: **Or it's going to end very badly for you.

**Moriarty: **Whatever.

_He starts to walk away. _

**Gautier: **Don't you walk away from me!

_When Moriarty refuses to obey, Gautier grabs his shoulder. _

**Gautier: **I suppose you think I'm all talk and no action.

**Moriarty: **Past experience would support that notion.

**Gautier: **I haven't done anything because your mother told me to be patient with you. Said you would grow out of it. She told me that when you were thirteen. You're nineteen now! When are you going to grow up?

**Moriarty: **I have. You just haven't been paying attention.

**Gautier: **Mature adults do not beat up children!

_Moriarty raises an eyebrow. _

**Gautier: **Don't think I haven't heard what you and your friends did to that Greek boy.

**Moriarty: **He was asking for it.

**Gautier: **HE WAS TWELVE!

**Moriarty: **Young or not, he doesn't belong here!

**Gautier: **You think you're so much better than them! But you're wrong. They are far more civilized than you'll ever be. They are productive members of society, while you associate with Marseille's rejects, continue to be unemployed, and have refused to go to university.

**Moriarty: **Yes. Because they're full of socialists like you.

**Gautier: **I would watch the political insults if I were you. May I remind you that I am the one who puts a roof over your head!

**Moriarty: **A roof that you still haven't fixed, by the way.

**Gautier: **THIS IS MY HOUSE! You will treat me with respect!

**Moriarty: **I would. If there was anything to respect.

**Gautier: **I'VE HAD IT! EITHER LEAVE THE O.N. AND ACT LIKE A CIVILIZED HUMAN BEING OR I'LL-

**Moriarty: **You'll what?

_Gautier's face is really red now. He seems at the point of losing control. _

**Moriarty: **Talk talk. Let's see some action for once.

_This is the last straw. Gautier takes a swing and punches Moriarty across the face. Moriarty goes down. Moriarty is in pain. A trickle of blood runs down his face. But there is a strange and eager smile on his face. _

**Richard: **André, don't-

**Moriarty: **Finally…

_Moriarty unleashes all his fury on Gautier. Gautier is strong, but he is too old to hold his own against someone in the prime of his life. Moriarty backs him up against the refrigerator and nails him in the gut. Gautier goes down. Moriarty seems eager to continue the beating. _

**Damien: **NO! STOP IT!

_Richard grabs onto Moriarty and tries to hold him back. Moriarty throws him off and punches him square in the face. Richard goes down. Damien goes to his side and starts to cry. _

**Moriarty: **You're as bad as him!

_Gautier struggles to get up. He points to the door. _

**Gautier: **GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!

**Moriarty: **Gladly!

**Gautier: **AND DON'T YOU DARE COME BACK!

_Moriarty slams the door. The loud slam jolts Odd awake. He rises and scratches his head. After giving Kiwi an affectionate rub, he reaches for his cellphone. _

**Odd: **Jeremie?...Yeah, it happened again.

_Several hours later William, Aelita, and Jeremie appear at the vending machine. William fills his cup with hot chocolate and leans against the wall. Aelita and Jeremie stand at opposite ends of each other. _

**William: **How's he doing?

**Aelita: **Still shaken. But better.

**William: **Good to hear.

**Jeremie: **Ulrich and Yumi are still pretty out of it though.

_Aelita is quiet for a moment. _

**Aelita: **Yes.

**William: **How so?

**Jeremie: **Ulrich has shut himself in his room whenever he can.

**William: **Moping?

**Jeremie: **No. Not exactly. He's just been emotionally torn to shreds. You don't heal from that easily. And Yumi isn't any better. She isn't talking to anyone. And every time I mention Moriarty her eyes just become….murderous.

**Aelita: **Well, Moriarty just abused her in an unimaginable way. What do you expect?

_William is eager to change the subject. He points across the courtyard. _

**William: **Hey, isn't that Natalya?

_Aelita looks up. _

**Aelita: **Yep. That's her.

**Jeremie: **You mentioned that she's rooming with you?

_Aelita is quiet again. _

**William: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **Yes. She is. But I haven't gotten to know her very well.

**William: **Why not?

**Aelita: **She's been rather…..busy.

_Theo approaches Natalya. She instantly becomes annoyed. _

**Theo: **Hey, where are you going?

**Natalya: **Away from you.

**Theo: **What gives? I thought we had something.

**Natalya: **Yes. Had something. As in past tense.

**Theo: **You telling me that was a one-night thing?

**Natalya: **I thought you knew that.

**Theo: **No I really didn't.

**Natalya: **Oh. I guess I forgot to mention that.

**Theo: **So you're just going to leave me?

**Natalya: **Pretty much. _She smiles. _You were very sweet. And you have far more brains than some of the Russian guys I've had to deal with. But then again, that's not saying much.

_She walks away, leaving Theo stunned. _

**Jeremie: **She moves fast.

**Aelita: **Mathias, Theo, Thomas. I can't keep up with them anymore.

**William: **Any idea when she's going to stop?

**Aelita: **Well, there are only so many guys at Kadic…

**Jeremie: **I'd rather not think about that. _He picks up his laptop. _I'm going…._He thinks for a moment. _I mean, Aelita, is it ok if I go to the factory?

_She doesn't give him eye contact. _

**Aelita: **Why do you want to go there?

**Jeremie: **I want to start a new program that will hopefully make you immune to Moriarty possessions.

**William: **And how would you do that?

**Jeremie: **If I activate a tower of my own, I should be able to plant a virus into one of the data streams in Sector 5. This virus could steal some important data from Moriarty, hopefully one that could tell me a lot about the virtual format of Moriarty's specters.

**William: **And what good would that do?

**Jeremie: **Imagine that Moriarty's specters are germs, and the stolen data is like dead bacteria. If your body studies the dead bacteria long enough, they can form antibodies to resist it in the future. If I follow the same strategy, I should be able to create a program of inhibitors that will protect your neural synapses from Moriarty's specters. All I need to do is expose you to the program in the scanners and presto! Instant spectral immunity.

**William: **…What?

**Jeremie: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **Go ahead.

_Jeremie leaves. _

**William: **Think he can do it?

**Aelita: **Maybe.

_William can tell Aelita would rather not talk about it. He takes a sip of his hot chocolate. He spots Emmanuel and Christophe coming out of one of the main buildings. _

**William: **Here we go again.

**Aelita: **Here we go what again?

**William: **Just watch.

**Christophe: **I'm telling you man, the guy gives me weird vibes.

**Emmanuel: **Yeah he's weird. But it's a cool weird.

**Christophe: **No, I really think it's just a weird weird.

**Emmanuel: **And what makes you say that?

**Christophe: **I….I don't know. Something is just…really different about him.

**Emmanuel: **Yes. He's different. He's different from all the other teachers here, and in a good way. He's only been here a few weeks and already he has become one of the most popular teachers on campus. Do you think that's a coincidence?

**Christophe: **No I don't. And that's what makes me feel a little uneasy.

**Emmanuel: **His sudden rise in popularity? That's what makes you not like him? If everyone else likes him, you have to rebel and not like him?

_Christophe lowers his eyebrows. _

**Christophe: **Hey, it's not like that. It's just…

**Emmanuel: **What?

**Christophe: **It just seems like….like he has an agenda.

**Emmanuel: **He does. He wants this school to be reformed. And I can't blame him. Don't you want change?

**Christophe: **That depends on the change.

**Emmanuel: **You're hopeless.

**Christophe: **Take for example, our last class. When he was talking about Japan. Don't you think he went a little far in his….judgment? And with Yumi right in the class?

**Emmanuel: **So he took the oriental down a peg. Who cares?

_Emmanuel walks off and Christophe's eyes get very wide. _

**Christophe: **If I didn't know you better, I would say that was extremely racist.

_Christophe walks out of sight. William takes another sip. _

**William: **They've been doing that for a while.

**Aelita: **I thought they were really good friends.

**William: **They are. But ever since Moriarty showed up, they've been divided on him.

**Aelita: **Well, at least we know that not everyone is listening to Moriarty.

**William: **But so many are. At least in the 10th grade. He's been telling them the things they want to hear, and they are starting to love him for it. Every World History class is transformed into his personal progaganda session. And they are buying it.

_Aelita idly kicks her legs against the bench. _

**Aelita: **He's doing the same thing in Ancient and Medieval History with the 9th grade.

_William turns. _

**William: **He is? How?

**Aelita: **Very deviously.

_Aelita begins to tell the story of a particular class. Moriarty is showing them a map of Ancient Europe. _

**Moriarty: **Class, this map shows the Roman Empire at its fullest extent in the year 117 A.D., under the emperor Trajan.

_The class is somewhat bored. Ulrich sits next to Aelita, while Jeremie sits next to Odd's clone. _

**Moriarty: **The Roman Empire was, for lack of a better word, one of, if not the greatest empire in human history. For the people who lived in it at the time, the empire encompassed most of the known world. Not only was it massive, it was also one of the longest surviving empires ever to appear on Earth.

_He turns to the class. _

**Moriarty: **Which brings up the question, when did the Roman Empire fall?

_No one replies. _

**Moriarty: **Ahem, Sissi?

_Sissi looks up, obviously unprepared. _

**Sissi: **Um….a hundred years ago?

_Laughter ensues. Moriarty rubs his forehead. _

**Moriarty: **Not exactly. Anyone else?

_Herb raises his hand. _

**Moriarty: **Yes Mr. Pinchon?

**Herb: **476 A.D.

**Moriarty: **Very good Mr. Pinchon. Yes, around that time what was known as the Western Roman Empire disappeared, leading Europe into the Dark Ages, a barbaric period of time that took centuries to overcome. The Eastern half survived for another thousand years until it was swallowed by the Turks.

_He looks to the map. _

**Moriarty: **In less than four hundred years, this invincible empire would be gone. Now granted, four hundred years is a very long time. But it does raise the question. How could such a mighty power, completely unchallenged on the world stage, fall so dramatically?

_He looks around. _

**Moriarty: **Mr. Della Robbia? _His eyebrows dance with an evil glee. _

**Odd's Clone: **Processing enemy's query….

_Jeremie nudges the clone with his shoulder. _

**Odd's Clone: **Error. Request of teacher subject.

**Moriarty: **Odd, are you….ok?

_Some classmates snicker. _

**Odd's Clone: **Affirmative.

**Moriarty: **Do we need to talk to Dr. Klotz again?

**Odd's Clone: **Negative.

**Moriarty: **Then if you would be so kind as to answer the question.

**Odd's Clone: **Infighting between generals for position of emperor, plagues that decimated populations in third century A.D., as well as devastating invasions from Germanic tribes.

**Moriarty: **All of those are correct. But you haven't gotten to the heart of the matter.

_Odd's clone leans to Jeremie. _

**Odd's Clone: **Enemy's query did not involve the human cardiovascular system.

**Jeremie: **It's….an expression.

**Moriarty: **Let me make this a little clearer. What happens when an empire becomes so enormously successful and wealthy that the people can live extremely comfortably?

**Herb: **…..They get lazy?

**Moriarty: **Exactly. Some historians have argued that the very success of the Romans proved to be their downfall. Wealth from all over the empire flowed into the Eternal City. Slaves began doing the tasks ordinary Romans used to do. Gladitorial games entertained the masses with increasingly more spectacular displays of gore. As the years went on, the soldiers of the empire began coming from the outer provinces instead of Italy itself. Only officers actually came from Rome proper. Eventually when the barbarians began to invade, they allowed other not as hostile barbarian tribes to settle as long as they would fight the more hostile ones. Eventually it got so bad that barbarian chiefs controlled large swaths of land inside the empire. The empire became so weak that when the Germanic chief Odoacer demanded land in Italy in reward for his service and was denied, he merely took over.

_He pauses. _

**Moriarty: **Their own success proved their undoing. When they started relying on non-Romans to continue the hard work of their ancestors, their little comfortable dream shattered.

**Ulrich: **Moriarty has found a new way of torture.

_Aelita turns. _

**Aelita: **What's that?

**Ulrich: **Boring me to death.

**Moriarty: **The collapse of this empire proves a disturbing point. No major power lasts forever. Every empire, no matter how strong at any particular point in time, is capable of falling. We should all take this lesson to heart.

**Odd's Clone: **Another cardiac query?

**Jeremie: **Not now Odd.

_Moriarty notices Sissi is filing her nails. He pounces. _

**Moriarty: **Including you, Miss Delmas!

_Sissi has that blank look on her face again. _

**Moriarty: **The Romans have a lot to teach you Sissi.

_Sissi becomes confused and annoyed. _

**Sissi: **But why? What does an empire collapsing so long ago have to do with me?

_Moriarty forms an eerily creepy smile. Aelita gives Ulrich a look that says, "Oh no. Here he goes."_

**Moriarty: **I'm so glad you asked Sissi. Why does the story of the Romans pertain to me?

_He taps the desk with his ruler. His eyes pulsate with thought. _

**Moriarty: **If the Romans establish the fact that every empire can fall, what does that say about us?

_Herb raises his hand, but Moriarty ignores him. He looks to Jeremie. _

**Moriarty: **Jeremie?

_Jeremie swallows. Moriarty's gaze bears down on him heavily. _

**Jeremie: **That current world powers can also fall.

**Moriarty: **Exactly.

_He moves in for the kill. _

**Moriarty: **Question. Would you consider us a powerful, modern nation?

_Class nods in agreement. _

**Moriarty: **Interesting. And would you consider us a successful and mostly comfortable people?

_More nods. _

**Moriarty: **I see. And just out of interest, who does most of our manual labor?

_Silence. Jeremie curses. They have fallen into his trap. Moriarty feigns sincere curiosity and innocence. _

**Moriarty: **In all honesty. Who does most of our manual labor? Do native French people do it most of the time? Or does it come elsewhere?

**Herb: **Recently, immigrants from lesser developed nations have fulfilled that niche.

**Moriarty: **Oh now I get it. We get immigrants to do the work we don't want. _Fake alarm comes on Moriarty's face. _Now wait a minute. Where have I heard that before?

_Class gets the memo. _

**Aelita: **Should have seen that coming.

**Ulrich: **What do we do?

**Aelita: **What can we do? This isn't Lyoko. We're just students here. He can do anything here.

**Moriarty: **Remember class. No empire, or world power for that matter, is invulnerable. And if a threat doesn't rise from the outside….well…..it can always come from somewhere else.

_Ulrich, Aelita, and Jeremie can tell the students are thinking critically about what Moriarty has said. _

**Moriarty: **Not that I would be suggesting that this will happen to us. Times have changed. Nations are not permanently conquered anymore. And after all, we are not an empire. Who is the real 'imperial' superpower on the world stage today?

_Sissi raises her hand. _

**Sissi: **The United States!

**Moriarty: **Congratulations Miss Delmas. For a moment, I was afraid you would say the Soviet Union.

_More laughter. Sissi fumes. _

**Moriarty: **No one can deny that the United States is a world leader. It has been the most powerful nation on Earth for much of the twentieth century up to the present time. Compared to the Romans, that's not a very long time. We could expect this trend to continue.

_He sits down at his desk and smiles. A chill goes down the warriors' spines. _

**Moriarty: **But like I said…every empire falls. As long as there is some nation, or someone, ready to take its place.

_Aelita finishes the story. William finishes his hot chocolate. _

**William: **Is there anything that he can't twist to his agenda?

**Aelita: **Apparently not.

_Pause. _

**William: **What are we going to do about him?

**Aelita: **I don't know. I just don't know.

**William: **Why would he decide to become our teacher anyway?

**Aelita: **To torture us and cause trouble at the school. Isn't that obvious?

**William: **…I have a feeling he doesn't want to stop there.

**Aelita: **What do you mean?

_William looks away. _

**William: **You know, we made a pretty good team on Lyoko last time.

**Aelita: **Yes. We…we did what we had to do.

**William: **We are going to have to be if we face those elephants again.

**Aelita: **Mastodons.

**William: **What?

**Aelita: **Mastodons. That's what Odd decided to name the monster.

**William: **Why?

**Aelita: **Because he thought calling them elephants was stupid.

_William shrugs. _

**William: **Works for me.

_Aelita looks at William intently. _

**Aelita: **Are you alright?

_William looks surprised. _

**William: **Alright? Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be alright?

**Aelita: **Well, your worst enemy is now your history teacher, and he just tried to take advantage of your feelings for Yumi.

_Pause. _

**William: **True.

**Aelita: **Well….?

**William: **Can't say it hasn't affected me. _He gets up. _But it might be for the best.

**Aelita: **Why?

**William: **I've finally gotten over Yumi.

**Aelita: **…..You…you have? How?

**William: **I don't know. I can't really explain it. But when both Yumi and her dark Lyoko form tried to seduce me….something in me changed. I….I couldn't see her the same way I used to. Granted, it wasn't her fault, but it's left a mark. During that mission, I realized that as long as I had feelings for Yumi, Moriarty was going to use it against me. I couldn't allow that. Both for myself and for the group.

**Aelita: **So what did you do?

**William: **…I cut the strings….permanently.

**Aelita: **Just like that?

**William: **Pretty much.

**Aelita: **You just turned off your feelings for her? Is it possible to do that so easily?

**William: **Apparently stabbing the evil version of your love interest on Lyoko helps.

_Aelita grins a little at this. _

**Aelita: **So if it's not Yumi anymore, who's it going to be?

**William: **It may not be anyone. I can't afford to have any weaknesses against him.

**Aelita: **But you're still human, and you shouldn't forget that. Don't let Moriarty numb you.

**William: **I'll keep that in mind, but there is really no girl I'm interested in right now.

_Aelita smiles. _

**Aelita: **What about Natalya? I'm sure she'd be willing.

_William rolls his eyes. _

**William: **Natalya…..is not exactly my type.

**Aelita: **That's one way of putting it.

_Later on that day, Herb is backed against a wall in the hallway. Fellow nine-graders Theo and Romain attack their helpless victim. _

**Theo: **Hold his arms! I'll go for the glasses!

**Romain: **Got it.

**Herb: **LET ME GO!

**Theo: **Hold him still!

**Romain: **I'm trying! The nerd's squirming too much!

_Theo triumphantly takes away his glasses. A sadistic grin crosses his face. _

**Herb: **I said….LET ME GO!

**Romain: **No problem….

_Romain pushes him to the ground. Herb struggles to get up. Without his glasses, he becomes nearly blind. He gropes for them, but his tormentors keep them out of reach. Theo cocks back his arm. _

**Theo: **Hey, Romain, catch!

_Herb tries to intercept the pass, but Romain gets a hold of it. _

**Romain: **Oh, too slow.

**Herb: **GIVE THOSE BACK!

**Romain: **You're going to have to work for it!

_He passes it back to Theo. _

**Herb: **THIS ISN'T FUNNY!

**Theo: **Pretty funny from where I'm standing…

_Herb burns with anger and humiliation. He turns to Theo. _

**Herb: **You know, just because your Russian girl dumped you doesn't mean you have to take it out on me!

_Theo's face becomes far more sinister. _

**Romain: **Oh, you're in trouble now.

_Theo drives his fist into Herb's stomach. He doubles over in pain. _

**Theo: **At least girls can look at me without being disgusted.

_The last statement hurts worst than the punch. Theo prepares to deliver more punishment, but he is interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the hallway. _

**Moriarty: **So how goes your progress with Odd?

_Klotz rubs his head. _

**Klotz: **In all my years, I have never seen such a complicated case. It's as if he's had a complete change of personality. I haven't gotten anywhere with him so far. All he gives me are these weird, robotic phrases and sentences. I think he might have buried his emotions and come up with this new persona to deal with the pain.

**Moriarty: **Keep working on him. I'm sure you'll make progress soon.

**Klotz: **I hope so.

_They stop in their tracks when they come upon the scene. The teachers' eyebrows are immediately furrowed in outrage. Although Moriarty's reaction is a bit fake. Theo and Romain stop everything, hoping to look innocent. _

**Klotz: **I see my strict 'No Bullying' policy became unenforced during my absence.

**Moriarty: **How old are you two, five years-old? This is no way to behave.

_Theo and Romain lower their heads. _

**Theo: **Sir, it's not what you think.

**Romain: **We were just messing around with him.

**Klotz: **Like I haven't heard that one before!

**Moriarty: **If that's true, why do you have his glasses?

_Theo, realizing his mistake, tries to hide the glasses behind his back. Klotz's face becomes red. Moriarty holds out his hand. Theo reluctantly gives him the glasses. Theo and Romain look at each other, bracing themselves for the sentence. _

**Moriarty: **Hans, would you care to take these two to the principal's office?

**Klotz: **Gladly.

**Moriarty: **I'll help Mr. Pinchon.

_Klotz drags Theo and Romain away. Moriarty helps Herb up. _

**Moriarty: **Are you alright?

**Herb: **Yes…I think so….Thank you.

_Moriarty hands him his glasses. _

**Moriarty: **I'm terribly sorry you had to go through that. I assure you, they won't get away with it.

_Herb huffs. _

**Herb: **Maybe, but it really doesn't matter.

**Moriarty: **And why is that?

**Herb: **I'm still the nerd. You may deal with them, but they'll be back. They always come back. And even if they don't, there's always someone there to take their place. _He sighs and looks at the floor. _You teachers try your best, don't get me wrong, but there's only so much you can do. Nothing's going to change. It just never ends.

_Moriarty puts a hand on his shoulder. _

**Moriarty: **Just remember that you'll have the last laugh.

**Herb: **You mean when I graduate?...Yeah I guess so. But in the meantime, I'm powerless…

_Herb starts to walk away. Moriarty smiles. _

**Moriarty: **Who says you have to wait until you leave Kadic?

_Herb halts and raises an eyebrow. He turns around. _

**Herb: **Sir?

**Moriarty: **Surely the ultimate reward for you shouldn't be just to escape Kadic.

**Herb: **I….I don't understand what you're talking about.

**Moriarty: **Maybe not now. But you will. Sooner than you think.

_He starts to walk away. But then he stops and turns his head back to Herb. _

**Moriarty: **You're a brilliant student Herb. No one can deny that. Your future is bright. But your ultimate fate should not be to work as a humble software designer for the rest of your life and make a lot of money in a world that still doesn't respect you. _He pauses. _You are capable of so much more. And though you don't know it yet, you can turn the tables at this school. If you put your mind to it…

_Moriarty walks away, leaving Herb in a deep trance of thought. An hour later, Yumi walks along the portico of one of the school buildings. She comes to a window outside Moriarty's classroom. She can see him inside. A tide of rage rolls over her. She takes out a small packet of something from her pocket. _

**Yumi: **Ok Moriarty, let's see how you like wasabi in your coffee.

_She looks for an opportunity for Moriarty to leave the room. Instead, Delmas opens the door. Yumi keeps out of sight. _

**Moriarty: **Yes?

**Delmas: **Sébastien, there are some gentlemen here to see you.

**Moriarty: **I see. And who are these gentlemen?

**Delmas: **They….they didn't say.

_A sudden twitch of anticipation appears on Moriarty's face. He bites his lip. _

**Moriarty: **Ok. Tell them to come in.

_Delmas leaves. A few seconds later two rather large men in black suits and sunglasses enter the room. They quickly regard Moriarty with an air of reserved hostility. Moriarty merely smiles. _

**Moriarty: **Why hello there. How can I help you?

**Agent 1: **Dr. Sébastien Renard?

**Moriarty: **You're speaking with him.

**Agent 2: **Then, by order of the French government, we must place you under arrest.

_Moriarty pretends to be horrified. _

**Moriarty: **Arrest me? Why, whatever have I done?

**Agent 1: **Don't play dumb with us Renard, you know exactly why we're here.

**Moriarty: **….Maybe I do. But do you know why you're here?

**Agent 2: **We have orders to take you into custody. We don't need to know anymore.

**Moriarty: **I would beg to differ.

**Agent 1: **You are wanted for treason against the state.

**Moriarty: **Funny how you call me a traitor when the average French citizen doesn't know what YOU are doing.

**Agent 2: **That is not our concern! You will come with us!

**Moriarty: **Do you even know who you are?

**Agent 1: **We know what we need to know.

**Moriarty: **_Les invisibles….._

_Agents 1 and 2 look to each other. _

**Agent 1: **The very fact you know our name means you know too much.

**Agent 2: **Come on!

_They reach for Moriarty's arms, but their hands phase right through. The agents back up in shock. Moriarty rises, a shadow of hate cast over his face. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, but I'm afraid you know too little.

_The door shuts. The agents suddenly become tense. _

**Moriarty: **For instance, do you know that you're not leaving this room alive?

_The agents draw their pistols, but Moriarty magnetizes them to the ceiling. _

**Agent 1: **WHAT THE-!

**Moriarty: **I bet after all these years, you thought I was dead.

**Agent 2: **THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!

**Moriarty: **So sorry to disappoint you.

_The agents back up, trying to hide their fear. _

**Agent 1: **Stand down!

**Agent 2: **Assaulting a government officer will get you the maximum penalty in prison!

**Moriarty: **Then I appear out of the blue after all these years, never bothering to change my name.

**Agent 1: **You will obey us!

**Moriarty: **Did it ever cross your mind that I WANTED you to find me. That this might be…..a trap.

_Yumi watches this scene with confusion and suspense. _

**Agent 2: **Renard, you know who we are.

**Moriarty: **You chased me like a wild animal throughout Europe for years.

**Agent 1: **And you know we have powerful allies.

**Moriarty: **Now it's my turn to return the favor!

_Moriarty unleashes electricity onto them. They shriek in pain and go to the ground. Yumi puts her hand over her mouth. The agents try to get up. _

**Agent 1: **You….you won't get away with this.

**Agent 2: **The others will come for you!

_Moriarty puts his foot on Agent 2's chest. There is a wild maliciousness in his eyes. The Moriarty of contemplative shrewdness and control seems to have vanished. _

**Moriarty: **Exactly what I want.

**Agent 1: **What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **I can't wait to kill them as well.

_Agent 2 reaches for his earpiece to call for backup, but it levitates into the air. Moriarty crushes it with a motion of his palm. _

**Agent 1: **You…YOU CAN'T DO THIS!

**Moriarty: **Oh but I can.

_A storm of electricity emanates from Moriarty's body, lighting up the agents terrified faces. Indescribable wickedness and rage seethe from Moriarty. _

**Moriarty: **AND YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ANTHEA!

_Moriarty strikes them with horrifying ferocity. The agents' screams are muffled by the sheer amount of volts frying their brains. They catch on fire and writhe. Moriarty increases his power, causing the agents' bodies to literally disintegrate into dust. In a matter of moments, the two agents are reduced to nothing. Outside, Yumi, whose face has become whiter than paper, loses the ability to stand. She sinks to the ground in shock, body shaking. She holds her chest, struggling to breathe. Delmas walks back into the room. _

**Delmas: **Sébastien?

**Moriarty: **Yes?

**Delmas: **Have those men already left?

**Moriarty: **Yes. I'm afraid you just missed them.

**Delmas: **Oh. Well, what did they want?

**Moriarty: **Nothing too important.

_Yumi slowly gets up and walks down the portico, her face frozen by expressionless trauma. Overcome by a sudden feeling of nausea, she leans over a trash can and throws up. She robotically makes herself enter the rec room. Jeremie and Ulrich pass the time with a game of foosball. William leans against the wall, watching. Aelita watches TV in the corner. Jeremie turns when Yumi comes in. _

**Jeremie: **Oh. Hey Yumi.

_He turns away, but quickly turns back, realizing with a second glance that Yumi is not at all okay. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi! You look terrible!

_The others also recognize it and quickly hurry to her side. Ulrich takes her hand. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi….What happened to you?

_Yumi looks into his face, unable to answer. Her only response is an inaudible scream of terror coming from her pupils. _

**William: **Sit her down on the couch! Give her some room!

_The others obey. Yumi lets them sit her down. Aelita gets up and watches the door. Luckily, they are the only ones in the room. _

**Ulrich: **Give….give her some water!

_Jeremie quickly gets her a glass of water. He puts it in her hand. Yumi holds it, but her face is still hollow. Her only visible reaction is the water in her glass vibrating with her shaking body. Ulrich sits down next to her. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi…..

_Nothing. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, talk to me.

_Still nothing. Ulrich puts a hand on her shoulder. Her skin is very cold. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi. Look at me.

_She obeys. _

**Ulrich: **I want you to drink some water and then….slowly….tell us what's wrong.

_Yumi takes a look at her glass, almost surprised it is there. She slowly brings it to her lips and takes several sips. The water helps bring her out of her shock. _

**Yumi: **…..Mo….Moriarty.

**Jeremie: **Yes?

_More fear comes to the surface. _

**Yumi: **…He just killed two people.

_Dead silence. The only sound in the room is the hum from the lights on the ceiling. _

**William: **He…he committed murder?

**Aelita: **WHO? WHO DID HE KILL?

**Yumi: **They….they looked like government agents.

**Jeremie: **…How did he do it?

_Yumi explodes after this blunt question._

**Yumi: **HE FRIED THEIR (expletive) BRAINS AND BURNED THEM ALIVE! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK HAPPENED?

_Pause. The temperature in the room drops twenty degrees. _

**Jeremie: **Why did he do it?

_Aelita lashes out at Jeremie. _

**Aelita: **WILL YOU STOP ASKING HER QUESTIONS? CAN'T YOU SEE SHE'S COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED?

_Jeremie quickly shuts up. Ulrich does his best to comfort her. William paces. Aelita sits next to Yumi. _

**Aelita: **It's going to be ok. Just try to relax.

**Yumi: **…..There's nothing left of them. Just dust.

**Aelita: **Take it easy, ok?

**Ulrich: **It's over now.

_She shakes her head. _

**Yumi: **It's not over. I…I CAN'T UNSEE THAT! I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO WIPE THAT IMAGE FROM MY MIND!

_Ulrich and Aelita are quiet. Yumi turns to Aelita. _

**Yumi: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **Yes?

**Yumi: **What did you say your mother's name was again?

_Aelita is thrown off by such a random question at a time like this. She pauses. _

**Aelita: **Anthea….why?

_Yumi stares into space. She turns away. _

**Yumi: **No reason.

_Jeremie meets with William away from the couch. _

**Jeremie: **This….this is not good.

**William: **And the understatement of the year award goes to…

**Jeremie: **Enough! Focus for a second!

_William gives him his attention. _

**Jeremie: **Two government agents are dead. You can't hide something like that. I don't know what they wanted with Moriarty, but it's obvious the government has found out about Moriarty or will very quickly. The secrecy of our mission is in danger.

**William: **Well, maybe that's a good thing. Moriarty is in the real world now. He's dangerous. Maybe it's better that people start to know. It could really help us.

**Jeremie: **…Or seriously backfire.

_William turns over the issue in his mind. _

**William: **What do we do?

**Jeremie: **We need to go into the Network and destroy that parasite.

**William: **What? I thought you said it was very heavily defended. Isn't that a big risk?

**Jeremie: **Are you willing to let Moriarty take more human life?

_William sees reason in this. He looks to Yumi, who is still shaken. _

**Jeremie: **As soon as Yumi gets a hold of herself, I'm sure they will be willing to go.

_Forty minutes later, the Skid cruises through the depths of the Network. _

**Jeremie: **You are getting very close. The core of the parasite is 15 degrees west of your current position.

_The group takes a good look at the nearby databases. Some of them are slowly turning black. Cables grow out of infected databases, infecting new ones when the cables come in contact with them. _

**Yumi: **I think we can already see it.

**Ulrich: **Those cable things keep on growing and spreading. It's like a disease.

**Jeremie: **And that's how Moriarty has become so powerful lately. He's infecting the Network, drawing power and information from it. And it looks like his appetite cannot be satisfied.

_Aelita brings the Skid around. She comes to a long and narrow channel between two clusters of databases. _

**Jeremie: **Continue down this passage. This section of the Network is full of paths that all lead directly to Moriarty's core, like the avenues to the Arc de Triomphe.

**Ulrich: **Works for me. Let's blow this thing.

_The color in the Network changes from blue to purple. _

**William: **That can't be a good sign.

**Aelita: **Get ready. No telling what's in store for us.

**Yumi: **Great. It's like the spheres all over again.

_Turrets suddenly appear out of the left and right walls of the passage. They aim for the Skid. _

**Ulrich: **Uh oh.

_They open fire from all sides. The shield of the Skid protects them, but it is quickly weakening under the onslaught. _

**William: **Jeremie, we can't take much more of this!

**Aelita: **Fire all weapons!

_The Skid opens up on the turrets. But there are too many to take out all of them. The shields begin to give. _

**Yumi: **What do we do?

_Aelita makes a split second decision. _

**Aelita: **Disembark! If we make multiple targets it will be harder for them to keep track of us.

_The Nav Skids break off. William heads to the top of the passage, keeping close to the ceiling hoping to keep out of firing range. Yumi breaks off to the left, slipping through a gap in the passage to go down another one close by. Ulrich does the same except to the right. He swings left once he finds a wide open path to the core. He accelerates. The Skid descends slightly and plows forward. Despite the split-up, the Skid continues to be ravaged by laserfire. One blast rocks it completely. The impact makes Aelita fall over onto her controls. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, get out of there! If you stay you'll be destroyed.

_Aelita balls her fists in frustration. _

**Aelita: **It's up to them now.

_Aelita retreats out of the passage to an open part of the Network outside the cluster of databases protecting the core. Meanwhile Yumi continues down her strait, expertly avoiding laserfire. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, how close am I?

**Jeremie: **600 meters and closing…

_Yumi warms up her torpedoes. _

**Yumi: **Time for some sweet revenge.

_She momentarily glances at her navigation map. This lapse in attention allows one of the turrets to score a direct hit on her. She spins wildly. The turrets now start to hammer her mercilessly. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi, GET OUT OF THERE! YOU'RE A SITTING DUCK!

_She curses when she notices how low her shields are. She falls back to the Skid. _

**Yumi: **I'll get you next time.

_Back in the original passage, William continues to flirt with the ceiling. William's strategy is working, as his position mostly falls outside turret firing range. _

**William: **I'm so going to enjoy this.

**Jeremie: **Be careful William, the defenses are about to get more intense.

**William: **I got this.

_Suddenly one large turret opens up with a powerful, continuous laser beam. William pulls up to avoid it, only to slam into the ceiling. He ricochets and comes under major fire. William is completely disoriented from the blow. _

**Jeremie: **WILLIAM! RETREAT! YOU'RE IN DANGER!

_William moans. Through his blurry vision he can see his shields falling. _

**Jeremie: **WILLIAM!

_William doesn't respond. But deep inside William's mind, another presence makes itself known. _

**Xana: **FOOL! WAKE UP!

**William: **Uh….not you again.

**Xana: **I have no intention of dying with you today! Retreat!

**William: **Can't…..My head.

**Xana: **Then allow me.

_William's hands mechanically go for the controls. William flies out of danger, controlling his Nav Skid like a sleepwalker. He emerges at the other side with Yumi and Aelita. _

**Aelita: **Had us scared there for a minute.

_William resumes control. He rubs his head, not able to remember the experience of escaping. _

**Yumi: **Are you alright?

**William: **I'm…I'm fine.

_Ulrich, the last man standing, plows through to his goal. He notices a crystalline sphere at the end of the tunnel. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, I can see it!

**Jeremie: **It's up to you Ulrich. Keep going!

**Ulrich: **No problem. Moriarty goes down today!

_But intensive turret fire begins to get the best of him. His Nav Skid is rocked considerably, but he forces himself to continue. He ignores the red warnings on his shield monitors. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, you're taking too much damage!

**Ulrich: **No, don't worry about me! I still have a little more time!

_More hits and the warnings intensify. Ulrich's shields are almost gone. _

**Jeremie: **ULRICH! FALL BACK!

**Ulrich: **I'M ALMOST THERE!

**Jeremie: **ULRICH IF YOU DON'T FALL BACK NOW-

**Ulrich: **JUST TRUST ME!

_Yumi screams at him over the intercom. _

**Yumi: **ULRICH LISTEN TO HIM! THIS IS NO TIME FOR HEROICS!

_Ulrich doesn't respond. _

**Yumi: **ULRICH!

**Ulrich: **Just a little further….

_Ulrich warms up his torpedoes. He can now see the sphere clearly. His targeting computer zooms in. But without warning, one lucky turret blast decimates his Nav Skid. All traces of Ulrich are wiped out in a fiery explosion. The green dot indicating Ulrich on the Skid's main screen disappears. Aelita stares at it, speechless. _

**Aelita: **No…no it…..it can't be.

**Jeremie: **I….I don't see him on any of my screens. I….No. No he….he couldn't have been eternally virtualized. He…HE JUST CAN'T!

_William presses the intercom. _

**William: **Yumi?

_Yumi doesn't answer. Her body is entirely still within her Nav Skid. The light has died from her eyes. She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. She tries her best to stave off reality, desperately holding onto a hope that is rapidly failing. But eventually she loses her grip. She quietly curls up into the fetal position, blocking out the world. _

**Aelita: **No. It….It must be a glitch in the sensors. He couldn't have just….died!

_Jeremie takes off his earpiece, solemnly accepting the truth. A tear falls from his eye. _

**Jeremie: **Why didn't he listen?

**Aelita: **We'll go in to find him!

**Jeremie: **You can't. You've taken too much damage.

_Aelita lowers her head. _

**William: **It would only endanger all of us.

_Aelita silently concedes. The Skid quietly makes its way to Lyoko. The three utterly crestfallen warriors exit the scanners. Aelita immediately starts to cry. William allows her to do so on his shoulders. He turns to Yumi, who seems to have completely left this world. She mechanically walks to the elevator and presses the button. _

**William: **Yumi.

_The doors open. _

**William: **Yumi, where are you going?

_She answers through a choked sob. _

**Yumi: **Anywhere but here.

_When the doors close, she leans on the metal walls, staring at the floor. Her tears begin to fall slowly and methodically down her face. A few minutes later, when William and Aelita exit the elevator into the lab room, Jeremie walks past them into the elevator. His head hangs low. _

**Jeremie: **I searched everywhere. I….I can't deny the facts. Ulrich's gone.

_Pause. _

**Jeremie: **I'm going to Kadic. I need to work some things out.

_The elevator doors close. Aelita and William are left in the lab room alone. They immediately separate. Aelita sits next to the holomap, resting her head against her knees. She cries softly. William paces the room. In a sudden outburst of frustration, he punches the wall, then curses from the resulting pain. William looks to Aelita, but she pays no attention to him. Unable to find a reason to stay any longer, William enters the elevator and leaves. For a few minutes, Aelita is left alone. Then she hears footsteps coming down the ladder from the upper corridor above the lab room. She raises her head to see Odd looking down on her, with flowers in his hands. _

**Aelita: **What…..what is this?

_Odd looks at her sheepishly. _

**Odd: **I….I don't like to see you upset. So I guess I brought you these flowers.

_Aelita holds them. They are a disorganized arrangement of beautiful violets. _

**Aelita: **Where did you find these?

_He sits down next to her. _

**Odd: **They were growing in some cracks in the stone walls on the factory balcony.

_Aelita smiles through her tears, very appreciative of this small gesture during such a terrible tragedy. _

**Aelita: **They're beautiful.

_She rests her head on his shoulder. _

**Aelita: **Thank you. I really needed that.

**Odd: **No problem princess.

**Aelita: **You didn't have to go to all that trouble though.

**Odd: **Are you kidding me? After everything you've done for me?

_Odd gently touches her face. _

**Odd: **It was the least I could do.

_His hand remains for a moment. They both gaze at each other, suddenly realizing how close they are. Odd blushes a little and withdraws his hand. His facial expression changes. A heavy cloud of despair rests on him. _

**Odd: **I just can't believe it.

_Aelita closes her eyes. _

**Aelita: **I can't either.

**Odd: **When I heard the news, I immediately went to look for some flowers. I knew you would need something to make you feel better, and I also needed to get my mind off of it.

_Aelita holds onto Odd's arm, something he didn't expect. _

**Aelita: **Why didn't he listen to us?

**Odd: **It's not the first time he's done that.

_More tears fall down her face. _

**Aelita: **No….But it was his last.

_Odd immediately wishes he hadn't said that. _

**Aelita: **Moriarty finally carried out his threats. He's killed three people now.

**Odd: **At least Ulrich went down fighting.

**Aelita: **Is that supposed to make me feel better?

**Odd: **Other than the fact that's the way he would have preferred to go down, no.

_The two are quiet for a moment. _

**Odd: **Now it's only three warriors. That's not enough.

**Aelita: **We still have you though.

_Odd shakes his head and almost laughs. _

**Odd: **I'm not the brave Lyoko warrior I once was.

**Aelita: ** No, you're braver.

_She runs her hand through his hair. Odd relaxes to her touch. _

**Aelita: **Not many people can go through what you went through and be able to stand it. I know it's done incredible damage to you, but you have endured. Despite Moriarty's best efforts, you have refused to be broken completely. He may have overwhelmed your mind and body, but he has not broken your spirit.

_Odd beams. _

**Odd: **Well, it's been a long time since I was complimented by a pretty girl.

_Aelita gives Odd an inquisitive look when she hears this. Odd blushes again and starts to stammer. _

**Odd: **I….uh….well I can't deny that…..you are.

_Now she blushes. They are once again very close. _

**Aelita: **Thank you. You're not so bad yourself.

**Odd: **Really?

**Aelita: **Sure, why not?

**Odd: **Ninety-nine percent of girls at Kadic would have to disagree with you.

**Aelita: **That's because they don't know you like I do.

_She holds his hand. _

**Aelita: **You're funny, handsome, and sweet. You know how to treat a girl, and be there for her when she's down. You're strong and heroic, always ready to stand up against evil.

**Odd: **You must have me confused with some other Odd.

**Aelita: **No. You are one and the same. _She gives him a slightly flirtatious smile. _You just need to find him again.

_The ceiling groans for a moment. Odd becomes hypersensitive, expecting to be attacked. _

**Aelita: **Odd…..remember….calm.

_Odd shakes for a moment. _

**Aelita: **It's just a memory. It can't hurt you.

_Odd holds his temples and breathes deeply. The flashback seems to pass. _

**Aelita: **Better?

**Odd: **Yes…I...

_He suddenly freezes. _

**Aelita: **Odd?

_He leans his head to the side, as if trying to listen. _

**Aelita: **Odd, what is it?

_His eyes widen. _

**Odd: **Check the sectors.

**Aelita: **Why?

**Odd: **Just trust me.

_Aelita goes to the computer. Odd follows close behind, ready to monitor her work. _

**Aelita: **What exactly am I checking for?

_Odd is focused on the screen. _

**Aelita: **Odd?

**Odd: **Did the logs ever show Ulrich being eternally virtualized?

**Aelita: **…..What…..what are you trying to say? His Nav Skid was destroyed. There's no possible way…

**Odd: **Have you checked the logs?

**Aelita: **Well, no…but.

_Odd stares at her intently. Aelita becomes confused, starting to doubt herself. She looks to Odd, who nods. _

**Aelita: **I suppose one last check couldn't hurt.

_Back on the factory balcony, Yumi looks out at the city skyline. The radiant sunshine warms her body but fails to penetrate her icy misery. She holds a white flower in her hand while sitting on the balcony edge. She begins talking to the air. _

**Yumi: **You refused to do it.

_She looks at the flower. _

**Yumi: **Moriarty made you make an impossible decision.

_She plucks a petal off. _

**Yumi: **You had an impossible decision to make…And you chose me.

_Tears come down in streams. _

**Yumi: **I was possessed and you refused to hurt me…..You couldn't do it.

_Another petal comes off. _

**Yumi: **You said I was your weakness. You begged me to fight back, because you couldn't bring yourself to do it.

_There is a long pause. She bites her lip, feeling a tidal wave of emotion ready to overwhelm her. She tries to resist, but it subdues her. She weeps loudly, tears coming out profusely. _

**Yumi: **And you said it! You really said it!

_She holds the flower tightly in her hand. _

**Yumi: **You told me you loved me….

_Silence. _

**Yumi: **I wasn't sure at first. But…..I know now. I know for sure…I love you too.

_She looks down at the river. _

**Yumi: **I know for sure now…But it's too late.

_She plucks off all the petals. _

**Yumi: **I'll never be able to tell you the truth…That I feel the same.

_She lets go of the flower and watches it fall into the Seine. A cloud passes over the sun, shrouding Yumi and the factory in a cold shadow. Yumi adjusts herself and lies on her back on the balcony edge, crossing her arms tightly as she tries to hold herself together. Bits of sunshine peak through the dark cloud. The combination of light and shadow in the cloud create an image hauntingly similar to Ulrich's face. Yumi turns away and cries some more. Several minutes later, Yumi's phone buzzes. She ignores it for a long time, but it persists. Finally she answers. _

**Yumi: **…Hello?

_As soon as the person on the other line begins to speak, she bolts upright so fast she nearly falls off the edge. _

**Yumi: **WHAT?

_A minute later, Yumi runs out of the elevator into the lab room. She immediately becomes glued to the computer screen, almost oblivious to Odd and Aelita's presence. _

**Yumi: **Please….please tell me I'm not dreaming.

_Aelita vigorously types on the computer. _

**Aelita: **You aren't. We found him.

_Yumi's emotions flip completely upside down. Brightness returns to her eyes. _

**Yumi: **He…he's alive?

**Aelita: **Yes! He's in the Desert Sector.

**Yumi: **Is he okay?

_Odd and Aelita look at each other. There is an awkward pause. _

**Yumi: **Well, is he or not?

_Odd looks uncomfortable. _

**Odd: **Define 'okay'.

_High up on the sandy plateaus of the Desert Sector, a small army of monsters approaches the tower Jeremie had possessed a few hours ago. At the front of the line, Ulrich rides on top of a scorpion. His old Lyoko uniform is gone. In its place is a royal purple metallic suit with a black Moriarty eye on his chest. His headband is blood red, with a skull logo in the center. He draws his two sabers and points at several mastodons nearby. _

**Ulrich: **ATTACK!

_The tower is lit aflame. Back on Earth, Yumi stares in disbelief. _

**Yumi: **…That's not okay.

_Jeremie and William rush out of the elevator. Both are breathing heavily, obviously having just run from the school. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich's still alive, but he's possessed! And he's attacking my tower!

**Odd: **Way ahead of you Einstein. You can save your breath.

**William: **This doesn't make sense. We saw that Nav Skid get destroyed. No one could possibly have survived that.

**Aelita: **Unless Moriarty captured his virtual form right before he experienced eternal virtualization.

**William: **You're telling me Moriarty SAVED him?

**Aelita: **In a manner of speaking, yes.

**Jeremie: **How do you figure all of this out?

**Aelita: **I didn't. He did.

_Everyone looks at Odd. _

**Jeremie: **Odd?

**Odd: **…Um…when I was having one of my flashbacks, I…I could feel Moriarty's presence. That's pretty normal for me. But I could also tell that he wasn't alone. It was clear to me that something….or someone had come under his power. And then I knew. Ulrich couldn't be dead.

**Jeremie: **Incredible. Your psychological connection works even when you're not asleep. Did you learn anything else?

**Yumi: **Hey, can we get back to the fact that Ulrich is possessed by Moriarty and needs our help? I don't really want Ulrich to become the next Odd!

_Yumi turns to Odd. _

**Yumi: **No offense.

**Odd: **None taken.

**Jeremie: **Yumi's right. We need to move. The longer we wait, the more likely Ulrich could remain his permanent soldier. Head to the scanners.

_The trio of William, Aelita, and Yumi appear on a rise in the desert. Below them looms the tower, under siege from a large force of scorpions, mastodons, and cobras. They can see Ulrich leading them with hostile efficiency. The group huddles together. _

**Aelita: **Ideas?

**Yumi: **Yes. Free Ulrich.

**Aelita: **Less emotionally attached ideas?

**William: **They have an army down there and we have only three to fight them. We'll need to draw some of them off.

**Aelita: **How do we do that?

**William: **Someone needs to be bait.

_Aelita and Yumi immediately stare at William. William looks at them strangely. Then he understands. _

**William: **Me and my big mouth. Jeremie, Overdisc!

_William takes a running start onto a materializing Overdisc. He races down toward the unsuspecting army. He slashes off a mastodon's ears, devirtualizing the beast. An entire squad of cobras is decimated. William then swings around and cuts off the legs of Ulrich's scorpion, causing Ulrich to fall off. The possessed Lyoko warrior glares at William. William levitates higher. _

**William: **What's the matter? Afraid to hit a moving target?

_He takes off away from the tower. Ulrich motions to a few nearby monsters. _

**Ulrich: **Destroy him!

_Three scorpions and two cobras go after him. Ulrich then points his sabers toward the tower and unleashes a powerful purple blast that causes cracks to appear along the tower's outer frame. Now with a good part of Moriarty's army destroyed or occupied, Yumi and Aelita make their move. Yumi plows forward on the Overwing, while Aelita flies close behind her. Ulrich and the other monsters are unaware of their presence. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **Hold on. The rerouting procedure of Odd's liberation program to Ulrich's virtual signature is almost complete.

**Yumi: **Well hurry. I don't want to devirtualize him and lose our chance.

_On the computer screen back in the lab room, some important codes transfer from Odd's virtual card to Ulrich's. A litany of codes appears in a new window and begins to download. _

**Jeremie: **It won't be long now. Hopefully only a minute or so….

_Aelita rolls her eyes. _

**Aelita: **Hopefully?

**Jeremie: **Well, I don't want to promise anything.

**Yumi: **Just hurry!

_As they near the enemy, Yumi uses her telekinesis to pick up a rock. She tosses it onto a mastodon right next to Ulrich. When the monster is destroyed, Ulrich turns and faces his opponents with his sabers in an attack stance. He charges into super sprint, heading straight for Yumi. He slices the underside of the Overwing, sending her tumbling to the ground when it devirtualizes. Ulrich approaches her as she struggles to get up. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich….

_Ulrich is prevented from finishing her when Aelita sends a torrent of energy fields in his direction. He crosses his sabers and absorbs the blows. The energy in his sabers builds and he redirects the attack back at her in two powerful beams. Aelita dodges the first, but the second one grazes her, causing her to fall. But Aelita extends her hand and encases Ulrich's legs in stone. While Ulrich angrily chops at his restraints, Yumi rushes to her side. _

**Yumi: **Are you okay?

**Aelita: **I'll be fine.

**Jeremie: **Guys, I know this wasn't the original point of the mission, but my tower is about to be destroyed, and I would rather that not happen.

_Ulrich breaks free and stalks toward them. _

**Yumi: **William is either busy or devirtualized at this point.

**Aelita: **Which means one of us has to defend the tower. And one of us has to stay with Ulrich.

**Yumi: **I'll stay.

_Ulrich triplicates and prepares to charge._

**Aelita: **Are you sure you can handle him?

**Yumi: **In a relationship? Most of the time. The battlefield? Not so sure.

**Aelita: **Well good luck with the latter.

_She flies off towards the tower, showering the surrounding monsters with energy fields. The three Ulrichs super sprint around Yumi in a circle. She holds her fans at the ready. When the first Ulrich attacks, Yumi knocks the edge of the blade away from her and kicks him in the chest. She cartwheels and flips around the other two as the fight begins. Meanwhile William has brought the chasing monsters to a cliff overlooking the digital sea. A cobra devirtualizes his Overdisc and he falls to the ground. He then quickly dissolves into smoke and disappears over the edge. The confused monsters look below, trying to see if he fell into the sea. But William reforms behind them. He drives his sword into the ground at an angle, causing a large crack to form between him and the monsters. The monsters turn. William smiles. _

**William: **Oops.

_William grabs onto the handle and uses the sword like a crowbar, using all his might to force the small piece of land to tip the monsters over the edge. As the incline increases, the monsters try to scamper to safety. But William increases the pressure, and as the gap widens, all of them fall into the digital sea. A nearly exhausted William triumphantly yanks his sword out of the ground and slowly runs back to the tower. Farther off, Yumi is taken down by the three Ulrichs. They cut her fans out of her hands. Two of them grab her arms and force her to her knees. The third raises his sword, ready to take her out. Yumi sends out a telekinetic shockwave that knocks the third Ulrich ten feet backward. When the other two Ulrichs are distracted, she reaches for one of their sabers and cuts both of them down before they can react. Ulrich rises, clearly more furious than ever. _

**Ulrich: **You cannot win!

**Yumi: **There is no alternative…

**Ulrich: **Your continuing resistance does nothing but humor my master.

**Yumi: **He is not your master!

**Ulrich: **Oh but he is. And I do not intend to leave him.

**Yumi: **Ulrich, Moriarty has taken a lot from me. My peace of mind. My dignity. My self esteem. But this is where I draw the line. I swear….by all that I am….HE WILL NOT TAKE AWAY YOU!

_She runs at him and clashes her fans against his sabers. The two fight a kind of dance, attacking each other with aggressive but graceful moments. Ulrich attacks erratically, but Yumi retains her cool, calmly waiting for a chance to strike. Unfortunately Ulrich gets lucky and cuts her abdomen. Yumi grabs her stomach and falls. Ulrich prepares to drive both swords into her body. _

**Yumi: **I should have told you sooner.

_Before Ulrich can finish the job, he sees that William and Aelita are destroying his force. William cuts apart a mastodon while Aelita entertains some cobras. The outer frame of the tower is starting to heal as a result of this strong defense. Ulrich grunts and runs toward the greater threat. Yumi forces herself up. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi, I finally got the program successfully transferred.

_Her fans turn green. _

**Yumi: **That was not a minute.

**Jeremie: **Like I said, no promises.

_She makes her way to the tower. At the same time, Aelita swings around the top of the tower, watching William kill the last scorpion. _

**Aelita: **Well, that's the last of-

_Two airborne sabers penetrate her back and devirtualize her. The sabers return to Ulrich's hands. William turns and engages him. His strikes are powerful, but Ulrich is incredibly quick. William's recent fights have clearly fatigued him, as his motions become slower and slower. When William is significantly worn down, Ulrich disarms him with several cuts to the wrist. As William goes to his knees, Ulrich brings down his sabers to cut his head off. But William once again evaporates into smoke and slips away. Ulrich growls. _

**Ulrich: **Come back and fight you coward!

_William spins around the tower and drives straight for Ulrich, forming into a wrecking ball. Ulrich fires a purple blast of energy that electrocutes William and returns him to his human form. While lying on the ground, William reaches for his sword and deflects Ulrich's sabers just before they slice his throat. Ulrich stands over his victim, pushing the blades closer and closer. William begins to weaken. _

**Ulrich: **I will cut you to pieces!

**William: **Not….going….to happen.

**Ulrich: **Moriarty will triumph!

**William: **No he won't. And you are coming with us!

_Right before William is destroyed, he manages to kick Ulrich's legs out from under him. William then turns the tables and prepares to bring the full force of his massive sword onto Ulrich. _

**Jeremie: **WILLIAM NO! WE'LL LOSE OUR CHANCE IF YOU DEVIRTUALIZE HIM!

_This interruption makes William lose focus. Ulrich grins and flings his saber into William's heart. After he devirtualizes, Ulrich rises. His sabers aim toward the tower and power up. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi, stop him! The tower's defenseless!

_Yumi appears onto the scene. She glows with unbridled intensity. _

**Yumi: **ULRICH!

_He turns to her with lowered eyebrows. _

**Yumi: **ENOUGH!

_Ulrich's eyes widen when he notices her green fans. He super sprints toward her, blades in stabbing position. Yumi reacts quickly and cartwheels over him. Ulrich stops himself and spins back around. Yumi unleashes both of her fans, but Ulrich knocks both of them away. Yumi then bends down and trips him as he runs past, sending him sprawling against the edge of the tower. He reaches for his sabers, but Yumi drags them toward her with her mind. _

**Yumi: **Sorry, but you won't be using those.

_Ulrich comes at her unarmed. Yumi extends her fans and begins to duel Ulrich at close range, swinging her fans with expert grace. One strike nearly hits Ulrich, but he ducks and knocks the fan out of her hand. She arcs her second fan to hit him directly on top of the head, but Ulrich grabs her wrist and holds her back. With a wicked smirk on his face, Ulrich kicks Yumi in the stomach. As she once again falls to the ground, her fan falls out of reach. Ulrich plants his foot on her chest and retrieves his sabers. Yumi is helpless. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich…..please no.

**Ulrich: **All who resist Moriarty shall perish.

**Yumi: **Don't talk like that. You're a Lyoko warrior!

_He sharpens his blades, preparing to finish her. _

**Yumi: **Stop obeying Moriarty! He's your enemy!

_He puts a saber against her throat. _

**Yumi: **Resist him! Resist him like you told me to!

_A dark shade of anger presides over Ulrich's cruel face. _

**Yumi: **You're better than this!

**Ulrich: **SILENCE!

_He takes his free hand punches her. Yumi grabs the left side of her face and moans. After he commits the act, Ulrich's body relaxes. His face becomes blank for a moment. He shakes his head and quickly resumes his hateful look. But Yumi notices the temporary change. Ulrich raises his saber for a final blow. _

**Yumi: **You're not just a Lyoko warrior. You're more to me than that.

_Ulrich brings his saber down, but Yumi rolls over just enough for it to narrowly miss her side. Ulrich replants his foot onto her chest and fumes. _

**Ulrich: **Hold still and die!

**Yumi: **Moriarty can't take you away from me.

_Ulrich gets ready to eliminate her again. _

**Yumi: **He's already made me suffer so much…..

_When the blade comes down again, Yumi tries to create a telekinetic wall around her chest. Ulrich struggles to break through the invisible wall. Fully enraged, he stomps on her stomach and makes her double over in pain. But Yumi keeps on talking. _

**Yumi: **But I wouldn't be able to take it. I can't.

_Ulrich puts his foot on her throat and prepares to finally end it. _

**Yumi: **I need you….

_The blade swings down but freezes midway through. But this time it isn't Yumi stopping him. Ulrich's hands refuse to go any further. His face contorts as a battle begins to rage within. His body shakes. Yumi keeps it up. _

**Yumi: **Please. I don't want to fight you. I want you back home, where you belong.

_As Ulrich struggles, Yumi notices her fan in the distance. She secretly wills it to come toward her. The fan begins to rattle. She laughs with a deep tinge of desperation in her voice. _

**Yumi: **Funny how it always takes life and death situations for us to admit our feelings….

_Ulrich seems to become exasperated with his personal confusion and struggle. _

**Yumi: **Fortunately that seems to happen a lot.

_The resistance in Ulrich's body moves up his arms and goes to his head. He looks at Yumi helplessly. Words struggle to come out of his mouth. _

**Ulrich: **…..He….Help….mmm…me.

_Yumi closes her eyes as she feels the fan approach. _

**Yumi: **I will.

_The fan comes into her hand and she unexpectedly leaps forward. Ulrich instinctively stabs her, but not before her fan digs into his stomach. Ulrich watches with a combination of horror and wonder as his body lights up with green energy. A devirtualizing Yumi gives him a tender smile. _

**Yumi: **See you on the other side.

_Both disappear in a flurry of green light. Back in the scanner room, William, Odd, and Aelita anxiously wait. Odd affectionately rests his hand on Aelita's shoulder. Yumi stumbles out of a scanner first and forces her way to Ulrich's scanner. When it opens, a very weak Ulrich braces himself against the inner walls. _

**Ulrich: **Uh…did somebody just put me into a blender?

_Yumi comes into the scanner and tackle hugs him. Ulrich is caught off guard. _

**Yumi: **Thank God you're alive!

**Ulrich: **Uh….you sure about that?

**Yumi: **I love you.

**Ulrich: **Oh….that's nice...Wait….What? You do?

_Yumi kisses him. They remained glued together for a long time. _

**Yumi: **Yes. I think so.

_William and Aelita seem pleased. But Odd balks at this dramatic display. _

**Odd: **Ugh!...Get a room!

_Yumi gives Odd a sly look and then slams her boot against the inner wall of the scanner. The scanner doors shut on them, locking them together in a very narrow space. _

**Odd: **THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!

**Yumi: **Sorry, can't hear you.

**Aelita: **That's…just…..not right.

_William shrugs. _

**William: **Don't worry. They won't do anything too immoral.

**Aelita: **How do you know?

**William: **Because Yumi refused my many attempts to do something immoral with her in the past.

_Odd looks up and starts to speak to Jeremie through the intercom. _

**Odd: **Hey Jeremie, do you think you could maybe virtualize them together and see what-?

**Jeremie: **Absolutely not.

_The next day Delmas addresses the Board of Trustees for Kadic Academy in a very ornate room above the faculty offices. These dozen or so rich old men are getting increasingly bored by Delmas' talk. _

**Delmas: **…..And if we cut spending in this department, we should have more than enough money to have extra scholarships for underprivileged but bright students. Any questions?

_One bald man in the back raises his hand. _

**Delmas: **Yes Mr. Lambert?

**Lambert: **Will these new scholarships be targeted for potential athletes?

**Delmas: **Well, we don't want that to be the main focus.

_Another lean man with a white beard begins to speak. _

**Girard: **I think we should take that seriously. Lincoln has been getting a lot of good soccer players with their need-based scholarships.

_Delmas waves his hand. _

**Delmas: **I think it would be best to pay more attention to students who could really improve their lives by going to school here.

_A well-dressed gentleman with a rather large belly speaks up. _

**Bessette: **Don't get me wrong, that is all very important. But athletics have really suffered lately, Jean-Pierre.

**Delmas: **I agree but-

**Roux: **Perhaps a change in coaching could help. Jim Morales hasn't always been very reliable.

**Delmas: **Uh….true, but Jim is committed to this school and I'm sure he will have some success soon enough.

**Girard: **Exactly how long are we willing to wait?

**Delmas: **Um…..well that concludes our budget meeting for today. However, one of my recent faculty additions would like to make an announcement.

_Delmas opens the door and Moriarty walks in. He regards the board members with a rather overly flattering show of respect. There is a box in his hands. _

**Moriarty: **Good afternoon gentlemen. How are you this fine day?

_Some bored grunts and replies echo in the room. Delmas steps toward the exit. _

**Delmas: **May I present Dr. Sébastien Renard, our new history teacher here at Kadic.

_Some half-hearted applause. _

**Delmas: **I understand he is proposing some charity suggestions for a very just cause.

**Moriarty: **That is correct.

**Delmas: **I hope that you enjoy his brief proposal. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm afraid I'm way behind on some important work.

_Delmas leaves. Moriarty comes to the front and lays his box at the end of the table. The trustees pretend to give him their attention. _

**Moriarty: **Hello. As Mr. Delmas has just told you, I am Dr. Renard. And I have something I want you to consider.

_He points to the window, overlooking a soccer practice in progress. _

**Moriarty: **Look at those children. Safe. Secure. The whole world ahead of them. They don't really know how lucky they are.

_He turns to them, a clear look of deep despair on his face. _

**Moriarty: **Yet half the world away, many children their age to this day are being captured and forced to become soldiers.

_The board members grumble in agreement. _

**Moriarty: **I am sure you are aware of what I am speaking. The ongoing conflict in Uganda has made thousands of children endure the horrors of war. The Lord's Resistance Army continues to subject these children in despicable ways. And there seems to be no end to their crimes

_He raises his right index finger._

**Moriarty: **But there is hope. Men like you, who are blessed with so much, can do a lot to end this crisis. With your generous support, Kadic can make a difference. If we donate money through fundraisers and other means to help end it, Kadic's personal reputation will improve dramatically, allowing us to both do good and reap a significant reward.

_The trustees nod. They are now paying attention. _

**Moriarty: **And to show your solidarity, I have these metal braceletsthat you can wear. I hope you enjoy them.

_Several silver bracelets inscribed with the words 'No Child Soldiers' are passed around. The trustees give them strange looks. _

**Moriarty: **Oh come on. They are all the rage amongst young people nowadays. Wearing them could make you look good.

_The trustees mumble and put the bracelets on. Immediately their bodies become still. Their bracelets shine and the Moriarty eye emerges in their pupils. Moriarty displays his familiar wicked smile and taps his fingers together. _

**Moriarty: **Now, you will do exactly what I say….

**Part 22 **


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 22 **

_A guard walks down the dark hallway of La Sant__é__ Prison, an infamous penitentiary in downtown Paris. As he makes his rounds, he lightly taps the metal doors holding the sleeping prisoners inside. The only light in the prison comes from the glowing red electric locks, casting an eerie inferno atmosphere to the place. As he comes to the end of the row, he notices some blue light coming from one of the cells. He peers in to see a prisoner looking at a cellphone. The guard quickly bangs on the door with his baton. _

**Guard: **Hey!

_The prisoner looks up. _

**Guard: **How did you get a cellphone in here?

_The prisoner doesn't answer. He gives him a cold look. _

**Guard: **Alright….hand it over.

_The prisoner hesitates, but eventually gets up and slides the phone through a slot in the door used to give food to high-level criminals. The guard quickly snatches it away. _

**Guard: **We'll deal with you in the morning.

_The prisoner gives him the finger as he walks away. The guard's radio goes off. _

**Camera Monitor: **Chris, you finished with your rounds?

_The guard picks it up. _

**Guard: **Yes I just finished.

**Camera Monitor: **Any problems?

**Guard: **I caught Laroche with a cellphone, but other than that, everything's fine.

_A fat man in a police uniform leisurely watches the different screens of the prison from the comfort of his well-lit camera room. He reaches for the radio again. _

**Camera Monitor: **Ok, come on back. You're done for the night.

_The guard heads back to the other end of the hallway. But as he inserts his key into the cell block door, he hears a ping noise. He turns to find one of the electric locks has turned green. It's unlocked. He somewhat casually saunters over to the cell. The prisoner is sleeping inside, unaware that he is no longer locked inside. The guard picks up his radio again. _

**Guard: **Louis?

_Camera Monitor chows down on a sandwich _

**Camera Monitor: **Yeah?

**Guard: **Any particular reason Cell D-13 is now open?

_Camera Monitor stops chewing. He talks back with a mouthful of food. _

**Camera Monitor: **Um…..it shouldn't be….

_He goes over to one of the computers. A screen shows him all of the cells in a virtual map showing the layout of the prison. All of the cells are highlighted red except D-13. _

**Camera Monitor: **Huh…This is weird. Hold on, I'll see if I can lock it back.

**Guard: **Ok, I won't move until you do.

_Another cell turns green. This time, the prisoner inside realizes it and quickly walks out. The guard points his baton. _

**Guard: **Hey! Get back in there!

_The prisoner looks back at him and gives him a smug grin. _

**Guard: **Get back in your cell! I won't ask you again!

**Prisoner: **Then why did you let me out?

_The guard gets on his radio, eyes still on the escaped prisoner. _

**Guard: **Louis, what's going on?

_The fat police officer has gotten visibly nervous. Beads of sweat come down his face. _

**Camera Monitor: **I don't know! The systems are all out of whack! They're not responding!

_The cameras' view of the prison on the monitor switches to images of the Moriarty eye. The computers freeze. The officer turns white. _

**Camera Monitor: **We're….we're being hacked or something! I can't control it at all!

**Guard: **WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T CONTROL IT?

_In sudden hideous unison, all of the red electric locks turn green. The single guard watches in terror as the green light pours into the chamber, unleashing the very gates of hell. The prisoners all come out, viewing the unexpected situation with unsupressed glee. _

**Camera Monitor: **Chris, what's happening?

_The guard backs up slowly as the prisoners steadily approach. _

**Guard: **All units…this is Officer Blanc. Complete jailbreak in D-Block. I repeat, COMPLETE JAILBREAK! GET OVER HERE NOW! I NEED BACKUP!

_As the prisoners attack the poor guard, an alarm goes off. Frantic officers rush to the scene, trying to contain it as best as they can. But soon all of the wings of the prison are released. A jumbled mix of prisoners and guards unleash chaos in La Sant__é__. From his main office overlooking the prison, the Warden calls Police Headquarters. _

**Warden: **CHIEF BENOIT, GET YOUR (EXPLETIVE) MEN OVER HERE RIGHT NOW! WE HAVE A FULL-SCALE RIOT ON OUR HANDS! IF YOU DON'T GET THEM HERE QUICKLY SOME OF THEM ARE BOUND TO ESCAPE INTO THE CITY!

_The next morning, Ulrich enjoys his Sunday at Yumi's house. He sits leisurely on the couch while Yumi walks into the kitchen to talk to her parents. Yumi stands next to the doorway of the kitchen as she begins to make an announcement. _

**Yumi: **Mom. Dad. There is something important I need to tell you….

_Grandpa walks by the kitchen at this exact moment. _

**Grandpa: **Oh I knew it! You're pregnant!

_Ulrich is heard spitting his drink out in the living room. Yumi's parents roll their eyes and a thoroughly red Yumi slams the door in Grandpa's face. _

**Grandpa: **I'm guessing that's a no….Good. I guess I won't have to kill Ulrich after all.

_Ulrich is heard spitting out his drink again. Yumi takes a moment to regain herself. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Well…..

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **We're listening….

**Yumi: **As you know…..my birthday is in two days….

**Mr. Ishiyama: **We are aware.

**Yumi: **And I haven't asked for much….

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Yes…

**Yumi: **So for my birthday, I mean…..in case you haven't gotten it for me already….

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Yes, get on with it.

**Yumi: **All I really want is a moped.

_Brief silence. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **No.

**Yumi: **But Dad!

**Mr. Ishiyama: **It would be mean for me to get your hopes up, so I'm just going to say it. No.

**Yumi: **But it's the only thing I want!

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **But Yumi, they are still very expensive. That is not exactly an easy gift.

**Yumi: **But I'm turning sixteen! I can drive a moped!

**Mr. Ishiyama: **It may be okay with the law but it is not okay with my wallet.

**Yumi: **Dad….please. I'm tired of walking to school.

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Did your legs stop working?

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Takeo…

**Yumi: **But other students my age are doing it. Why can't I? And it's not like I'm letting Hiroki walk by himself this time. Johnny's mom has been carpooling Hiroki ever since Johnny decided to become a day student.

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **And you could ride with them if you don't want to walk…

**Yumi: **Are you kidding me? I could never do that….

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Well, you have another option.

**Yumi: **Why don't you just let me live a little?

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Yumi, we don't object to the idea of you having a moped. But it has been a difficult year financially, and I simply can't afford it. I'm sorry.

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **You'll have to ask for something else.

_Ulrich listens to the conversation as Yumi continues to protest. His phone rings. He absentmindedly answers it. _

**Ulrich: **Hello?

_Ulrich cringes as shouting begins on the other line. _

**Mr. Stern: **ULRICH! DO YOU CARE TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU HAVE SPENT MONEY LIKE A DRUNKEN SAILOR?

**Ulrich: **…..Maybe after my ears stop ringing….

**Mr. Stern: **YOUR EXPENSES HAVE GONE THROUGH THE ROOF! I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH MONEY YOU SPENT THIS WEEK ALONE!

**Ulrich: **Oh come on! It hasn't been that much…

**Mr. Stern: **Six hundred euros? I think not!

**Ulrich: **Hey, I was just using the money you gave me!

**Mr. Stern: **I gave it to you for emergencies! And there hasn't been any! Instead you've wasted it on food and…CAMPING EQUIPMENT! Would you mind explaining?

**Ulrich: **Yes I would mind….

**Mr. Stern: **Are you planning to run off with that Yumi girl or something?

**Ulrich: **No!

**Mr. Stern: **Then why all these strange purchases?

**Ulrich: **It's none of your business.

**Mr. Stern: **WRONG! My money equals my business!

**Ulrich: **I needed it alright! That's all.

**Mr. Stern: **You're going to have to give me more than that. I want to know why you've suddenly spent an enormous amount of money!

**Ulrich: **It was for a friend, ok?

**Mr. Stern: **YOU'VE SPENT MORE THAN A THOUSAND EUROS FOR A FRIEND?

**Ulrich: **Well, when you put it that way….

**Mr. Stern: **UNBELIEVABLE! And just when I was getting the faintest hope that my son had a brain in his skull!

**Ulrich: **And just when I thought you might actually have a soul…

**Mr. Stern: **These reckless expenses have to stop!

_Ulrich's face hardens. _

**Ulrich: **I can't do that…

**Mr. Stern: **WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'YOU CAN'T'? I AM YOUR FATHER AND YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME!

**Ulrich: **I'd prefer to listen to my conscience.

_Silence on the other line. _

**Mr. Stern: **Ok….fine. If your conscience tells you to waste my money, go ahead. But guess who is spending his long weekend break with his math tutor?

_Ulrich suddenly becomes tense. His hands choke the cushions of the couch. _

**Ulrich: **WHAT? But I was going to spend the weekend with Yumi seeing the city!

**Mr. Stern: **Too bad. You should have thought of that before you decided to mess with me.

_Ulrich squeezes the cushion so tightly, his hands become white. _

**Ulrich: **You…..

**Mr. Stern: **And your credit card is cancelled. You can forget about getting your hands on my money again.

_Ulrich is fuming. _

**Mr. Stern: **…I'm glad we had this talk. Have a good day son.

_He hangs up. Ulrich swears loudly and then covers his mouth, remembering that he's in Yumi's house. _

**Grandpa: **What? Who said we're having roast duck tonight?

_A very angry Ulrich turns on the TV. News of the police riot fills the screen. _

**Diane: **Despite the police's best efforts, at least 10% of the prison population has escaped into the Parisian community. Citizens in the 14th arrondissement are recommended to stay indoors whenever possible. Manhunts are taking place throughout the city, as the police have doubled their efforts to prevent these escaped convicts from getting out of reach. Meanwhile, questions remain as to how the prisoners were released simultaneously…

**Ulrich: **Oh no…

_Yumi walks in. _

**Yumi: **Great. Now because of the breakout my parents insist on walking me to school! Could this get any worse?

**Ulrich: **It could…..Moriarty might have been behind it.

_She takes a brief look at the TV. _

**Yumi: **I wouldn't be surprised.

**Ulrich: **And my dad has cut me off.

_Yumi gives him a surprised look. _

**Yumi: **He has?

**Ulrich: **Yes. He noticed all the money I've been spending. Paying to keep Odd in the factory just got really complicated.

**Yumi: **Oh you got to be kidding me…

**Ulrich: **I wish I was.

**Yumi: **What are we going to do?

_Ulrich thinks for a moment. _

**Ulrich: **I'm not sure. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that there is more than one way to drink from our money fountain.

_She rolls her eyes_

**Yumi: **Well forgive me for doubting you, noble heir.

**Ulrich: **Ha ha. And forgive me for being one.

**Yumi: **I guess it's not too bad then.

**Ulrich: **Oh yeah, I almost forgot. My dad has trapped me with my math tutor next weekend.

_Yumi spins around. _

**Yumi: **What? But we-

**Ulrich: **I know. And he doesn't care.

**Yumi: **…..I'm going to murder him.

**Ulrich: **Not if I get to him first.

_Yumi sighs. _

**Yumi: **When do you have to go back to Kadic?

**Ulrich: **Well we don't have school today. I could stay the entire day unless you want to kick me out.

_She rests her head on his shoulder. _

**Yumi: **No. I don't feel like doing that today. _She turns to him. _But be careful walking home. God knows who's on the streets now.

**Ulrich: **Oh don't worry about me. The police are circling Boulogne-Billancourt like a swarm of bees. Nothing's going to happen over here. At least not during the day.

_She is quiet for a moment. _

**Yumi: **Well looks like the moped is not going to happen…

**Ulrich: **I know. I'm sorry, but what can you do?

**Yumi: **Absolutely nothing. So much for my birthday.

**Ulrich: **Hey, don't worry. I'll make it special somehow.

**Yumi: **You're not going to forget this time, are you?

**Ulrich: **Okay, so I forgot one time….

**Yumi: **Last year to be exact…

**Ulrich: **It's not going to happen again.

**Yumi: **Oh it better not….

_Ulrich gives her a more than slightly nervous smile. Yumi rolls her eyes again. _

**Yumi: **Well I'm going upstairs to study. Coming with?

**Ulrich: **Yeah just give me a minute.

_She walks out. Ulrich snaps his fingers. _

**Ulrich: **Oh right….I still need to get her a gift…And plot my revenge against Dad.

_Ulrich scratches his head. Suddenly an idea crosses his mind. He smiles. _

**Ulrich: **Who says I can't do both at the same time?

_He gets out his cellphone and scrolls down his contact list. He puts the phone to his ear. _

**Ulrich: **Mom?...It's me. Listen, I need a favor.

_That night, Odd descends into another dream. He is back in the front seat of the Audi A6, the fateful night he decided to outrun the cops. He snuggles up close to Sam, who also returns the favor. He breathes in the night air, finally relaxed after such a long time. _

**Odd: **You know I didn't mean any of those things…

**Sam: **I know. You were just scared.

**Odd: **Scared doesn't even begin to describe it.

**Sam: **I should have told you. But I mean, I doubt you would have understood.

**Odd: **Probably not….._He turns to her. _But why did you steal it?

_She turns and shrugs. _

**Sam: **Maybe I just wanted us to have our alone time…..in something more romantic than the back of the subway.

_Odd's heart is racing. His hormones have started to take over his head. _

**Odd: **I don't even care. I don't care that you did this to me. All I know is…..I want you now…

_He approaches to kiss her, but suddenly a distinctly Moriarty laugh pierces her girlish voice. _

**Moriarty/Sam: **Oh how pathetic.

_Odd backs up against the driver's side door as fast as lightning. He tries to get out, but the handle becomes locked. _

**Moriarty/Sam: **After all the pain she has caused, you still come back for more.

_Her voice changes back to Sam's, but her facial expression still clearly belongs to Moriarty. _

**Sam/Moriarty: **You dirty…dirty little boy.

**Odd: **Stay away from me!

**Moriarty/Sam: **This is how it all began….isn't it?

_The haunting red and blue lights of police cars slice into the once comfortable interior of the car. Odd digs his fingernails into the door, trying to escape. _

**Moriarty/Sam: **If you had just avoided this night, things could have been so different.

_The sirens become absolutely deafening. Odd covers his ears. Somehow Moriarty's voice gets through. _

**Moriarty/Sam: **But no. You just had to have your little teenage tryst.

_Incomprehensible police shouting hammers the windows. Odd curls up in a ball, trying to block it all out. Moriarty's voice shifts back to Sam's. _

**Sam/Moriarty: **Tell me Odd. Was it worth it?

**Police Officer: **COME OUT OF THE CAR WITH YOUR HANDS UP!

_A panicked Odd looks to Sam. Sam outmatches the devil himself with a wicked smile. _

**Moriarty/Sam: **What are you waiting for? Drive! Drive to your doom!

_Odd wakes up screaming. Kiwi jumps up and barks wildly as a result of his master's outburst. Odd hugs his shoulders, still shaking from the experience. The ring of his phone startles him. He answers it. _

**Odd: **He….Hello?

**Aelita: **Odd?

**Odd: **Aelita? Shouldn't you be asleep?

**Aelita: **I can't sleep tonight.

**Odd: **…..I know the feeling.

**Aelita: **Odd…..are you ok? Your voice sounds shaky.

**Odd: **Oh, don't worry about me. I'm fine.

**Aelita: **….Odd.

**Odd: **Okay, I just had a very bad nightmare. And I guess I'm not completely myself.

**Aelita: **Do you want me to come over for a little bit?

**Odd: **Oh no, you don't have to do that.

**Aelita: **Too bad. My mind's made up. See you in a few minutes.

_Odd hangs up, obviously happy Aelita is coming over. He grabs a mirror and adjusts his hair and clothes. A few seconds later he stops and questions his motives for doing so. He puts the mirror down and leans against the factory wall. A few minutes later, Aelita walks in in her pink pajamas. There is a certain elegance about her, but she looks incredibly cold. She is visibly shivering. _

**Odd: **Aelita!

**Aelita: **I…..didn't realize it was…..so cold tonight.

**Odd: **You're freezing! Come over here.

_She walks over and rests on top of his sleeping bag. When she continues to shiver, Odd puts a blanket on her and brings her close to him in an embrace. She starts to warm up some. _

**Odd: **Better?

**Aelita: **Yes. Very much so.

_As Aelita snuggles up close to him, both realize at nearly the same time how accidentally intimate this situation is. Neither one does anything, but they are cognizant of how things could easily head in a different direction. They start to turn slightly red. _

**Aelita: **So, you said you had a bad dream?

**Odd: **…..What?...Oh yeah I….I did.

**Aelita: **What was it about?

**Odd: **…It was about…..Moriarty tormenting me with the memory of that night with Sam….when things went terribly wrong.

_He starts to sweat and freak out at the thought. But Aelita hugs him tighter and the feeling passes. But the closeness of her touch doesn't. _

**Aelita: **I'm so sorry. I wish I could make them go away.

**Odd: **You are already doing so much.

**Aelita: **But it must be awful dealing with this on a daily basis. _She leans close to him. _I don't know how you can stand it.

_Odd can see some of Aelita's firm and beautiful white thighs as she rests against him. A warm tingling moves up his spine. He swallows and looks away. _

**Odd: **It's not so bad…..actually. Not….not all the time.

**Aelita: **Really? When is it better?

**Odd: **Well, like right now…for instance.

_Odd's statement makes both of them turn deep red. The hormones begin to do their work in both of them. Odd's hand taps the ground near Aelita's side. Both can hear a tiny voice in their heads, warning them to stop, but it starts to get drowned out by their increasing heart rates._

**Odd: **Thank you for….coming.

**Aelita: **Odd?

**Odd: **Yes?

**Aelita: **You….you still don't like that Sam girl, do you?

_Odd, slowly suspecting the motives for Aelita's question, shakes his head. A feeling of incredible and almost intoxicated lightness consumes him. _

**Odd: **No. No of course not. She ruined my life. _He looks to her. _Why do you ask?

**Aelita: **Just…wondering.

_A minute or so of incredibly awkward silence passes. _

**Odd: **You're not worried Jim will catch you, are you?

**Aelita: **Don't be silly. He's fast asleep along with the rest of the school.

_Her fingers tap his hand. _

**Aelita: **I can sneak back in…..whenever I want.

_Their hands lock together almost by instinct. Aelita rolls to rest on her side, her chest close to Odd. Odd breathes deeply. The desire is becoming intolerable. The tiny voice in his head makes one last, valiant effort, but to no avail. Aelita also seems to show some hesitation, but she looks at Odd and the doubt begins to ebb. She lays a hand on his 'svelte' stomach. _

**Odd: **Aelita…..I…..

_She looks up. _

**Aelita: **Yes?

_Both gaze into each other's eyes. A single deep stare wipes all doubt from their minds. They both want….or more likely need each other. Odd's face illuminates the trauma, the guilt, and the hopeless despair driving him to find an outlet in her. Aelita's long weeks of loneliness as well as the deep scar of betrayal has led her to this moment of surrender. Without another word exchanged, the two kiss. Odd wraps his arm around her and pulls her close. She doesn't object. The two stay that way, not going any farther but reveling in passion nonetheless. They stay that way for a long time. _

_The next morning, Jeremie is awoken by a beeping at his computer. He groggily gets up, moving toward the computer like a zombie. He opens a flashing window to reveal the Moriarty eye looking at him. _

**Moriarty: **Well good morning sunshine.

_Jeremie swears. _

**Jeremie: **What do you want?

**Moriarty: **I was hoping you would give me some advice….

**Jeremie: **Advice? What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **Real estate.

_Jeremie raises a suspicious eyebrow. _

**Moriarty: **I need to decide where to put my winter palace once I take over. Which do you think is better? The Caribbean or the Mediterranean?

**Jeremie: **Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?

**Moriarty: **I'll show you the videos and see what you think.

_A video showing a relaxing view of some Caribbean beach pops up. But it is quickly replaced by a clip of Odd and Aelita from last night. Jeremie sits motionless, his mouth opening slightly as the horror unfolds before him. He holds his stomach, making a sharp groan as if he has been stabbed. His eyes furrow in agony. _

**Moriarty: **Oh how embarrassing! I must have gotten my files mixed up. I wasn't supposed to show you that one.

_Jeremie takes off his glasses and rests them on the desk. He mentally retreats, doing his best not to look at the scene. _

**Moriarty: **…..I know this must be hard for you. But then again, you should know the truth.

_Jeremie covers his face with his hands. A few tears come out from underneath his clammy palms. _

**Moriarty: **Don't look so down Jeremie. Look on the bright side. Odd is well on his way to recovery.

_Jeremie slouches onto his left bicep resting on the desk. His forearm wraps around the top of his head as Jeremie sinks into despair. _

**Moriarty: **Do you want me to speed this up? This goes on for a while.

**Jeremie: **Enough!...Can't you see I get it?

_The door opens. Ulrich enters in his pajamas. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, you're going to be late. What's keeping y-?...WHOA!

_Jeremie hides his face in folded arms on his desk. Ulrich steadily approaches, unable to believe what he is watching. _

**Ulrich: **No…they would never do that.

**Jeremie: **…Apparently…they have.

**Ulrich: **My God…..What have they done?

**Moriarty: **I know you're dim Ulrich, but I think the video explained that very clearly.

_Ulrich growls. _

**Ulrich: **And just when I thought you couldn't possibly get more sick….

**Moriarty: **I do my best. Well, I'd stay around to rub it in, but I have class soon. Duty calls I'm afraid.

_The window closes. Jeremie rises and mechanically gets a towel and some clean clothes ready to take a shower. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie….

_He doesn't listen. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie talk to me.

_He turns. His eyes are dark red, emanating his painful reaction to a reality his scientific mind cannot deny. _

**Jeremie: **There's nothing to talk about.

**Ulrich: **Just listen for a second.

**Jeremie: **Why should I?

**Ulrich: **Don't forget I've felt your pain…..I've been in the same shoes.

_Jeremie opens his door. _

**Jeremie: **There's just one critical difference.

**Ulrich: **What?

**Jeremie: **Aelita wasn't possessed….. _He starts to walk out but then stops. _Tell the group to come to the factory after dinner. My spectral immunization program has been completed.

_The door shuts on Ulrich with a creaky and slow moan. Ulrich looks back to the video screen. He shakes his head. _

**Ulrich: **Hormones and Moriarty abuse. Never a good combination.

_That evening Ulrich, Yumi, and William enter the scanners. Jeremie starts up the program. A digital image of their bodies appears, slowly loading with his immunization program. The scanners hum and shake with an electric roar. At last the doors open. They exit disoriented and confused. _

**Jeremie: **Now at first you might feel some slight abnormalities.

_Yumi groans. _

**Yumi: **Is nausea one of them?

**William: **Yumi why do you look orange?...Why does everything look orange?

**Jeremie: **…Granted, exposing virtual inhibitors to the human body is a mostly theoretical concept, but there should be no lasting negative side effects.

_Ulrich tries to walk out of the scanner but then falls down. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **Yes?

**Ulrich: **Can you explain why I _theoretically _can't feel my left leg?

**Jeremie: **Like I said, it should be temporary.

**William: **Wait…..I think I'm starting to see some yellow now.

**Jeremie: **The important thing is that it protects us from future Moriarty possession attempts.

_Yumi and William help Ulrich up. His left leg has gone completely limp. He relies on them to get to the elevator. _

**Ulrich: **Exactly how long is this supposed to last?

**Jeremie: **Do you want the honest truth?

**Ulrich: **If you'd be so kind.

**Jeremie: **No idea.

**Ulrich: **Wonderful….

_As the others head up the elevator, an emotionless Jeremie turns to Odd and Aelita, who are talking in the back of the lab room. They are smiling and laughing. _

**Jeremie: **It's your turn now.

_Aelita shrugs. _

**Aelita: **Okay….

_She heads to the elevator. Odd remains against the wall. _

**Jeremie: **No. As in both of you.

_Odd gives Jeremie a nervous look. Aelita turns back to Jeremie, her body tensed and ready to defend Odd if need be. _

**Odd: **Jeremie…..I really don't think that's necessary. Moriarty has no need to possess me again and I don't really feel uncomfortable with-

_Jeremie's face becomes as cold as stone. _

**Jeremie: **Get….in….the scanner. Now.

_Odd is taken aback by Jeremie's unexpected forcefulness. Aelita approaches Jeremie with her hands on her hips. _

**Aelita: **You know Odd doesn't want to get back into a scanner.

**Jeremie: **I need everyone to be exposed to the program. And quite frankly Odd needs it the most. Compared to everyone else, he has the least immunity to Moriarty.

**Odd: **But….

**Jeremie: **No buts!

_Aelita lowers her eyebrows, displaying her growing anger at Jeremie's hostility towards Odd. _

**Aelita: **Have you forgotten about…his condition?

**Jeremie: **All the more reason to let the program do its work.

**Aelita: **And what about you? Shouldn't you be exposed?

**Jeremie: **The program only works for people who have at least fought Moriarty on Lyoko before. I don't qualify. I'll just have to take a chance like with Xana. But there's no reason for Odd to do the same.

_Odd looks slightly pale. _

**Odd: **Jeremie….can't we wait until tomorrow?

**Jeremie: **Downstairs. Now.

**Aelita: **Why should he?

_The elevator doors open. William and Yumi drag a still limping Ulrich into the lab room._

**William: **I think I can distinguish red from green now. 

**Aelita: **There you are. Do you mind telling Jeremie that Odd doesn't have to get into the scanner?

_To Odd and Aelita's surprise, the others do not jump to their side. Instead they regard the two with an air of distrust and disapproval. _

**Aelita: **What…..what is with you people? What's wrong?

_No response. Aelita throws up her hands in disgust. _

**Aelita: **Fine. Come on Odd.

_Before Odd reluctantly goes into the elevator, he pulls Ulrich to the side. _

**Odd: **Hey, mind telling me why Jeremie looks like he wants to kill me?

_Ulrich looks away. Odd backs up, incredulous that he is being treated this way. He enters the elevator with Aelita and they silently go down. About midway to the scanner room, both of them have a revelation. _

**Odd & Aelita: **THEY KNOW!

_Odd puts his hands on his head and Aelita lets out a groan. _

**Odd: **How could they have found out?

**Aelita: **Jeremie. He probably was spying on us with the cameras all over the place.

_She folds her arms in disgust. _

**Odd: **Oh, we're in trouble now.

_Aelita thinks for a moment. She purses her lips. _

**Aelita: **Forget them. Why should we care what they think?

_Aelita takes his hand. _

**Aelita: **They have no right to judge us for last night.

_A morose Odd takes his hand away. _

**Odd: **How…..how could I have done that…..to Jeremie?

**Aelita: **Don't blame yourself. I'm not his property after all.

**Odd: **That…still doesn't make it right.

**Aelita: **Are….are you regretting what we did?

_Odd hesitates. As he gazes into her sad eyes, the elevator doors open. _

**Odd: **Aelita, I've just stabbed the guy who has done so much to help me with me PTSD in the back. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel something…..but I can't ignore the facts. I betrayed Jeremie.

**Aelita: **…..A good dose of karma.

**Odd: **Excuse me?

_Aelita walks toward the scanners. She struts with a gait illuminating her stubborn defiance. _

**Aelita: **Don't worry about him. Besides, it was just an innocent romantic moment.

**Odd: **….Was it?

_Aelita turns. Odd faces her with a countenance of solemnity. _

**Odd: **Was it?

_Night begins to fall onto the Parisian skyline. On the bridge to the factory, Jeremie sulks away back to the school. Aelita hugs Odd goodbye at the entrance to the factory. After Odd returns inside, Aelita glances at Yumi, William, and Ulrich, who are loitering on the bridge's guardrail. She passes them by, not giving them a hint of remorse. _

**Ulrich: **I still can't believe they did that.

**Yumi: **In retrospect, I guess it shouldn't have surprised us too much. But still.

_William shrugs. _

**William: **I know this kinda caught us off guard, but is it really our business?

_Pause. _

**Ulrich: **It was a rotten thing to do to Jeremie.

**William: **True.

**Yumi: **And I highly doubt all of that was true love.

**Ulrich: **I think the video answered that question….

_Another pause. _

**Yumi: **How's your leg?

**Ulrich: **I'm starting to get some feeling back, but I'll still have to limp a little to Kadic. I'm sure it will be better in the morning at this rate. But thanks for asking.

**Yumi: **No problem. _She kisses him on the forehead. _I'm going to head home. My parents are going to freak out if I don't get there soon. Goodnight.

**Ulrich & William: **Goodnight.

_She walks away. _

**William: **If you don't need any help, I'm going to head back too.

**Ulrich: **Wait.

_Ulrich grabs his arm. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi's heading home alone. And my leg is still in pretty bad shape.

**William: **Yes…..I know.

_Ulrich shakes his head. _

**Ulrich: **No you don't. Yumi is walking home alone in the dark with escaped prisoners in Paris. And I can't make sure she gets home safely.

_William starts to put two and two together. _

**William: **Oh…

**Ulrich: **I was going to follow her home, but now I can't.

**William: **Meaning?

**Ulrich: **In the past, I would never ask you to do this. But I want you to follow her home. I'm….I'm worried about her.

_William holds up his hand. _

**William: **Say no more. I'll do it. It's no big deal.

**Ulrich: **Thank you. Just stay out of sight. I don't want her to think I'm overprotective or anything.

**William: **Don't worry. I have a lot of experience following her without her knowledge.

_He heads off in Yumi's direction, leaving Ulrich with a suspicious look on his face. _

**Ulrich: **I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that….

_Yumi makes her way home along a narrow sidewalk. She can see families turning off the lights to their houses much earlier than usual. A woman turns off the light to her upstairs window and quickly closes the shutters. Yumi stares at the window for a moment. With the exception of a few falling autumn leaves, the residence has become lifeless. Pretty soon only the blinking streetlights illuminate her surroundings. A cold breeze exhales through the trees and the shadows. Yumi shivers and hugs her arms together. A lone dog defies the stifling neighborhood and barks, but he is quickly hushed. Silence draws a curtain over the neighborhood. Silence. Yumi stops. She looks to her left and her right. The quiet heightens her senses. There is a certain nervousness to her walking gait. For the first time in her life, she feels truly alone. The two massive metropolises of Tokyo and Paris have always given her a feeling of human contact. But now a city of more than ten million people has gone silent, and she is truly alone. Yumi steps up her pace. A loud insect makes her stop and listen. She shakes her head. _

**Yumi: **Come on Yumi, don't be silly. There's nothing to be afraid of. You're just walking home. Like normal….

_Yumi continues on, but her self-encouraging words do little to help her. The only sound she can hear is the clomp of her boots. Even the wind has died. The air is stagnant…..and oppressive. As she nears the end of the block, a streetlight lights up a parked car. Yumi tries to pass by, but her heart nearly stops when a man who was lying against the side of the car outside of the light's radius approaches her. She backs up. The man is dark-haired and in his late twenties. His face is rugged, with black facial hair covering his neck and chin. There is a suave but disturbing nature about him. He regards Yumi with unrestrained glee. _

**Stalker: **Hey little lady, where are you going?

**Yumi: **I'm uh…..just on my home.

_She tries to quickly walk past him, but he gets in her way. _

**Stalker: **What's the hurry?

_The hair on Yumi's neck rises. She tries to walk around him, but he simply moves in front of her. His eyes look over Yumi and come to focus on her chest. Yumi notices this and uses her forearms to cover her chest and prevent him from staring. Stalker laughs. _

**Stalker: **Oh baby, you don't have to be modest for me.

_Stalker takes a step forward. Yumi puts up her arms in a defensive stance. _

**Yumi: **Don't….don't come any closer. I know Pencak Silat.

**Stalker: **Oh a fighter! Wonderful! That always makes it so much more fun.

**Yumi: **I'm…I'm warning you.

**Stalker: **Baby, we could do this the easy way or the hard way.

**Yumi: **I pick neither!

**Stalker: **Don't make me bring out the others….

**Yumi: **Others?

_Two men come out of the shadows behind her. One of them looks like a pro wrestler. He is dressed in all black and his head is shaved. Various tattoos, most of them racist in meaning, dot his arms and neck. He glares at Yumi with immediate hate. Another shorter guy approaches her. He is incredibly ugly, but also appears dangerous. _

**Ugly: **You idiot! You blew our cover!

**Skinhead: **Doesn't matter. We were about to come out anyway.

**Stalker: **Well this one is clearly not going to cooperate, so I figured I needed to prevent this from getting…..messy.

_The men form a triangle around her. Yumi tries to appear brave, but she is shaking all over. A thought crosses her mind. _

**Yumi: **You….you're some of the escapees, aren't you?

_The trio smiles. A snort comes from Ugly. _

**Stalker: **Smart girl. I like it.

**Ugly: **And we plan on staying that way.

**Stalker: **But what's the point of freedom if you can't have a little fun with it?

_Stalker tries to grab Yumi. When she grabs his wrist and tries to counter, Skinhead responds by pulling out a knife and putting it to her throat. She lets go of Stalker's wrist. _

**Stalker: **Oh, so now she's willing to cooperate.

**Ugly: **Works every time.

_Stalker turns to Skinhead. _

**Stalker: **Well it's your turn to go first now.

_Skinhead spits onto Yumi's shoes. _

**Skinhead: **You kidding me?

_Stalker raises an eyebrow. _

**Stalker: **Problem?

**Skinhead: **You know I don't touch Asian trash!

_Yumi swallows, absorbing his hateful comment with a sick feeling in her stomach. _

**Skinhead: **That goes against my principles.

**Stalker: **Oh yes…..I suppose I forgot.

**Skinhead: **Of course, I wouldn't mind smacking her around a little.

_Yumi puts her arm in front of her head, expecting the worst. _

**Ugly: **Hey don't do that! You'll beat her up to the point that it won't be fun for us!

**Skinhead: **Fine. I'll wait until you're done.

**Stalker: **Well, since I believe all women are created equal. _He puts a finger under her chin. _I guess that makes it my turn.

**Ugly: **No way! You went first last time!

**Stalker: **Too bad. I saw her first.

**Ugly: **We agreed!

**Stalker: **Yes but the others weren't as….._He strokes her cheek. Yumi recoils. _beautiful as this one.

**Ugly: **If you touch her first I'll….

_Skinhead focuses the knife on Ugly. _

**Skinhead: **Shut it! He gets her first.

**Ugly: **What? Why?

**Skinhead: **Because every word out of your mouth makes me want to gut you like a pig! THAT'S WHY!

_Ugly shuts up. Stalker grabs Yumi's wrist. _

**Stalker: **Thank you for resolving that. Now where was I?

**William: **About three seconds from unconsciousness.

_Stalker looks around. _

**Stalker: **Who said-?

_William comes from the other side of the car and beats Stalker upside the head with a metal pole. Before Skinhead and Ugly can react, they are whacked firmly across the face and stomach, respectively. A stunned Yumi looks at William, whose face reminds her of a darker side of him she once knew. William drops the pole and grabs her hand. _

**William: **Yumi, RUN!

_They take off down the sidewalk, leaving the cursing convicts behind. Soon Yumi and William can hear the sounds of angry pursuit. _

**William: **Look's like I didn't hit them hard enough!

**Yumi: **Just keep running!

_They turn off onto a narrow street, trying to lose them. But they can still hear their shouts and curses. Yumi and William step up the pace, zigzagging into whatever street they come across. At first both fear that eventually the convicts will catch up, but Yumi and William surprisingly find themselves running faster than normal. A wave of adrenaline they have never felt before, even in the most tense of situations, is pumping through their veins. They sprint like mad, allowing this new energy to do its work. The shouts become more distant, but they don't go away completely. William eyes a street to his right and pulls Yumi in that direction. _

**William: **Follow me!

**Yumi: **Where are we going?

**William: **Some place safe!

_They turn and quickly come to a Gothic style building in front of a small city park. William drags her up the stone steps. Yumi notices a cross and a statue of the Virgin Mary at the wooden entrance. _

**Yumi: **A church?

**William: **Just trust me!

_William forces the heavy wooden doors open. The brightness of candles shatters the outside darkness. The two rush into the ornate sanctuary, where they notice a young priest dressed in a fine white robe lighting a candle. The priest turns to the unexpected guests with surprise. William talks to the priest while trying to recover his breath. _

**William: **Rosaire, you need to hide us!

_Yumi gives William a strange look. _

**Yumi: **Um….I'm not Catholic, but aren't you supposed to address a priest as 'Father'?

_William rolls his eyes. _

**William: **I'm not calling my own brother 'Father'.

_Yumi assumes a 'Stop everything, what the heck just happened?' pose. She gives William a funny look. Then she looks at the priest. To her astonishment, Yumi can notice a resemblance between the two. The priest is older, most likely in his mid to late twenties, but their jet black hair is the same (although the priest's hair is much more orderly than William's). The priest is slender and tall, much like his younger brother, but he walks with a more grave and reserved manner than William does. He has a distinctly longer nose and also seems to be less muscular. The priest looks at his brother with disbelief. _

**Rosaire: **Would you care to explain what's going on?

_Angry shouts are heard outside the church. _

**William: **No time to explain, JUST HIDE US!

_Rosaire, now understanding the gravity of the situation, points to the right of the pews. _

**Rosaire: **The…the confessional booth. Hide there!

**Yumi: **What's a-?

**William: **Come on!

_William and Yumi squeeze into the small wooden booth and duck down. They are cramped together. _

**Yumi: **Why is this space so small?

**William: **Well typically Catholics don't have company in here.

**Yumi: **I'm guessing that's because they are confessing private stuff?

**William: **Yes.

**Yumi: **Why couldn't one of us have gone into that other chamber?

**William: **Because that's for the priest. You don't go in there.

**Yumi: **Oh.

_William gives Yumi an annoyed look. _

**William: **You live in Europe. How can you know nothing about Catholicism?

_Yumi crosses her arms. _

**Yumi: **And I'm guessing you must be an expert on Shintoism…

**William: **….Okay, but I don't live in Japan.

_Their argument is interrupted by the three thugs entering the church. They are bruised and are eager for blood. Rosaire watches them with obvious caution. _

**Rosaire: **Good evening gentlemen. Is there something I can help you with?

**Skinhead: **Can it priest. You know why we're here.

**Rosaire: **I do?

**Skinhead: **Why do you think we're here?

_Rosaire shrugs. _

**Rosaire: **Either you've come to me for medical attention or you're here to confess.

_William peers through a crack in the booth. He shouts at Rosaire through a restrained whisper. _

**William: **Don't offer that! WE'RE IN HERE!

_The trio laughs. _

**Stalker: **Maybe another time father. When we're not busy.

**Ugly: **It's too late for us anyway.

**Rosaire: **No such thing as 'too late' here.

**Skinhead: **Alright enough. Have you seen two teens around here?

**Stalker: **An Asian girl and a black-haired punk perhaps?

_Rosaire thinks for a moment. _

**Rosaire: **No I haven't. No one here but me and God.

**Stalker: **Are you sure?

_Skinhead approaches him. He tries to intimidate him. _

**Skinhead: **A priest isn't supposed to lie.

**Rosaire: **Except in cases of the greater good.

_Skinhead leans closer. _

**Skinhead: **What are you trying to say?

**Rosaire: **Absolutely nothing.

**Stalker: **Are you certain you haven't seen them?

**Ugly: **Think hard.

**Rosaire: **I have been alone in this church the entire night. I have seen no one.

_Skinhead looks to Stalker. _

**Skinhead: **You believe him?

**Stalker: **Not sure. Either he's telling the truth or he's a very good liar. _He gives Rosaire a dark look. _The latter is not a very good quality for a priest.

**Rosaire: **I agree. But may I ask why you have entered this holy sanctuary demanding the whereabouts of two young people?

**Skinhead: **We'll ask the questions. Not you. Got it?

**Rosaire: **Unfortunately yes.

**Ugly: **I'll bet they're in here. Let's search the place!

_Rosaire becomes visibly angry at Ugly's remark. _

**Rosaire: **Have you no respect for the church?

**Skinhead: **About as much respect as I have for you.

**Ugly: **I'm getting tired of this guy. I think he should learn a few manners.

**Skinhead: **Couldn't agree more.

_Rosaire swallows. _

**Rosaire: **You wouldn't hurt a poor servant of God, would you?

**Skinhead: **You clearly don't know me very well.

**Stalker: **Please. That's a waste of your strength and our time.

**Skinhead: **Well if I can't find the other punk, why not him?

_Before things can get out of hand, the criminals hear police sirens outside. They become tense. _

**Ugly: **(Expletive). How did they find us?

**Skinhead: **I bet the priest knew we were coming and called before we came!

_Rosaire shakes his head. _

**Rosaire: **No, the police have been circling this neighborhood ever since the breakout. It's just a coincidence.

_The trio look at each other with uncertainty. _

**Stalker: **Let's go. They're not here.

**Ugly: **But-.

**Stalker: **LET'S GO!

_The three leave, but not before Skinhead gives Rosaire a threatening glare. Once they are gone, Rosaire breathes a sigh of relief. He walks into his side of the confessional chamber and sits down. _

**Rosaire: **Tell me your sins my son.

**William: **Well, your jokes still suck.

_A few minutes later, Rosaire peeks his head out of the door. He watches the shadows outside the church, looking for any sign of the criminals. After a brief moment he closes the door and walks up the aisle and approaches Yumi and William, who are sitting on the first pew. William has her arm on Yumi's shoulder. _

**Rosaire: **I don't see any sign of them.

_Pause. _

**Rosaire: **But I would stay here a little longer. Just in case they are…..waiting.

_William looks up. Rosaire eyes William coldly and turns away. William turns her attention back to Yumi. She refuses to look up from the ground. _

**William: **Yumi?

_No response. _

**William: **Yumi are you alright?

_No response. _

**William: **Yumi?

_She shakes her head. _

**Yumi: **I am not….alright.

**William: **I know that must have been horrible. I understand.

**Yumi: **No.

_She turns to him. Her voice is shaky. _

**Yumi: **You don't understand. You can't understand. No guy….no matter how good he is, can understand what just happened to me. The degradation…..the paralytic fear. Only a girl could understand that.

_William is quiet. He absentmindedly looks at the altar. Yumi sighs. _

**Yumi: **But I don't know how to thank you enough for saving me.

**William: **….You're welcome.

**Yumi: **That….that took a lot of guts.

**William: **You are a fellow warrior and a friend. I wasn't just going to sit by and let them do that.

_Yumi gives him an odd look. _

**Yumi: **Mind telling me why you were following me?

_William pauses and throws up his hands innocently. _

**William: **Don't look at me. Ulrich wanted me to do it.

**Yumi: **He…..he did?

**William: **He wanted to make sure you got home safely. And since Jeremie's program messed up his leg, he asked me to do it…..Apparently he was right to be concerned.

_Yumi sits there, glancing around the church. _

**Yumi: **Either way, thank you.

**William: **No problem.

**Yumi: **Speaking of the program, how are your eyes doing?

**William: **I can see fine now. The side effects have worn off.

_Yumi makes a strange face. _

**Yumi: **I'm not so sure.

**William: **What's wrong?

**Yumi: **When we were running, I suddenly felt this rush of energy I had never felt before. I started sprinting so fast, I probably could have set a track record at Kadic.

**William: **Yeah. I started to feel that too.

**Yumi: **Think it's the program?

**William: **Well how else would you explain this almost inhuman speed?

_A woman in a black dress opens the door to the church. Rosaire walks up to her and the two go into the confessional booth. _

**Yumi: **Okay I can't take it anymore. That priest is your brother?

**William: **Yes…..yes he is.

**Yumi: **You never told me you had an older brother, or any siblings for that matter.

**William: **You never asked.

**Yumi: **You've never mentioned him before.

_William averts her gaze. _

**William: **Well…..

**Yumi: **Well what?

**William: **We don't exactly get along.

**Yumi: **Why not?

_William motions to the church all around them. _

**Yumi: **You clash on religion?

**William: **You could say that. He's the pious Catholic. I'm the rebel. Conflict is inevitable in such a situation.

**Yumi: **He doesn't approve of your behavior…

**William: **Particularly the womanizing. He has a big problem with that.

**Yumi: **Has it always been like this?

_William shakes his head. _

**William: **He used to be a lot like me. Only…..

**Yumi: **Only what?

**William: **Only worse. He was big into wild parties and alcohol. When he was in high school he got addicted to drugs. My dad sent him to this top notch rehab center in Italy, once it got unmanageable. Someone over there must have converted him to the Catholic faith, because he came back completely changed. He started talking to us about his spiritual rebirth and how he wanted to go into seminary.

**Yumi: **And how did your parents take that?

**William: **They were surprised to say the least. We're not a religious family. My parents…..somewhat begrudgingly went along with it. His mind was made up, and I guess they were so happy that he broke his drug addiction that they didn't bother to argue.

**Yumi: **And ever since, you haven't seen eye to eye?

**William: **In a nutshell, yes.

_Yumi sits in silence for a few moments. _

**William: **Well, what do you think of that?

**Yumi: **You hold completely opposite views on the meaning and purpose of life. Views that neither of you can fully prove to be valid. Like you said, conflict must be inevitable.

_Rosaire finishes with the woman's confession. _

**Yumi: **But it took a lot of nerve to stand up for us like that.

**William: **Yeah. I'm going to go talk to him.

_William gets up and goes to Rosaire. They awkwardly walk down a narrow aisle between the pews and the wall. Rosaire subtly and calmly acknowledges his presence. _

**William: **I suppose you deserve an explanation.

**Rosaire: **I may not deserve one. But it would certainly be appreciated.

**William: **We ran into some trouble.

_Rosaire turns to him. _

**Rosaire: **Obviously. And I can't help but wonder how you got yourself into that mess.

_William can tell Rosaire is giving him a judgmental look. _

**William: **Look. It's not what you think. Yes I made them mad. But I didn't have a choice.

**Rosaire: **Oh really? Do tell.

**William: **Don't do that!

**Rosaire: **Don't do what?

**William: **You automatically assume that I must have done something 'sinful' to get myself into this situation.

_Rosaire stays quiet. The two stop. _

**William: **Well?

**Rosaire: **You enter with a girl into this place of God at night begging to be protected from armed and dangerous thugs. Exactly what am I supposed to think?

_William gives him a spiteful stare. Rosaire looks at Yumi._

**Rosaire: **May I ask the nature of your relationship with this girl?

**William: **For your information, her name is Yumi, and she has a boyfriend.

**Rosaire: **A fact I would certainly hope you would respect….

**William: **There you go again!

**Rosaire: **Right. Assuming things….Anyway, you were going to explain what happened, correct?

_William rubs his temples. _

**William: **Those guys were trying to have their way with Yumi. I ambushed them and we ran like mad over here. There. Are you happy now?

_Rosaire eases his strict demeanor a touch. _

**Rosaire: **I suppose that makes sense.

**William: **Thank you for finally listening to me.

**Rosaire: **And it is certainly noble to defend a woman's purity.

**William: **That's why I didn't have a choice.

**Rosaire: **And it would explain the vicious bruises I saw on their faces….

**William: **You seem to have problems believing I'm telling the truth.

**Rosaire: **I am merely speaking from experience.

_William huffs. _

**William: **Doesn't the Bible say something about 'throwing stones'?

_Rosaire stares at him intensely. _

**Rosaire: **The old me you are referring to is dead. I am dead to sin and pure in the sight of God. I have been washed clean.

**William: **Oh not this again….

**Rosaire: **I know you don't want to. But you should hear what I have to say. I was evil in the sight of God before he saved me. But he forgave all, and he can forgive you too. I am merely trying to point out your sin, so that you may find the need to repent.

**William: **Hey, if you want to follow an obsolete religion, fine. But don't force it on me.

_Rosaire holds his neck up with a twinge of outrage. _

**Rosaire: **Obsolete?

**William: **Rapidly declining I think would be more accurate.

**Rosaire: **So you think Catholicism has no place in this modern world of excesses and comfort?

_William doesn't say anything. _

**Rosaire: **Fine. Perhaps faith is dying in Europe. But I have seen miracles happen. And I have seen how crisis can bring people quickly back to God. When the nuclear scare occurred recently, this church was filled to capacity. That never happens. But it happened then. You and the rest of Europe can pretend you don't need God, but when the chips are down, I know that you will always come running back. And what about that cyber bug mysteriously disappearing without a trace. How do you explain that?

_William starts to interject. _

**William: **Well….

**Rosaire: **It was the hand of God.

**William: **Actually…

**Rosaire: **Unless you have a better explanation.

_William holds his tongue. _

**William: **Yes. The hand of God. Let's go with that.

**Rosaire: **That incident eliminated any doubt in my mind. There is a God, and evil will never triumph.

_William grunts _

**Rosaire: **Do you have a problem with what I just said?

**William: **Maybe just a little bit.

**Rosaire: **And what would that be?

**William: **Good always coming out on top. It doesn't sound logical to me.

**Rosaire: **It's not logical to assume a loving God would allow evil to win.

**William: **Hasn't he already done that?

**Rosaire: **I didn't say he wouldn't allow evil to exist. He does allow it, because of our fall into sin. But evil cannot win.

**William: **I'm sorry, but it's hard for me to accept what you're saying when I have seen the exact opposite.

**Rosaire: **What are you talking about?

_William gives Rosaire a somber look. _

**William: **Forget about it.

**Rosaire: **No, what is wrong? What evil are you talking about?

**William: **It's none of your business. You wouldn't understand.

_Rosaire lets off the interrogation. _

**Rosaire: **If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But listen to me for a moment. _He touches William's shoulder and points to the massive cross on the wall. _I don't know who this enemy you are speaking of is. I don't know whether it's a personal demon or a real one. But know this. Neither is stronger than that. Remember that no matter how many battles it wins, evil cannot win the war. Even in your darkest hour…..he will not fail you. And that is the truth.

_Rosaire's unexpectedly strong words have started to have an effect on him. His spirit lifts and the room seems brighter than it once was. Rosaire takes his hand off William's shoulders. _

**Rosaire: **If nothing else, think about what I have said.

**William: **I…..I'll try.

_William returns to sit next to Yumi. _

**Yumi: **What did you talk about?

**William: **Uh, nothing special.

**Yumi: **What did you tell him?

**William: **The truth. Our story had nothing out of the ordinary to hide.

**Yumi: **Right.

_The two don't speak for a while. _

**William: **When do you think it's safe to leave?

**Yumi: **I don't know. I texted my parents and said I was at a friend's house. I thought that would make them calm down, but now they're demanding I come home immediately. I…..I don't want to leave….just yet.

**William: **I'll walk you home.

**Yumi: **Thank you.

_The two turn their attention to the cross on the wall. _

**Yumi: **What you said they believe...that's…pretty wild.

**William: **I guess so.

**Yumi: **Christianity has a long history, doesn't it?

**William: **Yes. It's been around a long time.

**Yumi: **I guess I never bothered to learn much about it. My history classes discussed it a little, but not very much. And so few people in France seem to be following it.

**William: **It's lost some of its appeal.

**Yumi: **Then why does Rosaire defy that trend?

**William: **God knows.

_Yumi and William look at each other and laugh a little. Then they get quiet. _

**Yumi: **Do….do you believe in it?

_William sits motionless for a long time. His stare seems distant and lost. _

**William: **Even if it was true, I wouldn't accept it.

**Yumi: **Why?

**William: **A God who allows Moriarty to threaten the world does not deserve to be followed.

_Pause. _

**Yumi: **If it is true, we could sure use his help.

_William doesn't say anything. _

**Yumi: **William?

**William: **I heard you.

**Yumi: **Any idea how we can get that help?

**William: **We could ask. We could pray. That's usually how Christians do it.

_More silence. William turns to see that Yumi is still staring at the wall, trying to understand this spiritual place. William scratches his forehead. _

**William: **Do you…..want to pray?

**Yumi: **Oh…..I don't know. Maybe but-

**William: **But what?

**Yumi: **I wouldn't know what to say. I've never done it before.

_William takes her hand. He bows his head. Yumi, following William's example, does the same. _

**William: **Good. That makes two of us.

_The next morning the sun punctures through the foggy sky. The air is crisp and cool. It is one of those fall days that gives warning of approaching winter. Inside the gymnasium, Ulrich looks up at a rope attached to the ceiling. Jim taps his watch. _

**Jim: **Come on Stern, get up there!

**Ulrich: **Sir….

**Jim: **We don't have all day.

_Ulrich groans. _

**Ulrich: **Why is it always heights?

_Ulrich reluctantly forces his way up the rope. Jeremie, Aelita, and the rest of the 9__th__ grade gym class watches. Odd's clone decides to make some commentary. _

**Odd's Clone: **Extra bicep muscle needed to complete arduous task.

**Ulrich: **Not…..helping.

**Jim: **Della Robbia, don't distract him! I'd like to see you do better.

_Jeremie observes Aelita from a distance. Aelita recognizes Jeremie's presence, but little more. She doesn't appear angry. Rather it seems she has lost all feeling for Jeremie whatsoever, be it hatred or love. In Jeremie's view, indifference is worse than hate. At first he turns away and tries to remain focused on the activity. But he has grown tired of giving Aelita space. Her distrust and enmity toward him has not ebbed at all with this strategy. He takes a deep breath and walks up next to her. Aelita glances to her right and quickly looks away. She holds her chin high. _

**Jeremie: **So um…._very…..VERY long awkward pause…_….how are you?

_Jeremie smacks his head as soon as those words come out of his mouth. Aelita does not hesitate. _

**Aelita: **Fine.

_Jeremie probes his mind, trying to think of SOMETHING to get her talking. He notices that Ulrich is halfway up the rope and is clearly struggling. _

**Jeremie: **Yeah….crazy right? Why would Jim make Ulrich climb a rope when he knows he is afraid of heights?

_Aelita does not answer. _

**Jeremie: **I mean he does know that, right?

**Aelita: **It could have slipped his mind. You know how easy it is for him to do that.

**Jeremie: **You….you make a good point.

_This is going nowhere. Jeremie tries to think of something else, but he is saved by a sudden accident. Ulrich loses his grip and begins to fall. He desperately tries to hold onto the rope, but it only slows him down a little bit. He falls to the mat below. The gym class crowds around him. Ulrich, still on the floor, curses. He winces and looks at his left hand. It is scarred by rope burn and a few nasty cuts. A few sympathetic comments are passed around. _

**Odd's Clone: **Hypothesis of spectral entity correct.

**Jim: **Alright Della Robbia, that's it! You get up there and show us how YOU would do it! Stones, take Stern to the infirmary!

_Aelita begins to help Ulrich up. Jeremie acts on an impulse and raises his hand. _

**Jim: **Yes Belpois?

**Jeremie: **May I take him over there too?

_Jim gives Jeremie a funny look. Aelita gives Jeremie a much less kind funny look. Jim seems to be a little suspicious, but after looking at the two, he begins to understand. _

**Jim: **Alright but hurry up! You've already missed enough gym class this semester.

_Jeremie and Aelita go with Ulrich and exit the gym. Odd's clone scampers the rope with little effort. Jim's mouth drops when Odd's clone returns to the ground. _

**Odd's Clone: **Challenge completed.

**Jim: **How…..how could you break a school record with arms so scrawny?

**Odd's Clone: **Objection! Body type svelte.

_Back in the science building, Ms. Hertz is giving a rather riveting lecture. She pours water into a beaker. She holds it up to eye level. _

**Ms. Hertz: **Water. An inorganic compound we often take for granted. Without it, we cannot live. But what makes water so important and vital to life as we know it? Well, first of all, it is a polar molecule, which makes it an excellent solvent. In addition to this, it has a very large heat capacity….

_William and Yumi are extremely bored. William seems to have trouble staying awake. Last night took a lot out of him. _

**William: **Is she TRYING to make me fall asleep?

_Yumi rests her head on the desk with her arms serving as a pillow. She shrugs. _

**Yumi: **She's been talking about water for over half an hour. I have to go to the bathroom now.

**William: **Do you actually have to go or are you just bored?

**Yumi: **…Both.

_She raises her hand. _

**Ms. Hertz: **Yes Yumi?

**Yumi: **May I go to the bathroom?

_Ms. Hertz dismisses her with a wave of her hand. _

**Ms. Hertz: **Yes just hurry up.

_Yumi gets up to leave the room. As she exits, Ms. Hertz notices Natalya is sleeping in the back. _

**Ms. Hertz: **Miss Dikau!

_Natalya wakes up, muttering something in Russian. _

**Ms. Hertz: **I would certainly hate for you to be unpleasantly surprised on another pop quiz.

_Natalya halfheartedly starts to pay attention. Across the courtyard, Moriarty addresses his youngest class, the 7__th__ graders, on French history. Johnny and Hiroki sit towards the front. _

**Moriarty: **By the year 1429, the Hundred Years' War was going very badly for France. Most of Northern France was under British control, including Paris. English forces were laying siege to Orléans. French forces were demoralized and disorganized. It was at this point in time that a simple peasant girl, Joan of Arc, was said to have received a vision from God himself. She was told to rally her people and drive the invaders out of France, once and for all.

_Gunshots are heard outside the classroom. The students cover their ears and peer out the window in horrified surprise. Moriarty sculpts a worried look onto his face. _

**Johnny: **WHAT'S HAPPENING?

**Moriarty: **STUDENTS GET DOWN! UNDER THE DESKS NOW!

_The terrified children get under their tables without any complaints. Moriarty gets on his hands and knees and crawls down the aisle of desks. _

**Moriarty: **Remain calm and stay where you are!

**Hiroki: **Dr. Renard, is that gunfire?

_Moriarty turns his gaze to Johnny and Hiroki. The two boys are cowering under the table, trying their best to block out reality. Moriarty gives them a caring smile. _

**Moriarty: **Don't worry. It's going to be alright.

_In the science building, Ms. Hertz continues her lecture. _

**Ms. Hertz: **It is tragic to note that much of rural Africa does not have access to clean water…

_The gunshots go off. The students nearly fall out of their chairs. Ms. Hertz spins around. They can hear screaming and shouting. _

**Ms. Hertz: **WHAT IN THE WORLD IS…?

_An armed gunmen enter the classroom. Ms. Hertz faints and the students scream. His face is all too recognizable for William. _

**Skinhead: **GET ON THE GROUND AND STAY THERE!

_The students quickly obey. Skinhead turns to William. William braces himself for punishment, but he quickly recognizes Skinhead is not in control. His pupils are proudly displaying the Moriarty insignia. _

**William: **Of course….

**Skinhead: **Make yourself comfortable. You're going to be here a long time.

_Another gunman comes in. It's Ugly. _

**Skinhead: **Secure this hallway!

**Ugly: **Yes sir.

_Ugly walks out. William crouches under the science desk, praying that his companions aren't trapped like him. _

_Rewind to two minutes earlier. Yumi is washing her hands in the women's bathroom down the hall. The gunshots go off. Her heart nearly comes out of her chest. She holds onto the sink to recover from the shock. She can hear screaming and shouting outside. She timidly makes her way to the door and opens it a crack. She can see Ugly and Skinhead coming down the hallway, firing shots into the ceiling to scare people. Yumi shuts the door and breathes heavily. _

**Yumi: **No…no…not them again!

_She peeks out again. Ugly is standing in the hall with his back to her, blocking her exit. To her surprise, Ugly fires an electric blast at a hallway camera. Yumi retreats back into the bathroom. _

**Yumi: **Moriarty…

_Yumi looks to the window. She forces it open and walks out onto the ledge. It doesn't take her long to remember that she is on the second floor. She warily looks at the long drop before her. But after she hears more shouting inside, she takes a deep breath and jumps. She bends her knees to cushion her landing. Then she gets up and climbs the fence separating the science building from the track and athletic fields and takes off towards the woods. _

_In the administrative building, Ulrich is getting his hand patched up by Yolanda. She tenderly wraps the bandage around his hand. Ulrich winces slightly from the pain. _

**Yolanda: **Honestly, if I've told Jim once, I've told him a thousand times. The risk for injury during that activity is too great.

_She finishes bandaging him. _

**Yolanda: **There. That should do it.

**Ulrich: **Thank you.

**Yolanda: **You're welcome. And you tell Jim-

_Gunfire. Both sets of eyes in the nurse's office immediately become wide. Yolanda leans her ear against the door. _

**Yolanda: **Did…did I just hear?

_Yolanda hears a creaking noise. She turns to see Ulrich jumping out of the window and taking off in the direction of the woods. _

**Yolanda: **Ulrich!

_At the same time, Jeremie and Aelita walk across the courtyard on their way from dropping Ulrich off at the nurse's office. Both wear their workout outfits, although Jeremie has a light jacket on because of the cold. Aelita walks in front of him, not saying a word. Jeremie forces himself to approach her. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita…

**Aelita: **Yes?

**Jeremie: **I wanted to talk about…..what happened between you and Odd.

_Aelita immediately goes on the defensive. _

**Aelita: **May I ask why?

**Jeremie: **It…..it's not what you think…

**Aelita: **If that's the case then why do you want to talk about it?

**Jeremie: **I just wanted to make it clear that….if you want to, you should go out with Odd. I'm….I'm okay with it.

_His somber face says otherwise. Aelita softens a little bit, but not much. _

**Aelita: **Thanks…..but I wasn't asking your permission.

**Jeremie: **I don't care if we aren't together again. I just want you to talk to me.

**Aelita: **Aren't we talking now?

_Before Jeremie can answer, they hear gunshots. The embittered duo freeze in terror. Three armed men (one of them is Stalker), come around the side of the cafeteria, armed and under Moriarty's control. Aelita begins to scream, but Jeremie puts a hand over her mouth. _

**Jeremie: **Follow me!

_The two rush into the cafeteria. The attackers follow. _

**Stalker: **Hurry! They went into that building!

_With no time to lose, Jeremie pulls her into the kitchen. He frantically looks for a hiding place. But the only thing available is the walk-in freezer. _

**Jeremie: **IN THERE!

**Aelita: **WHAT?

**Jeremie: **COME ON!

_Aelita and Jeremie retreat into the freezer. The cold air blasts them. As Jeremie slams the door behind them, they begin to feel the chill. Aelita hugs her shoulders. _

**Aelita: **It's so cold in here!

**Jeremie: **Quiet! They'll hear us!

_The two become silent as they listen to the soulless clomp of boots outside the freezer. Jeremie's heart stops when one of them seems to pause in front of the door. He closes his eyes and prepares for the worst. Instead, the assailant laughs and the entire group seems to leave the cafeteria. Jeremie and Aelita continue to listen. _

**Aelita: **Are they gone?

**Jeremie: **I don't know. I'm going to take a peek to see if the coast is clear.

_Jeremie tries to open the metal door, but the handle won't work. He pulls harder to no avail. A brief moment passes and Jeremie quickly becomes nervous. He tugs again, only to get the same result. _

**Jeremie: **We….we're trapped!

**Aelita: **WHAT?

**Jeremie: **I can't get it open!

**Aelita: **Let me try!

_Aelita and Jeremie pull together, but nothing happens. Their hands become red and chaffed. They take a breath and shiver. _

**Aelita: **If….if we don't get out of here, we'll freeze to death!

**Jeremie: **I….I'll call the others for help.

_A swarm of police cars and special tactics vehicles descend on Kadic. They immediately begin to establish a perimeter. One of the police cars opens its doors to reveal a rather large and intimidating French man. This man with a crew cut hairstyle surveys the landscape, considering his method of attack. He gets out of the car and walks through the Kadic entrance. Principal Delmas, Jim, and Jim's gym class greet them at the entrance. Delmas rushes to shake his hand. _

**Delmas: **Oh Chief Benoit! You don't know how relieved I am to see you!

**Benoit: **Yes yes. Thank you. Do you mind telling me where these escapees are hiding?

_Jim gives a salute and begins talking. He points to the locations on campus. _

**Jim: **Sir, there are at least two hostiles in the science building across the track and field. To the left the enemy has control of the main dormitory building as well. Behind that is the courtyard, which is surrounded on three sides by academic buildings. Most of those are probably also in enemy territory, making it vulnerable to sniper attacks. All in all, I believe there are seven hostiles scattered throughout this campus.

_Benoit gives him a strange look for this odd yet informative answer. _

**Benoit: **And hostages?

_Jim frowns. _

**Jim: **Probably in excess of a hundred. Mostly students.

_Benoit swears. _

**Benoit: **This is not going to be easy. _He motions to his men. _Move up! We're narrowing the perimeter around the central courtyard of the campus. But move with upmost caution! Students have become hostages!

_The men start to move forward. Delmas bites his fingernails, completely overwhelmed by the horror of this situation. Odd's clone turns to Jim. _

**Odd's Clone: **Gym instructor's speech suggests delusions of military service.

**Jim: **Della Robbia, shut up…..or I will talk about it!

_As the police close in around the school, Yumi and Ulrich make their way into the woods near the sewer entrance. Both of their senses are heightened, cautiously looking for more armed thugs under Moriarty's control. As they get closer to each other, both start to hear each other's footsteps. They tense and hide behind trees opposite each other. Then, at the same time, they leap from their hiding places in attack stances. Luckily they both recognize each other before they attack. They hug instead. _

**Ulrich & Yumi: **Thank God you're okay!

_Both blush for saying the exact same thing at exactly the same time. They withdraw from each other. Yumi grabs Ulrich's wrist. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, your hand!

**Ulrich: **Oh it's nothing. I got it during gym class. I was just getting it patched up in the nurse's office when the shooting started. If I hadn't rolled out of the window, I might have still been trapped in there.

**Yumi: **You escaped out of a window too?

**Ulrich: **Wait…you climbed out of a window?

**Yumi: **From the science building. But William wasn't so lucky. He's trapped in there with those convicts controlled by Moriarty.

_Ulrich gives a solemn nod. _

**Ulrich: **I wasn't sure, but I figured he was behind this.

**Yumi: **Are Jeremie and Aelita okay?

**Ulrich: **I don't know for sure. They were heading back to the gym after dropping me off at the infirmary when they took over.

_Yumi's phone vibrates. She picks it up. _

**Yumi: **Hello?

_She gasps. _

**Yumi: **WHAT?

_Jeremie talks to her on the other line. He paces around the room, trying his best to warm himself up, while Aelita rubs her hands together in a corner. Visible breath flows from his mouth. _

**Jeremie: **We ca….can't get out!

**Yumi: **Where are you?

**Jeremie: **The freezer…in the cafeteria…..the gunmen chased us in here.

_Yumi casts a worried glance through a clearing in the woods. Police and special tactics units are blocking off the area, guns trained at the buildings. They refuse to move forward, keeping a sharp eye on the student hostages in the classrooms and dorms via binoculars and their scopes. The cafeteria building is out of reach. Yumi turns her attention back to the conversation. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, you are right in the middle of this mess. The central courtyard is completely surrounded by police, and all the buildings around you are controlled by the convicts.

_He shakes. _

**Jeremie: **Well you have to do SOMETHING! We can't last for very long in here!

_Yumi bites her lip. _

**Yumi: **Okay, we'll do our best. Just hold on, okay?

**Jeremie: **Hurry!

_Yumi hangs up. She grabs her hair and pulls on it slightly. Ulrich, who overheard most of the conversation, lays a hand on her shoulder. _

**Ulrich: **We have to try….

**Yumi: **You're right.

_They start to jog towards the police line. Yumi moves in front. Ulrich stops for a moment. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi?

_She turns to him, obviously overwhelmed with anxiety. _

**Yumi: **Yes?

**Ulrich: **Happy Birthday.

_Yumi forms a small smile that quickly disappears. _

**Yumi: **I wish it was Ulrich. I really do.

_Back in the classrooms, Moriarty peeks through the window in the door. He can see two gunmen outside in the hallway. He sighs and leans against the wall. The 7__th__ grade students are very quiet now. Hiroki decides to speak up. _

**Hiroki: **Sir?

**Moriarty: **Yes Hiroki?

**Hiroki: **How long are we going to be stuck like this?

_Moriarty shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **I don't know. Hostage situations can last anywhere from a few hours to…much longer than that. It all depends on the situation.

_Johnny lowers his head. _

**Johnny: **We're going to die…we're going to die.

_Moriarty looks at them sternly. _

**Moriarty: **We are not going to die. Don't you dare talk like that.

**Hiroki: **He's right though….how are we supposed to get out of this?

**Moriarty: **Now you listen to me.

_He crawls over to their desk. He lifts Hiroki's chin up with his hand. _

**Moriarty: **We're going to get out of here. I promise you. No one is going to hurt you.

_Hiroki feels slightly uplifted by his words. He nods. _

**Hiroki: **You….you're right. We can't give up that easily.

**Moriarty: **That's the spirit!

_Moriarty pats him on the head. Hiroki smiles. _

**Hiroki: **You're really brave Dr. Renard…..I don't understand why my sister seems to really hate you. _He thinks for a moment. _I mean REALLY hate you.

_Moriarty chuckles. If not for the current situation, Hiroki and Johnny might have noticed an unnerving twinge to his laugh. _

**Moriarty: **Well, it's best if you make judgments about a person yourself instead of relying on other people's opinions, don't you think?

_Back at the police line, Yumi and Ulrich try to plead their case. A stiff and emotionless police officer isn't being too cooperative. _

**Police Officer: **I'm sorry. I can't do that.

**Yumi: **But they're trapped!

**Police Officer: **As are the rest of the students. Any rash action would endanger their lives.

**Yumi: **You don't understand…..

**Ulrich: **They're trapped in a freezer! They can't last much longer!

_The officer now starts to pay attention. His eyes furrow with concern. _

**Police Officer: **Where are they?

**Yumi: **The cafeteria. _She points. _It's that one-story building there in the middle of the courtyard.

_The officer is hesitant. He turns to them and shakes his head. _

**Police Officer: **That's way too close. The assailants would open fire if we approached.

**Ulrich: **You have to do something!

**Police Officer: **I….I have my orders. No one moves forward without the chief's approval.

_Ulrich lowers his eyebrows. _

**Ulrich: **Then get the chief over here.

**Police Officer: **He's in the middle of the most complicated operation in this unit's history. He doesn't have time to talk to two high school students!

**Ulrich: **He will talk to me.

_The officer gives him a condescending look. _

**Police Officer: **And why's that?

**Ulrich: **Because my last name is Stern.

_The officer views Ulrich with surprise. He thinks it over for a second and then decides to act. _

**Police Officer: **Hold on. I'll be right back.

_He walks away. Yumi turns to Ulrich. _

**Yumi: **Does the chief really know you?

**Ulrich: **He knows…of me.

**Yumi: **I know you have the 'Dad' card. But do you really think it could work here?

**Ulrich: **No. But it's the only thing I have right now.

_Benoit arrives. Every ounce of tension from the situation is funneled in one direction: aggression. He regards Ulrich with disdain. _

**Benoit: **This had better be good!

**Ulrich: **It is. Two of our friends are trapped in a freezer in that building. You need to get them out and fast.

_Benoit immediately lashes back. _

**Benoit: **ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? We'd be wide open targets in that courtyard! All that would do is get my men AND the students killed!

**Yumi: **But sir!

**Benoit: **We have no way to get to them without blowing up this hostage situation!

**Yumi: **IF YOU DON'T DO SOMETHING, THEY'LL DIE!

**Benoit: **SHUT UP! DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?

**Ulrich: **Benoit….

**Benoit: **It is Chief Benoit to you!

**Ulrich: **And it's Mr. Stern to you!

_Benoit and Ulrich stare each other down. Benoit seems utterly shocked that Ulrich would have the audacity to say that to him. _

**Benoit: **You got a lot of nerve kid. But you're not your father. And this is out of your league.

**Ulrich: **You have to listen to me. We have an agreement.

**Benoit: **Wrong! Your father and I have an agreement! And I don't care what he's told you. I am not his slave! This is my police force! Not his!

**Ulrich: **Look, if you help them, I can make it worth your while. I can talk to him….

**Benoit: **Do you really think you can bargain with me right now? LIVES ARE AT STAKE!

**Ulrich: **YES I KNOW! THAT'S WHY I NEED YOU TO DO SOMETHING!

**Benoit: **Your father was right. You are an idiot. I just can't turn gravity upside down for you! This is beyond my control!

**Ulrich: **YOU CAN'T JUST DO NOTHING!

**Benoit: **I'm working on the situation. We are doing our best to negotiate and set up a rescue operation. As soon as it is safe, we will help your friends.

**Ulrich: **That could take hours! And they don't have that kind of time!

_Benoit puts his foot down. _

**Benoit: **NO ONE IS CROSSING THAT LINE! NOT WITHOUT MY AUTHORITY! I AM NOT GOING TO KILL DOZENS TO SAVE TWO PEOPLE! I CAN'T DO THAT! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? …NOW GET OUT OF OUR PERIMETER BEFORE I THROW YOU OUT!

_Ulrich fumes, but it is clear the battle is lost. Yumi puts a hand on his shoulder and leads him away. Benoit resumes his duties. The two walk toward the sewer entrance, lost for words. _

**Yumi: **You did your best.

**Ulrich: **Not enough to save them. _He kicks a tree in frustration. Yumi turns to the cafeteria, almost driven to tears that their salvation is so close, but yet so far away. _

**Yumi: **There's nothing we could have done.

**Ulrich: **If Benoit wasn't trying to turn this into the Battle of Verdun….

**Yumi: **He's powerless too….

**Ulrich: **That French army wannabe…_He mimics a military voice. _On ne passé pas! (Translation: They shall not pass.)

_Long pause. _

**Yumi: **What do we do?

**Ulrich: **If we don't deactivate the tower, Aelita and Jeremie will die. And possibly William with them.

_Yumi throws up her hands. _

**Yumi: **But we can't save Aelita and the others without Aelita! We're useless!

**Ulrich: **We can virtualize ourselves, can't we?

**Yumi: **A lot of good that does us if we can't deactivate the tower.

**Ulrich: **We have to do something…

**Yumi: **What? What could we possibly do with the activated tower?

_Ulrich thinks for a moment. He snaps his fingers and gives Yumi a sly look. _

**Ulrich: **We could blow it up.

_Yumi stares at him incredulously. She puts her index fingers on her temples. _

**Yumi: **That is…..the dumbest…..Wait. Could that work?

**Ulrich: **We don't really have much of an option, do we?

_Yumi thinks for a moment. She tries to think of an alternative, but can find none. _

**Yumi: **Okay. I'm so desperate, I'm willing to listen to your stupid ideas.

_Jeremie and Aelita sit somewhat apart in the freezer, hugging their knees close to their bodies. The room is still, with only their cold, visible breath giving the evidence of life. Jeremie turns to Aelita. There is an emptiness to her face that seems to have only one mission: endure. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, I'm so sorry.

_She doesn't answer. _

**Jeremie: **This is my fault. I got ourselves into this mess.

_No answer. _

**Jeremie: **I'm…..I'm sure help is coming soon. _He coughs a little bit. _Ulrich and Yumi are probably doing everything they can to save us.

_Distant gunshots ring out. The two perk their heads up. _

**Jeremie: **Probably warning shots…from both sides.

_Aelita closes her eyes. _

**Aelita: **We're surrounded.

**Jeremie: **Yes. We are. But we can't give up hope.

_Aelita turns away from him. Jeremie's expression deepens with despair. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, can't we talk?

**Aelita: **I thought we were talking.

**Jeremie: **You know what I'm talking about.

_Aelita turns to him. Amidst her present suffering, her cold body is able to generate enough scorn to make Jeremie's body temperature drop another half-degree. _

**Aelita: **No.

**Jeremie: **Aelita….._He touches her arm. She recoils, but Jeremie doesn't let up. _Aelita...please.

**Aelita: **Why do you want to talk about it now?

**Jeremie: **Because I can't take it anymore. I can't have it…..weighing on me any longer.

**Aelita: **Now…is not a good time.

_Pause. Jeremie shakes his head. _

**Jeremie: **No. Now is the perfect time…_He points to their surroundings. _We're not going anywhere.

_Aelita looks at him. For a moment, it seems like she might soften, but she quickly withdraws. _

**Aelita: **No.

_Shortly after a disheartened Jeremie turns his head, Aelita begins to shake violently. She cuddles up into herself. Her light workout clothes are letting the cold get to her. Jeremie turns to her with concern. When he turns away, he suddenly remembers that he is wearing a jacket. He pulls the blue cotton fabric, examining its texture. It's not much, but it's enough to keep Jeremie's body temperature at tolerable levels, at least for the moment. He sighs. He dreads parting with it, but he takes a deep breath and pulls the jacket off. A blast of cold air hits him as he throws the jacket onto the floor next to Aelita. She turns with surprise. Jeremie nods. _

**Jeremie: **Take it.

_She looks away. _

**Aelita: **No.

**Jeremie: **That wasn't an option.

**Aelita: **Keep it. I don't want it.

_Jeremie's cheeks burn with anger. He has had enough. When Aelita shivers again, he stands up and aggressively points at her. _

**Jeremie: **WILL YOU SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE ALREADY?

_Aelita is taken off guard. Jeremie fumes. _

**Jeremie: **I know you hate me. You have made that very clear. But you will wear that jacket. You will wear that jacket whether you like it or not. Do you understand me? PUT IT ON!

**Aelita: **…I...

**Jeremie: **I WON'T LET YOU KILL YOURSELF TO SPITE ME! SO STOP THE DRAMA AND PUT ON THE (EXPLETIVE) JACKET!

_After releasing all his frustration, Jeremie slowly begins to sit down. Aelita, almost mechanically, puts the jacket on. She huddles together and slowly starts to look better. On the other hand, Jeremie begins to look worse. But he bites his lip and presses on, strengthened by the slightest hope of reconciliation. At the same time in the Ice Sector, Yumi and Ulrich fly towards an unguarded activated tower on their vehicles. They brace themselves as they approach. _

**Ulrich: **Three…..two…..one….NOW!

_The two jump off and let their vehicles crash headlong into the tower. The vehicles explode and shake the tower to its core, causing a small earthquake as the pair make an uncomfortable landing. But the tower holds, and Yumi and Ulrich view their impossible obstacle with grave disappointment. _

**Yumi: **I should have known that wasn't going to work.

**Ulrich: **It was the only thing I could think of.

**Yumi: **Of course it was! No surprise there….

**Ulrich: **Hey, it was worth a try!

**Yumi: **No. It was STUPID!

**Ulrich: **Well I don't see you coming up with anything helpful!

**Yumi: **Oh right! Come up with something to deactivate a tower without Aelita…No problem!...Oh wait…..YOU CAN'T!

**Ulrich: **Oh shut up! At least I haven't given up Jeremie and Aelita for dead!

_Yumi's eyes shine with outrage. _

**Yumi: **How…dare….

_Odd's voice breaks through. _

**Odd: **Will you two lovebirds SHUT UP? This is not helping!

_He sits at the command chair, a nervous sweat on his face. He turns the chair away from the computer, looking in the direction of Kadic. He twiddles his fingers together nervously. He turns back around and talks into the earpiece. _

**Odd: **Both of you need to calm down and think about how to deal with this.

_Both become slightly ashamed. _

**Yumi: **Odd, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to-

**Odd: **We don't have time for apologies! _He balls his fist. _They're…..they're still in trouble. _He looks back at the screen. _Jeremie and_…..He swallows. _Aelita…need us.

**Ulrich: **He's right. But what can we do?

_Yumi observes the tower, scouring her mind for answers. _

**Yumi: **If only there was something more powerful than our vehicles exploding. A really powerful blast…One that Xana's megatanks used to make. That could work.

**Ulrich: **Yes, but we don't have any megatanks available.

**Odd: **Is there anything we have that could destroy it?

_Pause. Ulrich taps his foot against the ice. Yumi snaps her fingers. Her face brightens. _

**Yumi: **The Skid!

_Ulrich turns. His eyes widen. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, that's brilliant.

**Yumi: **The lasers on that thing could destroy that tower for sure!

**Ulrich: **It would be so simple. A few shots and that would be the end of it!

_Odd slams his fist onto the armrest. _

**Odd: **What are you waiting for! Get over to Sector 5!...I'll bring up the transporter orb.

_Yumi holds up her hand. _

**Yumi: **Hold on.

**Ulrich: **What's the matter?

**Yumi: **If both of us leave, the tower could become guarded while we're gone. If that happens, we might come back to a bad welcome party.

_Ulrich follows her logic. _

**Ulrich: **They could damage or even destroy the Skid. Or at least bog us down into a long fight.

**Odd: **Which is time we can't afford to waste.

_Yumi nods. _

**Yumi: **One of us will have to stay behind and guard the tower.

**Ulrich: **I will…You can go get the Skid.

**Yumi: **Okay. Sounds good to me. Just don't let Moriarty interfere.

_He gives her a soldier's salute. _

**Ulrich: **I'll stand my ground. No matter what it takes.

_She mockingly gives him another salute and then heads off toward the edge of the sector. Ulrich watches from a distance as the transporter orb Odd sent takes her away. Then he turns toward the glacier plain, watching the landscape for any enemy. Meanwhile, at Kadic, the students in Morairty's class are getting restless. One blonde-haired girl speaks up. _

**Lucie: **I can't take this anymore!

_Moriarty is still crouched near his desk. _

**Moriarty: **Miss Bouillon, please calm down.

**Lucie: **NO! WE ARE NEVER GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE!

**Moriarty: **Miss Bouillon, PLEASE!

**Lucie: **I want out! I want out!

**Moriarty: **If you don't stop, they'll hear you!

**Lucie: **I GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!

_Stalker enters with semi-automatic weapon in hand. The students cringe. _

**Stalker: **WHAT'S GOING ON?

_Terror chokes the room. The students whimper. _

**Stalker: **WELL?

_Moriarty begins to speak calmly toward his own secret slave. _

**Moriarty: **It was nothing. Just a little anxiety problem, that's all.

_Stalker turns to Moriarty. _

**Stalker: **Well keep them under control!

**Moriarty: **I….I will.

_When Stalker begins to walk out of the room, a cellphone rings. He turns around. The students prepare for the worst. No one answers it. _

**Stalker: **WHOSE PHONE IS THAT?

_No answer. The phone rings until it goes to voicemail. _

**Stalker: **Is someone trying to contact the outside?

_No answer. He aims his gun at the students. They all scream and cry. _

**Stalker: **WHOSE IS IT?

_He aims the gun at Hiroki and Johnny. They close their eyes. _

**Stalker: **Was it you two?

_A thoroughly outraged Moriarty "decides" to take action. Without warning, he hooks his legs around Stalker's feet and causes him to trip. Stalker goes down and drops his gun. Before he can reach it, Moriarty grabs the gun and beats him over the head with it a few times until he is out cold. Moriarty stands there breathing heavily as the class stares in absolute shock. _

**Hiroki: **THAT WAS SO COOL!

_A few whispers perforate through the classroom. Moriarty picks up the gun and cocks it. Silence. _

**Johnny: **Dr. Renard?

**Moriarty: **Stay here.

_He cautiously opens the door and views his surroundings. Then he slips into the hallway, ready to fight his own personal war. On Lyoko, Ulrich leans against the tower, almost nodding off from boredom. _

**Ulrich: **Odd, is she almost done?

**Odd: **Not exactly. Moriarty has rearranged Sector 5 a little. The Hanger is not in its original place.

**Ulrich: **Great.

**Odd: **Just stay there. She will find it eventually.

_To his right in the direction of an icy bluff dotted with curved icebergs, Ulrich feels like he can hear something. As he strains his ears, he begins to discern the flap of wings. His body tenses. Odd's warning comes almost too late. _

**Odd: **Ulrich….

_Three dark red energy fields barely miss Ulrich. A bat-wing creature lands close to him. _

**Dark Aelita: **Hello Ulrich.

**Ulrich: **You again.

**Dark Aelita: **Yes. I'm really disappointed you didn't stay in our ranks.

**Ulrich: **Sorry to disappoint you.

**Dark Aelita: **Oh it's nothing personal. But it looks like you could use some company.

_Ulrich laughs. He looks up to the sky. _

**Ulrich: **Is this the best you can throw at me, Moriarty?

**Dark Yumi: **No.

_Ulrich turns to see Dark Yumi rising from a crack in the ice using her telekinetic powers. She opens her fans. Ulrich backs up. He walks right into a shadowy mass behind him. He recoils, expecting Moriarty. But instead the smoky mass transforms into a half solid/half shadow version of William. His costume is all black, and his face looks more evil than it did under Xana. His sword displays the purple Moriarty insignia. _

**Dark William: **Going anywhere?

_The three close in, doing their best to intimidate Ulrich. _

**Dark Aelita: **Is this enough for you to handle, or should we throw some more at you?

_Ulrich hardens his face into expressionless steel. _

**Dark William: **We'll be taking that tower now.

**Dark Yumi: **Our master would hate to have any interrumptions.

_The enemies laugh. Ulrich's senses heighten as he waits for one of them to make a move. _

**Odd: **Ulrich, Yumi still needs more time. You need to fight this one out.

_Ulrich's face is blank. _

**Odd: **Ulrich?

_Ulrich draws his sabers. He regards his opponents with reckless defiance. _

**Ulrich: **On ne passé pas!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever owned Code Lyoko. All characters and themes belong to Moonscoop….Except Moriarty…that belongs to me. And Natalya….she is my own creation…..And Benoit….And Christophe and Emmanuel since the writers decided not to do anything with them…And Rosaire, can't forget that one.…And the idea to include psychological torture…..that belongs to me too. Actually a lot of these are my own ideas, but still…..credit where credit is due. **

**Part 23 **

_William continues to crouch underneath the science desk. He tries to withdraw within himself, shutting out the chaos of the other students freaking out around him. Some say they are going to die. Some call quietly for their mothers. A few merely cry. After a while, he can sense someone scooting up next to him. He partially opens his left eye to see Natalya sitting next to him. _

**Natalya: **Hey.

**William: **Hey.

_Awkward pause. _

**Natalya: **Mind if I sit here?

**William: **Go right ahead. _He stares off into space. _Doesn't really make a difference.

**Natalya: **Hmm…..I would have to disagree.

**William: **Why?

**Natalya: **Because right now, you are the only one in this room who doesn't seem to be losing his mind.

_William shrugs after this matter-of-fact statement. _

**William: **And I'm guessing you wanted to get away from that.

**Natalya: **You have no idea…..there's nothing worse than a crowded room full of panicked people.

_William looks at her inquisitively _

**William: **And you would know?

_Natalya turns to him. She curls her hair with her index finger and starts talking. _

**Natalya: **When I was pretty little, in my hometown of St. Petersburg, my mother and I were held hostage by gunmen in a bank…along with a bunch of other people. We were trapped there for several hours….and the people started to get pretty ansty. _She stops talking, nervously tapping her fingers on the floor. _

**William: **…..And now you're reliving it…

**Natalya: **Yes. But it was the hostages who scared me, not the gunmen.

**William: **And why is that?

_She is quiet for a moment, then changes the subject. _

**Natalya: **I hope the police figure this one out soon.

_William observes her blank expression for a moment. _

**William: **We all do.

**Natalya: **May I ask you a question?

**William: **Sure.

**Natalya: **This is kind of embarrassing…

**William: **Tell me.

**Natalya: **What's your name?

**William: **William. _He gives her a strange look. _How is that embarrassing?

_Natalya stammers for a moment. _

**Natalya: **It's just that, I probably should have known your name by now. I've seen you around so often.

**William: **Well, it's no big deal. You know now.

**Natalya: **And do you know my name?

**William: **Yes Natalya, I know your name.

**Natalya: **We haven't officially met till now. How do you know my name?

**William: **Oh, I've just heard some people mention you before.

_Natalya looks away. _

**Natalya: **Is my name the only thing they mention about me?

_William becomes slightly uncomfortable. _

**William: **Not exactly….

_Awkward pause again. The two focus in opposite directions. _

**Natalya: **Can I ask you another question, William?

**William: **Sure.

**Natalya: **How come you are so calm?

_William considers his response carefully. _

**William: **Perhaps I know freaking out won't help me get out of this.

_Natalya smiles and points at him. _

**Natalya: **Why do I have the feeling you know more than you say?

**William: **I don't know, why do you?

**Natalya: **Because I dated a lot of Russian guys. And though Russian guys, as a general rule, usually lack in the brains department, they are expert liars. So a Russian girl has to be good at telling when a guy is lying or not. And you William, are a terrible liar.

_William avoids her gaze. _

**Natalya: **Well?

**William: **Let's just say…..I know help is on the way.

_Natalya rolls her eyes. _

**Natalya: **You are going to have to do better than that.

**William: **Sorry. That's the best you are going to get.

_William expects her to get angry, but Natalya just stares, regarding her companion with slight curiosity. _

**Natalya: **Okay William, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But I always find out, one way or another.

_Skinhead enters the room to check on the students. Everyone immediately goes silent. His boots clomp against the floor. When he passes William and Natalya, he views William with contempt. William braces himself, and Natalya digs her fingers into the wood of the desk. But Skinhead passes them without incident and leaves the room. There is a small but collective sigh of relief. _

**Natalya: **Glad that's over.

**William: **Me too, I- _He begins to feel dizzy. He holds his head. _

**Natalya: **William?

_The old, familiar voice comes back. _

**Xana: **Slave….

_William talks back to him in his thoughts. _

**William: **Your timing never ceases to amaze me.

**Xana: **Silence! This is no time for that putrid human concoction you call 'humor'.

**William: **What do you want now?

**Xana: **My survival. Which unfortunately implies YOUR survival.

**William: **Oh that must be painful for you.

**Xana: **Silence! We must escape. It's only a matter of time before these humans under the enemy's control extinguish your life.

**William: **How do you know they want to kill me?

**Xana: **You are one of Moriarty's chief opponents, are you not? Wouldn't extermination be his natural motive?

**William: **Clearly you still don't understand much about him.

**Xana: **Silence! We must escape.

**William: **That's great….but how?

**Xana: **A distraction would be the logical conclusion.

**William: **What kind of distraction?

**Xana: **The human element in this room should be sufficient.

_William looks around at the cluster of scared people around him through his half-lucid state. Natalya keeps asking if he is okay. William holds up his hand to answer her question in the affirmative, but she isn't convinced. _

**William: **Would this distraction involve some people in this room being killed?

**Xana: **What is that to me? You want to live, do you not?

**William: **Sorry, wrong answer. Not going to happen.

_Xana screams in protest, but William eventually shuts him out of his mind. He looks up at Natalya. _

**Natalya: **Mind telling me where you went?

**William: **Um….

**Natalya: **Don't forget what I said earlier about lying…

**William: **Then I'm just going to stay quiet.

**Natalya: **You don't like talking about yourself, do you?

_William doesn't say anything but gives her a guilty smile. At the desk across from them, Christophe and Emmanuel hide. Emmanuel angrily taps his fingers against the floor. After a few minutes, Christophe raises his head. _

**Christophe: **Would you please stop that?

**Emmanuel: **Well, what else am I supposed to do?

**Christophe: **I don't know. But not annoying me would be nice.

_Emmanuel grunts. Quiet rage works its way through him. _

**Emmanuel: **These people make me sick.

**Christophe: **They are sick.

**Emmanuel: **I can't believe they were able to take over most of our school and keep us caged like rats.

**Christophe: **Yes, but they are the ones with the guns, so if I were you, I'd keep that to myself.

_The two are quiet for a while. Emmanuel absentmindedly reaches into his pockets. There is an eerie coldness to his glare. _

**Emmanuel: **If only we could…turn the tables.

**Christophe: **What are you talki-?

_The last part is cut off when Christophe sees what's in Emmanuel's hands. His eyes widen when he sees Emmanuel playing with a Swiss army knife. The knife has a long and elegantly sharp blade with a black handle. Christophe scoots away a little. _

**Christophe: **Are you out of your mind?

_Emmanuel puts a finger over his mouth and tells Christophe to shut up. Christophe points at the knife. _

**Christophe: **Put that away! You're going to get yourself killed!

**Emmanuel: **Alright, alright!

_He puts it away. _

**Christophe: **What the hell are you doing with a knife anyway?

_Emmanuel shrugs. _

**Christophe: **You could get expelled for that!

**Emmanuel: **Oh don't be so dramatic. _He takes it out again, running his index finger down the blunt side of the blade. He smiles. _A little self defense never hurt anyone.

_Christophe remains uneasy after Emmanuel finally puts it away. Back on Lyoko, Ulrich keeps his sabers primed in defensive stance as the dark warriors begin to make their move. His hands tighten around the blades and his eyes move back and forth a thousand miles an hour, waiting for the inevitable. For a moment, there is complete stillness. Then Dark William roars and goes on the attack. Ulrich flips into the air right before the sword comes down onto his head. When the blade digs into the ice, Ulrich springboards off of it, cutting Dark William across the shoulder as he lands a few feet away. Dark William lets out a deep moan. Ulrich gets up just in time to deflect a barrage of fans and energy fields. His hands work with immaculate clockwork, skillfully blocking every attack. While Dark Yumi's fans return to her, Dark Aelita makes a beeline for Ulrich, flying close to the ground. As the same time, William's dark shadow closes in. Ulrich lowers his knees. _

**Ulrich: **Wait for it…

_The two come within fifteen meters of him. Dark Aelita creates an energy field. _

**Ulrich: **NOW!

_He jumps up right before the two can strike him. Dark Aelita and William slam into each other. While Ulrich is still in midair, he flings one of his sabers at Dark Yumi like a madman. The sword makes a perfect path toward her face, but Dark Yumi catches the blade in her hands. A wicked smile lights up her red eyes. She begins to attack him with his own saber, beginning a fast-paced duel. Ulrich can see out of the corner of his eye that Dark Aelita and William are getting out of their daze. Dark Aelita is aiming an energy field and William is charging up his sword. Ulrich purposely backs up, bringing Dark Yumi closer to the other two. Ulrich's hyperactive senses are on full alert, listening for the precise moment the other two attack. The instant the blast is release, Ulrich ducks. Dark Yumi has just enough time to create a telekinetic wall before the shockwave throws her back twenty feet. She furiously gets up. _

**Dark Yumi: **YOU IDIOTS! ATTACK HIM, NOT ME!

_As the three close in again, Ulrich super sprints into a triangle. Dark William tries to approach. Dark Yumi holds out her hand. _

**Dark Yumi: **Wait…..not yet…

_The triangle moves faster and faster, until the point where Ulrich is just a blinding light. When the sound of his speed has become deafeningly high, the three Ulrichs leap forward and attack. A three-on-three brawl begins. One Ulrich duels Dark William. The other two enterain Dark Yumi and Aelita, dodging their attacks and then going on the offensive. But the battle does not go well for Ulrich. Dark William's combination of brutal strikes and smoke maneuvers prove too much for his Ulrich counterpart. A single misstep leads the first Ulrich into a welcoming sword. Dark Yumi throws her fans at diagonal angles, cutting through the air towards Ulrich's body. Ulrich blocks them and charges toward a supposedly defenseless Dark Yumi. But Dark Yumi uses her telekinesis to redirect one of her fans to come up right behind Ulrich. The second Ulrich is destroyed before he can touch her. Only Dark Aelita's opponent remains. Dark Aelita gives up trying to hit Ulrich with energy fields and decides to use Lyoko to her advantage. Ice begins to crawl up Ulrich's legs. When he tries to use his sabers to break it, Dark Yumi uses her powers to rip them out of his hands. Dark William extends two smoky arms that grab onto Ulrich's shoulders and pull back Ulrich's upper torso at an oblique angle from his frozen lower half. He is helpless and has become a wide open target. Yumi extends her fans. _

**Dark Yumi: **That's it…..hold still.

**Ulrich: **NO! NOT NOW!

**Dark William: **Oh yes…..now.

**Dark Aelita: **This has been fun Ulrich…

**Dark Yumi: **But now it's time to stop. We have to get ready to ambush Yumi…..and throw her into the digital sea.

_A fire returns to Ulrich's eyes as Dark Yumi prepares to finish him. He struggles against his restraints with all his might, letting out a powerful cry of sheer determination. Cracks form in his icy restraints. _

_Within their icy prison, Jeremie and Aelita try to exert themselves to keep their body temperatures up. Aelita does some crunches while Jeremie resorts to jogging in place. But they are starting to feel tired and weak. Aelita shivers. _

**Aelita: **This….this isn't wo…working.

_Jeremie doesn't respond for a moment. He wipes his foggy glasses to keep them clear. He puts them on and eyes his jacket on Aelita with barely constrained envy. He bites his lip and remembers that it was his duty to help her. _

**Jeremie: **If you start working out too much, you'll sweat. And if you start to sweat in this room…

**Aelita: **…..Then the sweat will freeze. And then we'd really be in trouble.

_He rubs his hands together and breathes deeply. _

**Jeremie: **We need to….to think of some other way to k…ke..ke..keep warm.

**Aelita: **Any ideas?

_Jeremie thinks for a moment. He quickly comes upon an idea that makes his cheeks hot despite the cold temperature in the room. Aelita waits with annoyance. _

**Aelita: **Well?

**Jeremie: **I….have an idea.

**Aelita: **And?

**Jeremie: **…..Fo..fo..forget it. You are not going to like it.

**Aelita: **I…I…dah – don't care. I want to get warm. Tell me your idea.

_Jeremie scratches the back of his neck. _

**Jeremie: **Well, it's a proven fact that people can prevent hypothermia by ….sha…sharing body heat…..if you know what I mean.

_Aelita stops shivering and gives him a hateful glare for being so bold with her. Jeremie backs up and cringes, expecting the worst. But Aelita merely sits down and faces away from him, hugging Jeremie's jacket close to her. _

**Aelita: **You were right. I don't like it.

_Jeremie coughs. A deep pain erupts in his chest. He can't tell if it is the pain of an approaching infection or the deeper pain of her words. He lowers his head and begins to slink away. As he walks to the other side of the room, he notices his reflection on one of the shiny metal shelves in the room. The boy in the mirror is scared, cold, and ashamed. Jeremie's face contorts in anguish. He feels incapable of sinking any lower. But after a few condensed breaths escape from his lips, he looks back at his reflection and composes himself. Two words run through his head: No more. He turns to Aelita and speaks to her in a calm but forceful tone. _

**Jeremie: **Fine. I respect your decision.

_A brief pause. _

**Jeremie: **Of course you know, your d..dah-decision ma—means death. For both of us.

_No movement on her end. _

**Jeremie: **I'm not sure if we have a chance if we huddle together, but we certainly deh..da.. don't if we don't do it.

_Her body tenses. _

**Jeremie: **I c…ca..can't blame you after all. That probably sounds better to you than death.

_He throws up his hands. His body is freezing, but he keeps going, not allowing the cold to make him stutter. _

**Jeremie: **After all, who would want to cuddle up with the youngest megalomaniac in human history?...No one. And certainly not the poor girl who could only watch as her significant other drove himself to the unthinkable. No. To assume that would be nothing but insanity. And I know insanity.

_Jeremie's words haunt Aelita, but she continues to listen in spite of herself. _

**Jeremie: **How could he blame he for falling into the arms of another?...He couldn't. He has no excuse. He deserves nothing from her. _He shakes his head. _And even if that megalomaniac was redeemed by her and became drowned by guilt…..even if he promised to reform himself and NEVER, EVER do that again…..even if he swore to protect the world he came so close to destroying…..even if he defeated the greatest enemy to mankind and lived a completely upright life afterwards…how could she ever look at him the same way again?

_Tears come from his eyes. They quickly start to freeze. _

**Jeremie: **And you know what's funny? He did it out of fear…..paranoia…..Though he knows in his heart he has no excuse…..the truth is that he was so wrapped up in the colossal weight of a world's freedom balancing on his shoulders, so frustrated to the point of madness with his lack of progress, so terrified by the visions that his enemy gave him, so hopelessly… _He closes his eyes…_.hopelessly alone…that he just couldn't take it. He was –though he tried not to be—human. And that human was broken….Utterly…and completely broken.

_He looks at the ceiling. The dim lights of the freezer fill his streams of tears with blue light. _

**Jeremie: **He slipped into an abyss, encased in a dark, paralyzed coma. And he woke to find the bloody stain of guilt covering him and the world burning from his wake.

_He goes to his knees. _

**Jeremie: **And the worst….worst truth of all in this story….is that I am that boy. I am the boy who was broken. Who nearly took over the world at the age of fifteen. And what did I get for it? Oddly enough, Moriarty was weakened. His spheres were nearly wiped out. He lost so much power that could have been used taking over the world's nuclear weapons. And now he is using a lot of energy maintaining a semi-human form just to exasperate us. He lost time. Which means I got what I wanted. I gained us time…But at what cost?

_Aelita is crying now, softly. _

**Jeremie: **Now we are going to die. From a situation that is once again my fault…_He looks at the floor. _I'm not religious…but if a hell exists…..I know there is a pit waiting for me. _He looks back at Aelita. _Not that you would have to worry about that.

_Her crying gets a little louder. _

**Jeremie: **All in all, the true irony of this story is that in an effort to save the world, I lost what was most important to me in it.

_He sits down away from her. _

**Jeremie: **I don't expect you to forgive me with that. But I thought you needed to hear it.

_Her sobs become very vocal now. When it gets louder, Jeremie looks up in wonder. Aelita turns to him, her eyes full of frosty tears. _

**Aelita: **You….you left one part out of the story…

**Jeremie: **What are you talking about?

**Aelita: **….The part where the girl abandons the boy and allows him to become a megalomaniac.

_Jeremie's eyes widen. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, you can't blame that on—

**Aelita: **…..The part where the girl abandons the boy she loves to get over the guilt of something else she screwed up.

**Jeremie: **Aelita…..

**Aelita: **Everything I touch…..is destroyed. Odd, my father,…..and you. I failed to save you. I failed ALL of you.

_Jeremie tries to interrupt but Aelita continues. _

**Aelita: **Now my father is dead, Odd is slowly falling apart from PTSD and is crushed by guilt from hurting you when I didn't care less, and you are going to freeze to death.

_Aelita's look hardens. _

**Aelita: **I hated you. I hated you with a passion. I hated you for killing the Jeremie that I cared about. And coming and back and trying to pretend that he never died.

_The pain comes back to Jeremie's chest. _

**Aelita: **I opened the door wide open for Moriarty to exploit you. I abandoned you when you needed me most. And I hated you for the consequences.

**Jeremie: **Aelita…..I think you're forgetting who really did the damage here—

_She shouts in rage. _

**Aelita: **I HAVEN'T! HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? YOU IDIOT! IDIOT! HOW COULD YOU?...HOW?….._She slams her fists onto the floor. _How could I?

_Jeremie retreats to the edge of the room, feeling he has done enough to hurt Aelita to last a hundred lifetimes. He curls up and resolves himself to the inevitable. But a few moments later he feels two arms wrap around his abdomen. He turns to see Aelita laying against his shoulder. _

**Aelita: **No more guilt.

_A surprised Jeremie slowly wraps his arms around her. The two get close together. _

**Jeremie: **No more guilt.

_Two hundred meters or so away, Moriarty comes up to a staircase. He sees one possessed gunman guarding the area. Moriarty aims from the top of the staircase. He fires. Outside, the officers become alarmed. _

**Police Officer 1: **Have they started shooting?

**Police Officer 2: **That wasn't directed at us. It's coming from inside the building!

_Benoit rushes up to the front of the line. _

**Benoit: **Are they executing the hostages?

_Officer 1 gets the binoculars. _

**Police Officer 1: **Most of the students can be seen from the windows. And all of them seem to be alive.

**Police Officer 2: **Chief, should we move in?

_Benoit hesitates, cursing under his breath and holding his breath. _

**Benoit: **Have you heard any more shooting?

**Police Officer 1: **No sir. Just one shot.

**Benoit: **And do you know where exactly it came from?

**Police Officer 1: **I'm not positive, but it didn't seem to be coming from any of the classrooms that we can see from the windows.

**Police Officer 2: **Chief, what do you want us to do?

_Benoit wracks his brain, trying to make a decision. He exhales deeply. _

**Benoit: **I really hope I don't regret this, but let's not move in yet. We don't know what's going on in there, and I'm not going to cause needless deaths just because of suspicion.

**Police Officer 2: **But sir…

**Benoit: **We don't know, we don't go in. Got it?

**Police Officer 2: **Yes sir.

_As Dark Yumi prepares to finish him off, Ulrich uses all of his strength to break the ice around his legs. The cracks get wider. As soon as Dark Yumi unleashes her fans, Ulrich's icy bondage breaks. Dark William's smoky arms that were pulling Ulrich's upper torso towards him now unintentionally yank Ulrich in his direction. Ulrich uses the momentum to backflip over Dark William. The fans go beneath Ulrich and destroy Dark William before he has a chance to react. He dissolves into smoke. A furious Dark Aelita fires several energy fields at him. He ducks and rolls toward her. Using his forearms as a launching pad, he knocks Dark Aelita down with a powerful midair kick. He immediately heads for his sabers, which are lying on the ground a few meters away from him. Dark Yumi throws her fans again. Ulrich jumps to avoid it, but one fan cuts across his stomach. He falls down and picks up his sabers, doing his best to fight the female shades at the same time. _

**Ulrich: **Odd, how many lifepoints do I have left?

_No response. _

**Ulrich: **Odd, are you there?

_Still nothing. _

**Ulrich: **Odd, ANSWER ME!

_The command chair in the lab room is empty. Odd stands at the entrance to the factory, looking at the outside world with trepidation. His skin is very pale as he peers out into this vast and intimidating land of insecurity. He balls his fists. _

**Odd: **Come on Odd, stop being a coward, Aelita and Jeremie need you.

_He tries to move forward, but his legs are shaking. _

**Odd: **You have to at least try to save them. You can't sit here and do nothing.

_The sounds of traffic and urban life suddenly increase. Odd backs up. Now the rest of his body is shaking as well. _

**Odd: ** Now is not the time to be afraid. I….I have to do this.

_With great reluctance, he tries to take a few steps outside the safety of the factory. Every step onto the bridge increases his heart rate and fear. Though he tries to ignore it as best he can, his body starts to go into panic mode. He begins to hyperventilate. Once he gets a meter away from the sewer cover, he can take it no longer. His instinct makes him fly back to the sanctuary of the factory. He tries to regain control and leans against the factory walls, completely dejected by his own failure. _

**Odd: **I can't…..I can't…..Aelita forgive me. I can't do it.

_He punches the wall and stands there, wallowing in misery. _

_Jeremie and Aelita continue to wait in the freezer. Their reconciliation has helped warm them, but it cannot last forever. They are shaking violently and hold on to each for dear life…..literally. They talk to keep their minds alert. _

**Jeremie: **Portugal?

**Aelita: **….Lisbon.

**Jeremie: **Sweden?

**Aelita: **Stockholm.

**Jeremie: **Libya?

**Aelita: **Tripoli.

**Jeremie: **Uruguay?

_Aelita falters, holding her head. She seems dazed. _

**Aelita: **Mon…..Mountain…I…forget.

**Jeremie: **Montevideo.

**Aelita: **Right. I knew that.

**Jeremie: **Stay with me Aelita…_He leans over, becoming more fatigued every minute. His lips and fingers are beginning to look blue, and his skin is deathly pale. _Got to s…st.t..stay with me.

_Aelita shakes his arm. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie!

**Jeremie: **I'm…I'm fine.

**Aelita: **Ok. It's my time to quiz you.

_Jeremie rubs his eyes. He seems almost drunk with cold. _

**Jeremie: **Ok Aelita….give it to me.

**Aelita: **Name the noble gases.

**Jeremie: **Helium, Argon,…..Krypta…..Krypton, Neon, Xenon, and …..Oxygen.

_Aelita becomes very concerned. _

**Aelita: **No Jeremie. The last one is Radon, not oxygen. You know that.

**Jeremie: **Right…..right….it must have slipped my mind.

_Aelita shivers with fear. She presses Jeremie more earnestly. _

**Aelita: **What are Newton's Laws of Motion?

_Jeremie squints his eyes, trying to break through his mental stupor. _

**Jeremie: ** The first one says an object at rest will remain at rest unless….unless acted upon by…

_He begins to drift off. Aelita shakes him violently. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie wake up!

_He tries to push her away. _

**Jeremie: **I'm alright…..just let me rest….let me rest for a little bit.

**Aelita: **NO! You can't sleep now Jeremie! You have to stay alert, you understand? You have to stay awake or….or else….

_Aelita starts to become more desperate. Jeremie turns to her. He is alert, but he seems very confused. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita….

**Aelita: **Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **I think my work on your antivirus is almost complete. Just a few more days and I…._He smiles with an unusual expression of peace on his frozen face_...and it should be done.

_An unnatural chill goes through Aelita's spine. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, my virus was removed a long time ago, remember?

**Jeremie: **We have to keep going Aelita…..we can't allow Xana to win.

_Aelita becomes terrified. She slaps him. _

**Aelita: **JEREMIE SNAP OUT OF IT! STAY WITH ME!

**Jeremie: **I'm okay Aelita….really. I'm just so tired.

_Aelita takes off Jeremie's jacket and thrusts it into his hands. _

**Aelita: **TAKE IT! HURRY UP AND PUT THIS ON!

**Jeremie: **NO!

**Aelita: **JEREMIE, IF YOU DON'T PUT IT ON YOU'LL DIE!

**Jeremie: **I don't need it! I'm warm actually. It's getting too hot in here.

_Aelita watches in horror as Jeremie tries to take his shirt off. He's become completely delusional and irrational. Aelita jumps onto him and does her best to keep him from taking off layers. _

**Jeremie: **Let me go! I'M BURNING UP IN HERE!

**Aelita: **NO! I'M NOT LETTING GO! Not again!

_Aelita continues to hold on, hoping and praying with all her strength for rescue. The fight on Lyoko has evolved into a hectic ballet between Dark Yumi and Ulrich. Sword and fan strike and dodge with the movements of the other. Meanwhile Dark Aelita flies overhead, hovering as she waits for the right moment to strike. Ulrich keeps Dark Aelita in his sights. He knows Dark Yumi is serving as a distraction for him and he can't allow himself to fall for it. As the fight continues to be evenhanded, Dark Aelita grows impatient. She hisses and swoops down without warning. Ulrich reacts quickly. He grabs Dark Yumi's wrist and takes her legs out from under her, removing her as the immediate threat. He then jumps and slashes in the air, cutting Dark Aelita in half before she can release her energy field. Ulrich lands on the ground and turns, eyes aflame with determination as he regards his final opponent. Dark Yumi gets up and brushes herself off. She smiles and laughs in a dark, seductive tone. _

**Dark Yumi: **You…are hard to kill.

**Ulrich: **I was about to tell you the same thing.

_She grins. _

**Dark Yumi: **A little pointless, don't you think? No matter who wins here, no one is really defeated. Either I send you back to Earth, or you force me to take time to regenerate. Both of us come back to fight again, and so on. Endless stalemate.

**Ulrich: **Maybe, but it's not pointless to me.

**Dark Yumi: **And why is that?

_Ulrich's sword grip tightens. _

**Ulrich: **Because if I let you delay Yumi, Aelita and Jeremie will die.

**Dark Yumi: **Oh that's right. No wonder you fight with such…..tenacity.

**Ulrich: **You got that right.

**Dark Yumi: **Which will make failure all the more difficult.

**Ulrich: **That's not happening. _He bends his knees. _Get ready to join the others.

**Dark Yumi: **Oh, can you really find it in your heart to hurt me? _She licks her lips. _Something tells me you'd rather be doing something else with me instead.

_Ulrich cringes. _

**Ulrich: **You're out of your mind.

**Dark Yumi: **You know, technically it wouldn't be cheating.

**Ulrich: **And technically that makes me sick. Forget it. I'm not William.

**Dark Yumi: **Oh so you're still mad about that?

_Ulrich launches a saber at her face, which Dark Yumi barely avoids. It lands in the ice several meters away. _

**Dark Yumi: **I'll take that as a yes.

_Her entire body glows. With a simple raising of her hands, three icebergs rise to her will. They spin around her body, ready to move at a moment's notice. Ulrich keeps his saber close to his side. She snaps her fingers and the icebergs come at him all at once. Ulrich charges forward. He cuts the first iceberg in half. He leaps to avoid the second, but it manages to scrape across his side. The third slams straight into him and he collapses. His saber drops from his hand. Dark Yumi throws one of her fans at a seemingly weak Ulrich, but he surprisingly catches the fan and throws it back at her. It grazes her shoulder. She burns with rage. _

**Dark Yumi: **Big mistake!

_Her boot connects to the icy floor and unleashes a shockwave. It blows Ulrich back onto the ground. He rises to see Dark Yumi facing him with her fists clenched. Knuckles explode into his face. Ulrich wobbles backward, only to suffer through a stinging barrage of blows that seem to connect to his body all at once. Ulrich tries to fight back, but he is disoriented and Dark Yumi is quick. His stomach implodes from a final, brutal kick. Ulrich goes back to the ice, unable to move. The fight has been drained from him. He soon feels his body being picked up. Dark Yumi knocks a hole in the ice wall, revealing the digital sea below. She holds him above the opening. Ulrich finds himself unable to struggle against her grip. _

**Dark Yumi: **Well I have to say, as far as last stands go, you don't disappoint.

_Ulrich scowls at her. _

**Dark Yumi: **I guess there really is an end to this...And this time Moriarty isn't going to save you…

_She winks at him, reveling in this moment. _

**Dark Yumi: **Goodbye.

_Before Dark Yumi can finish him, blue lasers explode around her feet. Ulrich and Dark Yumi turn to see the Skid in attack mode. Yumi sits at the controls. _

**Yumi: **Drop him.

_Ulrich turns to Yumi in horror. Dark Yumi smiles. _

**Dark Yumi: **If you insist….

_She lets him go. Ulrich falls. _

**Yumi: **No!

_Ulrich is able to hold onto the ice, but just barely. He dangles there, trying his best to hold on. Dark Yumi hisses and leaps onto the Skid. She stands right in front of Yumi, with her fan ready to chop at the Skid's hardwiring. Yumi glares at her with hate. _

**Dark Yumi: **The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

_Yumi makes the Skid spin 360 degrees. Dark Yumi is knocked off. She turns around to see the Skid aiming at her. _

**Yumi: **Not today.

_A single torpedo blows her to bits. Yumi gazes at the black mark on the ice with triumph. But it is cut short by Ulrich's cries for help. He is about to fall. She quickly energizes out of the Skid and rushes to his side. As Ulrich's fingers slip, Yumi grabs him and slowly helps him up. Ulrich turns to her. _

**Ulrich: **Drop him?

_Yumi scratches her head. _

**Yumi: **Perhaps I could have worded that better.

**Ulrich: **No kidding.

_He lays down, staring blankly at the_ _sky. _

**Yumi: **Are you alright?

**Ulrich: **Oh sure. I only faced three Moriarty warriors at once while you took your precious time. No big deal.

**Yumi: **Hey, it wasn't a cake walk on my end!

**Ulrich: **Whatever…._He rests a moment. Then his eyes widen. _Yumi, the tower!

**Yumi: **Oh my God! How could I have…..I'm so stupid!

_She gets back into the Skid and turns it to face the tower. The merciless barrage begins. At Kadic, the tense air of the siege suddenly erupts into chaos by the sound of gunfire coming inside. This time it is not a single shot. Benoit waves his hand forward with pistol in hand. _

**Benoit: **MOVE! MOVE! WE'RE NOT WAITING ANYMORE!

_The entire army of officers converges on the courtyard. They expect shots from the windows, but surprisingly none comes. They approach a large double-door entrance to the academic building and wait on either side. _

**Benoit: **BUST IT DOWN!

_Before the special tactics unit knocks down the door, it suddenly opens. Guns are immediately drawn. To everyone's surprise, the gunman to exit the building is Moriarty. He drops his weapon and puts his hands up, clearly taken aback by this amount of force around him. He smiles. Benoit signals his men to lower their weapons. He looks at Moriarty, completely confused. _

**Benoit: **You….you're a…..teacher.

**Moriarty: **Yes. Yes I am. Dr. Sebastién Renard, if you must know. Why do you ask?

_Benoit's face is blank. He tries to look behind Moriarty. _

**Benoit: **How did you?...Where are the escapees?

_Moriarty ponders the question for a short gleeful moment. _

**Moriarty: **Oh….they're inside…..But don't worry…they're not going anywhere.

_Benoit walks past Moriarty into a large room with a staircase to his left and the auditorium to his right. He stops cold. _

**Benoit: **My God…

_The staircase and floor are littered with the bloody bodies of the dead gunmen. The other officers can't believe their eyes. _

**Moriarty: **Is it safe for the students to come out now? I think I got all of them.

_Benoit turns to Moriarty. He hold his head for a moment. _

**Benoit: **Who…who are you?

_Moriarty gives him an innocent shrug. _

**Moriarty: **I told you. My name is Dr. Sebastién Renard. And I am a history teacher here at Kadic.

_Icicles have formed around Jeremie's nose. A few scattered and icy breaths come out of his mouth. Frost spreads all over his glasses. His body begins to go limp in Aelita's arms. He is fading fast, and Aelita is not doing much better. _

**Aelita: **Please…please stay awake.

_Jeremie doesn't respond. A tear that quickly becomes frozen flows down Aelita's face. _

**Aelita: **Please…..please…..

_Sharp voices come from outside. Aelita barely has the strength to lift her head. _

**Police Officer 1: **Here! They're in here!

_The door is kicked down. The officers immediately realize the gravity of the situation. _

**Police Officer 2: **GET THEM OUT OF HERE! These kids have severe hypothermia!

_The officers literally pick up these weak dolls and bring them into the kitchen. After laying them down next to the cafeteria line, the officers move anxiously around, unsure what to do. They take off their jackets and place them over the freezing pair, but it's clearly not enough. _

**Police Officer 1: **We need blankets!

**Police Officer 3: **There aren't any here.

**Police Officer 1: **THEN GO GET SOME! This is a boarding school! There has to blankets somewhere!

_The officer nods and runs outside. Officer 1 points to the kitchen stove and motions to Officer 2. _

**Police Officer 1: **Turn all of those on full blast! Warming up this room may be their only chance.

**Police Officer 2: **Should I turn on the oven and open it?

**Police Officer 1: **Yes! Do what you have to do until the paramedics arrive.

_The sound of boots comes into the cafeteria. Officer 1 turns. _

**Police Officer 1: **Chief…

_He points out Aelita and Jeremie's desperate situation. Benoit gets out his handheld radio. _

**Benoit: **Get an ambulance over here….now.

_Officer 2 examines Jeremie. _

**Police Officer 2: **Chief, this kid's in serious trouble!

_Officer 3 rushes back in. _

**Police Officer 3: **I have blankets!

_They begin to smother the two with them. Benoit watches over the affair, giving orders on how to care for them but showing no signs of emotion. The officers start to pay special attention to Jeremie. _

**Police Officer 2: **He's going to freeze to death!

**Benoit: **No he's not! Keep him close to the oven and make sure he keeps breathing!

_A weak Aelita tries to approach Jeremie. Officer 1 holds him back. _

**Police Officer 1: **Take it easy. You need to stay here and get warm.

**Aelita: **No….please…I need to be with him.

**Police Officer 1: **Your friend's going to be okay. Do you hear me? _His voice becomes strained. _He's going to be okay.

**Aelita: **I….I can't let it end like this.

_She bends forward towards Jeremie. Officer 1 holds her back again. Freshly hot tears burn the freezing skin on her face. _

**Aelita: **I….I want another chance. Can you hear me Jeremie?..._She loses her voice as she watches Jeremie's life hang in the balance. _I want another chance….for us.

_The tower explodes, devirtualizing as the base is destroyed. Yumi and Ulrich breathe a sigh of relief. At the same time, the special tactics forces enter the science building. They find Skinhead and Ugly lying unconscious on the ground. They open classroom doors. Some of the girls in Ms. Hertz's class scream when they enter. But they quickly understand that they don't have to worry anymore. Ms. Hertz finally wakes up. _

**Ms. Hertz: **May I ask why there are several armed gentleman interrupting my class?

_They ignore this confused science teacher's comment. The students try to collect themselves and slowly exit the classroom. Natalya and William get up. _

**Natalya: **Ugh. Please tell me I never have to do that again.

**William: **You'll never have to do that again.

_She rolls her eyes. _

**Natalya: **You're lying again….._She looks out the window. _Well, at least no one got hurt.

_William and Natalya notice an ambulance pulling into the front entrance with their view from the window. _

**Natalya: **…..I spoke too soon.

_William's hands dig into the marble science tables until they turn white. _

**William: **No…..please no.

_He runs outside the classroom. Natalya watches him leave. _

**Natalya: **William?

_By the time Ulrich and Yumi have exited the elevator into the lab room, a helpless Odd is already resting his head against the keyboard of the computer. They slowly approach him. _

**Ulrich: **Heard anything?

**Odd: **No…..nothing.

**Yumi: **Well, it has to have worked. The tower is gone. The police must have saved Aelita and Jeremie right now. They know they're in there.

_Odd's cellphone rings. He grabs it like a madman. _

**Odd: **Hello?

_William is on the other end, standing in the courtyard as Jeremie and Aelita are huddled into ambulances. A small crowd gathers around. _

**Delmas: **Students please, let the paramedics do their job!

**Jim: **Go to your rooms! I know this has been a crazy day but this is no time to gawk and stare.

**William: **Odd, we need a return to the past….now.

**Odd: **What's wrong? Are Aelita and Jeremie hurt?

_William swallows and watches as the ambulances pull away. _

**William: **They're on their way to the hospital. And the paramedics looked very panicked…

_Odd nods. _

**Odd: **Okay, but I'm not sure how to activate a return to the past.

_Ulrich nudges Odd to the side. _

**Ulrich: **Hold on. I've done it before.

_The green screen of the Earth revolving appears. Ulrich presses the Enter key. A bright light begins to envelop the factory, but it quickly dies. A loud bang can be heard two floors below. Error exclamation points pound the computer screen. _

**Ulrich: **Um…that wasn't supposed to happen.

**Yumi: **No kidding….what did you do?

**Ulrich: **I didn't do anything! I followed Jeremie's procedures completely. I'm….I'm sure I didn't make a mistake.

**Yumi: **Let me look at it!

_Odd gets out of the chair after the two jockey for the computer. _

**Odd: **William, we have a problem. I'm going to see if there is something wrong in the supercomputer room.

**William: **This is no time for technical problems! Aelita and Jeremie may not survive!

**Odd: **DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?

_He hangs up and angrily presses the button to go down. As William puts his phone in his pocket, he turns to see Moriarty talking to several police officers. He moves closer, trying to overhear the conversation. Out of nowhere a swarm of reporters and cameramen begin to surround Moriarty and the officers._

**Male Reporter: **Sir, can we talk to you for a moment?

**Benoit: **Back up! Back up! We don't have time for this right now!

**Female Reporter: **Is it true that a lone teacher singlehandedly fought off the armed gunmen?

**Benoit: **No comment. We are not ready to discuss that y-

**Moriarty: **Yes it is true.

_Benoit glares at Moriarty but he is drowned out by the deluge of the reporter's questions. They turn to Moriarty. _

**Male Reporter: **Sir, do you know this teacher?

**Moriarty: **You're speaking to him.

_The reporters completely lose their minds. Benoit cannot hold them back. _

**Female Reporter: **How could you have mustered that kind of courage?

**Moriarty: **Well, the students were in danger. I couldn't just sit and do nothing….

**Male Reporter: **Where did you get the skills to do that?

**Female Reporter: **Did you ever serve in the military? Special forces?

_A genuine but sly smile takes shape on Moriarty's face. _

**Moriarty: **Well, I'm not sure I can…..openly discuss that.

_His response fuels their curiosity. They keep asking questions. _

**Benoit: **People please! Dr. Renard will answer your questions LATER.

_William boils inside. A stiff and angry breath exits his nose like a bull. Amidst the onslaught of reporters, Moriarty briefly turns to William. He winks. William mouths a few choice words at him. Natalya comes behind William. _

**Natalya: **Have you heard the news?

**William: **About Dr. Renard?

**Natalya: **I…..I can't believe it! That sleazy middle-aged teacher taking out the gunmen? How is that possible?

_William shakes his head and walks away. Natalya raises an eyebrow. _

**Natalya: **What is with that boy?

_In the supercomputer room, Odd notices a circuit board sticking out of the massive machine. He pulls it out and notices that it is caked with soot and heavily damaged. Odd buries his head in his arms. _

**Odd: **No….NO!

_He throws the circuit board halfway across the room and withdraws into himself. Two floors up Yumi curses and slams her fist next to the keyboard. _

**Yumi: **It was a trap!

**Ulrich: **What?

**Yumi: **Some of this data doesn't make sense to me, but that code right there is a dormant virus. A virus that was designed to cause damage in the supercomputer when the return to the past program was activated.

_Ulrich slaps his head. _

**Ulrich: **I'm such an idiot! I fell for one of his traps again!

_Yumi pulls her hair. The veins in her head seemed to become strained and swell. She starts talking ninety miles per hour. _

**Yumi: **Now we don't know anything and Aelita and Jeremie are going to die while we sit around here like idiots and we can't do anything about it and Moriarty is going to win that murderer! Murderer! MURDERER! ALL THAT EFFORT FOR NOTHING!

**Ulrich: **Yumi…

**Yumi: **They can't die…..THEY CAN'T DIE!

**Ulrich: **Yumi stop it. This is exactly what Moriarty wants you to do!

_Yumi sinks in her chair, defeated. _

**Ulrich: **It's out of our hands. And when that happens, there is nothing you can do.

**Yumi: **…Not necessarily.

**Ulrich: **What do you mean?

_Yumi is quiet for a moment. Then she touches Ulrich's hands and looks at the ceiling. _

**Yumi: **Oh God don't let them die…..If you are who you say you are you won't let them die.

_Ulrich is surprised. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, were you just praying?

**Yumi: **…..Maybe

**Ulrich: **Since when did you become religious?

_She wraps her arms around Ulrich's neck and rests her head on his shoulder. _

**Yumi: **Since I became willing to try anything.

_Jeremie rides through the eye of a hurricane. Chaotic images of people rushing around and putting things on him boggle his mind. He opens his eyes to see a blurry green light move to the rhythm of his weak heart. He feels light and nothing else at all. He can feel motion, and the faint vibrations of sirens work its way into his brain. He can sense nothing else but a strange peace. Something is placed on his mouth. He can feel air coming into his lungs. Air…warm air. Warm. He blacks out again. _

_After either a few seconds or a few eternities, he begins to feel conscious again. His eyes open to light. Jeremie wonders in the back of his mind if this light means what he thinks it means. But that illusion is broken when his vision clears to see Odd's clone three inches from his face. _

**Jeremie: **Dah!

**Odd's Clone: **Creator has regained consciousness!

_Jeremie breathes heavily. He notices Ulrich and William at his bedside. _

**Ulrich: **You nearly gave him a second close call.

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity did not wish to disturb creator.

**Jeremie: **Well…I was disturbed. Very much so.

_He lays back down. _

**William: **How do you feel?

**Jeremie: **Um…I'm not sure. I feel like if I get out of this bed, I might fall over.

**Ulrich: **You should probably trust that feeling.

_Jeremie's eyes light up. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita…..is she-?

**William: **Alive. Don't worry.

**Ulrich: **Yumi's with her in a room across the hall.

_Jeremie relaxes. _

**William: **You had us scared to death.

**Ulrich: **The doctors looked very worried at first.

**Jeremie: **Why not…return to the past?

_Ulrich and William look at each other. _

**Ulrich: **We tried.

**William: **Moriarty had other plans.

**Ulrich: **A bug was implanted in the return to the past program. Caused part of the supercomputer to fry.

_Jeremie's expression becomes grim. _

**Jeremie: **He was trying to make sure I died.

**William: **Maybe so. But I don't think we can limit his goal to that.

**Jeremie: **What do you mean?

_William takes the remote and turns on the TV. He flips to the news. The sight nearly causes Jeremie's heart to fail. He is looking at Moriarty on TV being interviewed. He sits in a comfortable chair across from a very attractive and well-dressed female host. Moriarty is wearing a formal but comfortable outfit. _

**Host: **So tell us more…..what was it like to face down those gunmen in the school?

**Moriarty: **Well I don't know if I have much to say about that. When you are in a situation that tense, your brain begins to go on autopilot. My only thought was my desire to keep the students safe at all costs.

_The female host leans in, eager for more. _

**Host: **But surely it must have been terrifying.

**Moriarty: **Of course. That goes without saying. If anyone can face five armed gunmen alone and not feel an ounce of fear, well…I would really like to meet that person.

**Host: **Rumors are abounding throughout France about your possible training. We could find very little about your background. That's leading us to believe that you might have a secret history as an….agent of sorts. If you know what I mean.

_Moriarty basks in the attention. His smile has no limit. He gives her a mysterious look. _

**Moriarty: **Well, I do admit that the likelihood an a middle-aged history teacher liberating a school from hardened criminals is tough to swallow…..But I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say.

**Host: **Oh you're simply killing me with curiosity!

**Jeremie: **I've seen enough.

_William turns off the TV. _

**Jeremie: **I don't understand...

**Odd's Clone: **Enemy seeks to deceive the masses.

_Jeremie looks at Odd's Clone. William nods. _

**William: **This entire attack was a publicity stunt. Moriarty wanted to be the hero, so he staged his own school hostage situation. Then when all seemed lost, he came out at the right moment to save the day. It was a perfect move. All he needed to do was kill the very people under his control.

_Jeremie shivers. _

**Jeremie: **I know they were criminals, but did Moriarty have to kill them?

**Ulrich: **No…no he didn't.

_William continues. _

**William: **Now all of France…..and the world for that matter, knows who this guy is. I don't have a complete idea of what he means to do with that, but I imagine it's not good. That's why there was a bug in the return to the past program. So we couldn't erase what Moriarty had so painstakingly orchestrated.

**Ulrich: **And we won't be erasing anything else any time soon. Some of those circuit boards are heavily damaged. The supercomputer doesn't have the power to generate any return trips.

_Jeremie nods. _

**Jeremie: **Which means we have to be very careful.

_He rests for a moment, absorbing all of this horrible information. _

**Ulrich: **I know this is not exactly good news, but do you want us to bring anything to cheer you up?

**Jeremie: **I'd like to see Aelita.

_Ulrich smiles. _

**Ulrich: **What a coincidence. She wants to see you too.

_Jeremie is struck with disbelief. _

**Jeremie: **She…..she does?

_Ulrich and William smile and nod. Down the hall, Yumi and Aelita have some girl time. _

**Aelita: **So he's-?

**Yumi: **Alive.

_Yumi holds her hand. Aelita leans back. A few tears come down her face. _

**Yumi: **Hey…..didn't you hear me? He's going to be okay.

_She turns over in the bed away from Yumi. _

**Aelita: **I know.

**Yumi: **Then why are you so upset? You should be relieved.

**Aelita: **I am.

**Yumi: **Then what's wrong?

_Aelita grabs the sheets in her hands and pulls it close to her. _

**Aelita: **It's just that…..I've been so awful to him.

_Yumi doesn't say anything. She merely pats her hand. _

**Aelita: **I've been so mean. Refusing to forgive him or speak to him even after the rest of you had.

**Yumi: **We've all done things we regret, Aelita.

**Aelita: **I've been holding a grudge ever since his lapse into insanity and lust for power. But when we were locked in that freezer together, literally forced to confront each other, I remembered something.

**Yumi: **Which is?

_She turns back to Yumi. There is a strange smile on her face, as if she is laughing at herself. _

**Aelita: **That I can't stay mad at Jeremie forever. No matter what he has done, I simply can't make myself do it.

_She looks to the ceiling. _

**Aelita: **I tried. I really did. I tried to feed my anger, keep it going. I wanted to be a daily reminder to Jeremie that he could never atone for his colossal mistake.

**Yumi: **And how did that work out for you?

_She shakes her head. _

**Aelita: **I only ended up hurting myself…Badly.

**Yumi: **So I guess that means you've forgiven him?

**Aelita: **A little more than that actually…..

_Yumi gives her a sly look. _

**Yumi: **Oh really?

**Aelita: **Yes…..I mean, if he wants to.

**Yumi: **Something tells me he will.

**Aelita: **It's just that….._She scratches the back of her head. _There's one slight problem.

_Yumi pauses. _

**Yumi: **Would that 'slight problem' happen to be in the factory right now?

**Aelita: **Yes….

**Yumi: **Because he wanted to talk to you.

_Aelita sits up to see Yumi offering a cellphone to her. Aelita takes it. While resting in the factory, Odd gets a call. He picks it up. _

**Odd: **Hello?

**Aelita: **Odd?

**Odd: **Yes?

**Aelita: **I heard you wanted to talk to me.

**Odd: **I do. But first things first. How are you feeling?

**Aelita: **I could be better. But the doctor says I'm going to be fine.

**Odd: **That's what I wanted to hear.

_Awkward pause. _

**Aelita: **Odd?

**Odd: **Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about the other night.

_Aelita tenses. _

**Aelita: **I'm…..I'm listening.

**Odd: **I've been thinking about it pretty hard, and…and I just don't think…it was right.

_Aelita slowly nods. _

**Aelita: **I agree.

**Odd: **For a while, I was really confused. I wasn't sure if I really felt something for you, or if it was just a combination of hormones and my condition. And looking back on that night, I think I know the answer.

**Aelita: **You don't.

**Odd: **No. Aelita, you have become my closest friend. I am closer to you than anyone else. I trust you and I deeply care about you. Princess, I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me since I was freed. But I don't think we were supposed to be together in that way. I think doing that would hurt our strong bond. I want to go back to how it was, just you and me clowning around, making the lives of the serious guys in our group more interesting whether they like it or not.

_She smiles. _

**Aelita: **I want that too. I want to go back to that.

**Odd: **So…..friends?

**Aelita: **Friends.

**Odd: **Thanks princess. Thanks for everything.

**Aelita: **You're welcome.

**Odd: **I'll talk to you later. Get better soon, okay?

_Aelita takes in a deep breath. _

**Aelita: **You too.

_They hang up. Odd pats Kiwi's head. Kiwi wags his tail. _

**Odd: **….I'll try.

_An outline of a man sits in a dark room and watches TV. His fingers cross together as he carefully observes Moriarty during his interview. The shadowy man's eyes squint together. Light pours into the room when a younger and larger man opens the door and walks in. He walks right up behind the man in the chair. _

**Simon: **We can't still find the bodies sir.

_The man in the chair is very quiet for a while. _

**Director: **He's goading us.

**Simon: **Sir?

**Director: **He knows we are watching…..and he's loving every minute of it.

**Simon: **He should be apprehended.

**Director: **Clearly.

**Simon: **Then let me assemble a team. We'll get him this time.

**Director: **And risk killing more agents?...I don't think so.

**Simon: **He's just a middle-aged man sir. We can get him.

_The Director scratches his chin. _

**Director: **'Just a middle-aged man?'…..Maybe...And yet that middle-aged man has already killed two of my best agents.

**Simon: **What are you trying to say sir?

_Pause. _

**Director: **…..There are state secrets even you don't know about, Simon…..Things I haven't been able to believe…..until now.

_Simon doesn't respond. _

**Director: **He's in the public spotlight now. Taking him out has just gotten very difficult.

**Simon: **So what do we do?

**Director: **Your job remains the same. Protect the president. That doesn't change.

**Simon: **But what about Dr. Renard?

_He turns his head to Simon. _

**Director: **We watch…and wait.

_The next day, Yumi walks out her front door. She absentmindedly adjusts her small backpack over her shoulder and walks out the front gate. As she turns around from closing it, she double takes. In front of her is a sleek black moped. When she approaches it, she notices a red bow tied around one of the handles. She picks up a small note on the seat. The message reads: I didn't forget this time. She smiles. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich….

**Ulrich: **You rang?

_She turns to see Ulrich leaning against a tree a few feet from her house. He is holding two helmets in his hand. He holds them out in front of him, clearing offering her a joyride. Yumi can't believe her eyes. She beams with excitement. _

**Yumi: **How did you-?

**Ulrich: **Let's just say I might be getting an angry call later.

_His phone starts ringing. _

**Ulrich: **...Or now

_He shuts his phone off, saving the yelling for later. _

**Ulrich: **Happy late birthday. Sorry I couldn't do this yesterday, but we were slightly busy.

**Yumi: **Oh…..I think a school hostage situation gives you an excuse…..but just barely.

**Ulrich: **Do you like it?

_Yumi spins around, almost dancing like a little girl with unrestrained glee. She grabs Ulrich's shoulders. _

**Yumi: **Like it? I love it so much I want to kiss you right now.

_Ulrich complies and gets ready to kiss. Yumi gets close to him as well, but at the last moment she grabs one of the helmets and runs toward the moped. _

**Yumi: **…..After a ride!

**Ulrich: **Hey!

_She gets on the moped and puts her helmet on. _

**Yumi: **Coming?

_Ulrich shakes his head. _

**Ulrich: **You're impossible.

_He gets on behind her and puts his helmet on. She starts it up right as Yumi's parents come out the door. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Yumi, what on Earth?

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Where did you get that?

_Yumi starts to pull away. _

**Yumi: **Birthday present. Ulrich. Can't talk now gotta go!

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Wait, you can't just-!

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **We never approved-!

_Yumi speeds away before they can finish their sentences. Yumi cheers as she drives the moped through the neighborhood. _

**Ulrich: **You're enjoying this way too much.

**Yumi: **Sue me.

**Ulrich: **Where are we even going?

_She looks back at him. _

**Yumi: **Who cares?

**Ulrich: **Hmm….good point.

_They pass through a park. As Yumi makes a turn, Ulrich taps her on the shoulder. _

**Yumi: **What?

**Ulrich: **Stop the moped.

**Yumi: **Why?

**Ulrich: **Because otherwise we are going to miss the show.

_Yumi stops the moped as Ulrich points to their left. In a forest clearing, Jeremie and Aelita are talking. By their close proximity to each other and the smiles on their faces, the scene looks pretty intimate. Suddenly they pull themselves into a kiss. Jeremie wraps his hands behind Aelita's back and pulls her close. They hear Yumi and Ulrich cheering in the distance. _

**Aelita: **Really?

**Jeremie: **Ignore them.

**Aelita: **That is so immature.

**Jeremie: **Yes I know. Ignore them.

_Aelita turns. Ulrich and Yumi are still watching and laughing. _

**Aelita: **They don't seem to be eager to leave.

_Jeremie shrugs. _

**Jeremie: **Well, if they want a show, we might as well give it to them.

_They kiss again. Ulrich and Yumi give another obnoxious cheer. After a minute or so, they finally leave the other two alone. A few minutes later, Yumi stops the moped in an isolated area further in the park. They get off and take off their helmets. Ulrich seems confused. _

**Ulrich: **Why did we stop here?

_Ulrich feels himself violently flipped onto the grass. A triumphant Yumi pins him. _

**Ulrich: **Ow! Why did you do that?

**Yumi: **I promised you a kiss, remember?

**Ulrich: **That was a takedown!

**Yumi: **Same thing.

_They touch lips and lose themselves in a kiss alone in the park. Back at the school, Delmas and Jim are in the midst of a very serious discussion in Delmas' office. Jim puts his fist on the table. _

**Jim: **He can't stay here Mr. Delmas.

**Delmas: **Now let's not be too hasty Jim.

**Jim: **He can't be trusted.

**Delmas: **The man saved this entire school. He risked his life to save the lives of the students. I don't think you can easily draw that conclusion.

**Jim: **Sir, with all due respect, he's a trained killer.

**Delmas: **We shouldn't hold a man's history against him when he has done nothing but dedicate himself to this school.

_Jim gets close to Delmas. He points his hand at Delmas' face in order to make his point clear. _

**Jim: **Sir, something about Renard isn't right.

**Delmas: **And why do you say that?

**Jim: **Sir, he just…._He struggles for words_…..I just have a bad feeling about him.

_Delmas takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes. _

**Delmas: **I respect your opinion Jim. But I am not going to fire a teacher who just saved the school and has become enormously popular with the students and France. Firing him would be a colossal mistake.

**Jim: **But-

_He's interrupted by Moriarty entering the room. He greets both men with a polite nod and a smile. There is a yellow folder in his hands. _

**Moriarty: **Mr. Delmas…

**Delmas: **Dr. Renard, how nice to see you. _He turns to Jim. _Would you excuse us for a moment?

_Jim reluctantly leaves. Moriarty cocks his head to the side after Jim exits the room. _

**Delmas: **Dr. Renard, I know I have told you this a thousand times, but there is no way I can fully show you my eternal gratitude.

**Moriarty: **And for the thousandth time, I am not looking for a reward.

**Delmas: **Oh but I must insist. It is the least I can do. You should be chair of the history department here. I'm sure you would enjoy that.

**Moriarty: **Oh, I've never had ambitions for administration Mr. Delmas. Teaching is my passion.

**Delmas: **But you should be promoted somehow.

_Moriarty's eyes flicker with sly malevolence. He adjusts his lab coat and gives Moriarty an unnerving grin. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, I know you will.

_Delmas laughs, thinking Moriarty is joking. _

**Delmas: **What do you mean?

_Moriarty taps the folder. _

**Moriarty: **Well, I was going over our school finances like you asked…

_Delmas gives Moriarty a strange look. _

**Delmas: **I….never asked you to do that.

_Moriarty pretends to be surprised. _

**Moriarty: **You didn't?...Well, I guess it's too late now.

**Delmas: **What do you mean 'too late'?

_Moriarty puts the folder on the table and opens it. He points to several strange transactions for Delmas to see. Delmas loses his breath. He looks up at Moriarty, unable to form words. Moriarty begins to play dumb to torment him. _

**Moriarty: **Why, what do these numbers mean? Money from the school suddenly disappearing?…..That can't be good.

_Delmas tries to act natural. _

**Delmas: **I….I don't know what you are talking about.

**Moriarty: **All this trustee money donated to the school disappearing into a mysterious account…Hmm…..I believe there is a word for that…..Oh yes! _He leans close to Delmas. _Embezzlement.

**Delmas: **Well…..yes but-

**Moriarty: **You know, I'm curious. How could a middle and high school principal afford such a lavish lifestyle for himself and his precious…..precious daughter?

_Delmas freezes, his heart pounding. _

**Delmas: **It…..it's not what you think.

_Moriarty goes in for the kill. _

**Moriarty: **It's not? Then please…explain it to me.

_Moriarty gleefully watches while Delmas begins to cave. Delmas grabs onto the end of his desk and squeezes it nervously. He lowers his head in defeat. _

**Delmas: **What do you want?

_Moriarty shrugs. _

**Moriarty: **I want you to get out of the way.

**Delmas: **What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **I want you to get out of the way so I can do the following….

_He hands Delmas another sheet of paper. It contains a plethora of written permission from the board to do various things. Delmas reads outloud. _

**Delmas: **Authority to conduct teach-ins…class social experiments…to manage the faculty as Dr. Renard sees fit…..Life tenure! WHAT IS THIS?

**Moriarty: **Orders….directly from the board.

_Delmas feels lightheaded. He swallows. _

**Delmas: **How….how did you?

**Moriarty: **That's none of your concern. All you have to do is continue to sit in that little chair of yours and pretend like you're still in control while I do my stuff.

_Delmas becomes enraged. _

**Delmas: **YOU CAN'T DO THIS! I AM YOUR BOSS! I CAN FIRE YOU!

_Moriarty remains calm. _

**Moriarty: **Not anymore…._He picks up the folder again. _Unless you want the board to know you've been stealing from them.

_Delmas is shaking. He slowly rises from his seat. _

**Delmas: **This….is blackmail.

**Moriarty: **I prefer the term 'insurance'.

**Delmas: **Why….why are you doing this? You just saved this school, and now you're taking over?

**Moriarty: **Pretty much. And as long as I have all the board members on my side, you can't do anything about it. You shouldn't have let me into that meeting alone. Every one of them gave me their support.

_While Delmas wallows in his own helplessness, he suddenly realizes something. _

**Delmas: **That's not possible.

**Moriarty: **Oh but it is.

**Delmas: **No it isn't. Not every one on the board was in that meeting.

_Moriarty's face changes from confidence to shock. His face turns red, but he keeps control. _

**Moriarty: **What was that?

**Delmas: **One member was absent. Mr. Ingolf Stern.

_Moriarty's body tenses. _

**Moriarty: **Mr. …..Stern?

**Delmas: **Yes. Ulrich Stern's father. You might have heard of him. He told me he had an important business meeting that day and couldn't make it. I forgot to tell you.

_Moriarty absorbs this unexpected information with calm. He points a finger at Delmas. _

**Moriarty: **It doesn't matter. Our deal remains the same.

_He walks out, thinking over the problem in his head. In the elaborate and well-lit seating room outside the office, Klotz waits on the couch. _

**Klotz: **Did you tell him?

**Moriarty: **I did.

**Klotz: **So he's fired?

**Moriarty: **No.

_Klotz can't believe his ears. _

**Klotz: **What do you mean he's not fired. We both discovered he was stealing money from the school!

**Moriarty: **Yes I know. And I told him that. And he knows we know.

**Klotz: **And that's it?

**Moriarty: **Of course not.

_As Moriarty walks away, Klotz puts the pieces together. _

**Klotz: **You…..you're blackmailing him, aren't you?

_Moriarty stops. He turns around and shakes his head with a smile on his face. _

**Moriarty: **Blackmail is such a harsh word, Hans.

**Klotz: **But that's what you're doing.

_Moriarty frowns and exhales, visually informing Klotz that this decision pains him. _

**Moriarty: **I understand your concern. But now that we have this information, we can do so much good at this school.

**Klotz: **But if Delmas is fired, then a new principal can come in and….

**Moriarty: **….And what? Continue Delmas' legacy? They are all the same Hans. Principals of private preparatory schools are all the same. His replacement would continue the same policies that are harming the students at this school.

**Klotz: **But you could be the replacement! You saved the school and-

_Moriarty holds up his hand to stop him. _

**Moriarty: **No. I am unqualified for that position, and I don't want it. My place here is with the students. I wouldn't have it any other way. Trust me…..keeping Delmas under our fingers is the best thing we could ever do for this school.

_Klotz still isn't comfortable with this. _

**Klotz: **But it's wrong!

_Moriarty pats Klotz's shoulder. _

**Moriarty: **Hans, Hans. What Delmas did was far worse. Think of the ends…..not the means. We could do so much good here.

**Klotz: **Well, you're right but-

**Moriarty: **And think of the school. We were just overwhelmed with a hostage situation. Is this any time to let a scandal come to the surface?

_Klotz sees reason in this. _

**Klotz: **No…..no it isn't.

**Moriarty: **Exactly. Think of the students. You have your work cut out for you. Some are traumatized by that experience. And can you really expect Delmas to fulfill their needs?

_Klotz gets angry at the thought. _

**Klotz: **No.

**Moriarty: **Neither can I. Face it friend. We have no choice.

_Klotz nods. _

**Klotz: **You're right. We need to act.

**Moriarty: **Exactly. Now get some rest. You look exhausted. _He walks down the hall. _You're going to need it. We have a lot of work to do.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summer time is the best time. The time to sit down at the computer and write this fan fiction at full throttle. Well semi-throttle. I have to work now…..But that will not stop me. **

**Oh and reviews are always appreciated. **

**Part 24 **

_Odd dreams once again. Dark images float chaotically through his brain, eventually solidifying into a clear picture. Through the gray light of a dreary cloudy morning, Odd sees a series of large beige-yellow buildings behind a busy Parisian street. A loud bell begins to chime with the change of time. A strange assortment of professors and students mill about. At the entrance to the campus, Odd notices the name of the institution: Coll__è__ge de France. His mind wanders a little farther off, to a large stone building within walking distance to the college. The building contains apartments, most likely cheap ones. Odd passes through a door on the third floor into a musty apartment. The room is messy, but not the kind of messy Odd is used to. Papers and strange-looking contraptions are scattered around the tiny residence, accompanied by equations written on open books that lay on the floor. It is the messy room of a genius. A single lamp lights up the dwelling. Beneath that lamp is a desk, and working at that desk is a young dark-haired man in his late twenties. He is hunched over the cheap wooden table, furiously writing down things Odd doesn't have a hope to understand. As Odd draws closer, the man adjusts his glasses and his red turtleneck sweater. While he mutters something to himself, Odd begins to come to the conclusion that this man is almost oblivious to the outside world. But the outside world doesn't take no for an answer, because there is a knock on the door to the apartment. The man bolts upright, completely caught off guard by this strange interruption of reality. Then he calms down and tells the guest to enter. The door opens slowly to reveal a thin blonde man in his mid twenties. He seems dismayed by the mess in the apartment. A chill passes over Odd when he recognizes him. _

**Moriarty: **Hello, is this…. _Moriarty reads off a note card. _Waldo Schaeffer's apartment?

_Odd's eyes widen. _

**Odd: **No…..it can't be.

_The man appears annoyed. _

**Schaeffer: **You're speaking to him.

_Moriarty walks in with his hand outstretched. _

**Moriarty: **Hello, I am the man who accepted your request for a roommate.

_Schaeffer seems confused. He thinks for a moment, trying to remember. _

**Schaeffer: **Oh yes! André…André…..something.

_Moriarty smiles. _

**Moriarty: **André-

_As Moriarty speaks to Schaeffer, the flashback freezes. Odd feels stunned, as if a mental wall has blocked out this narrow piece of the conversation. It returns to normal after a few seconds. _

**Schaeffer: **Well André, make yourself comfortable…if possible that is.

_Moriarty struggles to get his suitcase through the mess. He looks around. _

**Moriarty: **Um, if you don't mind me asking, where exactly do I sleep?

**Schaeffer: **Oh yes…._He scratches his stubbly beard. _There is a cot in that slightly small room to your left.

_Moriarty looks inside. He scoffs. _

**Moriarty: **Slightly small?

**Schaeffer: **I'm sorry, but conducting research at the most prestigious educational establishment in France doesn't exactly bring in a lot of money.

_Moriarty forces his suitcase into the pitiful excuse for a room. _

**Moriarty: **Right, that's why you wanted a roommate. Share the costs of the apartment.

_Schaeffer rubs his hands together. He looks positively strange and eccentric. _

**Schaeffer: **To be honest, I don't really work well with others…..but I don't have a choice at this point.

**Moriarty: **Well, hopefully you'll be able to stand me. _He picks up one of the pieces of paper. He examines it thoroughly. _You like computer science too?

_Schaeffer turns away from his work. He can tell his roommate finds the subject fascinating. A deep relief is lifted from his shoulders. This stranger about to live in his apartment shares a common interest with him. _

**Schaeffer: **Very much so. It's my passion really. That and robotics. Although that one's still a work in progress. _He pokes a crappy-looking robot on the side of his desk. Nothing happens. _Solar power…one day I swear I'll do it! _He turns back around. _And I suppose you came to the Collège de France for the same reason?

_Moriarty shrugs. _

**Moriarty: **That and engineering. I was working on getting an engineering degree, but computer science has really peaked my interest lately. My professors at my old college told me to come here, said I was too good for them.

_Schaeffer is slightly impressed. _

**Schaeffer: **Well, you've certainly come to the right place. But be prepared to live very modestly. This college really pinches the wallet.

**Moriarty: **Well, that won't be a problem anytime soon. I have a good amount of money saved up.

**Schaeffer: **Really? How much?

_Moriarty shyly whispers it. _

**Moriarty: **Uh….two thousand francs or so…

**Schaeffer:** TWO THOUSAND FRANCS!

_Moriarty puts a finger over his mouth telling him to be quiet. _

**Moriarty: **Would you keep it down? The walls in these apartments are paper thin.

**Schaeffer: **Ah but two thousand francs! I've been barely surviving and suddenly my new roommate comes up with that amount of money?

**Moriarty: **Well…..yes.

**Schaeffer: **I knew getting a roommate was the right decision. _He rubs his hands together. _Now let's eat out. I'm starving and old cereal and candy bars doesn't sound very appetizing right now. There's a Chinese restaurant five blocks from here that I've been dying to try…Oh and your treat. That goes without saying.

_Schaeffer walks toward the door. _

**Moriarty: **Now hold on just a minute, you can't just….

_Schaeffer puts on his coat. _

**Schaeffer: **Coming?

_Moriarty shakes his head and follows his new roommate out of the apartment. An hour later, the pair heads down an alleyway on the way home. Both are very full and content, chatting like old friends. The twilight steadily turns to night over Paris, and the alley gets dark. Schaeffer continues to prattle on. _

**Schaeffer: **Oh don't get me wrong. The food was excellent. But fortune cookies…bleh. A pitiful excuse for a dessert. Now Swiss chocolate from my hometown of Zurich, that's a dessert.

**Moriarty: **You're Swiss?

**Schaeffer: **Yes. Did you not notice my German accent?

**Moriarty: **I was too busy focusing on your other…..peculiarities.

**Schaeffer: **Yes. And there are several.

**Moriarty: **You're being modest.

_As they continue back home, Moriarty notices two questionable characters loitering near some trash cans. Moriarty grabs Schaeffer's arm. _

**Moriarty: **Um, let's go the other way.

**Schaeffer: **But that's longer. This is a shortcut.

**Moriarty: **Waldo, trust me. We need to go around.

**Schaeffer: **Oh please. I think I know this city better than you do.

**Moriarty: **But you trap yourself in that tiny apartment all day.

**Schaeffer: **Details….

_Schaeffer tries to walk past the two thugs, but they nonchalantly get up and block his way. He tries to move around them, but they move in front of him again. Schaeffer nervously swallows and Moriarty's body tenses. _

**Schaeffer: **Hello gentlemen, we were just trying to pass through and….

_One of them pulls out a knife. _

**Thug 1: **Your money. Now.

**Thug 2: **And quickly. We don't have a lot of patience for guys like you.

_The surrounding air grows cold and still. _

**Schaeffer: **I'm….I'm afraid I don't have any money.

**Thug 1: **Like I haven't heard that one before.

**Thug 2: **It's either your wallet or your gut. One of them is being emptied. Your choice.

**Schaeffer: **Look, I'm telling you the truth, I-

_Thug 1 forces Schaeffer against the wall. Moriarty steps forward. _

**Moriarty: **HEY!

_Thug 1 puts a blade to Schaeffer's neck, threatening to cut him if Moriarty comes any closer. Thug 2 aims his own knife at Moriarty, keeping him at bay. _

**Thug 2: **Unless you want to see what your friend's insides look like, I wouldn't try to be the hero.

**Schaeffer: **André….

_Moriarty turns to Schaeffer. Schaeffer is clearly terrified, shaking from the sheer terror of his death being so close to his neck. _

**Thug 2: **So why don't we talk cash, and maybe your friend won't have to kiss an early grave.

_Moriarty bites his lip, weighing his options. Seeing no other alternative, he reaches into his back pocket to get his wallet. Thug 2's eyes begin to shine when the black wallet is outstretched in his direction. But as Thug 2 reaches for his wallet, Moriarty notices a dark glance emanating from this criminal's cruel face. Moriarty instantly understands that these men are not going to stop at robbery. The moment Thug 2 takes the wallet from his palm, Moriarty grabs his wrist and twists it backwards. Thug 2 shrieks in pain and tries to stab him, but Moriarty kicks the street rat in the side and makes him fall down. Moriarty grabs the knife and throws it with perfect aim into Thug 1's arm, causing him to drop Schaeffer and wail in agony. Thug 2 gets up and punches Moriarty across the mouth, but he is able to counter with a right hook to his opponent's jaw. A horrified and angry Thug 1 pulls out the knife from his arm and slices Moriarty across the shoulder. Despite his injuries Moriarty holds his own, while a stunned Schaeffer watches from a distance. Thug 1 comes at him with the bloody knife again. At the same time Thug 2 gets on Moriarty's back and tries to choke him. Moriarty acts fast and turns around, causing Thug 1's knife to plow into Thug 2's back. Thug 2 becomes limp and collapses to the alley floor. Moriarty then takes advantage of Thug 1's temporary shock to give a roundhouse kick to his chin. That last blow wins the fight, but Moriarty's wounds begin to take a toll. He stumbles toward Schaeffer, who gradually overcomes his fear and helps him toward the apartment. They enter and Schaeffer puts Moriarty on his small and dirty couch. _

**Schaeffer: **Hold on! I know I have a first aid kit somewhere!

_Moriarty groans and holds his shoulder, trying to prevent further blood loss. In the other room, Schaeffer struggles to get through his physical and mental mess. _

**Schaeffer: **I….I need to call the police!

**Moriarty: **Don't need to…..yet. At least one of them…dead.

**Schaeffer: **Bandages…bandages! Where did I put them?...Oh right, next to the kitchen knives. I knew that.

_He reemerges with some bandages, alcohol, and other first aid supplies. His worry increases after seeing Moriarty in the light. _

**Schaeffer: **Take off your shirt.

**Moriarty: **What?

**Schaeffer: **I said take off your shirt. I need to get a better look at the wound.

_Moriarty suddenly seems on edge. He backs away. _

**Moriarty: **Um, I don't think that's necessary….

**Schaeffer: **Are you out of your mind? You're bleeding out your shoulder!

**Moriarty: **But wait-

_Schaeffer literally takes off his shirt for him. He smiles with satisfaction and reaches forward to clean the wound…..until he sees what's on Moriarty's shoulder. Above Moriarty's gash is a disturbing tattoo of a skull with the letters O.N. painted red onto the forehead. The sockets are vacant and malicious. Schaeffer becomes silent and expressionless. Eventually he goes to work, cleaning the wound without caring for Moriarty's discomfort. _

**Moriarty: **Schaeffer…..Waldo….I can explain.

**Schaeffer: **I have heard of that group….

**Moriarty: **It was a long time ago….

**Schaeffer: **You can't be older than twenty-six years old. It couldn't have been that long ago.

_Moriarty closes his eyes. _

**Moriarty: **It was a mistake.

**Schaeffer: **I would say so.

**Moriarty: **You don't understand….

**Schaeffer: **I don't want to. _He pushes his glasses up his nose in a judgmental manner. _Now that I think about it, I do wonder how you got such excellent fighting skills. I may not be an expert in martial arts, but even I know that wasn't blind luck in that alley.

**Moriarty: **…..No….no it wasn't.

_Moriarty puts a bandage on. He gets up. _

**Schaeffer: **There. I think you can handle the rest yourself. I'm calling the police.

_While Schaeffer is on the phone, Moriarty rests his face in his hands, unsure what to tell his roommate. When Schaeffer comes back in, he drops Moriarty's suitcase at his feet. _

**Moriarty: **What is this?

**Schaeffer: **Your bag. And there _He points_…..is the door.

_Moriarty gets up. _

**Moriarty: **Whoa, hold on! You can't just throw me out!

**Schaeffer: **Oh but I can. Thank you for dinner, but you need to find another roommate.

**Moriarty: **I just saved your life!

**Schaeffer: **And I thank you for that. But I'm not comfortable living with a violent racist.

**Moriarty: **I'm not racist. That was the old me.

**Schaeffer: **Racist or past racist….I don't care. I'm not comfortable with you.

**Moriarty: **Please….let me explain.

**Schaeffer: **I don't know where you came from. But I was raised in a place where racism had no excuse…..So get out.

**Moriarty: **If you'd just listen to me…!

**Schaeffer: **GET OUT!

**Moriarty: **MY FATHER WAS MURDERED!

_The room suddenly gets quiet. While Schaeffer tries to find a response to this, Moriarty nonchalantly wipes blood from his mouth. He sits back down on the couch. _

**Moriarty: **My father was a colonel in the French army during the Algerian War. We were Pieds-Noirs, French settlers who had made Algeria our home. _He pauses, finding it difficult to continue his story. _One night Algerian nationalists entered our house and killed my father right in front of me….I was nine years-old. _He breathes in deeply through his nose. _I idolized that man. I was a boy who wanted to be like his father, and when that was taken away from me…..the only thing left was rage. _He shakes his head. _After that Algerian nationalist took my father's life, I became convinced that all other races were the same. That anyone who was not French could not be trusted. The Ordre Nouveau fueled that anger, and I became a common thug on the bad side of Marseille. It got so bad my stepfather threw me out of the house when I was nineteen. I had no other way to support myself, so I joined the French army.

_Moriarty is quiet for a moment. Schaeffer quickly becomes eager to learn more. _

**Schaeffer: **And then what? When did you decide that your views were wrong?

**Moriarty: **After four years, my service was up, and I didn't want to continue. I still hated my stepfather, but I missed my two younger brothers and some of my old friends in Marseille. I….I didn't have the courage to face my brothers, but I learned something when I came back that gave me a real wakeup call.

**Schaeffer: **And what was that?

_Moriarty lowers his eyebrows. _

**Moriarty: **Some of my so called 'friends' beat up my younger brother Damien pretty badly.

**Schaeffer: **Why?

**Moriarty: **They caught him being friendly with a Polish girl in their territory, and they had a problem with that. _He looks away and lets the story flow in spite of his obvious sensitivity to the topic. _I realized that day who the real savages were. And I was one of them. I became ashamed and wanted a new start. So I worked and saved enough to study engineering in Paris. And then after a few years I decided to come here.

_The two are quiet. Moriarty waits for Schaeffer's response. _

**Moriarty: **Well?

**Schaeffer: **Well what?

**Moriarty: **What do you think of this?

_Schaeffer purses his lips together and exhales slowly. _

**Schaeffer: **…..It's hard…..for me to figure out what to say.

**Moriarty: **Look…..I'm ashamed of what I've done…but please, take a moment and step into my shoes…..What would you have done?

_Schaeffer stares out the window. He loses himself in his thoughts. Rain starts to trickle onto the cheap windows. _

**Moriarty: **Waldo?

**Schaeffer: **Impossible to say…..

**Moriarty: **Why do you say that?

**Schaeffer: **Because it hasn't happened to me. What would I have become if I had been in your shoes? I don't know. How would my life be different if I hadn't lived a life of comfort in Zurich? How would my life be different if my happy and plump father was not alive enjoying his retirement in the mountainous countryside? I don't know. I can hypothesize all I want, trusting in the strength of my character, but that is an experiment I can never run. And if I can't run it…

_He is quiet. The rain makes a soothing melody on the roof and windows. _

**Moriarty: **Then what?

_Schaeffer takes off his glasses. He looks up at his roommate. Despite his uneasiness, his face becomes firm with resolve. He reaches out his hand. _

**Schaeffer: **Then I shouldn't judge a man who wants a second chance.

_The world is taken off Moriarty's shoulders. He smiles broadly, no longer feeling the scar of his tattoo bringing him down. Moriarty accepts the hand and shakes it. _

**Moriarty: **So….roommates?

**Schaeffer: **No…..friends.

_The dream is suddenly filled with light. When the light dies down, the scene has changed to the courtyard back at Coll__è__ge de France. The marble statue of Guillaume Bud__é catches the early morning sunlight. Researchers and visitors alike rush to classes to hear from some of the most brilliant minds in all of France. The scene shifts inside to a computer class deep in the main academic building. Moriarty, Schaeffer, and other students sit behind large computers. They are extremely primitive by modern standards, but they are state of the art for the time. Two years have passed and Moriarty and Schaeffer are looking older, very close to their thirties. They seem closer, interacting like old friends do. The elderly professor continues his lecture. _

**Bordeaux: **X.25s are the future of computer networking. This protocol is the key to packet-switched wide area network communication, or WAN for short. The possibilities for its use in business, finance, and the like are hard to fathom. Why, there is even talk to have a global packet-switched network, or a network encompassing all the networks of the world….._He laughs_...but if you ask me, that is still very much in the realm of science fiction.

_Schaeffer folds his arms. _

**Schaeffer: **We'll see.

_Moriarty rubs his forehead. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, not this again.

**Schaeffer: **It is possible…..just…..difficult.

**Moriarty: **Waldo Schaeffer, the lord of understatements.

_Schaeffer tries to come up with a comeback, but he is interrupted by the professor. _

**Bordeaux: **Now if you take a look at the program on your screen….

_Suddenly all the computers start to become fuzzy. The students complain and mess around with their primitive consoles. _

**Bordeaux: **Umm….sorry. A bit of technical difficulties. _He tries to fix it from his end. He mutters to himself. _Hate this miserable college network connection.

_While the other students are lost, Moriarty and Schaeffer grin. _

**Moriarty: **You handle the console, I go for the hardware?

_Schaeffer shakes his head. _

**Schaeffer: **No, you got to fix the hardware last time. It's my turn.

**Moriarty: **Okay fine, reverse roles.

_Moriarty stays at his console, trying to type in specific codes to fix the problem. Schaeffer gets under the table and starts working with the wires and other parts. Bordeaux looks up and shakes his head. _

**Bordeaux: **Don't tell me you two are at it again….

**Moriarty: **Um maybe…..

**Bordeaux: **Where did Schaeffer disappear to?

**Schaeffer: **I'm down below the desks! Hold on!..._A female student yelps in surprise as a result of Schaeffer's invasive repair mission. _Sorry…

**Bordeaux: **Both of you please….I'm getting tired of you two taking matters into your own hands.

_They ignore him. _

**Moriarty: **It's clear on my end, you almost finished?

**Schaeffer: **Give me a moment…._There is a loud hum from beneath the desks. The screens return to normal. Schaeffer stands up and trips, having tangled himself in computer wires. The class stares in amazement. _

**Bordeaux: **You are just showing off again….

_Schaeffer returns to his desk. _

**Schaeffer: **Did we break our previous record?

_Moriarty looks at his watch. He shakes his head in disappointment. _

**Moriarty: **Not even close. You're getting slow.

**Schaeffer: **Nonsense! The problem was just slightly more complicated than usual.

**Bordeaux: **That is quite enough…..thank you. Now where was I?

_The door opens. Two men in military uniform enter. _

**Soldier: **Professor Bordeaux?

**Bordeaux: **Yes, you are speaking with him.

**Soldier: **May we have a word with you?

_Bordeaux bites his lip, giving away his knowledge that he knows this must be a matter of grave importance. Schaeffer raises an eyebrow. He turns to his students. _

**Bordeaux: **Class dismissed.

_As the students get up to leave, Schaeffer casts a curious look on the soldiers. Moriarty instantly becomes worried. _

**Moriarty: **Oh no….

**Schaeffer: **Oh no what?

**Moriarty: **You have that look again.

**Schaeffer: **What look?

**Moriarty: **That look of insatiable curiosity that must be satisfied no matter what the consequences.

_Schaeffer taps his fingers together with glee. _

**Schaeffer: **The custodial closet right behind the classroom. We can listen in.

**Moriarty: **Are you sure that's a good idea?

**Schaeffer: **No. But I'm going to find out anyway.

_They walk out with the rest of the students. As the throng of people walk through the ornate hallway and turn into another, Moriarty and Schaeffer quietly backtrack into the hallway. But they quickly notice that one of the soldiers is standing guard over the door and is watching for any suspicious activity. They press themselves against the corner of the hallway and stay out of his sight. _

**Moriarty: **Great….now what?

_Schaeffer taps his finger on his chin, shrewdly contemplating his next move. He then snaps his fingers and takes off running down the hall. A confused Moriarty follows. Schaeffer comes to another maintenance closet at the far end of the building and opens the door. _

**Schaeffer: **Just as I expected.

_Inside lie two janitorial uniforms. Moriarty's mouth drops. _

**Moriarty: **You're not serious….

**Schaeffer: **Oh I'm very serious.

**Moriarty: **Can't you just let this one go?

**Schaeffer: **No! Now are you going to help me, or not?

_Moriarty sighs. A few minutes later the soldier sees two young janitors whistling and pushing a cart and mop in his direction. _

**Soldier: **I can't let you in here. This room is off limits for now.

_Schaeffer works up an act, trying to sound like a total moron. _

**Schaeffer: **Why that's fine, we don't need to clean that room there anyway. We just need some supplies from that closet there ya see.

_The soldier scratches his head. _

**Soldier: **Alright but be quick about it.

**Schaeffer: **Uh, it might take us a little more time, you see, we're looking for a special batch of….of….

_Moriarty intervenes. _

**Moriarty: **Spot-remover!

**Schaeffer: **Yes…spot-remover! There's a big old stain in the mens' bathroom, ya see. And we got to take care of it soon, because it is starting to get all moldy and crusty, and it smells like the hind end of a…

**Soldier: **Okay, that's enough.

**Schaeffer: **We're pretty sure it's in this closet, but it's kind of a mess in there, so it could take a while…..

**Soldier: **Just hurry up.

_Schaeffer tips his hat. _

**Schaeffer: **Do appreciate it…

_They enter the closet together. They quickly drop the act. Schaeffer gets a stool and positions it under an air vent. He steps up to listen. _

**Moriarty: **Anything?

**Schaeffer: **Shh!

_Schaeffer leans his ear against the vent. He starts to hear voices being spoken in a quiet but serious tone. _

**Soldier Inside: **…..a matter of international security.

_Schaeffer's face lights up with joy. _

**Bordeaux: **I understand the importance of this task.

**Soldier Inside: **We know you are an expert in this field, and we need your help.

**Bordeaux: **I'll do everything in my power to help you….but it may take time.

**Soldier Inside: **Well do your best. Brussels is getting restless. They want to know what the Soviets are up to and they want to know now.

**Bordeaux: **I understand, but if your experts couldn't crack it…..

_Schaeffer steps down from the stool. _

**Moriarty: **Well?

**Schaeffer: **I know what I need to know for now. But we've overstayed our welcome. _He looks around. _Grab some spot-remover so the soldier outside won't get suspicious.

_Moriarty reveals a small can from his pocket. _

**Moriarty: **Already ahead of you.

_They exit the closet. The soldier watches them warily as they leave. Moriarty begins speaking once they are out of listening range._

**Moriarty: **So what is it?

**Schaeffer: **NATO must have intercepted some important information the Soviets didn't want them to see. But it's encrypted, so they are going to Bordeaux for help.

**Moriarty: **So has your curiosity been satisfied?

**Schaeffer: **Of course not! That only whetted my appetite!

_Moriarty slaps his hand against his face. _

**Moriarty: **Oh no…..you couldn't…

**Schaeffer: **Think about it André…all that juicy information within our reach. You can't say you aren't intrigued…

_Moriarty hesitates. _

**Moriarty: **I am…..

_Schaeffer taunts him. _

**Schaeffer: **You know you want to…..

**Moriarty: **Stop it.

_Schaeffer rests his head on Moriarty's shoulder, whispering into his ear. _

**Schaeffer: **Come on…..we'll never get an opportunity like this again.

**Moriarty: **But if we get caught….

**Schaeffer: **We won't get caught. The soldiers won't stay here forever. They will leave Bordeaux to work on the decryption in his office. All we need to do is sneak in when he's not around. And it's best we do that at night.

_Moriarty works over the plan in his head, wondering about the dangers of this course of action. At last he concedes. _

**Moriarty: **Okay, but if this goes wrong, it's on your head.

_Later that night, Moriarty and Schaeffer wait outside Bordeaux's office in the basement of the college. They stay out of sight and wait for the right moment. _

**Moriarty: **How long do we have to wait?

**Schaeffer: **It shouldn't be much longer.

**Moriarty: **Why do you say that?

**Schaeffer: **He's going to be working on this project all night….which means he'll need coffee to stay awake. And when you drink a lot of coffee….

_Bordeaux comes out of the office and heads for the restroom. _

**Schaeffer: **Bingo…

_The two sneak in to Bordeaux's dimly lit office. Schaeffer immediately heads for the desk. Under the lamp lies a single sheet of paper, which contains a seemingly random series of numbers. Schaeffer notices Bordeaux's notes on a page underneath that contain his attmepts to decipher the document. Schaeffer has mentally died and gone to heaven. He grins widely. _

**Schaeffer: **Fascinating…

_He picks up a pen and thoroughly examines the document. Moriarty watches from behind. _

**Moriarty: **You better hurry. Bordeaux is not going to be in the bathroom forever.

**Schaeffer: **I know. I know. Just give me a second….

_Moriarty hears the door to the bathroom open. _

**Moriarty: **We don't have a second.

_Schaeffer curses. There is no way they can get out of the office without being noticed. In a surprising move, Moriarty shuts the door to the office and locks it. Schaeffer's eyes widen. _

**Schaeffer: **André…..

**Moriarty: **We've gone too far to back out now.

_The door is pulled from the outside. _

**Bordeaux: **What the…..WHO IS IN THERE?

**Schaeffer: **We're dead.

**Moriarty: **You wanted to do this. Now let's see it through….

**Bordeaux: **This is not funny! OPEN THIS DOOR IMMEDIATELY!

_The two furiously go to work. _

**Schaeffer: **Some of these numbers are obviously algorithms, codes for something.

**Moriarty: **Can you tell what it means?

**Schaeffer: **Hard to say. There's no telling where the real message lies in this document.

**Bordeaux: **André…..Waldo…..is that you?

**Moriarty: **Well, you better try. Otherwise we are going to go to prison for nothing.

_Schaeffer writes a few things down on the page. He taps his pencil on the desk. _

**Schaeffer: **Boy, this is a tough one. No wonder Bordeaux is having trouble. The question is….are all these numbers algorithms, or is there something deeper to this?

**Bordeaux: **YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE GETTING YOURSELF INTO!

**Moriarty: **What if some of these numbers contained a binary message?

**Schaeffer: **There would have to be a certain pattern for that to work….a signature mark that the Soviets would under-

_He freezes, suddenly noticing something he didn't see before. He looks up from the document, eyes full of wonder. _

**Schaeffer: **Of course…..why didn't I see it before?

**Moriarty: **See what?

_Schaeffer takes the pen and draws a blue line around a certain pattern of binary numbers that are oddly close together. The shape starts out wide and then becomes very thin. Schaeffer completes the shape and then lowers the pen. Moriarty's eyes widen. _

**Moriarty: **My God…

_The shape is clearly a hammer. _

**Schaeffer: **The hammer of the Soviet Union.

**Moriarty: **The message must be in the hammer. Translate it!

**Schaeffer: **Okay, hold on….

**Bordeaux: **If you know what's good for you, you will open this door!

**Schaeffer: **Let's see, if we assume the beginning of the message starts at the top left hand side of the hammer….

**Bordeaux: **DON'T MAKE ME GET SECURITY!

**Schaeffer: **Almost there….

_Moriarty hears Bordeaux storm away from the office. _

**Moriarty: **We're running out of time.

**Schaeffer: **I've got it!...Oh…oh no.

**Moriarty: **What?

_Schaeffer shows him the translation. It reads: TRY_AGAIN_CAPITALIST_SCUM. _

**Moriarty: **Well that's not it….

_Schaeffer curses and slams his fist on the desk. _

**Schaeffer: **We were so close! Now what do we do?

_Both Moriarty and Schaeffer are now desperate. Precious seconds are evaporating before their eyes. Schaeffer dissects the document again, looking for anything he might have missed. Moriarty taps his foot on the floor impatiently. Then he snaps his fingers. _

**Moriarty: **The message…..is not in the hammer.

**Schaeffer: **We know that already! Stop reminding me!

**Moriarty: **Then it has to be somewhere else….

_Schaeffer turns around. He gives Moriarty a puzzled look. _

**Schaeffer: **I don't follow.

**Moriarty: **Think about it Waldo….if it's not in the hammer, then what other symbol of the Soviet Union could it possibly be in?

_Schaeffer suddenly understands. _

**Schaeffer: **THE SICKLE!

_Schaeffer draws the outline of a sickle juxtaposing the hammer. Together the two symbols form the insignia of the Soviet Union. Moriarty hears frantic footsteps. _

**Moriarty: **Hurry, they're coming!

**Schaeffer: **I just have to translate these algorithms in the sickle….

_The voices get louder. _

**Bordeaux: **Hurry! Down here!

**Moriarty: **Waldo…

**Schaeffer: **Just a moment!

_They hear them coming down the hall. _

**Moriarty: **IT'S NOW OR NEVER!

**Schaeffer: **I JUST NEED ONE SECOND!

_The door is busted down. Security rushes in with Bordeaux behind them. The men grab Moriarty. Bordeaux pushes through to get to Schaeffer first. But it is already too late. Schaeffer backs away, pointing to the work in front of him. Bordeaux yanks it from the desk. The full message reads: THREE_TANK_DIVISIONS_TO_EAST_BERLIN. Bordeaux drops the paper in shock. _

**Bordeaux: **How…how could you have possibly?...

_He is speechless. Schaeffer appears unrepentant in light of his accomplishment. Moriarty purses his lips, bracing himself for whatever punishment awaits them. Schaeffer becomes bold. _

**Schaeffer: **NATO will probably want that.

_Bordeaux squints his eyes, unable to accept what has just happened. A combination of jealousy and outrage strike him as a result of this remarkable feat by two young researchers. But at the same time, Bordeaux cannot help but feel impressed. _

**Bordeaux: **You do realize you could get in serious trouble for this.

**Schaeffer: **I know. The question is….are you going to turn us in, or are you going to take credit for this and let us go?

_Bordeaux sees the awkward position Schaeffer has put him in. If he turns them in, he effectively admits that two rebellious college students beat him. If he takes credit for it, both sides win. Bordeaux lowers his eyebrows. _

**Bordeaux: **Gentlemen, escort these two off the campus please…and let them go.

_Security obeys. Moriarty and Schaeffer are taken out of the college and are left to walk home to their apartment. _

**Schaeffer: **Well, that was fun.

**Moriarty: **If by fun you mean slightly shy of criminal insanity, then yes that was fun.

**Schaeffer: **If I recall correctly, it was you who locked the door…

**Moriarty: **If I recall correctly, it was your idea in the first place.

**Schaeffer: **I did Europe a great service!

**Moriarty: **Oh please….we both know you just wanted to prove you could do it.

**Schaeffer: **Well some good things come from wrong intentions…

_Pause. _

**Moriarty: **So what happens now?

**Schaeffer: **Nothing. Bordeaux keeps quiet, NATO is none the wiser, and we keep going to class. Very simple.

**Moriarty: **Well then, I guess this will just make a good story to tell when we're eighty.

_Two weeks later, Moriarty and Schaeffer are working on a robot in their apartment. The machine is box-shape with four wheels and a large blade at the front. They seem to be applying the finishing touches. _

**Schaeffer: **Okay the circuit board's about finished. Is the battery ready to go?

_Moriarty holds up a strange-looking metallic battery. _

**Moriarty: **Yes. Are the wires hooked up to the right places?

**Schaeffer: **I…..believe so.

**Moriarty: **You believe so?

_Schaeffer checks again. _

**Schaeffer: **Um…..check. Everything looks in order. I think this thing is ready to chop vegetables.

**Moriarty: **Shall we do a test run?

**Schaeffer: **Yes….turn it on.

_Moriarty flips a switch. At first the machine behaves normally, moving the blade in a rhythmic up-and-down motion. But suddenly the machine picks up the pace and starts acting erratically. The robot jumps to the floor and starts chopping wildly. _

**Schaeffer: **Too much power! TOO MUCH POWER!

**Moriarty: **NOT AGAIN!

_The two try their best to dodge the rampaging robot as it starts to chop through random things in the house. Schaeffer starts throwing books at it. _

**Schaeffer: **Shut it down!

**Moriarty: **I'M TRYING!

_In the midst of this panic, there is a knocking on the door. Schaeffer and Moriarty are obviously too busy to answer. When the knocker hears the strange screams and the whirling of machinery inside, he opens the door. The first thing he sees is Schaeffer destroying a robot with a brick. He hits it repeatedly until it finally breaks. Schaeffer looks up, finally acknowledging his guest. _

**Schaeffer: **Hello….may I help you?

_The gentleman in the doorway appears to be in his mid fifties, but seems very fit for his age. Both sides of his hair are white, while the top is a solid shade of grey. He wears a plain brown business suit with a red tie. Although the guest clearly planned on using the upmost courtesy with them, he is caught off guard by the strange timing of his visit. He finally begins to speak. _

**Gaspard: **Hello gentlemen. My name is Gaspard Depaul. Is this the residence of Waldo Schaeffer and André…

**Schaeffer: **Yes, you have the right place.

_The robot turns on again. Schaeffer hits it with a brick one more time, then looks at Gaspard innocently. _

**Gaspard: **May I have a moment of your time?

**Schaeffer: **Of course _He tries to tidy up the room a little bit after the robot rampage. _We weren't doing anything too important.

**Moriarty: **To what do we owe this visit?

**Gaspard: **…I would like to make you an offer.

_A few minutes later Gaspard, Moriarty, and Schaeffer are sitting at a small table in their pathetic excuse for a kitchen. Gaspard pretends to enjoy the wretched coffee Schaeffer has given him. He coughs. _

**Gaspard: **Ahem…well, I have to say, I am very impressed with you two.

**Schaeffer: **Really? People have always told me I'm horrible at making coffee.

**Gaspard: **I'm not talking about that….I'm talking about your decryption skills.

_Moriarty and Schaeffer look at each other nervously. _

**Gaspard: **Oh don't act dumb…..did you honestly think we wouldn't be monitoring Bourdeaux's progress?

**Schaeffer: **That….never crossed our minds.

**Gaspard: **Well, we were watching…and NATO was very surprised to have a document of international importance decrypted by two college students.

_Moriarty and Schaeffer consider their responses carefully. _

**Moriarty: **I hope they didn't mind us tampering….a little.

_Gaspard laughs. _

**Gaspard: **Oh it was quite the scene in Brussels. A few of the stiff types wanted you put in the deepest prison in all of Europe and have you never see the light of day.

_Moriarty and Schaeffer smile nervously and force themselves to laugh with him. _

**Gaspard: **But my colleagues and I convinced them otherwise. After all, no point in punishing success, even if you acted way out of line.

**Schaeffer: **We do appreciate you not locking us away for the rest of our lives…

**Gaspard: **Don't mention it. After all, Europe needs people like you.

_Moriarty and Schaeffer look at each other. _

**Moriarty: **Wait…..are you trying to recruit us for something?

_Gaspard suddenly becomes serious. He lays the mug down and leans forward. _

**Gaspard: **Gentlemen, the Soviet Union is still very much a threat. Their armies are on our very doorstep, and relations between the Communist East and Democratic West right now are tenuous at best. Our eastern European rival is vast, and we are outnumbered.

**Schaeffer: **…..So you need brilliant minds on your side.

_Gaspard nods. _

**Gaspard: **If we are going to keep the Soviets at bay, we need superior technology and expertise. A struggle like this isn't won by sheer firepower. We need to use brains over brawn.

**Moriarty: **So what exactly are you offering us?

_Gaspard removes a folder from inside his coat pocket. He lays it down on the table. The front cover says: CLASSIFIED/PROJECT CARTHAGE. Schaeffer opens it and takes a look. _

**Gaspard: **I am in charge of a little secure area outside of Bern, Switzerland that could use your support.

_Schaeffer scratches his chin while reading. _

**Schaeffer: **Well, I wouldn't mind going back home.

**Gaspard: **Our mission is very similar to your little stunt. We have collected some of the greatest minds in computer science in Europe for one clear purpose: to disrupt and intercept the communications of the Soviet Union.

_Moriarty and Schaeffer are quiet, overwhelmed at the magnitude of this program. _

**Moriarty: **This…this is a bit overwhelming Mr. Depaul…

**Gaspard: **True. But you boys are nearly thirty. Do you honestly want to continue to scrounge out a meager existence researching at this college?

_Moriarty and Schaeffer see his point. _

**Gaspard: **Why not put those minds to work? Why not show us what you can really do?

**Schaeffer: **We need some time to think about this.

**Gaspard: **I can show you things that will blow you away.

_Schaeffer chuckles. _

**Schaeffer: **It takes a lot to impress me.

_Gaspard narrows his eyebrows. _

**Gaspard: **How about the largest supercomputer in all of Europe to date?

_Moriarty and Schaeffer stop everything and look at Gaspard, who smiles at their reaction. _

**Gaspard: **So….what's it going to be?

_A few days later, Moriarty and Schaeffer fly with Gaspard on a private jet out of France. After several hours, the jet begins to land in an isolated valley surrounded by the Alps. As they near the runway, they see a large marble white complex in the distance. Following their landing, Gaspard brings them through the front entrance, using his keycard_ _to get by security. They walk down the white halls. Scientists in lab coats briefly acknowledge the new young additions to the team. _

**Gaspard: **You'll be introduced to the team shortly….first you need to know this complex from top to bottom.

_Schaeffer notices an elaborate laboratory to his right. He presses his face to the glass, a child caught up in curious wonder. Gaspard taps him on the shoulder. _

**Gaspard: **Please try to stay focused…

_They continue the tour. The three enter through a massive double-door entrance. Gaspard reaches out his hand, pointing to dozens of large metal cabinets all clustered together. Each one flashes with blinking lights and is constantly monitored by a team of technicians. _

**Gaspard: **Behold our crown jewel…Carthage….our supercomputer. A computer cluster with over 100,000 processors working nonstop. A magnificent achievement far ahead of its time.

**Moriarty: **Why did you name it Carthage?

_Gaspard begins to answer, but is interrupted by a short circuit in one of the cabinets. A technician moves forward. _

**Technician: **Hold on….I'll fix it.

_As the technician goes to work, Schaeffer walks up behind him. _

**Schaeffer: **Well, no wonder you are having problems. Your processors aren't properly ventilated.

_The technician looks up, obviously annoyed. _

**Technician: **Excuse me?

**Schaeffer: **And these operating systems could be far more efficient.

**Technician: **You have a lot of nerve walking in here and telling me how to do my-

_Gaspard approaches the two. _

**Gaspard: **Actually, I would listen to him. I picked him for a reason.

_The technician bristles with anger but maintains his composure. Schaeffer begins going into more detail on how to improve the supercomputer. Meanwhile Gaspard walks with Moriarty into another hallway. _

**Moriarty: **This project is huge! Are you sure you need us?

**Gaspard: **Oh rest assured, you will be invaluable. You are not going to be just another extra hand here. I'm putting you and Schaeffer on the board with me.

**Moriarty: **Are you sure about that? After all, we just got here.

**Gaspard: **The sooner you have control here the better. I want the best, regardless of their age or experience. And you are the best.

_Moriarty is about to thank Gaspard for his compliment when a woman bursts through a side door carrying some important documents. She runs headlong into Moriarty and they fall to the ground. The woman immediately begins to apologize to Moriarty and Gaspard for not paying attention. Moriarty rubs his head. _

**Moriarty: **It's…..not a problem. Here….let me help you with those things

_He reaches for the stack of disheveled papers at the same time the woman does. Their hands touch. Moriarty looks up. He is immediately taken in by the woman's beauty and her lovely hair…her lovely….pink…..hair. Moriarty smiles. Odd, who has fallen into a daze in his own dream, suddenly becomes alert. He loses his breath. _

**Odd: **No….this….this can't be happening.

_Moriarty helps the woman up. _

**Moriarty: **I think we got off on the wrong foot. What is your name?

_The woman smiles. _

**Antea: **Antea Hopper….

_Odd backs up, slowly sinking into an inky blackness. His dream erupts into a fire that he cannot put out. As the flames begin to consume him, he wakes up in the factory, breathing heavily and soaking with cold sweat. _


	10. Chapter 10

**This took longer than I would have hoped. It is also a little longer than I thought it would be. I'm starting to think shorter chapters would help. But then I would have eight million chapters. Oh well…**

**Part 25 **

_Aelita hovers the Skid near the Lyoko Network access gate. She presses a few keys. The Skid shoots a strange beam onto the closed gate. Four objects that look similar to satellite dishes appear on the gate's outer rim. Aelita begins a test run. The satellites focus on a particular part of the Network and fire four blue beams that merge into one large beam several hundred meters away. The beam stretches far out into the Network. Aelita stops the test. _

**Aelita: **Everything is working perfectly Jeremie. The Trans-Network Cyber Bridge is a success.

_Back in the lab, Jeremie is placing a strange metal headset on Odd's cranium. The wires are hooked up to the main computer mainframe. He talks to Aelita while setting up the equipment. _

**Jeremie: **Good work Aelita. You can head back now.

_Odd adjusts the cumbersome headset. _

**Odd: **Remind me again what a cyber bridge is?

**Jeremie: **We had a really close call when Ulrich was almost eternally virtualized in the Network. Trying to destroy Moriarty's core is extremely dangerous. But we have to try. So Aelita and I have developed a sort of emergency recovery system in case one of you is devirtualized in the Network again. It creates a cybernetic force field and tractor beam that preserves one's virtual incarnation and redirects its trajectory back to Lyoko…

**Odd: **You're starting to lose me here Einstein.

_Jeremie sighs. _

**Jeremie: **Giant beam sucks defeated warrior back to Lyoko for safe devirtualization. No risk of disappearing forever. Do you understand now?

**Odd: **Uh….I guess so.

**Jeremie: **Good. Now let's start your procedure.

_Odd swallows. _

**Odd: **Jeremie, are you…..sure this is a good idea?

_Jeremie sits back down at the command chair. _

**Jeremie: **I've read that virtual reality experiments can help veterans suffering from PTSD overcome their emotional trauma through simulated exposure. Hopefully the same idea will work with you.

_Odd nervously taps his fingers on the armrests of his chair. _

**Odd: **Yes but you overlooked one slight detail…

**Jeremie: **And that would be….?

**Odd: **Virtual reality is what got me into this mess in the first place!

_Jeremie thinks about this for a moment. He shrugs. _

**Jeremie: **Well it's better than doing nothing.

**Odd: **Jeremie…..I…._A slight tremor passes through his body as he dreads what is to come. _I really….really don't want to do this.

_Jeremie turns around to face Odd. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, you have to face this. You have PTSD and my options for treating you are very limited. You can't stay in the factory forever. We have to do something…

_Odd takes a series of deep breaths. _

**Odd: **You're right….Let's do it….before I change my mind.

**Jeremie: **Okay. I'm starting up the simulation.

_Odd's world becomes dark for a moment. Then the outlines of objects begin to materialize around him. The simulation becomes very bright and the area around him solidifies into the mountain sector. Odd finds himself in his old uniform, free of Moriarty's control. He takes a moment to look at his paws. He takes in his surroundings. Everything feels so real. Odd hears Jeremie's voice. _

**Jeremie: **The simulation should be completely loaded by now. Does everything look real to you?

_Odd shudders. _

**Odd: **Too real.

**Jeremie: **The virtual reality helmet penetrates your subconscious and brings back the memories that haunt you the most. I am not the one controlling the environment. Where are you?

**Odd: **The mountain sector.

**Jeremie: **Then something must have gone terribly wrong there. Do you know why you are in the mountain sector?

_Odd lowers his head, bracing himself for the worst. He does his best to keep fear from making him lose control. _

**Odd: **Yes…

_Jeremie is quiet, letting Odd have some space to deal with his burden. _

**Odd: **This is the moment that…..that I failed.

**Jeremie: **Then whatever happens, remember that this is not real.

_A dark red cloud rises out of the digital sea. Odd turns away, clearly terrified at the prospect of facing his worst fear. _

**Moriarty: **It's just you and me Odd.

_Odd puts his paws over his head. He goes to his knees. _

**Odd: **No…anything but this.

**Jeremie: **Turn around Odd. The only power he holds over you is fear. Take that power away from him.

**Moriarty: **You've come to me at last….

**Odd: **Stay away from me!

_Odd feels his hands light up with red energy. He instantly becomes horrified and ashamed. _

**Odd: **No. Not these stupid powers again!

_His hands glow even more. Odd becomes angry. _

**Odd: **You're the reason I became possessed! You created this mess!

_Moriarty's smoky arms grab Odd and force him to turn around. Odd fires red blasts at Moriarty out of instinct. It only makes him stronger. Odd cringes in horror as Moriarty laughs at him. _

**Moriarty: **I honestly didn't think it would be you, but you have exceeded all of my expectations. Congratulations.

_Odd's symptoms start to take over. He shakes in terror. _

**Odd: **Jeremie….turn it off!

**Jeremie: **No. Not yet. Exposure is the only way to cure you.

**Moriarty: **You will make a powerful ally.

_Odd starts to feel Moriarty taking over his mind. He fires laser arrows and red electricity at him in a mad frenzy. Odd convulses as he begins to feel his freedom drained away. His mind panics. This is no longer a simulation to him. It is terrifyingly real. _

**Odd: **JEREMIE TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!

**Jeremie: **Come on Odd, you can do this!

_Moriarty's skull is engulfed in red fire. His sockets lock onto Odd's helpless soul. Odd feels the beast within regain control. _

**Moriarty: **Join me…

_Odd can't take anymore. He writhes like an animal desperate to survive. He screams at the top of his lungs. _

**Odd: **FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JEREMIE SHUT IT OFF!

_Moriarty brings Odd close to his smoky mouth, ready to swallow him. Jeremie sees Odd clawing at his helmet in the lab and finally decides to relent. The simulation shuts down. Odd yanks his helmet off and throws it halfway across the room. He hugs his knees and stares into nothing, doing his best to relax after reliving that horrible moment. Jeremie is struck with regret. He gets out of the command chair. _

**Jeremie: **I think we're done for the day.

_The next morning Moriarty teaches his 10__th__ grade World History class. He speaks slowly and confidently, fully aware that several students in his class are in awe of this man for saving the school. But his scholarly manner does not give off a hint of pride. _

**Moriarty: **Shortly following World War ІІ, many of the major European nations saw economic integration as the key to preventing the extreme nationalism that wreaked havoc on the continent. By making their economies mutually dependent on each other, they figured that no nation would be foolish enough to start another conflict. The first attempt at economic unity was the European Coal and Steel Community. A few years later in 1957 the Treaty of Rome furthered the unity by creating the European Economic Community. As the number of members steadily grew, the Community began to become more politically integrated as well as being united economically. But it wasn't until 1993 that the Maastricht Treaty formally created the European Union that we know today. In 2002 the euro became the central currency for the majority of the nations. _He looks at the class and rolls his eyes. _And although I'm getting ahead of myself, we all know how well that's working out…

_Some of the students groan at the mention of the EU's economic woes. _

**Moriarty: **Unfortunately, we have learned all too well that there are downsides to political and economic integration. In fact, it's making some experts wonder if we should toss the idea of unity out altogether.

_Emmanuel snorts. _

**Emmanuel: **Good…

_Christophe turns to his companion and gives him a dirty look. _

**Christophe: **Come again?

**Emmanuel: **You heard me.

**Christophe: **You got a problem with the Union, man?

**Emmanuel: **Several actually…

**Christophe: **And what has the Union done that you find so offensive?

_Emmanuel begins to count on his fingers. _

**Emmanuel: **Hmm…..lets see…..stepping on French independence and sovereignty, discouraging our national identity, and making our economy suffer at the hands of drunken nations like Greece and Portugal.

_Emmanuel's statement ignites an argument among the tables around him. Moriarty turns to the chalkboard. _

**Moriarty: **Now let's move on to the Suez Crisis…._He turns around in annoyance at the growing argument behind him. _Students….._The talking continues….._Students quiet down!

_They finally settle down, but it is obvious that the conflict was not resolved, especially between Christophe and Emmanuel. Moriarty locks his eyes on the latter. _

**Moriarty: **Emmanuel, we appreciate your strong political opinions, but I'd rather you not use them to get us off topic.

_From their seats near the back, Yumi and William can tell that Emmanuel's strong opinions are exactly what Moriarty wants. But he hides it well. _

**Emmanuel: **Dr. Renard, I think I have the right to speak my mind. Is it fair that responsible nations like France and Germany should pay the price for the mistakes of others, and then reward those nations by bailing them out to prevent a complete financial collapse?

_Moriarty shifts his head a little, pretending to think about this. Yumi gives William a worried look. _

**Yumi: **This is bad. This is very, very bad.

**William: **Emmanuel just gave Moriarty exactly what he wanted.

_Moriarty walks back to the chalkboard. He is silent for a moment. _

**Moriarty: **You make a good point Emmanuel. And….perhaps the Suez Crisis can wait. After all, with these new school reforms coming up soon, I have a lot more freedom on what to teach.

_William leans close to Yumi. He whispers into her ear. _

**William: **School reforms?

_Yumi shakes her head. _

**Yumi: **He doesn't waste any time. He's already making his move.

**William: **Yes but how?

**Moriarty: **…And we could be watching history in the making. The euro it seems, is doing a lot more damage than good right now. _He takes a coin out of his pocket. He stares at it intently. _If things get much worse, they might consider getting rid of this currency altogether. The question is….is all this worth it?

_He looks at the class. No one says anything. _

**Moriarty: **Come on….speak up. What do you honestly think?

_Another pause. Yumi leans back to William. _

**Yumi: **Now's our chance. If we don't speak up, he'll start to mess with their minds.

**William: **Yes but what if that's exactly what he wants?….To isolate us from the others.

**Yumi: **If we don't do something, it will happen anyway.

_William thinks this over. _

**William: **Good point.

_William begins to raise his hand, but someone beats him to it. _

**Christophe: **Dr. Renard, no one can deny that the euro has problems, but what about free trade? ….And more power in the global market? You can't deny that there are benefits to the euro as well.

_Moriarty furrows his eyebrows at Christophe's unexpected rebuttal, but he shows no signs of irritation. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, you are right Christophe. I'm not denying that there are benefits to the Eurozone. It is merely a question of whether the costs outweigh the benefits.

**Christophe: **The financial situation is bad. But if Greece can just get its spending under control and find ways to get more competitive, they might be able to fix it. We probably just need to be patient.

_Emmanuel scoffs at this. _

**Emmanuel: **Exactly how long do we have to wait?

_Moriarty points a finger at Emmanuel and grins. _

**Moriarty: **Once again, Emmanuel has a point. Christophe, although you have good ideas, what you are suggesting is not working in practice. Getting more competitive would mean devaluating their currency, something Greece couldn't do even if they wanted to because the euro does not belong to them alone. It would also mean cutting social benefits and reducing labor costs. The Greeks do not seem to be interested in making that sacrifice. The riots in Athens have shown that ordinary citizens don't want to have anything to do with austerity. And if their own people don't want to look beyond their own needs…._Moriarty shrugs_….there's not much the rest of the European Union nations can do.

**Mathias: **Then it's their fault. One nation is bringing the rest of the EU down, and they don't even care.

**Emmanuel: **Exactly….

_A few students protest this, but Moriarty regains the floor. _

**Moriarty: **While your position can be debated, you are right in saying that a nation like Greece or Portugal can singlehandedly put the EU in serious jeopardy. So the other nations have no choice but to bail them out. Otherwise they would default on their debts and ignite an economic disaster.

**Mathias: **So Greece is getting rewarded for doing something wrong?

**Moriarty: **In a nutshell, yes. There were conditions to the bailouts. Greece was supposed to impose strict financial reforms to remedy the situation, but their citizens and government don't seem very eager to accept them.

_Anais raises her hand. _

**Anais: **Dr. Renard, I don't want to be rude, but you seem to be suggesting that the Greeks are irresponsible, selfish, and lazy.

_Moriarty shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **No. That's not it at all. They are merely addicted to an excess of the welfare state. Social benefits with very little concern for their cost. And don't get me wrong. Greece is nothing special. Europe is in love with the welfare state…..possibly too much. Workers demand more and more programs to suit their needs. And our beloved France is no different. Why, you remember the firestorm of protests when the government tried to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. We strike all the time. The slightest cut sends us screaming into the streets. Teachers demand better wages all the time. But it's never enough. We just keep wanting more…

_Yumi balls her fists. _

**William: **Yumi careful…..don't let him play with your emotions.

**Yumi: **He's toying with them…..sprinkling some truth in to deceive them. We can't let him do this.

**William: **We need to choose our battles wisely. I don't think this is the right time or place.

**Moriarty: **…And when crisis finally hits, never once do we consider that maybe….just maybe this was our own fault. That perhaps in our quest to squeeze benefits from the government we have made the state bankrupt. We just demand even more once things get bad. Greece was not a special case. They were just really bad at handling it. The real fault does not lie with Greece. The source of the problem is a mentality among most of the working classes in Europe that you can make the government your personal nanny and get away with it.

_Yumi stands up, much to William's chagrin. _

**Yumi: **Sir…_Yumi almost chokes on those words_...that is not true. It was the selfishness of banks and corporations that really got the EU into this mess. They were the ones who acted irresponsibly. Ordinary people were the victims….not the cause of this problem. How could you blame this on them when so many are dealing with hard times right now? Moreover, how could you demonize teachers? You of all people should defend them. You're one of them!

_The room becomes silent, as the class waits for Moriarty's reaction. Yumi remains firm despite her apprehension. William braces himself for the reply. Moriarty twists some chalk around his fingers, contemplating his response calmly while secretly reminding himself to punish that insult later. He slowly begins to speak. _

**Moriarty: **You….also have…a point….._He faces the class. _Yumi's statement points out just how broad this issue is. You can look at it from several angles. But…..even if it was not their fault, you cannot deny that European nations have trouble making sacrifices. People are suffering, there is no doubt about that. But poverty has always been a tragic fact of life…..If you ask me, the welfare state is like a boat…a boat that pulls people struggling in the water to safety. But eventually there are too many on board, and the crew has to decide whether to save more and sink the entire ship, or leave the others to die and save the rest. Faced with that reality, what more could we possibly do to fix this problem and keep up our old habits?

_Natalya speaks up from a table near the window that is only occupied by her. _

**Natalya: **We could tax the rich….

_Moriarty smirks. _

**Moriarty: **Spoken like a true Russian.

_A few of the students laugh. Natalya doesn't think it's very funny. _

**Moriarty: **A good thought…in theory. But if you take money away from the producers in society and give it to the consumers, eventually it will encourage more and more people to become consumers. And then the small number of producers won't be enough to satisfy the needs of the consumers anymore.

**Anais: **But that is a solution. We can't just let the super wealthy get off scot-free while the rest suffer.

**Christophe: **That could do a lot to fix things and get Europe off its feet.

_William finally makes his move. _

**William: **Letting the rich get richer is not going to fix this mess. It's just going to create a small minority of wealthy people in a mostly suffering society.

_Moriarty looks around the room, watching as these students defy him. Some conservative students start to argue, but Moriarty taps on his desk. The classroom becomes quiet. _

**Moriarty: **Very well, I understand if you think that way. _He pauses. _Although you do realize that you are talking about taking money from your own parents. After all, most of you come from very successful families. It's very easy to pledge loyalty to the ordinary worker when you live comfortable lives and haven't had to give up your money to help them.

_Some of the students become a little embarrassed at this realization. But Christophe does not fall for it. _

**Christophe: **Just because we grew up with luxury doesn't mean we can't stick to our ideals when we enter the real world.

_Moriarty considers this. He paces the room with his hands behind his back. His mind hums with activity. After a few seconds, Moriarty smiles at Christophe. _

**Moriarty: **Okay, you're on.

_Christophe and the rest of the class becomes confused. _

**Christophe: **I'm sorry, what's on?

**Moriarty: **Your bet.

**Christophe: **I…..I never made a bet.

**Moriarty: **Oh but you did. You told me that you would stick to your ideals once you got into the real world. Well, I say….. why wait? We can try this right here, right now.

_The class becomes even more confused. _

**Christophe: **I don't follow….

**Moriarty: **Oh it's very simple. The majority of you believe socialism is the best policy. I say let's put it to the test.

**Mathias: **And how do we do that?

_Moriarty scratches his chin with his index finger, clearly eager to explain his brilliant idea. _

**Moriarty: **A class experiment.

_Curious whispers echo through the room. _

**Moriarty: **From now on this class will be a laboratory for testing political extremes, both left and right. We will experiment with both sides and decide which is better. And since a lot of you seem to side with the left, we will try communism first.

_Stunned silence grips the room. _

**Anais: **But Dr. Renard…

**Moriarty: **It is Comrade Renard now. Don't address me by my title from a capitalist society.

_Anais struggles to swallow this piece of information as she speaks. _

**Anais: **Comrade Renard…..you are trying to install communism. We were talking about socialism. Those are two different things.

**Moriarty: **Oh but Comrade Fiquet, communism is a revolutionary and extreme version of socialism. And I want to test the extremes. This is important in terms of your study of history, for the 1940s and 50s were fraught with competition between fascism and communism. Instead of merely learning history…let's relive it. We can experiment with two opposite ends of the spectrum and see which is better for society. I know none of you hold views that extreme, but humor me. Besides, we have seen that moderate left and right policies in Europe so far have not relieved Europe's financial problems. So why not see if the extremes could work? Comrades, enough talk. Let's put your words into action.

_The class slowly but surely becomes excited at this idea. The prospect of roleplaying in the classroom interests some of them. Christophe seems wary, while Emmanuel leans back in his chair and grins. Yumi and William almost turn white. _

**Yumi: **What on Earth did we just get dragged into?

_William tilts his head back, trying not to look worried. _

**William: **Something very bad…..Comrade Yumi.

_Yumi glares at him. _

**Yumi:** Is this really the time to make jokes?

**Moriarty: **First things first. These tables must be adjusted. Form a circle with them. We shall have no hierarchy here. Everyone is equal, despite their individual talents. No one takes a special seat here. Now comrades!

_The students slowly get up and start to move the tables. Moriarty leans against the chalkboard as the tables scrape the floor in hideous unison. Yumi looks at Moriarty's smug face. He nods at her and then points at the clock above him. As the second hand moves toward the 12, Yumi understands the message. His time of glory is near. A few hours later William and Jeremie are washing their hands in the bathroom. Jeremie seems distant, with a deep smile on his face. _

**William: **Someone seems distracted.

**Jeremie: **What?...Oh yes I guess I am.

**William: **Would this distraction happen to have pink hair?

**Jeremie: **Um….yes she would.

_William turns the faucet off. _

**William: **Why am I not surprised?

**Jeremie: **Can you blame me? I thought she would never forgive me in a million years…..and yet she has. She's…she's just incredible.

**William: **Uh huh. _William wipes his hands with a paper towel. _

**Jeremie: **Today we're going to be working in the factory, getting back to the basics. Now that we have the cyber bridge in place, we can get back to the multi-agent system and fixing the supercomputer's circuit boards.

**William: **Wait, is this a date or will you two actually be working?

_Jeremie puts his hands on his hips. _

**Jeremie: **We will be working. Just because we're together again doesn't mean we can't act professional.

**William: **Um yeah…..sure.

**Jeremie: **Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to spending time with her.

_He looks into the mirror and gets a dreamy look on his face. At the same time, a specter emerges from one of the electrical sockets. Neither of them notice. _

**Jeremie: **Maybe we can take some desserts from the cafeteria and share them while we work…

_William feels a shadow above him. He spins around and begins to back up. _

**William: **Jeremie…..

**Jeremie: **Or bring some extra croissants. She really likes croissants. And hot chocolate. Can't forget that.

**William: **Jeremie!

_The specter attacks him and tries to possess him. His body becomes enveloped in a gray shade. He silently writhes and fights back, unable to make a sound. _

**Jeremie: **It's going to be a lot of work, but I don't mind it as much if she helps me.

_William claws on the walls, trying to get Jeremie's attention. He can feel a resistance rise up in him, most likely due to the inhibitors he was exposed to. But the specter does not give up so easily. He batters William's mind as he vies for control. _

**Jeremie: **I mean, there's no law that says we can't have fun at the same time.

_William gasps, doing his best to keep the specter at bay. He chokes out Jeremie's name, but Jeremie is still on his romantic rant. _

**Jeremie: **I could be working at the computer, and then she could put her hands on my shoulders and leans in, and I would turn around and look at her…..

_William reaches for the stall door and tries to pull himself up. He groans in pain as the specter tries to break his will. But just when William believes he can't take anymore, something else shouts from deep inside his subconscious mind. _

**Xana: **This is my host. My slave. AND NO ONE ELSE'S!

_The specter is violently expelled through his mouth. It goes into the air vent and disappears. William gasps for air. He slowly gets up and drags himself towards the sink. He splashes water onto his face. _

**Jeremie:** And we can just hang out until…_He finally notices William_…Hey, what happened to you? You look awful!

_William curses under his breath. _

**William: **I've been tossed around like a rag doll for the past thirty seconds by a specter while you kept on babbling about Aelita!

**Jeremie: **Oh….I'm sorry. _Pause. _Did my inhibitors work?

_William represses the urge to punch Jeremie in the face. He speaks through clenched teeth. _

**William: **It needs…..some improvement.

_Twenty minutes later, a group of people head towards a bus at the front entrance of the school to go to the neighborhood indoor pool. William walks close to Yumi. _

**Yumi: **What happened to you? You look like you've been through hell!

**William: **I have. Moriarty tried to possess me.

_Yumi puts a hand on his shoulder. _

**Yumi: **Are you alright?

**William: **I could be better. But thanks for asking.

**Yumi: **Good thing the inhibitors worked.

_William looks away from her. _

**William: **Yes….but I wouldn't put a whole lot of confidence into that. It was a fierce battle.

**Yumi: **Well it's over now. Moriarty failed.

**William: **Yes but…_He turns to her. _You should be careful.

**Yumi: **Careful? Why?

**William: **When that specter tried to possess me, I could feel what it wanted me to do. It wanted me to hurt you…..badly. It wanted me to take advantage of your trust and beat you mercilessly. In other words, Moriarty is angry at you. He hasn't forgotten what you did, and if he couldn't use me, he will use someone else.

_Yumi looks straight ahead, biting her lip as she absorbs this information. _

**Yumi: **He can't scare me.

**William: **Be careful anyway. You know he always has a backup plan.

_Yumi sees Ulrich next to Yumi's moped. He smiles as he waits for her. _

**Yumi: **Got to go. We're taking the more adventurous route. See you at the pool.

**William: **Okay.

_Yumi and Ulrich get on the moped and begin to take off. William wanders onto the bus and takes a window seat near the back. A few students talk as the bus begins to fill up. He puts on his headphones and drowns the noise out with some music. Two minutes later William sees Natalya walk in. She goes down the aisle nervously and looks behind her shoulder, trying to see if someone is following her. Eventually she wanders over to William. William turns his head once he realizes that she has stopped in front of his row. He takes his headphones off. _

**William: **Hey Natalya…._His senses pick up on Natalya's discomfort. _You okay?

_She hesitates to answer. _

**Natalya: **William, I don't mean to impose, but…._She leans close to him so no one else can hear. _Mathias won't stop following me. It's getting on my nerves and the last thing I want to do is to sit next to him on the bus.

_William pats the seat next to him. _

**William: **Say no more. Just sit next to me and I'll make sure that won't happen.

_Natalya looks relieved. _

**Natalya: **Thank you.

_As soon as she sits down, Mathias comes down the aisle. She eyes Natalya and instantly becomes disappointed that she's not alone. But he stops to talk with her anyway. _

**Mathias: **Hey…

_Natalya looks away. _

**Natalya: **Hello Mathias.

**Mathias: **So you heading to the pool too?

**Natalya: **That's what this bus is for.

**Mathias: **Why don't we hang out together over there? It's an awesome place. It even has a hot tub and some great vending machines. I could buy you something.

**Natalya: **Thanks but no thanks.

**Mathias: **Are you sure? It's no fun to swim alone.

**Natalya: **I'll be fine.

**Mathias: **Look, I don't understand why you are trying to avoid me. I'm not trying to get you back….I just want to hang out and stuff.

**Natalya: **Please no. I'd prefer to be alone.

**Mathias: **I don't understand why you're upset when it was your idea in the first-

_William gets up from his seat and glares at Mathias. _

**William: **Hey. She says she's not interested. Alright? So stop asking.

_Mathias reluctantly retreats in the face of William's warning to back off. Natalya breathes a sigh of relief. _

**Natalya: **Thank you again.

**William: **No problem. I never liked that guy anyway.

**Natalya: **I can finally relax now.

**William: **Good for you. _He pulls something from his bag and offers it to her. _Croissant?

_Natalya laughs as he grabs another one for himself and starts to eat it. _

**Natalya: **Why do you have those?

**William: **A friend of mine wouldn't stop talking about having croissants with his girlfriend and it made me hungry. Want one?

**Natalya: **Sure. Why not?

_She takes it and eats it quickly. William is surprised that she finished it so fast. Natalya recognizes William's surprise and becomes embarrassed. But William doesn't say anything and the bus ride continues. William plays his music again. Natalya looks over his shoulder. _

**Natalya: **You like the Subdigitals too?

**William: **Of course. _He thinks for a moment. _I didn't realize that they were popular in Russia.

**Natalya: **They aren't. But they have a small loyal following.

**William: **Well, I'm glad that I met a part of that following.

_Natalya smiles and then frowns once she looks around and sees Mathias staring at her from his seat. _

**Natalya: **Oh no.

**William: **What?

**Natalya: **I have a feeling Mathias won't leave me alone once I get to the pool.

_William is quiet for a second. _

**William: **If he's that much of a pain, you could hang out with me at the pool. I will make sure he doesn't bother you.

_Natalya seems pleased with this idea. But she teases him. _

**Natalya: **You're quite the gentleman William.

**William: **I do my best.

_The two ride in silence for a moment. Then Natalya begins talking again. _

**Natalya: **Which song are you listening too?

**William: **"Angel of Mine"

_Her face lights up. _

**Natalya: **That's my favorite.

_William offers to let her listen. They share his ear buds. William starts to sing the lyrics quietly. _

**William: **"There's no time now to explain…..Oh no."

_Natalya joins in. _

**Natalya: **"….Been sent on a mission….Cause I got a vision right now"

_They hum the chorus together as the bus takes off through the Parisian suburbs. Scene shifts to the pool. Yumi watches from the side of the pool in her black one-piece swimsuit as Ulrich dives. She claps as he comes up for air. _

**Yumi: **Nice one.

_Ulrich swims to the edge. _

**Ulrich: **Why don't you come on in? The water's great.

_Yumi gives him a teasing smile. _

**Yumi: **Not right now. I'll just watch.

**Ulrich: **Oh come on.

**Yumi: **I'll swim in a minute. But not just yet.

_Ulrich swims away with a sad expression on his face. Yumi turns her head to look at someone else go off the diving board. Ulrich then sneakily swims back to Yumi and drags her in by her legs. She barely gets a scream off before she hits the water. She comes up spitting water out of her mouth and glaring at her mischievous boyfriend. _

**Yumi: **I'm going to get you for that!

**Ulrich: **If you can catch me.

_Ulrich swims away. _

**Yumi: **Why you little…

_Yumi takes off after him. William laughs at the scene from the distance. He is wearing black swimming trunks and is sitting on a bench close to the changing rooms. Natalya is inside one of them. _

**Natalya: **Okay, I'm ready.

_She comes out of the changing room. She walks over to William. William turns his head to face her…and becomes awestruck. He had recognized that she was very attractive before, but now her white bikini makes her full beauty hard to ignore. Her bikini is not very immodest, but William is still overwhelmed. The way her hair falls onto her shoulders and the sweet smile she is giving him combined with an amazing figure makes William speechless. A pang of desire washes over him. He fights back the feeling, doing his best to keep his old womanizing self in check. He looks away from her for a moment. _

**Natalya: **Is everything okay?

_William swallows. _

**William: **Yes. Everything's….fine.

**Natalya: **Good. Let's go swim.

**William: **Okay. Do you want to go off the diving board first?

_Natalya laughs. _

**Natalya: **You can if you want, but me? In this bikini? That's not a good idea. If I do that my top might come right off.

_William tries to laugh with her, but it's clear the thought of that has made his head spin. He turns a little red. _

**William: **I'm sorry, I…..I guess I never thought of that.

**Natalya: **Oh it's okay. Most guys never think of that. Come on, let's swim!

_She jumps in and signals William to follow. William tries to shake off the feeling and jumps into the pool with her. After a few minutes of swimming, William decides to go off the diving board. After he makes his dive, he closes his eyes and swims to the surface. William accidentally rises up right next to Natalya and bumps up against her chest. She squeals a little in surprise. _

**Natalya: **You need to watch where you're swimming.

_William becomes more embarrassed and overwhelmed than ever by getting so close to her. He treads away from her. _

**William: **Sorry, didn't see you there…..had my eyes closed and I couldn't have…seen…you being there…..

_William is at a loss for words. Natalya laughs. _

**Natalya: **Are you sure you're okay? You seem more confused than a Ukrainian walking out of a bar.

_Before William has to answer this slightly racist joke, he sees Ulrich and Yumi swim up from behind them. _

**Yumi: **Oh….Hi Natalya.

**Natalya: **Hello.

**Ulrich: **Hey William. Wanna race?

**William: **I'm….not really in the mood.

_Ulrich cleans some water out of his ears. _

**Ulrich: **I'm sorry….I think I need to get my hearing checked. Did you just back out of a challenge?

**William: **Don't be immature Ulrich, you can't goad me into racing you.

_Water splashes onto his face. William glares at a very guilty looking Ulrich. _

**William: **Okay. You asked for it….

_As the boys begin to race, Yumi and Natalya get out of the pool to watch. They both wrap towels around themselves and sit on a bench. Yumi cheers Ulrich on. _

**Yumi: **Come on Ulrich! He's beating you, step it up!

_She leans back and sighs. _

**Yumi: **He still has bad technique.

**Natalya: **I take it you know Ulrich pretty well.

_Yumi finds the comment amusing. _

**Yumi: **Very well actually. We're dating.

_Natalya seems surprised. _

**Natalya: **Oh…well, I….

**Yumi: **Something wrong?

**Natalya: **I thought you were with William.

_Yumi laughs. _

**Yumi: **William? What gave you that idea?

_Natalya gives her a perplexed look. _

**Natalya: **I heard that Christophe walked in on you two kissing in his room.

**Yumi: **Oh…that…..um…_Yumi scratches the back of her neck and searches for an explanation. _Well, I wasn't exactly myself at the-

_Natalya suddenly gives Yumi a sly grin. _

**Natalya: **Oh…..I get it. You were trying to make Ulrich jealous, weren't you?

**Yumi: **No! That's not….well…

**Natalya: **You don't have to tell me girl. I completely understand. You have to make sure the good ones stay with you. By the way, I haven't seen Ulrich in any of my classes. Is he in the tenth grade?

**Yumi: **No he's in the ninth grade. He's a year younger than me.

_Natalya chuckles. _

**Natalya: **Oh so you're a cougar…

_Yumi is offended and becomes defensive. _

**Yumi: **I…I am not!

**Natalya: **He's younger than you.

**Yumi: **Well, that….that's not the same!

**Natalya: **Call it what you will.

_Following William's victory, the boys head to the side of the pool. William climbs up the pool ladder and unexpectedly catches Natalya's eye. As William flips his hair back upon exiting the water, Natalya can't help but notice how lithe and muscular he is. He steps onto the concrete and stands up straight, his wet dark hair almost covering his deep brown eyes. In a single instant, she finds him rebellious and rough, yet suave and gentlemanly at the same time. This time she's the one enticed, and her heart does a little acrobatic act. She stares at him for a few seconds as he reaches for a towel. Yumi can't help but notice Natalya's distraction. Meanwhile Ulrich walks up to Yumi and begins to talk to her, ending the awkward silence. _

**Ulrich: **I think I'm going to change and head on home.

**Yumi: **Why? Because you lost badly to William?

**Ulrich: **Ugh….you're not going to let that go, are you?

**Yumi: **Not for a while I'm not.

**Ulrich: **Are you going with me?

**Yumi: **I think I'll stay a little longer.

**Ulrich: **Alright. I'll take the bus.

_He walks into the changing room. William rubs his hair dry and looks back at Natalya. She realizes that he is noticing her staring at him and turns her head away. William can't help but feel a little uncomfortable again. He wraps the towel around his swim suit. _

**William: **I'm uh….going to get a drink.

_Natalya watches him leave. Yumi's lips curve into a devious smile. She hums a little tune to herself. She taps her fingers on the bench. _

**Yumi: **"One brave new world….to be uncoiled…Are you there? I've got a message to send, are you there? I wanna find a brand new friend."

**Natalya: **You and your friends are big fans of the Subdigitals it seems.

**Yumi: **Yep. You know…that song was written by Chris Morales after he fell in love with a girl he met in an online chat room.

_Natalya raises her eyebrows. _

**Natalya: **Really?..._Natalya then starts to wonder about something.._.Any reason you wanted to mention that?

_Yumi taps her foot on the concrete innocently. _

**Yumi: **Oh…..no reason.

_Natalya purses her lips. Something is eating at her, and curiosity makes her break down. _

**Natalya: **So….if you're not with William….then…..

**Yumi: **Yes he's single.

**Natalya: **Hey….I didn't even finish my question….._But it's clear it was answered. _How did you know I was going to ask that?

**Yumi: **Oh….I don't know. Lucky guess.

_Ulrich comes out of the changing room in regular clothes. He leans over to Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **I'm heading out.

**Yumi: **Okay, see you back at Kadic.

**Ulrich: **You still coming over to study with me tonight?

**Yumi: **I'm coming over alright, whether we are actually studying has yet to be seen.

**Ulrich: **Good point. See you later.

_He bends down to give Yumi a peck on the lips. Yumi smiles broadly as Ulrich walks toward the exit. She watches him leave. Natalya observes Yumi closely. _

**Natalya: **So you really like this Ulrich guy?

**Yumi: **Yes…._She traces a circle on the concrete with her toe. A deep blush glowing with feminine passion rises to her cheeks. _Actually I…._She pauses. _

**Natalya: **You what?

_She runs a few fingers through her black hair. _

**Yumi: **I'm pretty sure I'm in love with him.

_Natalya is quiet for a few seconds, unsure what to say but clearly intrigued. _

**Natalya: **Are you sure?

**Yumi: **…..Yes. I mean….I know I'm still pretty young, but if what I'm feeling isn't love, then I don't know what it is. _She rests her chin on her fists and has a dreamy look on her face. _But it's incredibly powerful.

_Natalya nods her head, but there is an uneasiness about her. To the untrained eye, this action might appear as that of an understanding listener. But in reality Natalya is suppressing a gnawing feeling that she wishes to hide from Yumi: envy of what she has. _

**Natalya: **What's it like….being in love?

_Yumi is unsure how to answer this question for a moment. She tilts her head to the side and thinks. _

**Yumi: **Well, although I would not know from experience, being in love is like…..being drunk. You feel weightless, enjoying life at its fullest and giving yourself up to its rhythm. You feel free, no longer burdened by the worries of your life, no matter how big they are. All you can think about is the moment….and him. And when you see him….either at school or on a date, your heart leaps and your body can't stop shaking. Because when you're with him, you don't just touch his body…..you touch his soul…..And vice versa.

_Yumi sighs after giving that long poetic explanation. Natalya takes some time to absorb it. _

**Natalya: **But you still touch his body, correct?

**Yumi: **Of course, physical desire is still part of it.

_A naughty look takes shape on Natalya's face. _

**Natalya: **That would explain why you were staring at his butt when he walked away.

_Yumi blushes again. _

**Yumi: **Was not…..

_Natalya laughs. _

**Natalya: **It's okay girl. No one blames you. Not with a catch like that.

_As the girls continue their heart-to-heart, Ulrich walks out the front entrance of the pool facility into the parking lot. The moment he gets out, the door slams shut behind him. He turns in surprise. An ordinary person would assume that the door was faulty, but Ulrich knows better. He goes back and tries to open the door from the outside. It is locked. He tugs harder and suddenly receives an electric shock that makes him fall to the asphalt. He curses and grabs his hand in pain. _

**Ulrich: **Moriarty.

_Back at the factory, Jeremie and Aelita work in the supercomputer room. They diligently replace and examine the circuits, using some basic tools trying to fix the damage Moriarty caused. The two are a little sweaty from working close to the hot supercomputer. Jeremie stands up and wipes his forehead. He walks over to check on Aelita's progress, but he fails to notice the large metal crowbar beneath him and trips over it. He falls over and accidentally tackles Aelita, landing right on top of her as they fall to the floor. Aelita immediately gives him a questionable look. _

**Aelita: **You know, if you wanted to do this, you could have at least been a little more subtle.

_Jeremie turns red. _

**Jeremie: **That was an accident. Honestly. You know how much of a klutz I can be. I just tripped.

**Aelita: **You don't seem to be eager to get up though.

_Jeremie chuckles. _

**Jeremie: **Can you blame me?

**Aelita: **Hmm….I guess not.

_Jeremie bends down to kiss her. But right as their lips are about to meet, the elevator door opens. Odd runs out. _

**Odd: **Jeremie, Aelita I….._He stops in his tracks once he sees what's going on. _Uh…..am I interrupting?

_Jeremie shakes his head. _

**Jeremie: **Every single time…

**Aelita: **Can't this wait Odd?

**Odd: **Not unless an activated tower 'can wait'.

_Upon hearing this, the two forsake pleasure for business and get up. They immediately head towards the elevator. _

**Jeremie: **Have you called the others?

**Odd: **They aren't responding.

**Jeremie: **They're all together at the pool. _He shakes his head. _Perfectly vulnerable.

**Aelita: **I'm prepared to go in alone if I have to.

**Jeremie: **No. That is saved for emergencies only, and we don't know if it's an emergency yet.

_Odd reads Aelita's disappointment at the decision. She clearly is willing to go along with Jeremie, especially since they just got back together, but she's also very worried. A nervous tingling goes down Odd's spine as he thinks about her on Lyoko alone. A lump forms in his throat. He bites his lip. _

**Odd: **I…I can go with her….if I need to.

_Jeremie and Aelita turn to Odd in shock. Aelita immediately shakes her head. _

**Aelita: **After last night? No way Odd, it's too dangerous. You…..you might not be able to take it.

_Odd seems very eager to follow Aelita's advice, but he persists against his will. _

**Odd: **But what if they're in danger?

_Jeremie holds up his hands. _

**Jeremie: **Hold on! Hold on! We don't know anything yet. So no one is going to do anything drastic until we have more information. If we hear nothing in the next fifteen minutes, Aelita is going to Lyoko alone. Got it?

_The two nod in agreement and Jeremie hits the elevator button to go up. Back at the pool, William comes back to the bench area holding a coke in his hand. He sees that Natalya is gone and Yumi is rooting through her bag, which holds her change of clothes and other belongings. _

**William: **What are you doing?

**Yumi: **Looking for chapstick. My lips are getting dry and I know I put it in here somewhere. _She keeps searching. _

_William looks around. _

**William: **Where's Natalya?

**Yumi: **She went to the bathroom….Now where is it? _Yumi then pulls out her phone. She looks at it. _Oh no…

**William: **What?

**Yumi: **Two missed calls from Jeremie. Never a good sign.

_Suddenly her phone starts ringing._

**William: **Jeremie?

**Yumi: **No….Ulrich.

_She answers it. _

**Yumi: **Hello?

**Ulrich: **Yumi, we have a problem.

**Yumi: **What's wrong?...Are you in trouble?

**Ulrich: **No…you and William are.

_A worried expression takes hold of Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **Come to the exit….now.

_In less than thirty seconds, William and Yumi are racing to the exit. When they get to the two large double doors, they see Ulrich outside through the windows in the door. He seems agitated. They try to push the doors open, but it doesn't work. _

**William: **We're locked in!

**Yumi: **Moriarty's trapped us…

_Ulrich talks to them from the outside. _

**Ulrich: **I left right before the doors closed on me. We need to find a way to get you guys out of there!

**William: **And everyone else too. There are at least a hundred people in this building.

_Yumi pushes against the door. Her muscles strain. _

**Yumi: **This door won't budge. We'll have to break some windows.

_Yumi's phone starts ringing again. She picks it up without thinking. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie?

**Moriarty: **Not exactly…

_Yumi freezes. She takes a moment to steel her nerves. William notices Yumi's reaction and immediately understands. _

**William: **Put it on speaker. I want to hear this.

_Yumi rests her phone on a nearby table and puts it on speaker. Ulrich puts his ear near the crack in the door to listen. _

**Moriarty: **I hope you all are enjoying your swim.

**William: **We were….

**Moriarty: **Well you might as well try to enjoy it again…..because you aren't going anywhere.

**Yumi: **You can't hold us here Moriarty. We will find a way out.

**Moriarty: **Oh but that would be cheating…and in this game, cheating has deadly consequences. If you and William even think about escaping, everyone in this pool facility will die.

_A heavy weight falls on them. William and Yumi try their best to numb themselves to the situation, for they know letting emotions get the best of them might mean the difference between life and death. No words are spoken for a moment. _

**Yumi: **What do you want?

**Moriarty: **Do you remember my boat theory about not being able to save everyone?

**Yumi: **Yes, your intellectual excuse for heartlessness. What about it?

**Moriarty: **Well, I want to put it to the test. To put you in a situation where you have to decide whether to save a few by letting some die or avoid getting your hands dirty and letting everyone die.

**William: **What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **How many are in the pool right now?

**Yumi: **What does that have to do with anything?

**Moriarty: **I asked you a question. How many people are in the pool?

_Yumi looks through the long hallway at the pool. _

**Yumi: **About fifteen. Why?

_They can sense Moriarty gleefully contemplating this fact over the phone. _

**Moriarty: **Hmm…..fifteen funerals…..Could be worse.

_All three quickly become disturbed. _

**William: **WHAT?

**Moriarty: **Oh….I get tired of being mysterious and building up the suspense. You all are SO slow. It's rather easy to understand. One of you has to find the circuit breaker panel to this facility and turn on the switches I tell you to turn on.

**William: **Dare I ask what that will do?

**Moriarty: **The point of the game would be lost if I didn't tell you the truth. If you follow my instructions with the circuit breaker, it will set off a short circuit in the lights above the pool. Then the electricity might…accidentally jump and fry everyone in the pool.

_William loses his breath and Yumi looks like she's going to be sick. Ulrich bangs his hand against the door from the outside. _

**Yumi: **And…..let me guess. The alternative involves you killing everyone in the entire building?

**Moriarty: **Yes. If you refuse to play, carbon monoxide will leak into this building and kill everyone inside…..including you. A much less painful death, but a much larger number of bodies.

_Yumi closes her eyes, fighting back anger and frustration. William folds his arms, his expression immutable. _

**Moriarty: **Oh and any attempt to get everyone out of the pool will cause me to set off the carbon monoxide. Remember that I'm watching…._Yumi and William notice a camera on the wall focused on them. _So your choice. Kill a few and save the rest, or let everyone die.

**Yumi: **Do you really expect this to convince me that you're right?

**Moriarty: **No. But it's fun anyway.

**Yumi:** ….This is the point where I usually tell you how disgustingly sick you are, but I think I'd be wasting my breath.

**Moriarty: **Now you're getting the hang of it Yumi. So let the games begin. And you have a time limit. Don't try to delay me, or it will end badly.

_He hangs up. _

**William: **He's pulled out the big guns this time. No longer one or two lives….

**Yumi: **…Yeah.

**William: **So what do we do?

**Yumi: **First things first.

_She goes to the door and finds a slight opening. She manages to stuff her keys through it to the other side. Ulrich notices this and picks them up. He starts to get the memo. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi I….

**Yumi: **Don't argue Ulrich. Take the moped. You're the only one who can get to Lyoko.

_Ulrich leans his hands on the doors and stares at Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **You want me to just leave you here like this?

**Yumi: **Yes! Go! We'll manage somehow.

_He nods. _

**Ulrich: **Okay. But be careful.

_Yumi's voice suddenly softens. _

**Yumi: **You too Ulrich.

_Ulrich leaves the window and jumps onto the black moped. He revs the engine and takes one last look at the building. Then he speeds up and tears off into the street. Yumi watches him go, silently wishing him luck. She then turns around to William. _

**William: **Do you have a plan?

**Yumi: **Yes. It's not foolproof, but I have one.

**William: **What is it?

_Yumi points her index finger at him with a deeply serious aura emanating from her. _

**Yumi: **Keep everyone in this building. If someone tries to get out and figures out the problem, it might start a panic.

**William: **Right. And….how exactly do I do that?

_Yumi rolls her eyes. _

**Yumi: **I don't know. Use your imagination. They just can't get near the exits, got it?

**William: **Got it. And what about you?

_Yumi pulls a strand of hair away from her eyes. She turns her back to him. _

**Yumi: **I'm going to find the circuit breaker panel.

_William feels his stomach turn to ice upon hearing this come from Yumi's mouth. _

**William: **You…you're not seriously-

_She glares back at him, admonishing him with her piercing eyes. _

**Yumi: **Of course not. I just need to buy us time and make it look like I am doing what he is saying.

**William: **And how will that work?

_Yumi turns back around and starts a very believable acting routine. She gets down to her knees and appears to beg. She seems near tears. _

**Yumi: **Oh please Moriarty….don't make me do it. I'll do anything else I swear…..You are right. You are superior. Oh please no! It will scar me the rest of my life!

_Yumi stops the act and rises with confidence. _

**William: **Playing the suffering game victim…..nice. He wouldn't be able to resist.

**Yumi: **It's his weakness. He enjoys psychological torture too much. He can lose sight of his goal. And I intend to exploit that. Just do your part and I'll do mine. Hopefully Aelita and Ulrich will be able to take care of the rest.

**William: **Okay, good luck.

_Yumi opens the door to a stairwell. _

**Yumi: **You too.

_She closes the door and disappears. William walks back to the pool. As he passes by the restrooms, he runs into Natalya as she comes out. Natalya sees him and smiles at first, but the smile quickly disappears. She senses something's wrong. _

**Natalya: **William? Is everything okay?

_William tries not to make eye contact. _

**William: **Everything's fine. Let's go back to the pool.

_Natalya puts her hands on her hips. _

**Natalya: **What did I say about lying to me?

_William stops and rubs his forehead in exasperation. _

**Natalya: **Well?

_William puts his hand on her shoulder and starts to walk with her back to the pool. Natalya's heart speeds up a little when he does this, not really sure what to make of it. _

**William: **Natalya…

**Natalya: **Yes?

**William: **Do you trust me?

_Natalya carefully considers her response to this unexpected question. _

**Natalya: **You've given me no reason to doubt you so far…

**William: **Then trust me when I say it's better that you don't ask questions.

**Natalya: **Is that seriously all you can tell me?

_William scratches his head. His fingers tap against his skull as he tries to decide what to tell her. _

**William: **No. I can tell you that no one can try to leave this building. We have to keep them here. Do you understand?

_Natalya searches William's face, trying to understand William's unusual request. After a few seconds her eyes widen and she looks away. _

**Natalya: **Okay.

_William gives her a strange look. _

**William: **Okay? That's it?...You believe me?

**Natalya: **Yes.

**William: **How?

**Natalya: **Because as strange as it sounds, I know you are telling the truth.

_Natalya looks at William and gives him a nod that shows her willingness to help him. William's spine tingles as a result of Natalya's complete trust in him. They keep walking. As they reach the poolside, William stops to consider his options. He glances anxiously from side to side. There are many people in or around the pool, but the activity seems to be winding down. _

**Natalya: **Well, how do plan to keep them here?

_William holds a clenched fist near his temple, probing his mind for options. He then notices Christophe getting some clothes out of his bag so he can change and go home. William walks toward him. _

**William: **Hey, what are you doing?

_Christophe continues to put stuff in his bag without looking up. _

**Christophe: **Going home. What does it look like?

**William: **What's the rush? Don't you want to stay a little longer?

_Christophe gives him a strange look. _

**Christophe: **Are you kidding? I'm tired and I need to study. Besides, swimming gets really boring after a while.

**William: **It would be more exciting if….if…._He searches for something to keep Christophe from going anywhere_….we could have a party here.

_Christophe gives him a stranger look than before. _

**William: **You know….get everyone who's from Kadic and is here at the pool to stop lounging around and….actually have a good time. You know what I'm saying.

_Christophe thinks this over. _

**Christophe: **Well yeah. I've wanted to do that for years, but no one gets into it. _He looks at the people in the pool. _They say they want to party but they have no idea how to do it.

_William notices something in Christophe's bag. _

**William: **They might if someone could add some….music.

_Christophe immediately recognizes what William is staring at and shakes his head. He knocks his bag back behind him with his foot to prevent William from looking at it. _

**Christophe: **No way….not my iPod SoundDock system. Absolutely not. If that gets wet it will be ruined!

**William: **Then why would you bring it here?

**Christophe: **Uh…._Christophe breaks eye contact with William. _I don't like leaving it in my room. Afraid someone would steal it.

**William: **Seriously?

**Christophe: **It's important to me, okay? The answer is no. I am not risking my SoundDock so you can throw a party.

**William: **But-

_Natalya lightly edges William aside. She gives William a wink that says: "I'll handle this". She then turns to Christophe and flips her light blonde hair. She smiles sweetly and innocently but with a slightly seductive flair. She struts up to Christophe and touches him lightly on the forearm. Christophe opens his mouth in surprise. _

**Natalya: **Christophe, we would never let anything happen to your stuff. We know it's so important to you. We just want to have a good time.

_Christophe scratches the back of his head awkwardly. _

**Christophe: **I uh….don't doubt that you would, but there are a lot of people here and…

_Natalya looks at Christophe's arm, pretending to be impressed by his bicep. _

**Natalya: **I hear you're such a music expert.

_Christophe starts to stammer. _

**Christophe: **Well, not…..that much of an expert.

**Natalya: **Oh don't be modest, I'm sure you have great taste.

**Christophe: **Thank you but I still-

_Natalya walks behind Christophe and puts her hands on his shoulders. Christophe almost shakes at her touch. Natalya goes in for the kill. _

**Natalya: **Do you think you could let us use your SoundDock…pretty please? It would mean a lot to me.

_Christophe begins to cave. _

**Christophe: **Okay, but….I'm not sure people will want to have a party.

_William shouts out to everyone around the pool. _

**William: **Hey, who wants a pool party with some sick music?

_A few shouts of affirmation quickly answer Christophe's question. In the face of such peer pressure, Christophe relents and takes out the SoundDock. He puts his iPod into the speaker and starts to crank up the volume. A blast of heavy rock music fills the large complex. People crowd around the area and start to hang out. Life has returned to the scene, and no one seems eager to leave. William leans toward Natalya. _

**William: **Thank you.

**Natalya: **You're welcome William. But I expect an explanation eventually.

_William groans at the thought. _

**Natalya: **But in the meantime…_She pushes him into the pool. He resurfaces and glares at her with fake anger. She shrugs. _Sorry, couldn't help myself. After all, it is a pool party.

_William takes some time to relax, knowing that he has done his part. He notices a camera focused on him. When no one is looking, he makes sure Moriarty can see his middle finger from the camera's view. Back at the factory, Odd watches the outside world from the entrance. He gets a call and answers his phone. _

**Odd: **Yes.

**Jeremie: **Time's up. Do you see anyone?

**Odd: **No. No one's shown up.

_Odd can hear a groan on the other line. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, come on down. Aelita is about to be transferred.

_Odd suddenly hears a strong hum heading his way. He turns his head. _

**Odd: **Hold on, I think I see someone.

_Ulrich suddenly appears on the bridge, pushing Yumi's moped as fast as it can go. He slams on the brakes and turns the vehicle at an angle right in front of Odd. He hops off and starts walking towards the ropes. _

**Odd: **Where are William and Yumi?

**Ulrich: **Preoccupied at the pool. We need to hurry.

_Ulrich slides down the rope. Odd continues to talk to Jeremie. _

**Odd: **Ulrich's the only one who could make it.

**Jeremie: **That's a relief. I don't know what to expect on Lyoko, but I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that Aelita doesn't have to go alone.

_Ulrich comes out of the elevator. Aelita is sitting inside of a scanner, obviously bored and eager to get moving. _

**Aelita: **What took you so long?

**Ulrich: **Sorry. Traffic was terrible.

**Aelita: **What's the situation?

_Ulrich walks into a scanner. _

**Ulrich: **Oh you know. Disturbing game. Pool antics. Locked doors. Short circuits. Carbon monoxide. The usual.

**Aelita: **Then we'd better get moving.

**Jeremie: **Get ready for the desert sector.

_The doors close and the two are virtualized onto a large plateau in the desert sector. The plateau stretches pretty far out into the distance. Several narrow ravines cut through the plateau, dividing it into several pieces. Ulrich steps forward in front of Aelita to get a better view. _

**Jeremie: **The tower is directly northwest of your position. Judging by the map, it should be located in the middle of a large sinkhole.

**Ulrich: **Let's get this over with and save Yumi and William from Moriarty's usual insanity.

_Aelita sprouts her wings. _

**Aelita: **Ulrich is going to need a vehicle if we are going to get over that ravine in front of us.

**Jeremie: **Just a second.

_A second later the earth begins to rumble. Ulrich and Aelita stare at each other in confusion. Then the earth shakes and knocks them off their feet. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie….please tell me you did that.

**Jeremie: **I would love to…..but no. Something is coming. _He checks the map. _Moriarty seems to be drawing a lot of energy from his core.

_Aelita's wings fall to her side. Concern immediately dominates her usually stable composure. She looks at Ulrich with dread. _

**Ulrich: **What's wrong?

_Aelita's body becomes tense. _

**Aelita: **Do you remember what happened when another enemy of ours took power from his Replikas?

_Ulrich suddenly understands. _

**Ulrich: **We're in trouble.

_A roar makes the two spin around to look toward the edge of the plateau. The shaking increases. Ulrich and Aelita can tell that the shaking is the result of very large footsteps. Footsteps that are heading in their direction. Finally the two can see a very large reptilian foot grab onto the rock. The next thing that rises makes their blood run cold. Two silver-plated basilisk heads peer over the top of the plateau. The creature's mouths open to reveal razor sharp teeth. Both their foreheads display the Moriarty insignia. The heads are connected to two very long gray necks. A second foot brings the rest of the beast up. Its massive body resembles that of a prehistoric brontosaurus. The monster slowly moves forward and brings its hind legs up to reveal a large tail with a spike-balled tail the size of a medium-sized truck. Ulrich and Aelita can do nothing but gape at this massive beast. The two serpent heads then focus on them. _

**Ulrich: **We're really in trouble…..

_The creature's heads tilt toward the sky. The monster roars with a ferocity that causes the entire desert sector to vibrate. Two massive purple beams stream out of his mouth and begin to focus on the two puny Lyoko warriors. Meanwhile Yumi makes her way down the staircase into the basement under the pool. She walks into the dimly lit hallway. The lights above her occasionally flicker. She looks around. _

**Yumi: **Alright Moriarty. I'm in the basement. Now what do I have to do?

_Moriarty's voice echoes from somewhere down the hall. _

**Moriarty: **Continue down this hallway. The circuit breaker panel isn't far.

_She walks forward, her bare feet gingerly touching the floor. Her cautious movement reveals her growing trepidation. _

**Moriarty: **A bit nervous, aren't we?

**Yumi: **Well, pardon me if I'm not comfortable with murder.

**Moriarty: **If all goes according to plan, you can tell the jury you were just trying to limit the damage.

**Yumi: **If all goes according to plan, you are going to be my only murder victim.

_A metallic laugh passes through the narrow corridor. _

**Moriarty: **I do very much enjoy your bold talk, Yumi.

**Yumi: **Can it.

_Steam starts to come through some of the pipes. Yumi freezes. _

**Yumi: **What are you doing?

**Moriarty: **It's just the steam from the saunas upstairs. Keep moving.

_Yumi obeys. The hallway eventually turns to the left, revealing an emergency exit and a black circuit breaker panel. Yumi grows pale. She had hoped that the panel was farther away so she could buy the others more time. _

**Moriarty: **Well, there it is. Now all you need to do is follow my instructions and hope no one important to you is swimming right now.

_Yumi shivers and grabs her stomach, clearly a nervous reaction to the situation. _

**Moriarty: **Anytime you're ready.

_Yumi bites her lip. _

**Moriarty: **Oh….predictable as ever. Honestly this sometimes gets old.

_Yumi goes to her knees. _

**Yumi: **No…I…I can't.

**Moriarty: **You once agreed to sacrifice your boyfriend. I'm pretty sure you could do this.

**Yumi: **Please….they are just innocent students….don't make me do this. You were right…about that boat thing. You were right.

_Yumi pauses, hoping her act is working. She shuts her eyes, then barely opens her left one to see Moriarty's reaction. For a moment nothing happens. Then a particular strange chill overcomes her. The temperature in the room drops. But in a matter of moments, it suddenly increases. The steam from the pipes comes out at a faster rate. _

**Moriarty: **Your rehearsal was much better.

**Yumi: **I'm sorry, what?

_A specter suddenly spills through the cracks in one of the walls. A smoky arm takes hold of her neck and slams her into the wall. Yumi gasps from the pain and shock. _

**Moriarty: **Did you really think I wouldn't catch on to your pathetic act?

_Yumi is able to breathe enough to make a comeback._

**Yumi: **It was…..worth a shot.

_The grip on her neck tightens. Yumi gasps. _

**Moriarty: **A good guess, if I was interested in watching you grovel for those pathetic lives upstairs.

_Yumi coughs. _

**Yumi: **Then….what?...

_Yumi can't finish her sentence. _

**Moriarty: **I knew you would volunteer to confront me. I know you too well. You like to pretend that you're not afraid. You like to be in charge. You have scores to settle with me….

_Moriarty tosses her to the ground. _

**Moriarty: **Well I have a score to settle with you too. You defied me in front of my entire class. And I do not tolerate defiance. I have finally gotten things going the way I want at Kadic, and I am not going to let you ruin it.

_Yumi struggles to get up. _

**Yumi: **I am going to continue to defy you Moriarty. I am not bowing to you. I may not know what exactly you're trying to do, but I am not backing down. I will fight you with everything I have.

_The specter literally slaps her across the face. Yumi moans. _

**Moriarty: **It is for that exact reason that I loathe you Yumi Ishiyama. I've seen the others at their breaking points. Odd is a shadow of his former self. I drove Jeremie to insanity. Aelita can easily become emotionally compromised. Ulrich is strong, but I've seen him kneel to me in order to save those closest to him. William continues to be unmoved, but at the expense of almost completely removing his emotions and even relying on Xana for protection. But you Yumi….._The air gets warmer. _No matter how many times I break you, you just keep coming back for more. Emotional trauma just seems to harden your resolve to kill me. And you have the determination to sacrifice almost everything to kill me. You refuse to give in, but at the same time you have continued to live your life without killing your emotions like William. Your spirit it seems Yumi…..is very hard to kill.

**Yumi: **Then there's nothing you can do. _A smirk takes shape on her injured face. _I win.

**Moriarty: **Wrong.

_The specter backs away from her. The steam in the pipes seems to crawl toward her. The vapor cloud is super hot and begins to sting her. She wails. _

**Yumi: **STOP IT! STOP IT THAT HURTS!

**Moriarty: **If I can't break your spirit, then I will break your body…like a twig.

_The specter hits her in the gut. She cries out and doubles over. _

**Moriarty: **The mind and body are deeply connected. If emotional trauma can't move you, then maybe physical trauma will drain your will to fight.

_Yumi's pupils burn intensely with hatred. _

**Yumi: **You will not break me.

_The steam burns her legs. She grimaces and tries to endure it. _

**Moriarty: **Let's see how much abuse you can take before you beg me to let you set off that short circuit.

_Ulrich and Aelita have no choice but to jump into the ravine to avoid the rampaging monster's blast. Ulrich has a rough landing and has difficulty getting up. Aelita yanks on Ulrich's arm, trying to pull him to safety. One of the beast's heads appears at the top of the ravine. It scratches and claws its way into the crevice, trying to get to the warriors. Aelita tugs with more urgency. _

**Aelita: **Ulrich, come on!

_Ulrich gets up and they retreat into a nearby cave. The beast eventually worms its way through the ravine. The creature sticks its head into the mouth of the cave and snaps at the two warriors. Aelita produces two energy fields and throws it at the monster. Although it hits the eye, the attack only seems to make the monster more angry. The head slithers further into passage. Ulrich and Aelita continue to run. The entire plateau shakes above them. It's obvious that the monster is trying to tear its way through the rock to get to them. Eventually the monster's head stops, unable to go any further. Ulrich stops running and laughs. _

**Ulrich: **Ha! It's stuck!

_The monster opens its mouth. A strong purple light begins to form at the back of his throat. _

**Ulrich: **Uh oh….GET DOWN!

_Ulrich tackles Aelita into a small cavern that connects to the main cave. A purple blast of light barely misses them. The beast roars. The two cover their ears. _

**Aelita: **Ideas?

_Jeremie furiously types on the computer back at the lab room. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, these caves should lead to the tower. If you can get away from that monster, you should be able to get there.

**Aelita: **Well that won't be easy. He doesn't seem eager to leave us alone.

_Another roar shakes the narrow space. _

**Ulrich: **I'll have to distract him. Once I have his attention, make a break for it.

**Aelita: **Okay, sounds like a plan.

_Ulrich draws out his sabers. He takes a deep breath, then leaps out of the cavern. _

**Ulrich: **Hey ugly! You hungry?

_The beast lets out a shrill cry that answers Ulrich's question. Ulrich waves his sabers. _

**Ulrich: **AELITA NOW!

_She flies out of the cavern away from the beast. The creature snaps, trying to get to her, but Ulrich cuts off three of his teeth in the process. The monster screams in anger. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, I think I got his attention.

**Jeremie: **Well keep it as long as possible. Aelita still has some distance to go.

_Ulrich narrowly avoids the creature's jaws. _

**Ulrich: **She better hurry. This guy wants to rip me in half.

_The monster opens his mouth to unleash another blast. Ulrich responds by jumping on top of his head. The resulting blast widens the cave as the beast shakes his head from side to side in an attempt to throw Ulrich off. Ulrich holds on and raises one of his sabers. _

**Ulrich: **Size isn't winning this time.

_He jams his sword into the eye. The monster roars, but he does not disappear. Ulrich curses. _

**Ulrich: **You've got to be kidding me.

_The creature throws Ulrich off and growls through his sharp teeth. Ulrich feels a wave of fear move through him. _

**Ulrich: **This is not going to end well.

_The party at the pool is starting to heat up. More and more people come out of the pool to listen to the music. William smiles at the progress. He leans against one of the columns near the pool's edge. Natalya turns away from the party to look at him. Her eyes ask: "How much longer?" _

_William shrugs, essentially telling her: "Not sure." _

_Jim suddenly appears on the scene. His enormous gut proudly struts among the partying teenagers. He hits the off button on the SoundDock. The students begin to moan. _

**Jim: **Okay that's enough. The principal wanted you back by 17:30, and that's what I'm going to do.

_William starts to get nervous. _

**William: **Sir, can't we stay a little longer?

**Jim: **Absolutely not. This party is over, and nothing…..and I mean nothing can convince me otherwise.

**Yolanda: **Hello Jim.

_Jim's eyes suddenly widen with surprise. He turns to see the blonde nurse Yolanda in a lovely red bikini. Jim's eyes get wider. _

**Jim: **Oh Yolanda, I…..I didn't see you there.

**Yolanda: **Oh don't mind me. I just needed a break. And swimming sounds so good right now…

_Jim pushes his hair back. He tries to hold in his large belly to make himself look thinner. He watches Yolanda swim away. _

**Jim: **Um…..perhaps we can stay a little longer….

_William breathes a sigh of relief and the other kids cheer. Christophe turns the music back on. Jim starts to practice talking to Yolanda before joining her in the pool. He talks to the wall. _

**Jim: **Yolanda, I'm terribly sorry to hear that your fiancé walked out on your engagement. _He slaps his forehead. _NO IDIOT! Don't mention that!

_William gets on his phone. _

**William: **Jeremie, how much longer?

**Jeremie: **I'm not sure. We're dealing with a new huge monster and it's not going well.

**William: **Moriarty is going to lose patience eventually. We need to get everyone out of the pool just in case.

**Jeremie: **Yes, but how do we do that without Moriarty noticing?

_William probes his mind for answers. He paces back and forth. Suddenly he stops. _

**William: **What if he saw something else?

**Jeremie: **Meaning…?

**William: **Old clips of the pool to fool him.

_Jeremie snaps his fingers. _

**Jeremie: **A fake camera loop. William you're a genius!

**William: **Can you do it?

**Jeremie: **It might take a while, but I think so. Just give me a minute. Just act natural.

_For a tense three minutes that seems more like three hours, William waits for Jeremie to respond. He mingles with the other people around the pool. Natalya tries to get his attention, but he is too intensely focused on the mission to notice. Finally he gets a text. It says: All clear, now get them out._

_William looks at the pool. He realizes that at least twelve people are still swimming, including Jim and Yolanda. He realizes he doesn't know how to convince them to get out. He starts cursing. He sits on the sit of the pool with his feet in the water, his hand firmly resting in his hands. A minute later he feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks up. Natalya is staring at with concern. _

**Natalya: **Hey, what's wrong? We've kept everyone inside the building.

**William: **I know….but now we need to get everyone out of the pool.

**Natalya: **And I guess you still can't say.

**William: **No. I can't. But we still need to convince them to get out.

_Natalya thinks for a moment. _

**Natalya: **The only thing I can think of is dumping something gross into the pool.

**William: **I'd prefer not to get expelled…..if possible.

**Natalya: **What if it didn't look like your fault?

_William raises an eyebrow. _

**William: **And how would we do that?

_Natalya pulls a water bottle from her purse. _

**William: **Bottled water?

**Natalya: **No. Bottled salt water. If you drink it, you will throw up. Then everyone would have to get out of the pool.

_William feels disgusted by such an extreme measure. But when he looks up towards the ceiling lights above the pool, he can see a dark swirling shadow inside a few of them. William sighs._

**William: **Okay. Give it to me.

_She hands it to him. William pauses, dreading the experience. He suddenly thinks of something. _

**William: **Why are you caring a bottle of salt water in your purse?

_Natalya looks away, clearly avoiding the question. _

**Natalya: **Never mind that, just do what you have to do.

_William opens the cap and stares at the seemingly harmless water. He takes a deep breath and starts to drink. Downstairs the abuse continues. The specter bends her arms back in a position they shouldn't go. Yumi fights back but Moriarty is stronger. The steam forms a circle around her, occasionally moving forward to burn her arms and legs. Yumi's pain tolerance is beginning to give. She screams. _

**Moriarty: **There's only one thing you can do to make the pain stop Yumi. And you know what it is.

_Yumi breathes deeply, trying to hold on a little longer. _

**Moriarty: **You can agree to set off the short circuit and submit to me.

_Yumi mumbles something. _

**Moriarty: **I'm sorry, what was that?

_Yumi grits her teeth. _

**Yumi: **….When…..you're d-dead…

**Moriarty: **Yes?

_Yumi struggles to exhale. _

**Yumi: **I can't wait to get the group together…SO WE CAN ALL PISS ON YOUR GRAVE!

_Moriarty's specter gets ready to strike her, but suddenly his form starts to become fluid and weak. The smoke cloud recedes. Moriarty's specter lunges for her, but it nearly collapses in on itself. Yumi watches this with a combination of confusion and enjoyment. _

**Yumi: **What's wrong Moriarty? Don't have enough power to finish me?

_The specter tries to reform. _

**Moriarty: **Don't get too cocky Yumi. I still have you under my finger. Ulrich and Aelita are overwhelmed by my new creation, and the other students are still in…_He pauses, somewhat confused for a moment. Then he hisses in anger. _Jeremie….I'M GOING TO RIP HIS HEAD OFF!

_Yumi forces herself to laugh despite the pain. _

**Yumi: **He got you again, didn't he?

**Moriarty: **He thinks he can show me false footage and get away with it? Let's see how clever he is when everyone in this building is dead!

_The specter starts to rise toward the ceiling. Yumi grabs a nearby cord. Her adrenaline and the weak wiring allows her to pull it into two sparkling pieces. She forces her legs to let herself rise. Then she jams the wires into the specter's body. Moriarty howls. The light from the electric shock illuminates Yumi's beaten, but determined face. Moriarty growls and knocks her down. _

**Moriarty: **YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN TO QUIT, DO YOU?

**Yumi: **Never do.

_Yumi braces herself for another attack. At the same time, William starts to feel sick. He immediately bends over the pool and heaves. Natalya looks away. The students start to react. _

**Olivia: **Oh my God!

**Sissi: **That's so gross!

**Emily: **He must be sick!

_More people start to talk all at once. _

**Jim: **Okay everyone out of the pool!

_No one argues with Jim's demand. People crowd around William, who still looks pretty bad. _

**Christophe: **Hey man, are you alright?

**William: **Must have been…..something I ate at lunch. I don't know.

_He discretely hands the bottle to Natalya to prevent any suspicion. He prays that Yumi and the others can pull through before Moriarty's patience wears out. In the desert cave Ulrich struggles to stay away from the monster's jaws. It tries to bite him, but Ulrich's sabers keep the head at bay. But an attempt to slice through the monster's teeth ends in Ulrich losing his sabers down the monster's throat. The beast glares at his defenseless opponent. _

**Ulrich: **Oh…..crud.

_The monster swallows him whole. He reappears in the scanner, holding onto the edge of the doors. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, are you okay?

**Ulrich: **I just got eaten alive thanks for asking.

_Aelita is flying toward the cave's exit. She accelerates as the monster begins to rip its way through the rock. The cave starts to collapse. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich got eaten. The monster's heading straight for you.

**Aelita: **I noticed.

_She picks up speed and flies out of the cave and straight for the tower. The monster has crushed its way through the plateau, debris all around him. He roars and storms toward the tower. _

**Jeremie: **That thing can easily destroy the tower. Hurry!

_Aelita rises to the top platform. _

**Aelita: **Almost there….

_Yumi is heavily bruised and slightly burned from the beating Moriarty has given her. Despite her intense pain, she notices a hissing sound coming from one of the pipes. _

**Moriarty: **Hear that? That's carbon monoxide. No one is getting out of this building alive.

_Aelita enters the code right before the beast destroys it and devirtualizes her. Moriarty's specter begins to quake. Yumi smiles. _

**Yumi: **Game over.

**Moriarty: **This was only part of the bigger game I have in mind. Remember that….Comrade Yumi.

_He fades into nothingness along with the fog. Yumi's head relaxes onto the wall. The gas stops leaking. All is still. Her phone rings. She crawls to answer it. _

**Yumi: **Hello?

**William: **Yumi, it's over. Everyone is heading toward the bus. Where are you?

**Yumi: **I'm sitting in the basement…trying to recover from being beaten senseless.

**William: **What? Hold on, I'm coming!

**Yumi: **Don't. If the teachers and students see how injured I am, they'll ask questions. We can't return to the past. So we can't let them see me. Tell them….tell them my parents are picking me up.

**William: **You want me to just leave you there?

**Yumi: **I'll be fine. Just send Ulrich to come get me.

_William's silence on the other line indicates his hesitation. But he relents. _

**William: **Alright, I'll tell him.

**Yumi: **Tell him not to speed either.

**William: **Yumi, you're hurt. Do you honestly think I could convince him not to break the sound barrier?

**Yumi: **Good point. _She grimaces. _I'll see you at Kadic.

_Several hours later, Yumi is laying on Ulrich's bed. The entire group looks after her, helping her in any way they can. Jeremie uses his limited medical knowledge to supervise the affair. _

**Jeremie: **Some pretty bad bruises and a few second-degree burns. But nothing you can't recover from. You're lucky.

_Yumi turns her head. _

**Yumi: **Do I have any broken ribs doctor?

_Jeremie places two fingers on her bottom ribs. She winces. _

**Jeremie: **A few of them might be cracked, but I don't think so. Otherwise you would be in serious pain right now.

_Ulrich cleans a cut on her forehead. He handles her very delicately, but inside he is full of pure wrath. He clenches his fist. _

**Ulrich: **I'm going to kill him. I'll tear him apart. No one hurts you…beats you like that and gets away with it.

_He punches the dresser. Yumi sighs. _

**Yumi: **Less testosterone. More Neosporin.

_William talks with Jeremie. _

**William: **I did what I had to. But Natalya is very suspicious right now. She knows I'm hiding something, and she can see right through my lies.

**Jeremie: **We have to adapt. Without the return program, we have to be willing to let a few people suspect us if it means saving lives.

_William scratches his head. _

**William: **But what if she finds out?

**Jeremie: **As long as you stay away from her, she won't.

_William's face becomes blank. He doesn't respond to this. Jeremie adjusts his glasses and observes his dark-haired friend's demeanor. _

**Jeremie: **William, are you developing feelings for Natalya?

_William quickly shakes his head. _

**William: **No. She's just….a good friend. And I would hate to just ignore her.

**Jeremie: **Regardless, I would recommend you not spend too much time with her. If you two get very close, Moriarty may consider her an ally….and hurt her.

_William takes a moment to absorb this piece of wisdom from Jeremie. He lowers his head. _

**William: **You're right.

_Somewhere in downtown Paris, Mr. Stern is seen working in an ornate office overlooking the city. His secretary buzzes in. _

**Secretary: **Mr. Stern, someone has called to speak with you.

**Mr. Stern: **Name?

**Secretary: **He wouldn't say, but he says it's urgent.

**Mr. Stern: **I'm busy. Tell him to go away.

_A few seconds pass._

**Secretary: **Sir, he insists, and he says he has something important to tell you. Something of….great interest to you.

_Mr. Stern taps his desk in annoyance. _

**Mr. Stern: **Fine. Put him on the line.

_A button on his phone turns red. _

**Mr. Stern: **Hello?

**Moriarty: **Mr. Stern, it's nice to speak with you.

**Mr. Stern: **And who am I speaking with?

**Moriarty: **That's not important. But I can say that I'm a computer….expert of sorts that can help you with your…cargo.

_Mr. Stern stops writing. He puts his pen down. _

**Mr. Stern: **I don't know what you're talking about.

**Moriarty: **No. You know exactly what I'm talking about.

_Mr. Stern pauses. He hits another button on the phone. _

**Mr. Stern: **Is this line secure?

**Secretary: **Yes sir.

_He refocuses on his prior conversation. _

**Mr. Stern: **Okay, what do you have to offer?


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, first of all, I need to mention that Sarkozy is no longer President of France. He has been replaced by Francois Hollande. But I prefer to keep Sarkozy as president in my story. This has nothing to do with politics, it just works with my story in ways that are too complicated to explain. And since this is really an AU story where Code Lyoko actually exists, I think that gives me a certain poetic license to do what I want. **

**Part 26 **

_Élysée Palace: The official residence of the French president. Outside a swarm of reporters, officials, and other onlookers prepare to hear the President make a speech. An army of security guards surround the main entrance. After a long wait, Sarkozy exits the main doors to the central podium. He is greeted by cheers and applause, in addition to a few boos from some of his vocal opponents. Simon, representative of les invisibles, stands ten meters to the right of the president. But he is not alone. Moriarty is standing right next to him. He is smiling arrogantly while Simon feels annoyed and uncomfortable. Sarkozy begins his speech. He appears cool and collected despite the enormous crowd. _

**Sarkozy: **Good afternoon citizens of France, and thank you for your warm greeting. _He pauses. _In light of the recent troubling events, first and foremost the breakout at La Santé Prison and the subsequent hostage situation at Kadic Academy, I feel it is imperative to mention that there is no longer any need for concern regarding our national security. I can assure that rumors of a cybernetic attack triggering the crisis are false. It was a terrible accident, but all of the prisoners have been apprehended and the threat is over…

_Simon leans close to Moriarty. He adjusts his sunglasses. _

**Simon: **You have a lot of nerve….daring to come back.

_Moriarty keeps on smiling. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, this must be so difficult for you.

**Simon: **You have the audacity to come back and accept a reward…..FROM OUR OWN PRESIDENT?

_Moriarty taps his fingers together with glee. _

**Moriarty: **Hey….it's your fault for not telling him who I really am.

_Simon is fuming. _

**Simon: **I can't believe the Director is letting you do this.

**Moriarty: **He loves secrecy. I do believe it's his only weakness.

_Simon subtly aims his index finger at him. _

**Simon: **If it were up to me, I'd kill you right now!

_Moriarty puts both hands on his chest in fake panic. _

**Moriarty: **Oh I'm so terribly frightened!

**Simon: **Don't mock me. Those agents you killed were good friends of mine.

_Moriarty's sarcastic attitude devolves into murderous spite. _

**Moriarty: **Antea Hopper was also a good friend of mine.

_Simon looks away. _

**Moriarty: **So who is this 'Director'? I've heard his name several times, but his identity eludes even me.

_Simon almost spits at him. _

**Simon: **As if I would tell you that….

_Moriarty laughs. He then stops laughing and gives Simon a crazed look. _

**Moriarty: **Perhaps you didn't understand me. Tell me who he is, or I'll kill you.

_Simon barely restrains the urge to strangle him right in front of the President. _

**Simon: **…..Go to hell.

_Moriarty waves his finger in a warning fashion. _

**Moriarty: **Last chance. Tell me who he is, and you won't die.

_Simon growls through his teeth. _

**Simon: **I swore an oath of secrecy. And I intend to keep it, no matter the cost.

_Moriarty shrugs. _

**Moriarty: **Suit yourself.

**Sarkozy: **…..And now we simply must recognize this outstanding citizen of France. The brave and humble school teacher….who went far above his calling to save the lives of hundreds of young students. A man such as him is a rare find in this modern age, but his heroics harken back to the French heroes of old….

_Moriarty elbows Simon. _

**Moriarty: **He's talking about me.

_Simon curses several times. _

**Sarkozy: **….Dr. Sébastien Renard, for your extraordinary civilian valor, I am proud to bestow upon you the highest honor…._He holds up a medal. _The Grand Croix of the Légion d'Honneur. Congratulations.

_The crowd erupts into applause. Moriarty steps forward to shake the President's hand and receive his medal. As soon as he gets his award, a bullet rips through the air. It pierces Simon's heart and instantly kills him. The crowd screams and the guards leap into action. _

**Guard: **MR. PRESIDENT GET DOWN!

_They tackle and separate Sarkozy from Moriarty. They rush Sarkozy into a nearby black limousine, which quickly accelerates from the scene. In a nearby building, a sniper under Moriarty's control removes his gun from the window and slips into the shadows. The guards in Sarkozy's car check for injuries. _

**Guard: **Are you okay Mr. President?

_Sarkozy waves them away. _

**Sarkozy: **I'm fine.

**Guard: **How in the world did they get past our security?

_Sarkozy watches the crowd disperse from his safe vantage point. _

**Sarkozy: **That guard…what was his name again?

**Guard: **Simon Morel. He's dead Mr. President.

_Sarkozy shakes his head. _

**Sarkozy: **I don't understand. If I was the target, how could the shooter have missed so badly?

_Moriarty has been pulled to a safe location inside the Palace. He watches Simon's body being taken away. He leans back in his ornate chair, quietly enjoying his view within the sacred halls of French power. Several hours later, the warriors get embroiled in a fierce battle deep in Sector Five. They are positioned on a hill of sorts consisting of several circular platforms that gradually shrink in diameter from bottom to top. Aelita works on a central module on the highest platform, occasionally throwing energy fields at monsters that interrupt her. Meanwhile Ulrich, Yumi, and William fight the monsters that try to climb the staircase to stop her. Essentially their mission has evolved into a dangerous game of King of the Mountain. Odd and Jeremie watch from the lab room. _

**Jeremie: **Note to self. Moriarty does not like it when we go through his personal stuff.

_Ulrich cuts two cobras in half. _

**Ulrich: **No kidding!

_Yumi does her best to hold off some tigers and humanoids. A giant scorpion crawls up the stairs toward William. _

**William: **We won't be able to hold them forever. How much longer?

**Aelita: **Just a little longer!

_Yumi uses her fans to hold off a tiger's saber teeth. _

**Yumi: **Well move faster!

**Aelita: **You try to decrypt these codes and fight at the same time!

_To illustrate her point, a vulture nearly takes Aelita's head off. She ducks and launches an energy field that destroys it. Two broken hulks of former scorpions fall to William's feet. He looks up to see an entire wave of tigers leaping forward. William's heart sinks. There's no way they can take all of them. He looks to Ulrich, who has just jammed his saber through a humanoid's head. He catches his attention. _

**William: **Ulrich, now may be a good time to triplicate!

_Ulrich surveys the situation. _

**Ulrich: **I have a better idea.

_Ulrich lowers himself onto a platform the monsters are beginning to reach. Then he extends his swords and breaks into a super sprint. His blinding fast speed creates a solid wall that cuts apart any monster that dares to pass. The rest screech in annoyance. _

**William: **Impressive. But two can play that game.

_He dissolves into super smoke and spins around the platform in an irregular revolution, knocking down unsuspecting monsters. Meanwhile Yumi finishes off the monsters that managed to get past Ulrich and uses her telekinesis to push random monsters of her choice away from Aelita. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi, Aelita has started the downloading process. How is it going on your end?

_She throws one of her fans. _

**Yumi: **Well the boys put enough brain cells together to come up with a good defense, but there's a lot of them and Ulrich can't sprint forever.

**Jeremie: **Hold on for just a minute.

**Yumi: **Ugh…..I hate 'just a minute'!

**Aelita: **….Just need to organize this data…

_She presses a few buttons and several bars load to capacity and then reload. _

**Aelita: **It's coming Jeremie!

_A file opens on Jeremie's computer. _

**Jeremie: **Yes! Now we can know the secrets of Moriarty's earth form.

**Odd: **And send him back to Lyoko?

**Jeremie: **Um….maybe. In the absolute best case scenario, we may find a way to destroy him for good. But let's not get our hopes up. _He talks back into his headset. _Job well done guys. Now get out of there.

_Aelita prepares to join the fight, but suddenly the monsters retreat. They quickly disappear into cracks and crevices throughout the chamber. The warriors are silent for a moment, confused. After a few seconds, William scratches his head. _

**William: **Are you serious? That's it?

_The room starts to shake. _

**Ulrich: **You really know how to jinx us, don't you?

**Yumi: **What's happening?

_Aelita looks down. _

**Aelita: **The chamber is shifting! RUN!

_The four run off the platform, which soon collapses in on itself. Blocks disappear from the floor, leaving the warriors with no choice but to jump and hope they avoid running over a falling block. All of them manage to reach the safety of a steep ledge except for Aelita, who trails behind. Yumi extends her hand. _

**Yumi: **Come on Aelita! You're almost there!

_Aelita reaches but their arms are too far apart. She briefly stops to activate her wings. Ulrich points. _

**Ulrich: **AELITA LOOK OUT!

_Aelita notices that the block underneath her is falling too late to react. She loses her balance and fails to sprout her wings in time. She slips down a crack in the floor. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita!

_The chamber has become still. It has now reformed into a checkerboard of blocks and empty spaces. The warriors peer over the hole, looking for any signs of her. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, can you hear me? Aelita?..._He looks at the screen in confusion. Odd looks closer. _

**Odd: **What's wrong? Where'd she go?

**Jeremie: **I don't know. But wherever it took here, there's no communication uplink. I can't contact her.

_William looks to the ceiling. _

**William: **Is….is she…gone?

_For a terrible moment, Jeremie doesn't reply. _

**Jeremie: **No…..I would have seen it on my screen. She's just trapped way deep down there, and she's not responding.

**Yumi: **Can't you just materialize her?

_Jeremie furiously types on the computer._

**Jeremie: **Unfortunately no. That's not an option either. I can't do anything from my end to get her out.

**William: **Then we'll follow her down.

_Ulrich suddenly seems a little uneasy. _

**Ulrich: **Follow her down? As in….jump?

_Yumi affectionately pats his shoulder. _

**Yumi: **Aw…does the brave little hero still have a slight fear of heights?

_Ulrich growls in annoyance. _

**Ulrich: **Not funny….

**Yumi: **You're very cute when you're scared…

**Ulrich: **Yumi…..

**Yumi: **It's okay, you can hold my hand.

**Ulrich: **One more word and I'm dragging you to the snake exhibit at the zoo!

_Yumi gasps. The thought makes her cringe. _

**Yumi: **You wouldn't dare…..

**Ulrich: **Try me.

_William puts his hands over his ears. _

**William: **Enough! You're arguing like an old married couple!...Jeremie, we're going in after her.

**Jeremie: **But if you all go down, I won't be able to contact you. There's some sort of dead zone down there.

**William: **I know. But do we really have a choice?

_Jeremie thinks and then shakes his head. _

**Jeremie: **Okay. Just bring her back.

**William: **Alright. _He nods to Yumi and Ulrich. _On the count of three. One….Two….

_Ulrich closes his eyes. _

**Ulrich: **Why me?

**William: **Three!

_The group jumps into the rectangular hole. They fall for a good distance until the vertical drop transforms into a slide that leads further into the heart of Sector 5. They slide down until the passage empties into a small circular dome. The warriors uncomfortably land on top of each other. After recovering from their fall, they notice Aelita lying on the floor a few meters away. Next to her is a glowing white sphere that brings light into the dim chamber. Yumi helps Aelita up. _

**Yumi: **Are you okay?

_Aelita rubs her forehead. _

**Aelita: **Yes….I think so. Where am I?

**Yumi: **That's a good question. Ulrich, try to find an exit. _No reply. _Ulrich?

_Yumi turns to see that William and Ulrich are staring at the sphere. It casts a mesmerizing pall over their faces. Their expressionless eyes are locked on to the sphere. _

**Yumi: **Guys….hello…..Snap out of it!

_No response. _

**Yumi: **What's the matter with you two? _She walks up to them and waves her hand over their faces. _It's time to go. What's so interesting about a little shiny?…_She looks at the sphere and stops speaking. Her face becomes blank. The light in front of her shifts and changes intensity. It draws their fascination like that of a campfire, burning into their minds with a combination of beauty and power. The sphere vibrates. The three can hear a distinct hum, which builds into a drumbeat. The drum's percussion grows deeper and louder, gaining in intensity. A raw symphony is formed, which pummels the warriors and sets them adrift into nothingness. In this chamber, worries vanish and personality is removed. There is nothing but the sphere and its steady beat. And with that comes comfort. No burdens. No thoughts. Nothing. Nothing but to look at the sphere and surrender oneself to its rhythm. And with that lack of freedom…is a kind of freedom. _

_Aelita feels around the wall. She finds a switch and pushes it. A passage opens up. _

**Aelita: **Guys, I found it. We can get out of…._She looks at the sphere, and is quickly hooked. She starts walking toward it, not fully aware of her actions. She seems to be trying to remember something. _We…Jeremie….going to worry….where we…..

_She joins the others. For a while no one speaks. They cannot see, feel, or hear anything but the sphere. They stand a meter away from the sphere, not wanting to touch it but simply worship its movement. Then Aelita unexpectedly leans forward to get a closer look. She trips and falls onto the sphere. Her hands lock on. Instantly a wave of horror passes through her. The sphere turns red around her hands. All she can see is black smoke and two burning red eyes. She screams and falls back into the warriors. The disruption finally brings them to their senses. They rub their eyes. _

**Ulrich: **What…..what just happened?

_Aelita stands up and backs away. _

**Aelita: **Moriarty….

**William: **You mean Moriarty is controlling that sphere?

**Aelita: **No…..He is that sphere. That sphere contains his personality, his memories, his emotions, his….soul.

_The other three hesitantly look in the direction of the sphere. _

**Aelita: **No! Shield your eyes! Don't look at it! It'll draw you in again!

_All of them quickly cover their eyes with their forearms. The sphere continues to hum and shine to the rhythm of the drumbeat. _

**William: **This place is evil. Let's get out of here.

**Ulrich: **Agreed…

_They start to move slowly toward the exit, but Yumi stops in her tracks. As she stands there, something dawns on her. Her face seems to light up, and a strange smile crosses her lips. She turns around and faces the sphere with her eyes closed. _

**Aelita: **Yumi what are you doing?

**Ulrich: **Jeremie's waiting on us!

**William: **We should get out of here…

_Yumi waves her hand to signal for the others to calm down. _

**Yumi: **You said this was where Moriarty's memories and emotions were, correct?

_Aelita nods but motions for her to go. _

**Aelita: **Yes, I did. Now let's go.

_Yumi walks closer, her eyes still closed. _

**Yumi: **Tell me Aelita, why would Moriarty separate his personality from his central power core in the Network?

_Aelita is getting exasperated. _

**Aelita: **I assume to keep it safe from attack. Now LET'S….GO!

_Yumi chuckles. It is not her usual laugh. There's something strange about her, which becomes even more apparent when she turns to face her friends. A strong hunger is radiating from her eyes. She smiles at them, filled with pride that she has stumbled on to something while the others are still in the dark. _

**Yumi: **Perfect….

**Ulrich: **What's perfect?

**Yumi: **Moriarty…has tormented us. He's done things to our minds that no human should have to endure. He's torn through our deepest secrets and regrets, and laughed at us while we could do nothing but crawl into the fetal position and cry. He's hurt some of those closest to us. He's made our lives a living hell and he has no regrets. But now…..it's our turn.

_The other three give her a questioning look, clearly not following what she is talking about. Yumi burns with impatience. _

**Yumi: **Moriarty's emotional cortex is in that sphere! I say….let's do to him what he's been doing to us for so long.

_Without waiting for a response, she turns and reaches her hands to touch the sphere. _

**Aelita: **Yumi I don't think that's a good ide-

_Yumi plunges her palms into the sphere. Her hands become red. At first she shivers with disgust, but she hangs on. She concentrates, inserting her conscious mind into the sphere. Finally she relaxes. She laughs a little at first, then starts to laugh hysterically. _

**Yumi: **Oh you have to try this! It's so fun to give him a piece of his own medicine!

_A strong desire for vengeance soon overcomes Ulrich. He turns away from the exit and follows his girlfriend's example. Aelita seems hesitant, still looking at the exit, but then she notices how the sphere shudders to Yumi and Ulrich's touch. It is not anger…it is fear….weakness. The overwhelming aura of the sphere has been eliminated. It is vulnerable….Moriarty is vulnerable. Once this thought crosses her mind, she becomes like a shark smelling blood in the water. Memories of her father's murder and Jeremie's lapse into insanity hit her like a tidal wave. She fumes and joins them. William is the last to move to the sphere. Initially he appears hesitant, but the thought of sweet revenge against Moriarty is too great a temptation to ignore. They all crowd around the sphere and allow their minds to pilfer through via their hands. _

_Back at Kadic, Moriarty arrives at his faculty dormitory room. It is small and bare, no decorations save a wooden carving of the fleur-de-lis. He hangs the Grand Croix next to it. For a moment he stands there, admiring it. Then, out of nowhere, he feels a deep throbbing in his head. He goes to his knees and puts his hands over his ears. He opens his eyes, looking down at the floor. His face has turned ashen. _

**Moriarty: **No….it can't be. They're…..they're…THEY'RE INSIDE OF ME!

_The room around him spins. A loud and steady drumbeat works its way into his head. The world grows dark. He finds himself trapped in a dark dungeon. A single gray light shines over him. He looks around, silently waiting for them to strike. The solitary history teacher can hear a few laughs behind him. He turns around, his face burning with outrage. _

**Moriarty: **So, you entered my mind. Congratulations. But let me assure you that you will get far more than you bargained for.

_A distant voice penetrates the blackness. _

**Aelita: **We'll take that risk.

**Ulrich: **It's payback time.

**William: **We're going to make you suffer everything we suffered two times over.

_Moriarty suddenly feels someone whispering into his ear. _

**Yumi: **And we're going to enjoy every moment.

_Moriarty wheels around, trying to locate them. He walks with a certain nervousness to his step. More laughter. Moriarty then stands up straight. _

**Moriarty: **You think a little darkness is going to scare me?

_Fiery images of Yumi, Aelita, Ulrich, and William in their normal Earth attire take shape around him. Their faces are wild and distorted, bent on tormenting their tormentor. _

**Moriarty: **I am the darkness! I am fear! You cannot scare me!

_The warriors only smile. _

**Moriarty: **No amount of access to my mind can shake me. I am an expert in psychological torture and am immune to its eff-

_His words are cut off by a sudden choking. To his horror, he notices bugs crawling out of his mouth and running down his body. His pupils dilate with shock. _

**Yumi: **Oh, but we are just getting warmed up.

_Back at the computer lab, Jeremie and Odd wait. Jeremie leans back. Odd nervously paces around the room, his body starting to shake. _

**Jeremie: **Relax Odd. They'll come…..they…..they have to.

**Odd: **I hate waiting.

**Jeremie: **It's just a matter of time. They will get her out…._But he can't help but get nervous. _Oh please get her out.

_Odd suddenly cries out in pain. Jeremie wheels around to see Odd writhing on the floor. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, you're having an episode!

_He runs over to him. _

**Odd: **MAKE IT STOP!

**Jeremie: **It's just a memory. It can't hurt you. Come back to reality. The lab. Come back to the lab.

**Odd: **MAKE THEM STOP!

**Jeremie: **Odd, you're going to be ok-….Them? Who's them?

_Odd claws Jeremie's shirt. He has that tortured look in his eyes. _

**Odd: **They're hurting him! And it's hurting me too!

_Jeremie becomes more frantic for answers. _

**Jeremie: **Him? Who's him?

_Odd convulses on the floor again. _

**Jeremie: **Odd…ODD!

_The scene shifts to a sunny open courtyard. Moriarty is clothed with the robes of a king, but his crown is a dunce's cap. An entire crowd of onlookers laughs at him. Moriarty gasps, momentariliy losing his composure. The warriors surround him. _

**William: **Hey Moriarty, got something for you.

_He slams a pie into his face. The crowd laughs harder. The others pour soda all over him. _

**Ulrich: **Hail our all mighty ruler!

**Aelita: **He's so brave and worthy!

**Yumi: **Of course! Did you know he psychologically torments teenagers for fun?

_Moriarty fumes. He wipes pie and soda from his face. _

**Moriarty: **I WILL NOT BE HUMILIATED!

_The laughing shades grow more sinister and circle around him. Their voices become demonic, beckoning Moriarty to come closer. Their jaws grow wide and fill with bloddy teeth. Their bodies become black and goopy. Moriarty cringes a little._

**Moriarty: **You can't scare me.

_The shades become hundreds of Men in Black, otherwise known as les invisibles. Four of them are the warriors in les invisibles' uniform. Moriarty gapes. _

**Yumi: **Are you scared now?

_They start to march toward him. Moriarty is now unable to speak. He withdraws into himself, covering himself with his hands. _

**Moriarty: **Stay back…STAY BACK!

_They grab him. Their hands burn him. _

**Moriarty: **GO AWAY PLEASE!

_Terrified images of him running from les invisibles echo through his mind. He is hiding behind some buildings somewhere in Europe. He feels cold, hunted, and scared. The black of their sunglasses engulf him. Moriarty begins to lose control. He sweats profusely. Fear has overtaken his bravado act. _

**Moriarty: **ENOUGH PLEASE!

_The fiery images of the warriors return. _

**Ulrich: **Why should we?

**Aelita: **You never showed us any mercy!

**William: **You brought this on yourself!

**Yumi: **And we are not even close to done.

_Suddenly Moriarty is pinned against the wall by his volatile stepfather Gautier. Except this time his face shifts to that of the four warriors, alternating in sequence. They imitate his voice. _

**William: **Worthless son!

**Aelita: **Nazi wannabe!

**Ulrich: **You're nothing but a burden!

**Yumi: **You never should have been born!

_They all take turns punching him repeatedly. Moriarty does his best to brace himself, but the full weight of their anger falls heavily on him. He morphs into a nineteen year-old whose expression is weak and pained. A few moments later William's face appears on Gautier's body. He reels back to nail him. But before he can strike, William starts to hear a voice he knows all too well. _

**Xana: **Mercilessly taking advantage of your enemy's weaknesses…Good. And I thought you were just a useless slave.

_William pauses. A certain sentiment works its way to his conscious mind. He quickly realizes that it is not rage or hate. It is pleasure. Xana's pleasure at William's actions. _

**Xana: **He is powerless. Assert your strength and annihilate him. Kill him without pity. That's what I would do…..

_William shudders. He slowly starts to fade from Moriarty's mind. He takes his hands off the sphere. He looks up to see the rest of the sphere turning red. This red energy is coursing from the sphere onto the gleeful warriors. William can see them continue to inflict pain. As they do so, the red energy around them becomes stronger. He looks down at his hands and notices that they are red too, although the light is dying. William looks up with extreme concern. _

**William: **Alright, enough is enough. We need to stop this.

_No response. The red light grows. Their faces become malicious. _

**William: **Take your hands off! This is wrong! We need to stop now!

_Ulrich snarls. _

**Ulrich: **Stop ruining the fun!

**Yumi: **I'm not finished with him yet!

_William presses more earnestly. _

**William: **This isn't good for you! Something bad is happening. Take your hands off!

**Aelita: **Why should we listen to a pathetic Xana slave like you?

_William almost chokes on his own tongue from that statement. His suspicions are confirmed. Something is really wrong with them. Aelita would never speak to him like that. He walks forward and grabs Yumi's shoulders. _

**William: **Moriarty's mind is corrupting you. SNAP OUT OF IT!

_Yumi lowers her eyebrows. William is suddenly slammed into the wall by her telekinesis. He cannot move. He can do nothing but watch as his friends tear themselves to shreds. In Moriarty's mind, the abuse continues. Moriarty is strapped to a desk in a classroom, forced to endure the lecture of his "teachers". _

**Yumi: **Today's lesson, class, is on the definition of irony.

**Aelita: **And let's begin with a demonstration. Ulrich, if you'd be so kind….

**Ulrich: **Gladly.

_He takes the ruler and smacks him over the head. Moriarty groans, doing his best to mask the pain. _

**Yumi: **I don't think he understood the lesson, Ulrich. Let me try to help him.

_He hands it to her. _

**Ulrich: **If you insist.

_Yumi bends it back like a baseball bat. _

**Yumi: **This is for what you did to me at the pool!

_She hits him with all her might. Moriarty is heavily injured. He spits out blood onto the desk. He looks exhausted from the punishment. _

**Moriarty: **You've had…..your vengeance….No more…..that's enough!

_Aelita takes the ruler from Yumi's hands. _

**Aelita: **We'll be the judges of that.

_Aelita takes the ruler from Yumi. Her hands shake with hate as she approaches him. Moriarty's bloodshot eyes reflect intense coldness in the face of punishment. She winds back the ruler. But before she swings her hands are stopped by a slight voice. _

**Odd: **Aelita stop!

_She freezes. She looks around, trying to determine the voice's origin. Then she gazes at Moriarty. For a brief moment, Aelita thinks she sees Odd's face grafted onto Moriarty's head. His eyes plead for her to stop. As Aelita tries to absorb the shock, the voice comes back with greater intensity. _

**Odd: **I can feel everything you do to him. And it's killing me. Please…_The voice becomes weak_….stop.

_Aelita lets the ruler hit the floor. She wraps her arms around her chest and lowers her head, trying to piece together her actions over the last five minutes. A wave of revulsion makes her feel sick to her stomach. She lifts her head to face Ulrich and Yumi. _

**Aelita: **William was right. This sphere is doing things to us. We need to stop.

_Ulrich and Yumi react to Aelita's betrayal coldly. Their faces become hard as stone, and they clearly don't seem to be listening to her. _

**Yumi: **I knew you would chicken out. You always were the 'good little princess'.

**Ulrich: **I knew it too. But defending Moriarty? Step aside before I get really mad.

_Aelita doesn't budge. Ulrich growls. A saber appears at his side. _

**Ulrich: **I said MOVE!

**Aelita: **NO! You can't! You're not just hurting Moriarty, you're hurting-

_After taking a glance over to Moriarty, she clamps her mouth shut. The injured sociopath looks somewhat intrigued. Aelita remembers that a revelation of Odd's subconscious connection to him could be devastating. Meanwhile Yumi and Ulrich get increasingly impatient. _

**Yumi: **Who? Who will we be hurting?

_Aelita stammers. _

**Aelita: **You…..you're hurting yourselves! I mean just look at you! You've gone mad!

**Yumi: **Oh shut up! I don't want to hear it!

_Ulrich unsheaths his saber. _

**Ulrich: **Allow me to show you the door.

**Aelita: **No, WAIT!

_Aelita is thrown off the sphere and lands next to William, who is still attached to the wall. Once she gets up, she senses William's piercing stare, which quickly makes her feel ashamed. _

**Aelita: **William I-

**William: **Now's not the time. Just stop them!

_She regains her focus and aims an energy field at the two mad warriors. But another wave of telekinesis makes her another wall decoration. Aelita struggles in frustration. _

**Aelita: **Listen to me! You have to stop! You're not just hurting yourselves, YOU'RE HURTING ODD!

_No response. _

**Aelita: **DO YOU NOT EVEN CARE?

**William: **Save your breath. They're lost.

**Aelita: **There has to be something we can do!

**William: **I wish there was. But the way I see it, their only hope is recognizing what the sphere is doing to them before it's too late.

_Yumi and Ulrich delve deeper into Moriarty's mind. They now hover over him in a pit surrounded by fire. The flames bring light to their malevolent faces. Moriarty kneels, his hands covering his face. _

**Yumi: **Look around you Moriarty.

_He doesn't. Ulrich hoists him up by his collar. Hatred foams from his mouth._

**Ulrich: **She said LOOK!

_Moriarty looks. Within the flames are burning images of people. People who were tragically taken from him. Yumi raises her right hand, and one image rises above the rest. It appears to be female. _

**Yumi: **Do you recognize this person?

_Moriarty says nothing. He maintains his wrathful focus on Yumi. _

**Yumi: **It's your mother. Wouldn't she be so proud to see you now?

_Moriarty cringes but tries to remain firm. His response enrages Yumi and makes her eager for more. The image of a slender man in military regalia rises. _

**Yumi: **What about him?

_Moriarty looks away. The muscles around his face contort in pain. _

**Yumi: **Surely you recognize HIM.

**Moriarty: **…Yes…you adolescent witch. I can recognize my own father.

_Yumi smiles wickedly. Ulrich steps forward. _

**Ulrich: **Let's see who else is hiding in these sick memories of yours.

_He peers into the flames, eager to inflict more pain. But as another image begins to take shape, Ulrich suddenly turns white, as if he has seen a ghost. He steps back a little. _

**Ulrich: **No…..

**Moriarty: **I told you….you were going to get far more than you bargained for.

_Ulrich stares incredulously for a moment, trying to make sure he is seeing correctly. But the image corresponds perfectly with that of an old photograph that belongs to Aelita. It is a tortured figure of a woman with pink hair. Ulrich grabs Yumi's wrist._

**Ulrich: **We need to go.

_Yumi slowly turns toward her boyfriend. For a brief moment she studies his confused and increasingly terrified expression. Then she shakes her head in disappointment. She lowers her head and lets her black hair cover her face. A strange laugh works its way out of her mouth, sending chills up Ulrich's spine. _

**Yumi: **Of all people Ulrich, I thought you would stand by me on this.

**Ulrich: **We've had our fun. Now it's time to stop.

_Yumi yanks her arm away from Ulrich's hand. Her voice starts to get deepier and creepier. _

**Yumi: **Why? Why should we stop now? Isn't this what we dreamed of?

_She points an index finger at Moriarty. _

**Moriarty: **DOESN'T HE DESERVE IT?

_A shaky nervousness takes hold of Ulrich's voice. _

**Ulrich: **Yes, but….but we are stooping to his level. We are better than that.

_Yumi exhales through her nose with a grunt. Her unforgiving eyes cut Ulrich to the core. _

**Ulrich: **And you….you're just…..not yourself.

**Yumi: **You…you're a traitor. _She steps toward him. Ulrich backs up. _You all are traitors. Weak little traitors. I should have known I would be the only one who could do what was necessary.

**Ulrich: **Listen to yourself for a second! You don't talk like that!

_She backs him up closer to the flames. _

**Ulrich: **Just how much is enough for you?

_Yumi starts to become hysterical. _

**Yumi: **HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

_Yumi causes their surroundings to change. They find themselves in Moriarty's old home in Algiers. Moriarty is a little nine year-old huddled in the corner. Their father is tied up. But this time, there are no Algerian nationalists. It is just Yumi and Ulrich. Yumi holds up a pistol to his beaten father's head. Ulrich's heart goes on hiatus for a few seconds. He can tell that she's lost it. _

**Yumi: **THIS SHOULD BE A GOOD START!

_Moriarty whimpers. _

**Moriarty: **Please…don't hurt daddy….

**Ulrich: **For God's sake Yumi! THAT'S WAY TOO FAR!

_Yumi holds the pistol steady. Her face is as cold as steel. _

**Yumi: **How does it feel Moriarty, huh? HOW DOES IT FEEL?

_Moriarty starts crying. Yumi's crazed look gains intensity. _

**Yumi: **Beg. Beg you sick freak. And maybe I'll let him breathe a little longer.

**Ulrich: **THAT'S IT! I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF!

**Yumi: **You….stay out of this…

**Ulrich: **No. Give me the gun.

**Yumi: **Don't make me hurt you too…

**Ulrich: **I SAID GIVE ME THE GUN!

_The two wrestle with it for a second. After a brief struggle, the gun fires…..into Ulrich's chest. Ulrich collapses. The blast hits a light switch in Yumi's head and brings her back to herself. She is instantly stunned. At first she is utterly lost, but then the sight of Ulrich's blood chokes the life out of her. A few restrained cries issue forth from her throat. She drops the gun. Immediately the two wake up on the floor of the dome. William and Aelita fall off the wall. The sphere hums and rages. The warriors shield their eyes from it. William motions for them to leave. When Ulrich and Yumi don't respond, William and Aelita drag them out. Not a word is spoken. _

_At Kadic, Moriarty wakes up sweating on the floor. He pats his chest and his stomach, trying to recover himself. In a half-conscious haze, he brings himself to the mirror. The confidence and scheming mastermind can only see fear. Pure, unadulterated fear. This realization quickly enrages him. He shouts madly and throws his mirror across the room. Sparks fly out of his hands. The entire building flickers on account of his wrath. _

_An hour later, the group sits around Odd, who leans against the walls of the lab room, hugging his knees together. They do their best to comfort him, but he resists. His cold response makes them feel ashamed. Yumi refuses to look Odd in the eye. Her eyes are closed in her attempt to shut out the world and pretend that the sphere experience never happened. Jeremie taps his fingers on his knees. His expression is grim. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty will be furious. He'll have his revenge, one way or another. And I have to believe that it's going to be terrible.

_No one responds, and the room is quiet again. William clears his throat. _

**William: **Odd, I know this may not mean anything to you right now…..But…..I wanted to say that we're sorry.

_Aelita nods. _

**Aelita: **We didn't mean to hurt you. We didn't know.

_Odd rubs his foot on the floor. _

**Odd: **Then why did it go on? Why did it continue when I told you to stop?

_Yumi lowers her head even more. Once again the hum of the main computer is the only noise in the room. Odd opens one of his eyes. All he sees is hopelessly repentant faces. He sighs. _

**Odd: **Enough. What's done is done. Stop moping around and begging for forgiveness. You can save your breath.

**Ulrich: **Odd, what we did to you was wrong.

**Odd: **And I'm completely innocent? Let it go Ulrich. I'm done pointing fingers.

**Ulrich: **But-

**Odd: **Moriarty brings out the worst in people Ulrich. I know that all too well. So stop feeling sorry for yourselves….._He looks up. _All of you…stop.

_The warriors are silent again. Jeremie steps in to prevent this moping from continuing. _

**Jeremie: **One thing is for sure. We need to be careful about hurting Moriarty. It could hurt you in the process.

_Odd dismisses the notion with a wave of his hand. _

**Odd: **Don't worry about me. You can't hesitate to go on the offensive just for my sake. That's not fair for everyone else. Do what you have to do.

**Jeremie: **Unacceptable. We are not going to do something knowing that it could hurt you.

**Odd: **Protecting your weakest link is not a good military strategy.

**Aelita: **Odd, you're not-

_Odd quickly interrupts. _

**Odd: **LOOK AT ME! I am worthless. You might as well feed me to the Leviathan!

_William scratches his head. _

**William: **The what?

_Odd briefly disengages himself from his self-hating rant to explain. _

**Odd: **The monster Ulrich and Aelita faced. Figured it was a good choice. I named it after a boss in a video game that I could never beat.

**Aelita: **Odd, you're not worthless.

**Odd: **Oh yeah? Exactly how have I helped you fight Moriarty? Not very well I think. May I remind you that I was your enemy for a long time?

**Jeremie: **True, but your dreams have provided great information on Moriarty's past. That kind of knowledge is invaluable.

_Odd rolls his eyes. _

**Odd: **Big deal. I'm still nothing but a PTSD loser.

_Aelita stands up, her face very serious. _

**Aelita: **That's not the Odd I know.

**Odd: **Well, it's the one I do.

**Aelita: **Then please tell me who it was who saved me countless times from Xana both on and off Lyoko.

_Odd pauses. He hesitates. _

**Odd: **….Me.

**Jeremie: **I distinctly recall you singlehandedly taking out a heavily defended enemy supercomputer in the Amazon and defeating William.

_William raises an eyebrow. _

**William: **Excuse me?

**Jeremie: **Oh….right. You probably don't remember that.

_Ulrich begins his spiel. _

**Ulrich: **What about 'Odd the Magnificent'? Do you remember him? He saved my butt many times. If it hadn't been for you, I would have been drowned, asphyxiated, poisoned, cooked alive in a sauna, and eaten by wolves.

**Aelita: **Don't forget zapped to death by Xana's possessed victims.

**Ulrich: **Oh yeah….that. And don't forget it was you who taught me how to fight again when I lost my memory to Xana. _He chuckles. _Not to mention you managed to save the day when you were virtualized together with Kiwi!

_Kiwi barks and licks Odd's hand. _

**William: **What?

**Jeremie: **Oh yes, we never told you that either.

**William: **What else haven't you told me?

**Odd: **Guys, I appreciate this a lot. But that was a long time ago. I may have been an okay fighter back then. But there is a reason I got into this mess. I…..I'm selfish. I always was.

**Yumi: **That's not true.

_Everyone looks at Yumi, surprised that she has decided to speak. Odd turns to face her. _

**Yumi: **Do you remember when a possessed Delmas kidnapped us and kept us in a cold room in an old warehouse?

_Odd looks down at the ground. _

**Odd: **Yes.

**Yumi: **Then you'll remember how cold we felt. Our breath was so thick you made a joke that you wanted to eat it. You know how much I hate the cold. I…I was freezing. Chills were going all up and down my body. I was miserable. I was afraid I wasn't going to make it to the two o'clock deadline. But you…._She smiles warmly. _You saved me. You stood up to Xana and demanded that Delmas hand over his jacket. You could have easily kept it yourself. I knew you were suffering too. You don't have any meat on those bones to insulate that scrawny body of yours.

**Odd: **I'm not-

**Yumi: **But you didn't. You gave it to me. The instant you gave me that jacket I felt better. That kept me going that day. Ever since that day, I have always been grateful to you.

_Odd raises his head. He looks at Yumi, who still seems too overwhelmed to look at him. _

**Odd: **Um…..wow. Thank you. I don't know what else to say.

**Yumi: **You don't have to say anything. I just wanted to remind you.

**William: **You've all saved us at one time or another Odd. Even me. Don't forget it was you who put the laser arrow in my back and saved me from Xana's control.

**Odd: **Yes. That's true…Everything you have said is true. _He looks up at the ceiling. _I just wish I could get that old Odd back.

_Aelita puts a hand on his shoulder. _

**Aelita: **You will find him. You just need more time.

_Odd shrugs. _

**Odd: **If you say so…

**Ulrich: **You'll see, you'll come back better than ever.

**Jeremie: **It takes more than Moriarty to bring down 'Odd the Magnificent'.

_Kiwi barks in agreement. _

**Jeremie: **Isn't that right William?

_William looks awkwardly to the side, clearly hesitating. _

**William: **Um….yeah. Of course.

_After another thirty minutes of talking, the group disperses. William walks through the woods alone on the way to Kadic. A moonlit shadow follows William behind the trees. Its figure follows William's movements. William senses his presence. An ordinary person would check to see who is behind him, but William already knows. _

**Xana: **You disappoint me slave…..as always.

**William: **Then I must be doing my job.

**Xana: **Perfect opportunity…lost. A colossal failure.

**William: **If we hadn't stopped when we did, it would have been worse.

**Xana: **Why didn't you crush him when you had the chance?

**William: **The benefits were not worth the cost.

**Xana: **Humans and their morality…._He snarls thinking about it. _

**William: **Choosing the higher path is what separates us from Moriarty…and you.

_Xana's imaginary specter shifts. _

**Xana: **Is that why you delay in acquiring the Russian female?

_William stops in his tracks. A slight tremor of agitation works through his eyebrows. _

**William: **That's none of your business.

**Xana: **Wrong. Your mind is my mind. Your business is my business.

**William: **Natalya is just a friend.

**Xana: **Your hormone levels say otherwise.

_William growls in annoyance. _

**Xana: **I wonder what she woud think of you if she was aware of my existence…..such a scenario is…enjoyable to consider.

_William turns around to face him. _

**William: **Don't you dare threaten her, or I'll find the deepest pit in my mind and bury you in it.

_Xana takes a moment to examine his host's intense emotional response. _

**Xana: **Passion…._He pauses. _How revolting.

_He fades away and leaves William alone. That night Jeremie sleeps soundly in his room. The super scanner suddenly turns on. After muttering incoherently to himself, he gets up and approaches his computer. A specter comes out of a socket and slithers on the floor next to his feet. As he bends over to examine the screen, the specter envelops him. A brief muscle spasm quickly ends with Moriarty's eye radiating in his pupils. He sits down at the computer and begins to adjust the super scanner. In less than a minute, the possessed Jeremie has completed his task. He heads back to bed. The tower deactivates and the specter leaves him. Jeremie is now sound asleep, completely unaware of what has happened. _

_At around the same time, Moriarty bursts into the dark science lab. He stalks through the room, his right hand glowing with electricity. He angrily opens one of the storage containers in the room. He removes a petri dish. Moriarty shines his glowing hand next to the petri dish to get a better look. Green splotches of bacteria cover the plastic. He turns on a microscope and examines a sample. Once he starts to see the bacteria moving, he conjures up a specter. Like a chef proudly observing his culinary masterpiece come to fruition, Moriarty watches as the specter envelops the bacteria. Underneath the microscope light the bacteria starts to mutate and reproduce rapidly. _

_The next morning Ulrich, Aelita, and Jeremie wait nervously for their 9__th__ grade history class to begin. Jeremie's fingers tap against the desk. Ulrich checks the clock. Aelita takes a few deep breaths. Their faces are strangled with dread. Ulrich leans over to Odd's clone, who shares a desk with him. The desks are in a circle, just as the 10__th__ grade class left them. _

**Ulrich: **This is bad. What are we going to do?

**Odd's Clone: **Course of action unknown. Options limited. Recommend warrior subject Ulrich Stern prepare for all possibilities.

**Ulrich: **We really made him mad. What's he going to do to us?

**Odd's Clone: **Consequences of enemy's destabilization impossible to predict.

_Ulrich nervously covers his mouth with his clenched fist. _

**Ulrich: **What if he decides to end it….right here and now?

**Odd's Clone: **Likelihood of enemy Moriarty viciously liquidating warrior subjects in class in front of human witnesses is only 9.8%.

_Ulrich turns to Odd's Clone in horror. _

**Odd's Clone: **Recalculating….if mental damage exceeds spectral entity's hypothesis, likelihood raised to 17.9%.

**Ulrich: **Is that supposed to make me feel better? _He looks down. _And what is with these desks?

**Odd's Clone: **Enemy subject Moriarty seeks further experimentation.

_He groans and his head hits the table. He looks up slowly and notices three students in the top left corner of the classroom. Ulrich doesn't recognize them, but the circular formation allows him to get a good look at their faces. The first student is a short and stocky teenage male, his dark brown hair mostly hidden under a blue baseball cap. He gazes around the room with a general naiveté about him. Emily LeDuc sits next to him. Emily seems to be asking questions, and the guy has a strange look on his face as if he is having trouble understanding what she's talking about. The girl on the next table has an olive complexion with brunette hair. She is dressed nicely and appears to be bored. The guy next to her is blonde with curly hair. He shifts around in his seat, obviously uncomfortable in this new environment. Ulrich turns to Odd's Clone. _

**Ulrich: **Hey, who are they?

**Odd's Clone: **Processing query. School logs indicate that they are exchange students. Status: recent arrivals.

**Ulrich: **Do you know their names?

_Odd's clone gets a blank look in the eyes for a moment. _

**Odd's Clone: **Processing secondary query…..Name of dark-haired confused male: Tobias Hopkins. Nationality: American. Residence: Dallas, United States of America. _He shifts his head. _Name of unoccupied female: Isabel Cacais. Nationality: Brazilian. Residence: Sao Paulo, Brazil. _Another shift. _Name of fidgety male: Lucas Maes. Nationality: Belgian. Residence: Antwerp, Belgium. _He pauses. _Does subject Ulrich Stern request more personal information?

_Ulrich shakes his head. _

**Ulrich: **No need for that. _He casts a sympathetic look toward them. _Boy did they pick the wrong time to come….

_Literally seconds after Ulrich's statement, Moriarty thunders into the room. Instantly the class goes quiet, and it is not a coincidence. Moriarty looks positively distraught. His blond hair is disheveled, and his dignified poise is gone. He stomps loudly to his desk and slams some books on top of it. He lifts his head. Jeremie, Aelita, and Ulrich nearly wet themselves from the death stare that is targeted at them and them alone. The rest of the class seems uneasy. Herb leans forward, watching Moriarty with a sort of fascination. Moriarty taps some chalk on the board. _

**Moriarty: **Class….you're probably wondering why your desks are arranged this way.

_He drops the chalk to the floor. _

**Moriarty: **Although, some of you probably have already heard of the communist experiment in my tenth grade class. _He turns to them and gives them a fake smile. _Well, I say why should they have all the fun? From now on we shall do the same.

_Confused mutterings filter through the room. Sissi raises her hand. _

**Sissi: **But…..this is Ancient and Medieval History. I thought communism wasn't invented until…uh….1789.

_A stare from Moriarty makes her quickly lower her hand. His face tightens. _

**Moriarty: **I have changed the course. From now on it is Contemporary Political Doctrine. And we are going to discuss communism, Comrade Sissi.

**Sissi: **But how-

**Moriarty: **I was growing bored with the subject and your dear daddy said it was okay.

_He turns to the class and makes a circular motion with his hand. _

**Moriarty: **Any more questions?

_The new exchange student Tobias raises his hand. He looks around the room like he's somehow stumbled into the Twilight Zone by mistake. He blinks in confusion. Moriarty reluctantly calls on him. He stands up and clears his throat. A distinctly Southern U.S.A. twang to his voice quickly gives away his point of origin. Some students immediately start to snicker. _

**Tobias: **Okay I know I'm new here, but uh…communism experiments? What in the world are y'all talking 'bout?

_Moriarty chuckles with a mad look in his eyes. He turns to the class again. _

**Moriarty: **I'm sorry. I forgot about the exchange students coming in. So I suppose I must take the time to explain to our American friend what is going on very…VERY…..slowly.

_More laughs. Herb leans his head back and guffaws at Moriarty's joke. Tobias lowers his eyebrows. _

**Tobias: **The folks back home were right. Y'all are rude!

_Moriarty signals for them to quiet down. _

**Moriarty: **In all seriousness Comrade _Américain_, this is a class social experiment. In other words, we don't just learn about communism. We live it. Understand?

**Tobias: **Yes, I guess so.

_Lucas raises his hand. A chorus of stuttering comes out of his mouth. _

**Lucas: **But why do w-w-we not t—take the original ap-pproach?

_Moriarty's glare that reeks with restrained anger quickly silents the newcomer. _

**Moriarty: **Because lecturing is boring. Why not make it a lot more fun for everyone?

_The class seems to subtly agree with him on this. Moriarty slams a fist on the desk, making the students jump in their chairs. _

**Moriarty: **So, does anyone have a problem with that?

_Aelita looks at Jeremie seeking advice on how to answer. But Jeremie shakes his head, not wanting to draw attention to themselves or incur his wrath. No one objects. The silence is only filled by Isabel filing her nails, ignoring Moriarty. _

**Moriarty: **Then it is settled. _He slams his fist into his palm. _Let us begin comrades!

_The class sits with their hands nervously scratching the desks, not sure how to begin. Moriarty circles the room. When his eyes focused on the warriors, he smiles and rubs his tongue against his teeth, sending the message that he has not forgotten what they did. Then he pauses. _

**Moriarty: **First things first. In a communist society, everything is held in common. From now on grades will be averaged together on all assignments and tests. That means those of you who are struggling will get a much needed boost.

_Some students react very positively to this. Ulrich finds it hard not to do so himself. But Moriarty's tense demeanor quickly makes them quiet again. _

**Moriarty: **Good. The desks are equal. Grades are equal. Nothing missing except….._He notices a very expensive bracelet on Isabel's wrist. He yanks it off her. _

**Isabel: **_Que diabos_?(What the hell)That's mine!

_Moriarty holds it up for the class to see. _

**Moriarty: **Comrades, what is this?

**Nicholas: **Uh…..a bracelet.

**Moriarty: **Brilliant Comrade Poliakoff. But what does it represent? Why is she wearing it?

_No one has an answer for this. Moriarty holds it up to the light and stares at it hungrily. _

**Moriarty: **At the most basic level, it is nothing but a fashion statement. But it means much more. It is a sign of wealth. It tells the world, 'I have the money to buy this and you don't.' Comrades, this is what capitalists use to belittle the working class. We must not have this. All capitalist trinkets must be removed during class.

_Theo rolls his eyes. _

**Theo: **What a bunch of-

_Moriarty turns around with the speed of a cheetah. Theo nearly bites his lip. Moriarty's eyes widen._

**Moriarty: **What was that?

**Theo: **Nothing Dr. Renard.

**Moriarty: **COMRADE RENARD!

**Theo: **C-Comrade Renard…

_Fearing that Moriarty may take things out of hand, Jeremie stands up and braces himself for confrontation. _

**Jeremie: **Comrade Renard.

_Moriarty slowly turns his head. _

**Moriarty: **Yes?

**Jeremie: **You are trying to take away one of our comrade's belongings because you believe that taking it away will prevent us from being unequal. But the truth is that most of us are from the upper tier of society. We also have very expensive stuff. _He shows off his laptop as evidence. Other students follow suit, showing off watches, earrings, and clothes. Jeremie smiles. _So if we all have nice things, then we are equal.

**Moriarty: **Comrade Jeremie….

**Jeremie: **Karl Marx never objected to having things, only that there be an abundance of them held in common.

_Moriarty chafes from Jeremie's unexpected maneuver. He begrudgingly gives the bracelet back to Isabel. _

**Moriarty: **Very well. I suppose it is difficult to remove capitalistic elitism if all of you are children of elites. _But he quickly grins. _However, even among you there are those who are more elite than others. If it is not money comrades, then it is something else.

**Lucas: **W-what else c-c-could it b-be?

**Moriarty: **Oh think comrades. Envy and outrage over the excesses of Russian nobles compared to the poverty of the masses triggered the Bolshevik Revolution. Now, does envy exist at this school?

_Classmates nod. Moriarty fakes surprise. _

**Moriarty: **Really? Well, if you are all are on an equal economic footing, then what is left?

_A hand goes in the air. It belongs to Herb. _

**Moriarty: **Yes Comrade Pinchon?

**Herb: **Some students are more popular than others, and they often have strong connections to the faculty, allowing them to get away with a lot of things.

_Moriarty taps a finger on his chin. _

**Moriarty: **Interesting. Now, who could you be referring to…..? It would have to be someone with a strong tendency toward narcissistic behavior, able to pull some major strings at the school, and be considered a very spoiled person. Hmm….now who could that be?

_Very quickly all eyes focus on Sissi. She swallows uneasily. _

**Ulrich: **She's dead.

**Moriarty: **It appears injustice still has a place in this school…

**Sissi: **But….but….but-

**Moriarty: **It seems you have an unfair advantage on the rest…

**Sissi: **That's not fair! _She flips her hair back. _You're talking about character traits…..you can't take that away from me.

_Moriarty thinks for a moment. _

**Moriarty: **Maybe…maybe not.

_Herb stands up and points at her. _

**Herb: **She's been able to get her way at this school forever! And everyone here knows it!

_Sissi turns to Herb. _

**Sissi: **You….traitor…

**Herb: **Look in the mirror….

_Some of the class joins in, drawn in by Moriarty's persuasive argument. _

**Heidi: **She has abused her power here!

**Romain: **I heard that her dad prevented her from failing out of school!

**Magali: **And from getting in trouble hundreds of times!

_The majority of the class regards her coldly. The warriors look at her sympathetically. Tobias, shocked at this scene during his first day in France, looks at Lucas in confusion. Lucas can do nothing but shrug. Isabel holds her bracelet nervously, looking around the room. Sissi is lost for words. _

**Sissi: **What….what do you want from me?

**Moriarty: **To leave this classroom Comrade Sissi. You are to write an essay about how you will reform yourself for the good of the whole commune. Then maybe you will be welcome again.

_Sissi stammers. _

**Sissi: **You…..can't do-

**Moriarty: **I can. Leave now.

_Tears start to come down her eyes._

**Sissi: **It's not even true anymore. I don't have any privileges anymore. And neither does daddy…..AND YOU KNOW-

**Moriarty: **OUT! Everyone is agreed on this matter.

_Ulrich stands up. _

**Ulrich: **Comrade Renard, that's not-

**Moriarty: **Sit…down…..Comrade….Stern.

_Sissi looks at Ulrich with gratitude. With great reluctance she exits the classroom. Herb smiles. Moriarty clears his throat. _

**Moriarty: **Now where was I….? Oh yes. Elitism among you isn't the only threat to a true egalitarian society. There is another threat as well, one which we may be able to fix. You see, in every society, there are groups of people who only stick to their respective cliques. They ignore anyone outside their group and pursue their own agenda. They are secretive, only discussing things among themselves. Their behavior can be described at best as antisocial. At worst, it can be subversive. This is contrary to sound community. So think comrades. Does anyone here fit that description? Does anyone here behave suspiciously exclusive…..possibly disappear for a while for no reason….?

_Eyes now focus on Ulrich, Aelita, Jeremie, and Odd's Clone. Immediately the warriors curse internally, fearful of what may come. The only exception is Odd's Clone, who, being incapable of fear, just stares blankly into space. Moriarty grins with delight, almost tasting the fruit of revenge. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **Yes Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **We're….

_Scene shifts to 10__th__ grade class with Yumi and William. The same question has been presented to the class. _

**Yumi: **…..dead.

_A silence overtakes the classroom. Emmanuel gives William the evil eye. Christophe watches them with concern, refusing to follow this increasingly hostile crowd. Natalya goes against the flow of the tide and directs her evil eye toward Moriarty. _

**Moriarty: **I see we have some that fit that description…So….._His eyes burrow into their souls with the hatred of a demon. He focuses most of it on Yumi, who wants nothing more than to hide in a hole right now. _What do you have to say for yourselves?

_William channels rage from deep in the back of his mind. The onrush of intense feeling drains away his fear. He stands up. _

**William: **Comrade Renard, with all….due respect…._William resists the urge to punch himself for saying that_….we don't see ourselves as antisocial. Yes, we may like to only hang out with each other, but Yumi, Ulrich, Aelita, Odd, Jeremie, and I are not antisocial. And we certaintly aren't subversive. If anything, we hang out with each other because the rest of the school thinks we're strange. Perhaps we act that way because we don't feel welcome around others.

_Moriarty nods his head calmly, walking around like a prosecutor about to annihilate the witness on the stand. _

**Moriarty: **Not subversive…..just misunderstood. I see. Then please explain…._He opens up a folder…_why you six combined have amassed the largest amount of demerits within the last ten years. _He shrugs. _Most of these are for being absent….and you have been getting them at the same time.

_He looks up from the folder to observe Yumi and William's reactions. They remain stone-faced. Moriarty presses further. _

**Moriarty: **It makes me wonder….just what exactly are you doing together?

_Some of the students stare at Yumi and William with more curiosity. William and Yumi begin to feel the weight of their glances fall upon them. _

**Moriarty: **And that's not all. Jeremie was the main suspect behind the disappearance of Mr. Klotz's computer files. When Mr. Klotz tried to question Jeremie, he took a strange leave of absence shortly after. Odd's behavior has been incredibly strange to say the least. Mr. Klotz is a good friend of mine, and believe me when I say he is very concerned. You _Moriarty points to William _have been reported talking to yourself at very strange hours of the night…something about telling yourself to go away or to leave your mind alone. Ulrich, our star soccer player, has quit for 'personal reasons'. Aelita claims to be a Canadien citizen, yet on a test she said Quebec was the capital of her home country instead of Ottawa. And to top it all off, _He focuses menacingly at Yumi_….several students have mentioned that you have fallen asleep in study hall and mumbled about killing a Sherlock Holmes character. _Moriarty finally takes a moment to breathe and reflect. He turns around. _Well?

_The room is silent. Yumi and William nervously avoid the strange looks they are being given. Yumi lowers her head. William reaches under the table and wraps his hand around her wrist, reminding her that she's not alone. Then he exhales. _

**William: **Comrade Renard, _He takes a moment to boldly face everyone looking at him…_I don't know what to say except we are not subversive. _He looks pleadingly at his classmates. _We don't mean anyone harm. We never did and we never will. Yes we are strange, I admit that. But come on. It's us….William and Yumi. You know us….

**Moriarty: **Do they? After what I've pointed out, do they really know you?

_William runs out of things to say. He and Yumi look helpless in the face of this verbal onslaught. Moriarty goes in for the kill. _

**Moriarty: **If anyone here sincerely believes that Comrades William, Yumi, and the rest of the group aren't behaving suspiciously in such a manner that could hurt the commune, then raise your hand.

_A tense silence ensues. Emmanuel, Mathias, Anais, and several others refuse to raise their hands. Some think about it for a while, but eventually decide not to, either in an effort to follow the crowd or they are honestly convinced by Moriarty that there is something wrong with them. Yumi and William's hearts sink, sincerely believing that their class has abandoned them. Moriarty revels in the moment. But before he can speak, two hands shoot up around the same time. A shock reverberates around the room. Natalya and Christophe are raising their hands high. Moriarty gazes at them in disbelief. A tremor of anger and surprise shakes his already shaken body. _

**Moriarty: **Comrade Dikau and Comrade M'Bala….you….you believe there is nothing suspicious about them? You believe that they're still the people you think they are?

**Natalya: **They may be a little strange _She takes a moment to look at William _…but I can't imagine that they would ever do something bad.

_Moriarty turns his attention to Christophe. _

**Moriarty: **And you?

**Christophe: **It's none of my business what they're up to. I think they're nice people, and none of the things you've said makes me think otherwise.

_Moriarty notices that Christophe is listening to music through concealed earbuds. He lowers his eyebrows. _

**Moriarty: **Turn off your IPod and pay attention! A true communist would consider the interests of others and not listen to garbage during class.

_Christophe's jaw becomes tight. He stares at Moriarty. _

**Christophe: **Garbage?

**Moriarty: **Yes. Would you rather listen to mainstream garbage or my lecture?

_Christophe pauses. He starts to give Moriarty a really ugly look. _

**Christophe: **To be honest Comrade Renard, I can't tell the difference.

_A pen is dropped to the floor. The room is instantly quiet. Students watch in amazement as Christophe openly defies this impressive academic behemoth. Moriarty stands frozen in enraged astonishment from this unexpected move. Christophe remains steadfast, waiting to see what Moriarty does to him. The lack of fear from this random student fills Moriarty with fury. He grits his teeth and makes a mental note. He looks at the clock. _

**Moriarty: **Well, class is over…._He glares at the two warriors…_My policy with you is the same I gave your friends. You are allowed to stay in class, but you are officially on notice. And you are not the only ones. Hopefully this experiment will correct your suspicious behavior.

_Class is dismissed. Later at lunch, William serves himself some hot chocolate. The other warriors wait for him at their usual table. _

**Natalya: **Hey.

_William turns to see Natalya looking at him with a playful look on her face. He tries to smile. _

**William: **Hello.

_Natalya leans her head forward. _

**Natalya: **Aren't you going to say something?

_William seems lost. _

**William: **What should I say?

_Natalya is quickly offended. _

**Natalya: **Oh I don't know. How about 'Thank you for standing up for me in Renard's class.'?

**William: **Oh that. _He rubs his neck. _I'm….not sure you should have done that.

**Natalya: **Why not? _She appears confident. _The man's a jerk. He reminds me of Putin.

_William mutters under his breath. _

**William: **I wish that was the case…

**Natalya: **I'm sorry?

_William sighs. He looks at her face. The sunlight from the windows falls lightly onto her beautiful blonde hair. In an instant he feels weak-kneed. He is taken in by this Russian beauty….a Russian beauty that has no idea what she is getting herself into by hanging around him. He becomes concerned. He sets his hot chocolate down on the table. _

**William: **Listen, I don't want you to do that again.

**Natalya: **Why not?

**William: **Yumi and I can take care of ourselves, and I'd rather you not get involved.

**Natalya: **That Renard guy is treating you unfairly. Really unfairly. And you want me to do nothing?

**William: **Exactly.

**Natalya: **That makes absolutely no sense.

**William: **I'm sorry, but it's just best if you do…_He starts to walk away. _

**Natalya: **Oh no. You're not leaving until you give me a good explanation.

_William groans in exasperation. _

**William: **I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?

_Natalya looks at him in disbelief. She points to herself. _

**Natalya: **Me? Get hurt? So that's the game you're playing. You think I can't handle it. You think just because I'm a girl I can't handle it!

**William: **What? NO! That's not it at all!

**Natalya: **Well it sure sounded like it!

**William: **I'm just looking out for you!

**Natalya: **And I can't do the same for you?

_In the heat of their argument, neither notices Moriarty walk by and subtly switch William's hot chocolate with a different cup. He slips away. William grabs the hot chocolate shortly after. _

**William: **That's it. I'm done defending myself. You won't listen.

_He walks away. Natalya fumes. _

**Natalya: **Because you won't give me straight answers!

_William angrily sits down with his friends. Conversation inevitably goes to the pressure Moriarty is putting on them. William sips the hot chocolate, trying to forget his fight with Natalya. Later on William is walking in the courtyard on his way to class. He passes a parked truck with several delivery men carrying boxes out. William suddenly gets the urge to cough. He tries to cover his mouth with his fist but the cough escapes from his chest before he can react. A chubby delivery man accidentally walks into the line of fire as he exits the truck. The man is rather disgusted. _

**Delivery Man: **Hey kid, cover your mouth.

**William: **Sorry, I didn't mean to do that.

_William walks away and the men keep on working. Later that night in a small Parisian apartment, the same delivery man tosses uneasily in bed. He grimaces and starts coughing loudly. His wife stirs. _

**Wife: **Honey, if you keep this up I won't get any sleep.

_He grabs his chest. _

**Delivery Man: **I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me. I felt fine a while ago….

_He coughs again._

**Delivery Man: **Ugh….I'm going to get some cough medicine. _He gets out of bed and walks toward the bathroom. He turns on the light. As soon as he does so, he starts to feel dizzy. His body aches all over. He groans and reaches for the medicine cabinet. Suddenly a very violent fit of coughing overtakes him. His chest burns with every convulsion. The noise is terrible. He grips the sink. Beads of cold sweat fall down his face. _What….what's wrong with me?

_He goes into a second coughing fit. His wife sits up in bed. _

**Wife: **Honey, are you alright?

_No answer. The coughing stops. His wife gets up and walks toward the bathroom. _

**Wife: **Honey?

_She looks inside the bathroom and screams. Her husband is bent over on the floor with blood on his hands. A third cough makes more blood spill onto his palms. He turns and looks at his wife in terror. A small trickle of blood falls down his lip. _

**Wife: **We need to call a doctor! NOW!

_Several days pass. Ulrich, Aelita, Yumi, and Jeremie are in the rec room. Ulrich and Yumi entertain themselves with a game of ping pong. Jeremie and Aelita are on the couch with several study materials lying around. However, somewhere along the line studying became less of a concern and their relationship intervened. Jeremie puts his arm around her shoulder and the two begin to talk on a more personal level. Since the warriors are preoccupied, no one notices the TV, which is playing at low volume. Ulrich makes a perfect serve and gets it past Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **I win again.

_Yumi moans in disappointment. _

**Yumi: **I don't understand why I struggle at this.

_Ulrich flexes his bicep. _

**Ulrich: **Perhaps you are too distracted by this.

_A ping pong ball hits him in the forehead. _

**Ulrich: **Oh! Was that necessary?

**Yumi: **Yes.

_Jeremie kisses Aelita and whispers into her ear. She giggles. Ulrich turns to Jeremie. _

**Ulrich: **Would you keep the volume down?

_Jeremie maintains his focus on Aelita. _

**Jeremie: **Why? You can barely hear the TV.

**Ulrich: **I wasn't talking about the TV.

_Yumi laughs and rolls her eyes. Jeremie and Aelita aren't amused. _

**Jeremie: ** Hypocrites…..

_Jeremie leans over to Aelita again, but Aelita stops him. Her eyes are focused on the television screen. Jeremie tries to get her attention. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **Turn up the volume. You got to hear this.

_Jeremie does so. Ulrich and Yumi stop what they're doing and head to the couch. On the screen, images of paramedics in masks bring at least nine people into the hospital on stretchers. _

**Diane: **A dozen people have been hosptialized, and it is reported that five are in critical condition. Public health officials are scrambling to find answers to this mysterious outbreak. But so far nothing has been confirmed except that it is a violent respiratory disease and that it is contagious…

**Yumi: **Violent?...Exactly how violent?

**Diane: **At first symptoms were confused with that of an ordinary flu or strep. But as the illness progressed, doctors realized that they were dealing with something else entirely….

**Aelita: **They…they don't know what it is?

**Ulrich: **Jeremie?

_Jeremie notices Ulrich's questioning look and shrugs. _

**Jeremie: **If it was Moriarty, I would have known. The super scan would have gone off.

**Ulrich: **If it's not him, then what is it?

**Jeremie: **Outbreaks like this happen. It will be taken care of. Don't you remember the avian flu scare? The media always overreacts with these things. I wouldn't worry about it.

**Diane: **…..Local authorities are advising citizens to stay indoors and away from public areas until more is learned about the disease.

_A chill passes over Jeremie, but he quickly masks it. _

**Jeremie: **It will all blow over, you'll see.

_William washes his face in the bathroom. He looks into the mirror. His face is pale. His eyes are slightly red. William grunts in frustration and pours more water onto his face. He coughs. His chest throbs as a result. He groans and mutters to himself. _

**William: **Oh man, I can't get sick now. Not now. What if Moriarty attacks?

_He looks again at his ghostly complexion in the mirror. He inhales and stands up straight. _

**William: **I'm not sick. I'm just fine.

_William walks out of the bathroom exit very confidently. But his chest itches, and he starts to cough violently again. Each forced exhale burns his throat. He keeps walking. _

**William: **Not sick….not sick.

_He walks into the library, trying to take his mind off of his cough. He stumbles through the aisles. Although he makes a good effort to block it out, his chest starts to hurt again. The pain starts to spread to his entire body. He quickly becomes weak. He pants and leans against a bookshelf. He opens his eyes to find his world spinning. William's mind begins to panic, but he stubbornly holds on to the hope that it will pass. He heads toward the library tables, where several students are studying. He sees an empty seat next to Natalya. Ordinarily he would avoid sitting there, but his thoughts have become cloudy and he desperately wants to sit down. He plops down next to her. Natalya peers over her book and gives him a cold look. The two are quiet for a while. Finally she speaks up. _

**Natalya: **Are you going to read or are you just going to sit there and make me feel uncomfortable?

_William inhales, doing his best to block out the weakness and ache of his body. _

**William: **Natalya I don't….want to start anything now.

**Natalya: **Then why are you here?

**William: **I'm trying to…..rest. That's all.

**Natalya: **In the library?

**William: **Um…..I guess. The truth is….I'm not doing so great.

**Natalya: **Oh so you DO need help?

_William starts to feel cold. He pulls his jacket closer to his body. _

**William: **I….hope not.

_Another violent coughing fit begins. He does his best to repress it, but it comes out in full force. Natalya scoots away from him. _

**Natalya: **Could you keep it down? We're in a library.

_He doesn't stop. He bends over the table and coughs some more. His chest is on fire and shakes with every violent eruption. Students from across the room stop what they're doing and stare at him. As the attack continues, Natalya feels the anger slip from her. She softens and turns back to face him. She scoots toward him, her face full of concern. _

**Natalya: **William?

_He falls to the floor. The students stand up in surprise. Natalya sees William cough up blood. She puts her hands over her mouth and whimpers. Then she bends down to examine him. _

**Natalya: **William….are you okay? _Her only answer is a weak expression of pain from his face. She gets up. _Get the nurse! William needs help!

_The four other warriors exit the rec room shortly after. They talk amongst themselves, but their attention is diverted to the sight of Jim carrying Theo in his arms. The exchange student Lucas runs with him to the nurse's office. _

**Jim: **What happened?

**Lucas: **He t-told me he d-didn't f-f-feel good and…._His speech impediment catches hold of him. _

**Jim: **Out with it man!

**Lucas: **He f-fell on the floor of the l-locker room and c-c-coughed up blood.

_Jim thinks for a moment, his face unreadable. _

**Jim: **Blood? Are you sure?

**Lucas: **Y-yes.

_Jim's face becomes very serious. _

**Jim: **I was afraid of that…

_As the two disappear out of sight, all eyes shift to Jeremie. He swallows. _

**Aelita: **Should we be worried now?

_He bites his lip._

**Jeremie: **Uh…..maybe a little bit.

**Ulrich: **Are you sure nothing's going on?

**Jeremie: **I just checked the super scan in front of you. Moriarty has not activated a tower.

**Yumi: **Moriarty or not, this is bad.

_The conversation is interrumpted by the sound of someone crying behind them. They spin around to see Natalya looking at them with eyes red from tears. _

**Yumi: **Natalya?

_She sniffs and stands there for a moment. _

**Aelita: **Natalya what's wrong?

_She doesn't answer for a second. Aelita takes her hand. _

**Aelita: **Natalya, I'm your roommate. You can talk to me.

_Natalya looks up. _

**Natalya: **It's William. He's….._She looks down…_…he's sick. Very sick. He coughed up blood in front of me.

_Paralyzing fear spreads through the warriors faster than the plague. They stand motionless, watching Natalya cry. Jeremie presses his hands against his temples. _

**Jeremie: **No….. No. No. NO!

**Aelita: **We need to go see him!

_They begin to rush toward the nurse's office. Natalya stands there weakly. _

**Natalya: **They won't let you….

_Scene shifts to the door outside the nurse's office. Yolanda stands over the door with a mask over her mouth. The warriors appear angry. _

**Ulrich: **WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE CAN'T SEE HIM?

**Aelita: **He's our friend!

**Yolanda: **No one enters this room but me. These students are contagious, and it's my job to make sure it doesn't spread.

**Yumi: **So you're just not going to let us see him?

**Yolanda: **I am trying to keep you safe! Don't you see? This sickness is much bigger than the school. I have to take every precaution to make sure students don't get sick.

**Aelita: **But he needs us!

**Yolanda: **William is under my care and I will do the best I can to help him. I know it's hard to leave him but you have no choice!

_Yumi clenches her fists and struggles to contain herself. _

**Yumi: **I can't just leave him! He would never do that to me!

**Ulrich: **We'll stay at a distance! Just let us see him!

_Yolanda puts her foot down. _

**Yolanda: **NO ONE GOES IN! NO EXCEPTIONS!

_Yumi prepares to argue, but Jeremie puts a hand on her shoulder. He speaks to her calmly. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi, William wouldn't want you to get sick from him. He would agree with Yolanda. So let's give him some space.

_She sighs exhaling her anger. _

**Yumi: **I guess but…._She looks up. _Is it serious?

_Yolanda hesitates, avoiding their pleading eyes. Eventually she looks at them and groans. She digs her fingernails into her skull. The stress is clearly getting to her. But she puts on a positive demeanor. _

**Yolanda: **William's parents are coming to get him soon. He'll be okay.

_Jim runs in with Paul Gaillard. _

**Jim: **Yolanda, we got another one!

_Her expression becomes pained. She closes her eyes and points toward the exit. _

**Yolanda: **Please leave now.

_Late in the afternoon, Yumi sits in the courtyard alone. She rests her head on her fist, absorbing the day's events in desperate silence. She looks up to see students ambling around the campus nervously. From outside the campus she can hear sirens wailing. She hunches over and places her fists between her knees. A student walks past her. Without warning, he begins to cough. Yumi instinctively covers her face with her forearm. She begins to get up to avoid him, but the student quickly panics and begins running to the nurse's office. After that incident, the campus becomes very quiet. Yumi begins to shake. Very shortly afterward, her silence and solitude is broken by Emmanuel and Christophe, who appear to be arguing more heatedly than usual. _

**Emmanuel: **I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT TO RENARD!

**Christophe: **He deserved it!

**Emmanuel: **Deserved it? You were the one antagonizing him!

**Christophe: **He was browbeating Yumi and William for no reason!

**Emmanuel: **NO REASON? Were you listening to him? Those guys are freaks!

**Christophe: **They're just different!

**Emmanuel: **Does being different make all those strange absences normal?

**Christophe: **Well…..no but

**Emmanuel: **Do you know what they're doing?

**Christophe: **No…._He gets in Emmanuel's face and tries to turn the tables. _But neither do you!

**Emmanuel: **Exactly! No one does! And that's why they can't be trusted! Forget the stupid communist experiment. They are up to something.

**Christophe: **And Renard isn't?

_Emmanuel exhales through his nose. A steady anger takes root in his mind and gradually causes his face to get hot. He points an index finger at Christophe. _

**Emmanuel: **You know, you're really starting to get on my nerves. Ever since Renard got here you've hated him. Why? Because he's the only teacher here who tells the truth? The only one who can be brutally honest?

**Christophe: **He's definitely brutal. I don't think he's honest.

**Emmanuel: **You know what your problem is? _He leans close to him_. You know Renard is telling the truth, but you are too stubborn to accept it. Partly because you are part of the problem.

_Christophe's eyes widen. He nods, stoicly processing Emmanuel's strong statement. _

**Christophe: **I'm part of the problem? How?

_Emmanuel turns his back on him. _

**Emmanuel: **Listen to him, and maybe you'll figure it out.

**Christophe: **I don't want to listen to him. He's nothing but National Front garbage.

_Emmanuel stops. For a moment the orange sunlight of the twilight shines over his body. He stands transfixed in that spot, quietly repeating Christophe's words in his mind. Then a cloud passes over and a shadow covers him. He lifts his shoulders and turns around. Christophe is immediately stunned by the malevolence exhuding from his dark glare. Emmanuel approaches him. _

**Emmanuel: **Christophe, I support the National Front.

_An icy dagger pierces through Christophe. He looks at his classmate and friend with wild confusion. The confusion slowly transforms into a strong feeling of betrayal. He looks down at the ground, lost for words. Meanwhile Yumi, who has been watching this scene the entire time, shakes her head. She continues to shake. _

**Christophe: **National Front…..? But Emmanuel, that….that's a far-right….racist party!

_Emmanuel shows no emotion or remorse. _

**Emmanuel: **So?

_Christophe can't believe his ears. His voice becomes strained and hurt. _

**Christophe: **So? I'm black!

**Emmanuel: **Yes. Yes I know. And I thought you were different from the rest.

_The dagger goes deeper. Christophe's voice shakes. _

**Christophe: **The rest?

**Emmanuel: **But I was wrong. _He closes his eyes, deeply pondering this situation. When he is done, he opens his eyes. Christophe notices in horror that his eyes are filled with an emotion he has never seen before from his former friend: Hate. _You are just like the rest of the immigrants who come here and try to destroy the French race and culture!

_Christophe feels exposed and vulnerable. He looks down at his black skin, never having expected that his race meant anything to Emmanuel. The icy dagger rips his heart out. _

**Christophe: **DON'T YOU SEE I'M OFFENDED BY THIS?

**Emmanuel: **Don't you think I'm not offended? You people treat this country like it's your own. But it's not. You are guests at best. Yet when we try to do the slightest thing to reclaim our country, you protest into the streets. Tell me Christophe, who has the right to be offended?

_Misery and betrayal have transformed into rage. His body burns with indignation. Christophe's thoughts have become murderous. In a moment of wild abandon, he rushes at Emmanuel. _

**Christophe: **YOU RACIST TRAITOR!

_Emmanuel calmly grabs Christophe's wrist and twists it behind his back. He shoves him to the ground. Upon seeing the confrontation get violent, Yumi gets up to help him. But she is stopped by a sudden dizziness floating in her head. A sharp pain hits her chest. She holds on to the bench for a moment to restore her body's equilibrium. _

**Emmanuel: **Goodbye Christophe. I'll see you later. You could have proved me wrong and sided with us, but I guess these things are bound to be divided by racial lines.

_Christophe curses angrily at him. _

**Christophe: **Who's 'us'?

**Emmanuel: **I've talked with Renard. And I know things. This communist experiment is just a taste of things to come…..So get used to it.

_He leaves Christophe in the dirt. Christophe takes some pebbles on the ground and throws it after him. Then he slams his fist onto the ground and shouts in outrage. He lies there motionless, until a hand is reached towards him. He looks up to see Yumi smiling at him. He takes it and is helped up. Christophe slightly nods to her. _

**Christophe: **Thank you.

_He tries to walk away, but Yumi grabs his arm. _

**Yumi: **Hold on. I saw what happened.

**Christophe: **Good for you…

**Yumi: **Want to talk about it?

**Christophe: **Not really. You wouldn't understand.

_Yumi folds her arms across her chest. She shivers a little, not expecting it to be so cold at this hour. _

**Yumi: **You think I don't know what it's like to be prejudiced against?

_Christophe pauses. _

**Christophe: **Good point.

_They sit down at the bench. Yumi winces. _

**Christophe: **You alright?

**Yumi: **I'm fine….just some pain in my chest. I must have pulled something in Pencak Silat yesterday.

**Christophe: **I'm sorry.

**Yumi: **Don't be…._She pushes her hair back and unexpectedly feels some sweat on her scalp. She pauses for a moment and then continues to talk. _This conversation is not about me. It's about you, and what you're going through. Are you okay?

**Christophe: **Well, a guy I thought was my friend turned out to be a racist jerk. I guess I could be better….

**Yumi: **Right. _She looks down at the ground. _That was probably a dumb question.

_Christophe rubs his forehead. He stares out into space in an attempt to make sense of what has just happened. _

**Christophe: **In retrospect, I guess I should have seen this coming.

_Another chill shoots down Yumi's spine. She does her best to make sure he doesn't notice. _

**Christophe: **He's always had a sort of hard-nosed personality and he occasionally hung around some questionable people. But I looked the other way. After all, he was my best friend.

_Yumi's chest begins to itch. She pulls her shirt collar up and clears her throat. _

**Yumi: **Some best friend….

**Christophe: **He wasn't always like that. He used to be pretty cool with everyone, regardless of their race. But then something happened to his twin sister Angeline…

_Yumi turns in surprise. _

**Yumi: **I didn't know he had a twin sister.

**Christophe: **She doesn't go to this school and Emmanuel usually doesn't talk about her….for good reason.

_The itching in Yumi's chest gets stronger. She turns to the side and clears her throat again. Christophe doesn't seem to notice. _

**Christophe: **I swore never to tell anyone this, but last summer Angeline was seriously harassed by a Nigerian immigrant on the bad side of Paris. Had she not yelled for help, she might have been raped. Needless to say Emmanuel was furious. He started changing, only hanging around French people, me being the only exception. _He shakes his head. _That should have been my warning sign. Then Renard came and he went from bad to worse.

_As Yumi listens to Christophe talk, her vision starts to become confused and dizzy. Christophe's image starts to float around her. She grabs her head. She forces herself to speak. _

**Yumi: **That reminds me. I never thanked you for standing up for William and me. You didn't have to do that. _She smiles weakly. _But I really appreciate it.

**Christophe: **Don't mention it. That guy's a creep. I hate him. He's trying to mess everyone up.

_Yumi sighs. She coughs slightly and quickly covers her mouth. A deep anxiety starts to sprout in her mind. _

**Yumi: **Why…..why is that you are the only one who can see that?

**Christophe: **I'm not the only one. You saw that Natalya refused to go along with the rest of the crowd. And there are a few others. The rest don't seem to get it. _He thinks for a moment. _I guess I had an advantage the others didn't.

_Yumi's body starts to feel colder. The only exception is her chest, which is starting to burn more intensely. A bead of sweat runs down her face. She breathes out of her mouth and shuts her eyes tightly, trying to make the feeling go away and focus on the conversation. _

**Yumi: **What advantage?

_Christophe leans his head to the side and starts to explain. _

**Christophe: **It's kind of a long story actually.

_Yumi hugs herself and shivers. Christophe is still oblivious and looking off into space. _

**Yumi: **Give me the Reader's Digest version.

**Christophe: **Well, my family is originally from Côte D'Ivoire. We were a prominent family over there. My own grandfather was one of the advisers who helped President Félix Houphouët-Boigny make the country an independent nation.

_Yumi does her best to repress another round of itching in her chest. A cough escapes from her mouth. She shivers. _

**Yumi: **Okay, butI don't see how that has to do with-

**Christophe: **Hold on, I'm getting to it. You see, originally Félix promised to make Côte D'Ivoire a strong democracy. But as time went on, he started to retain more and more power for himself. My grandfather called him out on it…and it didn't end so well. All of the sudden Félix started these trials for his political opponents, and my grandfather heard that he was going to be on the list. So he and the rest of my family went into exile here.

_Yumi is starting to look a little pale. Her throat starts to feel hot. _

**Christophe: **My grandfather was very bitter before he died. He used to point his cane into chest and tell me, 'Never trust demagogues, boy! If someone comes around and promises change and everyone loves him, don't believe him! They're all the same!'

_The itching starts to build in Yumi's chest again. She tries to hold back the urge to cough, but it is getting unbearable. She tries to hang on. _

**Christophe: **I guess when Renard came into the picture I started to hear my grandfather warning me again. Warning me that something didn't smell right.

_Yumi can't take it anymore. She sinks into a coughing fit. She bends over and tries to get it all out. Immediately Christophe snaps out of it and scoots away from her on the bench. He stammers and points at her. _

**Christophe: **You…..you have it too!

_Yumi frowns. Christophe's statement forces her to admit the truth: She is sick. _

**Yumi: **I'm sorry. I should have told you I was feeling bad. I just didn't want to admit it. _Her voice is full of fear. She shakes violently. _I'm going to call my parents and wait in the front office.

_Yumi gets up. She takes a few steps and then a dizzy attack strikes her with a vengeance. She stumbles, doing her best to maintain her balance, but her illness is making it difficult. As she starts to fall, she feels someone grab her arm. _

**Christophe: **I got you.

_He starts to help her walk to the office. _

**Yumi: **Christophe, get away from me! I'm sick! You'll catch it too!

**Christophe: **Not going to happen. You helped me. It's my turn to return the favor.

_Yumi stops arguing and gratefully uses him as a crutch to walk to the office. Back in Jeremie's room, Aelita and Jeremie examine the super scan. _

**Aelita: **I'm telling you, something's wrong!

**Jeremie: **I've checked it twenty times Aelita! Nothing is going on! This isn't Moriarty! _He shudders. _We may not be able to do anything about this.

_Aelita groans in frustration. She thrusts her palms over her eyes. _

**Aelita: **More people are getting sick Jeremie. And at the rate things are going, it may not be your average flu or bronchitis.

**Jeremie: **I know Aelita…._He spins around in his chair to face her. _But what can we do?

_Aelita looks back at Jeremie. As soon as she faces him, something catches her eye. She peers over Jeremie's shoulder to look at the computer screen. Her eyes widen. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, is something wrong?

**Aelita: **Jeremie, why is Xana's symbol in the corner of the super scan?

**Jeremie: **Xana? What are you talking about? Xana's dead, why would the computer be searching for…._He looks at the screen and freezes. His mouth falls open. Some strangled breaths issue from his mouth. _No….no….it couldn't be. _He furiously begins to type. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie?

_He starts smacking himself on the head. _

**Jeremie: **IDIOT! Why didn't I see it before?

**Aelita: **See what?

**Jeremie: **The super scan! Somehow Moriarty readjusted the super scan to search for Xana attacks only. No wonder the super scan hasn't gone off! _He readjusts it. Immediately the super scan beeps loudly. _IDIOT! IDIOT!

**Aelita: **Now's not the time to blame yourself Jeremie. The entire city is at risk! If we don't do something, William and the other infected could die!

_Jeremie gets on his cellphone to warn the other warriors. But his only response is a loud beeping. He curses. _

**Jeremie: **Stupid cellphone towers are jammed with emergency calls! I can't contact them!

_Aelita opens the door. _

**Aelita: **I'll get them. Meet me at the factory.

_She slams the door shut. Jeremie rises from his chair. A strange feeling of weakness and dizziness overtakes him. He holds onto the chair. Immediately his scientific mind goes to the worst possible scenario. He feels his forehead. _

**Jeremie: **Oh no….Oh…Oh no.

_He starts to cough. His body quakes with fear and dread. Painful considerations of his own mortality start to haunt him. _

**Jeremie: **Oh God. Oh God it's happening!

_He stumbles and clutches on to his bed. A voice starts to echo through the halls. _

**Delmas: **Students, given the risk of further infection, classes are cancelled until further notice. Please stay in your rooms. If you see anyone infected, please stay away from them. But above all…remain calm….

_Jeremie coughs louder. His palms start to become sweaty. He takes off his glasses and wipes his forehead. _

**Jeremie: **I knew his revenge would be terrible.

**Delmas: **Jim Morales and Nurse Yolanda will be handing out masks for students to use. I-_He starts to speak to someone else back in his office. _What's that Nicole?_ Long pause. _Er…Jim Morales will be handing out masks. It appears Nurse Yolanda is….ill.

_Jeremie forces himself onto his bed. He coughs some more, and he is not alone. Across the hall the same horrible noises can be heard in dorm rooms across Kadic. Outside Kadic, the same hacking and wheezing echoes throughout the streets of Paris. A growing throng of ambulance sirens builds in intensity. The coughing and roar of the sirens creates a twisted melody of sickness in this French metropolis. Aelita runs through the campus, urgently calling out for Yumi and Ulrich. The number of sick students around her fills her with fear. Haunted faces peek out of doors. Aelita looks around in horror. She backs up into Sissi, who looks like a pale zombie. _

**Sissi: **Please…..would you give me some water…._She hacks in front of Aelita. Similar requests bombard Aelita. They slowly try to approach her. _

**Students: **Help…..please help…..

_Aelita screams and bursts through the crowd. She flies back to Jeremie's room in a panic. The threat of the plague follows her footsteps, casting an ever growing shadow over the tomblike campus of Kadic Academy. _


	12. Chapter 12

**Ah, it is finally done. And if I do say so myself, it is quite good. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this story. Oh, and if you have any friends who like Code Lyoko, please tell them about this story. I am always looking for new readers. **

**Reviews are always appreciated. **

**Part 27**

_Odd rests his head against the factory wall during the early evening. It is quiet. He is alone and at peace, at least for the time being. The beeping of a video game he hasn't turned off puts his mind at ease. The hum of the factory main computer creates just enough noise for it not to be completely quiet. He is completely relaxed…until Kiwi starts to bark. He opens his eyes to see Kiwi doing the potty dance. His legs bounce up and down erratically. Odd sighs. _

**Odd: **Oh Kiwi, does it have to be now?

_Kiwi howls and spins around, clearly answering Odd's question. Odd grumbles and gets up. _

**Odd: **Okay let's go to the bridge before you make a mess again.

_He presses a button to bring up the elevator. He looks back down at Kiwi. _

**Odd: **If Jeremie ever finds out what you did on the scanner wires, he would strap me back into that torture helmet.

_A minute later the two are at the entrance to the factory. Kiwi is happily relieving himself on the bridge railings. Odd passes the time flipping a coin in his hand. During his seventh flip, his mind begins to go to another place. The coin falls to the ground. Odd falls to his knees. Through his blurry vision, he thinks he sees black smoke rise from the river and surround him. _

**Moriarty: **You failed me…

_Odd closes his eyes. _

**Odd: **Go away….

**Moriarty: **You could have destroyed Aelita. You could have thrown her into the digital sea.

_Odd opens his eyes. He is bowing before Moriarty's form in a bleak expanse, his body shaking. _

**Moriarty: **You fought me!

_Odd tries to apologize. _

**Odd: **I don't know what came over me Master. It won't happen again!

**Moriarty: **Have you forgotten who you are?

_Without warning a deep carnal hunger overcomes him. Hate is pumped into his veins. His claws come out. _

**Odd: **No…

**Moriarty: **Who are you?

_Odd bares his teeth. _

**Odd: **I am an animal. I am a beast.

_Somewhere in the back of Odd's mind, a voice pleads for him to stop. But Moriarty is controlling him now, dictating his every move. The chained voice can do nothing but scream futilely for freedom. _

**Moriarty: **And what are you going to do when you meet Aelita again?

_Odd gets down on all fours, stalking around like an animal. He growls. _

**Odd: **I'LL TEAR HER TO SHREDS!

_Odd wakes up on the bridge sweating. Kiwi barks at him. He lifts himself and shakes. He nervously gets out his phone and calls Aelita. Several rings are followed by a voicemail. Odd curses. _

**Odd: **Aelita answer me! I…I need to talk to you.

_He calls again with the same response. After failing a second time, he decides to breathe deeply to get over the experience. Kiwi licks his leg. Odd forms a weak smile. _

**Odd: **It's okay Kiwi. My episode is over.

_Odd pats Kiwi and prepares to head inside. But suddenly he starts to hear the roar of sirens. He turns around to see an ambulance pass in front of the factory. He shrugs and starts to walk again. But this time he hears more sirens. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees three ambulances rush through the neighborhood. He turns around. _

**Odd: **Hmm…well that's…..odd.

_He perks up his ears to listen to the hum of the city. He can faintly hear the sound of ambulances carving a swathe through downtown Paris. He can also hear car horns, dogs, and even the sounds of shouting echo in the city. He scratches his head. _

**Odd: **What's going on out there?

_Kiwi barks in the direction of the city. He gets on his hind legs and scratches Odd, as if trying to tell him something. Odd merely smiles at his pet. _

**Odd: **Oh Kiwi, I'm sure it's nothing.

_Meanwhile back at Kadic, Lucas is running through the halls. A few sick students poke their heads out of their doors, asking him for water. He wheezes and looks around like a madman. _

**Lucas: **S-Stay back! L-leave m-me alone!

_He keeps running. Nicholas comes out of the corner of the hall and coughs in his direction. Lucas screams and bolts. In the girls' hallway, Isabel nervously peers out of her door. When she sees a few sick students asking for help, she shuts the door and locks it. Her body quakes with fear. In the midst of all this, Aelita is running up the staircase to reach Jeremie. At the same time, Tobias Hopkins runs down. He has a hospital mask on. The two stop dead in their tracks when they see each other. Their heartbeats increase rapidly, and neither moves. Aelita puts her hands out in front of her. _

**Aelita: **Stay back! I don't want to get sick!

_Tobias pushes the mask tighter over his mouth. _

**Tobias: **I'm not sick and I don't want to be either!

**Aelita: **Yes, but you might be carrying it.

**Tobias: **How do I know you ain't carryin' it?

_Aelita can't provide an answer for this. She nervously swallows. _

**Aelita: **I don't. But neither do you.

_Tobias shudders with dread. _

**Tobias: **I ain't getting sick. I didn't fly all the way over the Atlantic Ocean to get sick and die. _He holds onto the stair rail. His palm trembles. _I came here to get a new experience and eat some awesome food. I…..DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS!

_Aelita lowers her eyebrows. _

**Aelita: **Neither did I.

_The two pass each other by keeping their backs firmly against their respective hand railings. Both of them make sure not to breathe in the other's direction._

**Tobias: **Alright, that's good. Nice and easy. You keep your distance and I'll keep mine.

**Aelita: **Sounds good to me.

_Tobias passes Aelita and runs down to the end of the staircase. He heads for the door. _

**Aelita: **WAIT! I have a question!

**Tobias: **I don't have time!

_He thrusts open the door. _

**Aelita: **Is Jeremie sick?

_Tobias pauses with his back to her. He looks over his shoulder. _

**Tobias: **You mean the blonde-haired guy with glasses you were sitting with in class?

_Aelita solemnly nods. Tobias looks at her with pity. An understanding passes between them. _

**Tobias: **I don't know. I'm sorry I don't.

_He turns back toward the door. He holds onto the doorframe and exhales. _

**Tobias: **I guess that's why you're going upstairs…..back into that hell. I was going to tell you that you're an idiot for tryin'. But who am I to judge? I got someone very important to me back in the States too….and I want to live to see her again. _He looks back one last time. _So good luck.

_He leaves. Aelita takes a deep breath and enters the hallway. It is now deserted, but Aelita can hear the coughing coming from inside the rooms. She runs quickly and puts her forearm in front of her mouth. Her heart races so powerfully that she becomes light-headed with fear. Her panicked confusion almost makes her forget where Jeremie's room is. Finally she reaches it and throws it open. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie I can't find them but we need to go n-

_Her words come to a screeching halt when she sees her boyfriend lying in bed, coughing loudly. A strangled cry comes out of her mouth. She covers it with her hands and lets the terrible realization kick in. Jeremie perks his head up and quickly points to the door. _

**Jeremie: **Get out of here Aelita! If you stay any longer you'll…._He coughs_…you'll catch it.

_Aelita's fearful instincts tell her to run, but the sight of him suffering makes her paralyzed with overwhelming dread. A tear falls down her eye. _

**Aelita: **Not you…not you…..oh Moriarty why?

_She pulls her hair. _

**Aelita: **He didn't do anything! He wasn't involved….

**Jeremie: **Aelita go! You know what….what to do.

_Her entire body feels limp, the energy drained from her. The only thing she wants to do right now is curl up and cry. But she knows that she can't. She is the only one left to do anything, and the pressure is on. She gives Jeremie one last affectionate look. _

**Aelita: **I'll get you out of this. I swear I…._She gets choked up…_I'll save you.

_She closes the door and runs. Her brain goes on emotionless autopilot. There is only one directive in her mind: get to the factory alive. _

_In the suburbs of Paris, Ulrich treks through the streets on Yumi's moped. Several cars are parked erratically on the road and Ulrich has to drive around them. In front of him road crews armed with hospital masks help clear the streets of cars to let the ambulances get through. Sirens continue to reverberate in the area, but not as much as before. Ulrich is aware of the situation, but he merely lets it wash by him. A fog of duty and passion has clouded out fear and even reason. The fog has also made him numb to a growing burning inside his chest. He shrugs it off as a temporary weakness and accelerates. After several detours, he finally manages to make it to Yumi's house. He quickly brakes and parks. He gets up from the leather seat….and almost trips. Yumi's gate spins around his vision for a moment. He holds his head and stands still, allowing himself time to recover. _

**Ulrich: **Must not have…hydrated enough today.

_He opens the gate and walks cautiously to the door. A deep anxiety makes his body shake as he moves his finger towards the doorbell. He closes his eyes and tilts his head down. _

**Ulrich: **Oh please let her be okay…

_He rings the doorbell. Immediately a feminine shout of joy pierces the air. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **OH THANK GOD FOR YOU KATASHI ISHIYAMA, YOU CRAZY OLD COOT! YOU BROUGHT-_ She opens the door to see Ulrich standing there. Her heart sinks_….a doctor.

_Ulrich swallows awkwardly. Mrs. Ishiyama doesn't acknowledge his presence for a moment. Ulrich, knowing that his fears might be true, starts to shake some more. _

**Ulrich: **I….uh….brought back Yumi's moped for you.

_She looks outside. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **I see…

**Ulrich: **Since you took her home and she left her moped at school, I thought….you know….I'd bring it back for you.

_Mrs. Ishiyama strains out a smile, desperately trying to be polite even though her mind is on other serious matters. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **That was…nice of you. Thank you, Ulrich.

_The two stare at each other awkwardly for a moment. Mrs. Ishiyama sighs. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **You want to see her, don't you?

**Ulrich: **Yes ma'am. I…really do.

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Ulrich…she's sick. You are almost bound to catch it too if you don't leave.

_Ulrich looks at his girlfriend's mother, his face firm. His chest feels a little warmer. Mrs. Ishiyama shakes her head at this. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **But if you were dumb enough to drive through this plague-infested neighborhood, I doubt anything is going to stop you.

_She motions him to go through the doorway. Ulrich quakes with relief. _

**Ulrich: **Thank you. Thank you so much.

_He enters the house. The interior is overshadowed by a darkness that surpasses that of the outside night. Ulrich moves forward toward the stairs. He starts to walk up with Mrs. Ishiyama close behind him. Ulrich tries to move quickly, but a sharp pain in his lungs stops him. He winces. He opens his eyes to see the stairs spinning around him. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Ulrich, are you okay?

_His throat feels hot. He clears his throat and coughs slightly. Then he immediately puts his hand over his mouth. He looks behind him to see Mrs. Ishiyama holding onto the stairwell sadly. She refuses to meet his gaze. Ulrich quietly continues up and she slowly follows. Once Ulrich and Mrs. Ishiyama reach the upstairs hallway, Ulrich starts to hear Hiroki shouting. _

**Hiroki: **MOM! Mom please let me out!

_Ulrich stops in his tracks when he sees Hiroki's bedroom door padlocked from the outside. _

**Ulrich: **What in the-

**Hiroki: **Ulrich?...ULRICH IS THAT YOU? Tell my mom to let me out! I want to see Yumi!

_Ulrich turns around to Mrs. Ishiyama. A cold chill strikes him. _

**Ulrich: **You…you did this to him?

_Mrs. Ishiyama suddenly looks very stern, in such a way that Ulrich has never seen before. She is no longer the sweet Japanese woman Ulrich has come to know. Her face is grim and strong. A stony look in her eyes reveals her a new and more powerful maternal nature. Her fiery intensity makes Ulrich imagine her as a tiger goddess, willing to do anything to save her young. She speaks to Ulrich in a calm voice. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **I have two children, Ulrich. Two…..and only two.

**Hiroki: **Please she's my big sister! You can't do this to me!

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **I cannot and…will not lose him. He didn't give me a choice…

**Hiroki: **Ulrich please!

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Don't listen to him. Keep moving.

_Ulrich reluctantly obeys. _

**Hiroki: **Ulrich? _He pauses. _ULRICH NO! Don't let her do this to me!

_He ignores him and arrives in front of Yumi's door. At the same time Mr. Ishiyama opens it. He looks at him in shock, but quickly the shock ebbs. He groans. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **I don't know whether to scream at you for being an idiot or applaud you for being so noble….

_Ulrich shrugs. The pain in his chest unexpectedly worsens. He bends slightly and exhales. His forehead starts to become damp with sweat. A deep weakness penetrates him. Despite this sudden onslaught, he does his best to smile at Mr. Ishiyama. _

**Ulrich: **I guess you could do both…

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **How is she doing?

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Not so great. Her temperature is around 39.3 degrees centigrade.

_Mrs. Ishiyama puts her hand over her mouth. An enormous breadth of emotional pain is clear from the strangled look of helplessness on her face. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Has my father arrived yet?

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **No. He should have been here by-

_They hear a car screeching and a loud bang outside. The three can hear an old man cursing. Mr. Ishiyama rolls his eyes. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **He parked half of the car on top of the sidewalk again, didn't he?

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Sounds like it…

_Grandpa opens the front door and slowly starts to make it up the stairs. He aggressively jams his cane into the wood. _

**Grandpa: **Oh sure…no one is going to help the senile old man up the stairs…._He rubs his neck_….Ugh…I swear that sidewalk gets further into the road every day.

_Mrs. Ishiyama rushes toward him. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **OH YOU'RE HERE! Did you get a doctor?

_Grandpa looks up at Mrs. Ishiyama sadly. He shakes his head. _

**Grandpa: **No…..I'm sorry. I tried. I hit every doctor's office and hospital available. They're all full.

_Mrs. Ishiyama covers her face with her hands and starts to cry. She leans on her husband's shoulder for support. Ulrich feels a lump form in his throat. _

**Grandpa: **But I did manage to get some cough medicine and lozenges…

_He holds up a package. Mrs. Ishiyama stops her crying and looks up. Both parents gladly applaud Grandpa for his minor victory. Ulrich smiles as well, but the lump is now starting to burn his throat. Another wave of weakness hits him. Again he starts to shake. Ulrich is starting to realize that the shaking is not due to his anxiety. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Oh thank you! At the very least it will make her feel better.

_Grandpa pokes his cane onto Mr. Ishiyama's chest. _

**Grandpa: **You have no idea what I had to do to get this medicine…..

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Spare us the details…

_Mrs. Ishiyama goes into the room to give her the medicine. Mr. Ishiyama pats his father on the back. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **You were very brave for doing that with the virus out there…

**Grandpa: **Are you kidding me? I smoked for thirty-five years. There's nothing left for the virus to infect. _He takes a glance over to Ulrich. _Well, if it isn't the European boyfriend.

_Ordinarily Ulrich would come up with a comeback to Grandpa's belitting remarks, but he is trying to fight back a growing urge to cough. He approaches Yumi's door. Several drops of sweat are now visible on the sides of his pale face. Mr. Ishiyama starts to notice. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Ulrich…..are you-

**Ulrich: **I have to see Yumi.

_He opens the door in a dizzy haze. Grandpa looks solemnly at his son. _

**Grandpa: **I know I tease him a lot….but he does truly care about her.

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Yes. Yes he does.

**Grandpa: **He has it you know…..I can tell.

_Mr. Ishiyama takes a slight breath. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Doesn't matter. We all will soon.

_They enter the room to see Ulrich on his knees holding Yumi's hand. Miss Ishiyama watches over her on the other side of the bed, biting her nails and touching her forehead to test her fever. Yumi breathes heavily in her feverish state of rest, her face covered in cold sweat. Her hair is a mess and her skin feels hot. Ulrich strokes her forearm. Yumi wakes up. She looks at him in a sickly state of confusion. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich?

_Ulrich's heart leaps with joy. He stares at her lovingly, doing his best to ignore the fire in his chest and the chill in the rest of his body. _

**Ulrich: **I'm here Yumi.

_She rests her head on the pillow. Her eyebrows curl in frustration. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, you dumb, stupid, impulsive….cute idiot. Why did you come here?

**Ulrich: **I think you already answered your own question.

_Mrs. Ishiyama talks to Yumi reassuringly, but the assurance seems to be more directed toward herself. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **He brought your moped back so it will be all ready to go when you….._She loses her voice for a moment…_get better.

**Grandpa: **Although my parking job might have scratched it a little….

**Yumi: **Thank you Ulrich…..for being here. _She groans and wipes some sweat from her brow. _I must look terrible.

**Ulrich: **You know I don't care about that.

_Ulrich's hand, which is still firmly holding onto Yumi, is starting to tremble violently. He squints to prevent himself from getting dizzy again. A sharp cough escapes from his throat. Yumi's eyes widen. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich….

**Ulrich: **I'm fine…._He coughs again…_Really I am.

**Yumi: **Don't lie to me…_She goes into a coughing fit. _You are starting to sound just like me.

**Ulrich: **I'm okay. Don't worry about me. I…._He begins to shiver. Yumi's look of concern has evolved into fear. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich go away! I'm getting you sick!

**Mr. Ishiyama: **She's right Ulrich. You are looking worse by the minute.

**Ulrich: **No! I'm just- _He tries to stand up. He immediately falls. The Ishiyama family gasps in shock. Ulrich looks up at the others and slowly reconciles himself to the truth. He releases the pressure in his chest and coughs for a good solid twenty seconds. A trickle of blood comes out of his mouth. He looks at the others apologetically. _I'm sorry. I…thought I could handle it.

_Mr. and Mrs. Ishiyama exchange glances. Both of them reach out to help Ulrich up. _

**Ulrich: **No. I'll get you sick.

**Mr. Ishiyama: **It's far too late for that. So don't bother. We're going to take care of you now.

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **I'll make up the guest bed.

_A sickly Ulrich suddenly starts to resist. His eyes suddenly become locked on Yumi, who despite her condition seems more worried about him. _

**Ulrich: **Wait. Don't. I….I don't want to leave her.

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **You're sick. You don't have a choice.

**Ulrich: **Please no….._He coughs violently and groans. He looks pleadingly at the Ishiyamas. _I don't know if we're going to make it through this. _He looks back at Yumi. _And if that's the case, then I don't want to be separated from her. Sick or well, I couldn't do that. So please…let me stay.

_Yumi lies in bed, transfixed by Ulrich's powerful words. She forces her weak body to sit up. Her eyes radiate with admiration. The rest of the family looks on in silence. _

**Yumi: **Mom…..please….let him do it.

_Mrs. Ishiyama looks at the two Ishiyama men. Both men shrug, unable to come up with an objection. Mrs. Ishiyama sighs. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Okay. I'll pull a mattress in here. I'll put it close to your bed Yumi. He'll be right next to you.

**Yumi: **Thank you…

_Ulrich is soon resting on a mattress next to Yumi. The Ishiyamas do their best to care for them both, checking their temperatures and giving them medicine. But their fevers continue to climb, and the family grows ever more worried as the night moves on. Several kilometers away, Aelita emerges from the sewer hole on the bridge to the factory. She raises herself up onto the cement. The sounds of ambulances continue to ring in the air. A steady wind blows through her short pink hair. Aelita stands there for a moment, letting the full burden of this epidemic fall on her and her alone. She looks back at the city with a grave look of compassion and determination. She hardens her spirit and runs to the entrance, jumping up to grab the rope. Her feet hit the floor. Aelita quickly starts to feel dizzy. She rubs her temple with her index finger. _

**Aelita: **I was afraid of that.

_She moves some strands of hair out of her face and continues down the elevator. As soon as the elevator opens up to the lab room, she runs to the computer. She pays no attention to Odd, who is busy playing video games. Aelita's unexpected arrival makes him take his attention off of the game. His character dies. Odd slaps his forehead. _

**Odd: **Oh I was so close! I swear I will get you one day Leviathan! _He puts the game down. _Aelita, nice to see you. What's going on?

_Aelita pauses. She turns her head and looks at Odd incredulously. _

**Aelita: **What's going on? _She is taken off guard by Odd's totally carefree attitude. _Odd…don't you know what's been happening?

_Odd scratches his head. _

**Odd: **Um…..not really. It's not like I've been going anywhere.

**Aelita: **Have you not been paying attention to the news?

**Odd: **No….why?

_Aelita motions him to come to the computer screen. Odd obeys and sees ambulances streaming into Parisian hospitals. Outside citizens run around nervously with hospital masks. Odd's mouth drops. _

**Diane: **The hospitals are starting to get overwhelmed with the number of the infected. Authorities are expecting casualties at any moment. Around the world, nations have closed their airports to flights from France in an effort to prevent the disease from leaking into their borders. President Sarkozy, who only just recently survived an assassination attempt, has declared a state of emergency…

_Odd turns to Aelita, completely dumbfounded that this catastrophe has been brewing outside his safe shelter. _

**Aelita: **Moriarty has lost it. Our torture of him triggered this attack. He doesn't care who lives and who dies. He just wants revenge. _Her voice starts to become shaky. _William and Jeremie are already infected. I couldn't find Yumi and Ulrich, but I can only guess that they're already sick. I-I'm the only one left.

_Aelita does her best to not feel overwhelmed. She starts up a self-virtualization process. Suddenly she starts to grimace. She leans far away from Odd and coughs. She balls her fists in frustration. _

**Odd: **Aelita, you don't look so good.

**Aelita: **I'll be okay…I have to be.

_She opens the ladder hatch and starts to go down. She looks up to see Kiwi and Odd staring at her. Odd seems lost, completely helpless in the face of this new terrible threat. He looks to Aelita anxiously. Aelita sighs. _

**Aelita: **Odd if I don't succeed….

**Odd: **What….what do you mean 'if'?

**Aelita: **I want you to leave this place. I know you're afraid but you won't have a choice. Grab Kiwi and leave this place behind forever. At least then you'll have some sort of a chance. I…I can't bear the thought of all of us suffering the same fate.

_She continues down the ladder. Odd is frozen with dread. _

**Odd: **But Aelita…..

_She enters a scanner and becomes virtualized onto Lyoko. She lands in the forest sector on a narrow platform. She stands up and opens her eyes. Immediately her heart stops. Surrounding her are four dark warriors: Ulrich, Yumi, Aelita, and William. They all seem bored. _

**Dark William: **Took you long enough.

**Dark Ulrich: **We were beginning to think you wouldn't show.

**Dark Aelita: **But apparently one of the little meddlers isn't sick just yet.

**Dark Yumi: **So it looks like the little princess is going to have her hands full.

_Aelita stares at her opponents unyieldingly. She assumes a cold and aggressive demeanor in the face of superior numbers. Her body boils with rage and purpose. Two energy fields appear at her side. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Oh how pathetic. She's actually going to try to fight.

_Dark Ulrich narrowly misses an energy field that is thrown at him. Aelita's body glows with power and righteous anger. _

**Aelita: **Just try and stop me…and I'll show you what this little princess can do when her friends' lives are at stake.

_Meanwhile in the nurse's office, Jim Morales and Odd's clone attend to the sick. Beds are haphazardly placed in the room and out into the hallway. The two find it difficult to keep up. Odd's clone moves quickly from patient to patient, but he watches his pace to prevent Jim from getting suspicious. Jim leans down to give Yolanda some water. She stirs. _

**Jim: **There you go…..just try to rest. _Jim bites his lip at the sight of Yolanda and the rest of the students suffering so. A chorus of coughing fills the room. Jim briefly pulls his sweatband over his eyes to prevent him from looking at such a scene. Pain burdens his unhealthy but noble heart. He goes over to check on William. William's condition has deteriorated rapidly. He is ghostly white and his lungs heave up blood every now and then. His body is exhausted and he appears to be semi-conscious. Jim checks William's pulse and his fever. He grimaces. He looks at Odd's Clone. _

**Jim: **Della Robbia, if he gets any worse, I'm going to have to call an ambulance. _He groans. _That is…..if we can get one with the rest of the city coming down with this. _He puts a cold rag on William's head. He then moves around to help the others. Raspy sounds for help echo outside. Odd's Clone goes to the door. _

**Jim: **Della Robbia, you ought to get out of here. I appreciate your help, but I'm not letting you get sick too.

_Odd's Clone nonchalantly wipes his hands on a towel._

**Odd's Clone: **Subject Jim Morales cannot handle numbers of infected without aid.

**Jim: **You know…..ordinarily I would tell you to drop the act….._He looks at Yolanda sadly._ But I just don't care anymore. _He lowers his rather large head. _I guess you're right. I can't. But at least put on a mask.

_Odd's Clone obeys in spite of the reality that he could never get sick. As Odd's Clone methodically puts on the mask, Moriarty and Klotz enter the room slowly. Both are wearing masks. While Klotz seems panic-stricken but clearly resolved to help, Moriarty is calm and collected. He looks at the sick students with fake pity. Jim turns his head. _

**Jim: **Renard….Klotz…what are you doing here?

**Moriarty: **We figured cowering in our rooms reflected a very poor commitment to the school.

**Klotz: **We're here to help you. _Nicholas coughs in bed. Klotz cringes but remains where he is standing. _Although I can't promise you any advanced medical knowledge.

**Jim: **That makes four of us. _His eyes are then directed at Odd's clone. _Although Della Robbia has been babbling about stuff I don't even think medical students know.

_Klotz beams at this. _

**Klotz: **You are very brave for doing this Odd. You could easily have avoided doing this, but I see that my treatment is doing wonders for your confidence.

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity does not desire further 'treatment' from psychologist subject.

_Klotz groans. _

**Klotz: **Though apparently I am still having difficulty getting to your emotions.

**Moriarty: **We can't let you do this alone Jim. _He moves toward the students and immediately goes to work. Jim regards him coldly and suspiciously. _

**Jim: **Yes….thank you.

_Moriarty senses the contempt in Jim's voice. A twisted smile peeks out of the corner of his mouth. He looks at Jim, intrigued. _

**Moriarty: **You must have a hardy constitution Jim. I am…._He tilts his chin up in a very haughty academic manner…_…surprised that you have not fallen ill.

_Jim doesn't look up. He monitors Natalya, who has fallen gravely ill as well. _

**Jim: **Well, back in the day I used to be part of a risky immunization experiment for respirtatory diseases. But I'd really rather not talk about it. _He shudders. _So many needles….

_Moriarty brushes off Jim's statement. He leans down to give Johnny some medicine. The young student opens his eyes to see his potential savior. Moriarty smiles broadly. _

**Johnny: **Dr….Renard?

_Moriarty hushes him like a caring mother. He feels his forehead. _

**Moriarty: **Don't worry Johnny. You're going to get better…..I'm going to make sure of it.

_Johnny relaxes and smiles. _

**Johnny: **This would be the second time you've saved me.

**Moriarty: **Oh don't mention it.

_Johnny coughs loudly. _

**Johnny: **You're a….hero.

_Moriarty basks in the warmth of that statement. He gingerly lets Johnny take a drink of water. Jim mumbles something to himself and gets up. His cold look towards Moriarty has increased. He turns to Klotz, who is nervously giving some antiobiotics to Delmas himself. _

**Jim: **Klotz, there are more students who are sick in their rooms. _He picks up a medical kit. _Let's go help them.

_Klotz quickly nods, eager to get out of this infectious mess. _

**Klotz: **You're right. We can't abandon the rest of them.

**Jim: **You and Della Robbia can handle this, can't you Renard?

_Odd's Clone suddenly appears on high alert. He looks at Moriarty in an emotionless state of alarm. Moriarty returns the look and smiles. _

**Moriarty: **Oh yes. Odd and I are going to have a great time….

_Aelita opens her wings and flies into the sky. A furious fight begins. Dark Aelita throws energy fields at her. She deflects it with energy fields of her own back at Dark William. Dark William cuts them apart with his massive sword. Two fans are thrown at her by Dark Yumi. The first cuts through her wrist but she manages to grab the second and toss it toward Dark Ulrich. The dark shade blocks it and sprints up a tree. He launches himself off of it and slices Aelita's leg. She falls back to the ground. The other dark warriors approach her gleefully. Odd watches nervously from his view in the command chair. He curses. _

**Odd: **I can't just sit here. Aelita needs a vehicle or….something!

_He starts typing furiously. He tries to find the Overwing virtualization program._

**Odd: **Come on….vehicles…..vehicles. Oh I forgot how to do this!

_Odd stares at the keys nervously. _

**Odd: **I think I'm supposed to do this…_He pushes a few buttons. Immediately a red exclamation point appears. Odd pulls his hair. _IDIOT! I can't do anything right! I just made it worse!

_Aelita's body is being dragged telekinetically to the edge of the platform near the digital sea. Black smoke from Dark William holds her hands down toward the ground. The four eagerly start to push her toward the edge. But a glitch in the sector makes their surroundings flicker and shake. Dark Yumi and William lose their grip on Aelita and lower their guard from surprise. Aelita doesn't waste any time. She tosses two energy fields at Dark Ulrich. He becomes devirtualized. The mood of the trio quickly turns from sick delight to dark aggression. Dark William throws a smoke blast from his sword. Two energy fields prevent her from getting any damage but it blows her back nonetheless. Energy fields thrown from her dark counterpart are barely avoided. Dark Yumi's fans cut apart her wings just as she is about to take to the air again. Aelita falls on her face. Dark Yumi jams her foot onto her back, holding her down. She looks up to see her reflection in Dark William's blade. He raises it toward her neck. She resists Dark Yumi's domination and receives a vicious scratch from Dark Aelita as a result. She collapses again. _

**Dark Yumi: **You make this way too easy.

**Dark Aelita: **And to think this is the best effort you gave to save your friends…

_Dark William prepares to end it. _

**Dark William: **Die you pathetic excuse for a warrior.

_Aelita opens her eyes, which are burning with hate for these monstrous representations of herself and those close to her. Her fingers dig into the green platform. An animalistic urge to fight and survive coarses through every fiber of her being. A small rumbling of the area follows the intensity of her anger. She unleashes a shout of ferocious ire that causes a small earthquake around them. The dark warriors look around in surprise. The area around them flickers again. They turn to see Aelita standing up proudly. An aura of merciless force emanates from her. She stares at her opponents with the same vindictiveness that she had back in the old sphere where she fought her fear of wolves. An angelic but intense song spews out of Aelita's mouth. The landscape rises in mounds that try to consume the dark warriors. They frantically try to resist Aelita's attack. Aelita looks at them with murderous intent. _

**Aelita: **That was not my best effort. This is…..

_She spreads her wings and charges into battle with the inexorable strength of a goddess. In the nurse's office, Moriarty continues to cater to the patients. Odd's Clone watches Moriarty with caution but not loathing. He fills up a glass. Moriarty smiles. Sissi is sleeping uneasily, her fever getting worse and worse. _

**Moriarty: **That's it…sleep. You look so peaceful lying still. You better get used to it. _A sick smile revealing his thrist for pain forms on his face. _You are going to be doing it for quite a long time. _He strokes her cheek. _The pleura of your lungs will gradually fill with fluid, and once your inner respiratory tissue is extremely raw from coughing, a gaping hole will open up for the fluid to pass through into your lungs…..and you will drown on your own bloody mucus.

_He laughs. Odd's Clone turns around. _

**Odd's Clone: **Enemy subject's comments suggest an even greater sociopathic desire for torture than previously theorized.

_Moriarty regards his fellow volunteer haughtily. _

**Moriarty: **Oh….do shut up. You're nothing but a bunch of cybernetic dust, so keep your opinions to yourself. _He leisurely struts around the room, keeping his attention focused on the clone. _How does it feel you imposter? Knowing that you're not real? That you shouldn't exist?

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity does not feel. Enemy subject should be aware of that.

_Electricity dances around Moriarty's fingers. _

**Moriarty: **You know, I could terminate you, right here and now.

_Odd's Clone remains unmoved. _

**Odd's Clone: **Enemy subject should note that spectral entity is incapable of fear as well.

_The electricity dies. Moriarty looks disappointed. _

**Moriarty: **And to think I almost forgot why I hated Xana so much. _He goes back to work. _I thought Jeremie would have gotten all mushy and given you emotions.

**Odd's Clone: **Creator has taken no such action.

_Moriarty stops at William's bedside. William is starting to look worse and worse. He calmly monitors his enemy's progressing ailment. _

**Moriarty: **How boring…._He feels William's hot forehead. William instinctively cringes to the touch. His breathing is strained. _He isn't much better either. But I guess pretty soon it won't matter.

_Odd's Clone begins to eye Moriarty suspiciously. _

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity strongly recommends that enemy subject withdraw from warrior subject William Dunbar.

_Moriarty laughs. _

**Moriarty: **Oh it seems Jeremie didn't give you emotions but did give you a sense of humor. _He holds his fingers above William's face, as if preparing to attack. _Don't you know I could finish him at any moment?

_Odd's Clone lowers his eyebrows. _

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity cannot allow any harm to come to warrior subjects.

_Moriarty raises an eyebrow. _

**Moriarty: **Is that a threat?

**Odd's Clone: **Enemy subject may interpret previous remark as enemy subject so desires.

**Moriarty: **Do you even know how powerful I am?

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity does have a firm grasp of enemy subject's capacity to destroy.

**Moriarty: **And yet you try to defy me. _He holds his head up high. _What can you do to stop me? I told you, you're nothing but a collection of cybernetic dust.

_Odd's Clone and Moriarty glare at each other. Both virtual entities refuse to back down. For a moment, nothing happens. Odd's Clone stares blankly at his opponent. The light of the moon comes through the window and casts a glow over his expressionless face. Odd's Clone turns around, appearing to back down. But without warning he turns around and flings a scalpel at Moriarty. The knife punctures Moriarty's hand and nails it to the wall. Moriarty howls in pain and surprise. A few students lift their heads in confusion, but they are too sick to have a firm grasp of what is happening. The rest are in a feverish sleep or slipping into a coma. Moriarty stares in horror as a gray liquid comes out of his hand. He turns to Odd's Clone, his entire body brimming with outrage. Odd's Clone stares at Moriarty's state calmly. _

**Odd's Clone: **And enemy subject is a loose collection of pseudo-organic material and carbon-based spectral fluid that gives the false impression of a normal human being.

_Moriarty boils with anger. He yanks the scalpel out of his hand. The gray fluid continues to trickle out. He takes a few steps toward Odd's Clone. _

**Odd's Clone: **Creator has already processed data regarding the nature of enemy subject's earth form.

_Moriarty stares at his hand. It quickly begins to heal and seal up. Moriarty breathes calmly and focuses a prideful hate toward his stoic foe. _

**Moriarty: **Impressive…..is it not? _He looks at the scar in his hand. The mark begins to vanish. _It took me years of research to get this. So much power was needed. But it was worth it. I am about as human as I can possibly be. Compared to me, you are hopelessly obsolete. _He feels the fake skin of his forearm. He relishes in his own brilliance. _Am I not a work of art?

**Odd's Clone: **A form of virtual and organic ingenuity tragically wasted on an entity bent on merciless dominance and power.

**Moriarty: **I hope you enjoyed that statement. _His hands light up again. _Because it might be your last.

**Odd's Clone: **Termination of spectral entity would destroy atmosphere of normalcy enemy subject wishes to maintain at the moment.

**Moriarty: **Oh really? _An aura of evil and malevolent power exudes from his face. _I've just brought the city of Paris to its knees with this plague. Nothing can be normal anymore. Just what do I possibly have to lose by blowing you to bits?

_A tremor of logical caution works its way onto the face of Odd's Clone. _

**Odd's Clone: **Enemy subject's scheming nature has been interrupted by a lust for vengeance.

_Moriarty gives him a wicked smile. _

**Moriarty: **Oh….believe me. Even when I lose control like this I still have a plan. Why do you think I've kept Klotz alive? Moreover, take a look at Emmanuel and Herb over there. _Odd's Clone does so. He can tell that they seem to be doing better than the rest. In fact, they seem to be getting better. Color is returning to their faces and they are coughing less often. Odd's Clone is slightly surprised. He looks back at Moriarty, who is edging closer to him. _What do you think I've been doing this entire time? I am here to collect my chosen. Don't you see? I'll be a hero again. _He spends a moment imagining the headlines. _'The Savior of Kadic Nurtures Students Back to Health'. I'll be celebrated a second time. Unfortunately I will…_He fakes remorse…_.sadly not have been able to save everyone. _He aims his hand at Odd's Clone. _Including you….

_He prepares to strike. Odd's Clone stands motionless. _

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity sees flaw in enemy subject's plan.

_The electricity builds up into a glowing purple ball of energy ready to destroy Odd's Clone. _

**Moriarty: **What's that?

**Odd's Clone: **Students and faculty will wonder what occurred to spectral entity's body. _Moriarty pauses. _Spectral entity cannot be a victim of the plague, therefore spectral entity's sudden annihilation would draw suspicion.

_Moriarty shrugs this off. _

**Moriarty: **Jeremie can always-_He stops himself, realizing that he has overlooked a critical detail. Odd's Clone nods. _

**Odd's Clone: **Creator will be a victim of your disease…..along with the other warrior subjects. Spectral entity's hypothesis correct. Enemy subject's loss of composure has clouded judgment.

_Moriarty fumes and shocks Odd's Clone, but not enough to kill him. Odd's Clone grimaces and his form shifts between his solid form and a transparent shade of grey. Moriarty revels in the moment. _

**Moriarty: **So you can feel pain. Wonderful…I may not be able to kill you without consequences but I can teach you respect. _His fist lights up with energy. _You can feel respect, can't you?

_He attempts to punch Odd's Clone. But the virtual program latches on to Moriarty's wrist. His great strength stops Moriarty's blow. He strains under the pressure but refuses to yield. He stares into Moriarty's face, his eyes locked on with cold resolution. _

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity is capable of respect. But not toward enemy subject.

_Spectral ghosts leak out of electrical outlets and surround Moriarty. They hover around him like an enormous shadow, giving him more strength. He bears down on Odd's Clone. _

**Moriarty: **Try harder….

**Odd's Clone: **Force will not break the will of spectral entity.

_Moriarty shows his opponent his teeth. They somehow transform into that of a canine. His eyes glow red, and the skin around his skull becomes transparent. Odd's Clone can see his wicked adversary's skull burning. Odd's Clone continues to focus on keeping the fist away from him. _

**Moriarty: **I will break your spirit…..just like the others.

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity does not contain a spirit. Nor have you broken those of the warrior subjects.

**Moriarty: ** I thought you were supposed to be logical. _His voice becomes deeper and more ferocious. _Don't you see that I already have before and that they are doomed?

_Odd's Clone does not answer for a while. He pushes harder against Moriarty. _

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity does not profess to have a spirit. But spectral entity does acknowledge its existence within the warrior subjects. Though there is no proof of its existence, spectral entity cannot logically deduce how warrior subjects could not endure the abuse of enemy subject without a form of strength impossible from their physical bodies.

_Scene shifts to Aelita in the forest sector. Her song washes through the area like a tidal wave. A rocky wall surrounds her on all sides, making her impervious to attack. Then she sends the wall in three different directions, heading straight for the dark shades. They rush out of the way to avoid it. Aelita divebombs her opponents from the air. A shower of pink energy fields catches them by surprise. Dark Aelita faces her in the sky. An energy field is thrown at Aelita but she dodges it and punches her counterpart in the face and quickly follows it up with a roundhouse kick in the air. She directs her attacks without mercy. _

**Odd's Clone: **….Spectral entity has witnessed what the warrior subjects are capable of when the odds are heavily against warrior subjects. The resulting feats are nearly incomprehensible….

_Aelita goes down to the ground and battles Dark William. She ducks below his sword attacks and punches him square in the jaw. Ripping the blade from her stunned opponent, she deflects Dark Yumi's fans. She charges up the sword and fires a beam at Dark Aelita and Yumi, which wounds them to some degree. Aelita then turns back around and decks Dark William with the sword before he can attack her. She sings her song again. Roots of trees begin to entangle Moriarty's puppets. _

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity has mostly been unable to fight the battles of warrior subjects. But spectral entity has witnessed the defiance of warrior subjects in the face of seemingly overwhelming force from enemy subject.

_Dark Yumi blows the roots away with her telekinesis in a fit of rage. She runs toward Aelita, ready to tear her to pieces. Out of the corner of her eye, Yumi sees Dark William barreling toward her in her smoke form. She takes advantage of Dark Yumi's momentum and throws her onto Dark William, stunning them both. Dark Aelita swoops in from behind, screeching like a harpy. When Aelita sees Dark Yumi reaching for her fans, she flips into the air above Dark Aelita. The flying fans pierce the shade, and Aelita finishes her off with an energy field. _

**Odd's Clone: **Warrior subjects have conquered fears, exposed dark regrets and secrets, endured torments of enemy subject, and have battled minions of enemy subject often singlehandedly to thwart the plans of enemy subject. Logic would make spectral entity believe such a burden would eliminate personality traits the warrior subjects consider 'human'. But spectral entity has witnessed something else…entirely.

_The Ishiyama parents give Ulrich and Yumi water. They are starting to seem sick themselves. They have become pale and cough irregularly, but they continue to help anyway. Ulrich breathes uneasily. He turns over in his bed. He shivers violently, but sweat pours out of his forehead. Yet he smiles at Yumi. She turns to him and does the same. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Come on…._He adjusts his glasses and wheezes. _You two are fighters. You are going to make it. You have to…._He coughs again. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **I'm going to get some….tea. _She stands up but falls down on account of dizziness. _

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Dear!

_She struggles to get up. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **I'm fine. I just….need a moment to rest.

**Mr. Ishiyama: **Father….

_Grandpa nods and starts to carry her toward the door. She struggles feebly. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **No! I WILL NOT ABANDON MY DAUGHTER!

_She strikes him weakly with her fists. Grandpa sighs and lowers her down onto the floor of the bedroom. She fades in and out of lucidity. Mr. Ishiyama takes his wife's hand. He looks down at the floor and begins to weep bitterly. Hot tears form in Yumi's eyes from watching the scene. Ulrich weakly begins to speak to her between coughs. _

**Ulrich: **We're going to make it….you'll see. We'll-_He shakes…_.pull through.

_Yumi stares at the ceiling. _

**Yumi: **Always the optimist Ulrich. But in case we…..don't…._She reaches her hand toward her boyfriend's bed. _I'm glad you came. I just wish you weren't sick like me.

**Ulrich: **I wouldn't…_He coughs. _Have it any other way.

_They slowly move their hands together and touch. The two hold on tight. Their lives are gradually slipping away, but their passion is only strengthened. _

**Odd's Clone: **The warrior subjects have grown even closer since the rise of enemy subject. Every abuse laid upon by enemy subject only increases the resolve of warrior subjects to continue the campaign. Even in weakness….

_Jim cares for Jeremie at his bedside. Jeremie looks terrible. His eyes are red and blood trickles from his lips. Jim spoon feeds him some medicine. _

**Jim: **How you doing Belpois?

_Despite his pain, he gives Jim a thumbs-up. _

**Odd's Clone: **….the warrior subjects somehow find strength to continue. Though spectral entity contains no emotions, spectral entity cannot help but consider the human concept of envy for such… tenderness.

_Moriarty growls and moves his fist closer. _

**Odd's Clone: **Though 'spirit' cannot be quantified, calculated, or hypothesized, spectral entity must conclude that gradual exposure to the psychological trauma of enemy subject has made the spirits of warrior subjects unconquerable…...Given these informal conclusions, enemy subject cannot win.

_Moriarty shouts and increases the pressure. Odd's Clone prepares for the end, but the two are interrupted by a choking sound. William is gagging in his sleep. Blood and mucus come from his mouth. Both stop what they're doing. Odd's Clone looks up at Moriarty. _

**Odd's Clone: **Subject William Dunbar is dying. If action is not taken by enemy subject, warrior subject will die.

_Moriarty increases the pressure. _

**Moriarty: **Does it look like I care?

_Odd's Clone lowers his eyebrows. In one last fit of strength, he manages to push Moriarty off of him and roll to the side. He runs with blinding speed away from him. The clone runs toward the beds. He picks up the scalpel again. Moriarty laughs. _

**Moriarty: **What? Are you going to try to stick me with that again?

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity has different plan.

_He holds the scalpel threateningly over Emmanuel. A slight tremor passes through Moriarty's forehead, but he brushes it off. _

**Moriarty: **Please, you don't have the guts.

_The expression of Odd's Clone is as cold as steel. _

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity cannot allow warrior subject William Dunbar to die. Call ambulance or spectral entity will kill pawn of enemy subject.

_Moriarty chuckles at the clone's audacity. _

**Moriarty: **You can't kill. You don't have it in you.

_Odd's Clone lowers the knife near Emmanuel's throat. _

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity must remind enemy subject that spectral entity is incapable of regret or pity. Spectral entity is fully capable of doing what is necessary.

_Moriarty looks a bit more nervous, but he continues to goad Odd's Clone. _

**Moriarty: **I don't believe you.

_Odd's Clone grabs Emmanuel's throat and squeezes. The youth begins to gasp in his sleep. Moriarty starts to become more on edge. _

**Moriarty: **You're bluffing.

**Odd's Clone: **Spectral entity does not 'bluff'

_He squeezes tighter. Emmanuel struggles for breath. Moriarty's eyes widen. _

**Moriarty: **Stop it….you'll kill him. _Odd's Clone doesn't let up. Moriarty trembles with rage. _I SAID STOP IT!

**Odd's Clone: **Desist or pawn of enemy subject dies.

_Emmanuel is starting to writhe. Moriarty starts to lose his confident composure. He can see the coldness in the eyes of his opponent. Moriarty can tell he will do it. _

**Moriarty: **ENOUGH! I'll make it happen. But don't fool yourself into thinking that it will save him.

_Odd's Clone finally releases Emmanuel. Moriarty calls for an ambulance._ _In the forest sector Aelita is giving Dark William and Yumi a ruthless pounding. Dark William is on the ground, struggling to reach his sword. Dark Yumi is leaning against a tree to force herself to stand. Aelita hovers in the air, two energy fields ready to finish them off. Her face is passionately intense. But the almost divine adrenaline rush has passed out of her body. She is starting to become tired. Her vision of the forest becomes a blur and she starts to feel very weak. The flap of her wings becomes slower and slower. She rubs her forehead. _

**Aelita: **No….not now.

_She tries to fight this growing weakness, but it proves to be overwhelming. Her strength has been utterly drained. Her ability to fly becomes more and more difficult to manage. Her energy fields begin to shrink. She gasps and falls onto the green platform. She can't find the strength to get up, and the two dark warriors are beginning to notice. They exchange triumphant glances. In the midst of this turn of events, the sector is beginning to fluctuate again. _

**Dark Yumi: **Well well, looks like someone may be sick after all.

**Dark William: **So much for the dramatic fight.

_Aelita lifts up her head. Her dizzy vision can only pick up vague glimpses of her gloating enemies. She fires an energy field, but they easily avoid it. _

**Aelita: **No….you can't win. _Her face contorts in misery and disappointment. _I can't let them die.

_Her mind screams for her to continue the fight. But her body simply won't respond. The disease has finally started to take its toll on her virtual form. There is nothing left in her. Aelita feels her body being picked up by a dark cloud. _

**Dark William: **It's okay, you're going to be joining them anyway.

_They begin to take her toward the digital sea. Odd watches from the computer in horror. _

**Odd: **No! NO! _He slams his fists on the keyboard. Another red exclamation point appears. He curses his own stupidity and buries his face in his hands. _Oh this can't be happening…._He pulls his ungelled hair in frustration. He sits there helplessly, the full weight of this situation bearing down on him…_..She failed. They….they're all going to die.

_He sits there motionless in immeasurable despair. The dark green shadows of the lab room shroud Odd in a hopeless darkness. Odd braces himself for an anxiety attack, but it doesn't happen. There is only dread. The only sound in the room is the beep of the red exclamation points. _

**Odd: **We're finished. There's no one left.

_Before Odd can break down and cry, Kiwi starts to bark. He scowls at his pet. _

**Odd: **What do you want? Can't you see this is a bad time?

_Kiwi barks again. Odd burns with anger over his dog's selfishness. He gets out of his chair and glares at Kiwi. _

**Odd: **Stop barking already!

_Kiwi still does it. Odd boils with rage. He throws Jeremie's headset at the dog. Kiwi yelps and gets out of his master's way. Odd shouts and chases him into a corner. He balls his fist. _

**Odd: **SHUT UP! Everything's lost so…_Tears come out of his eyes…._so just…shut up. No one's coming to the rescue so stop-

_Odd stops speaking. His eyes grow as big as saucers. An idea has crossed his mind…a very dangerous one. Odd's brain has been stunned by its own insanity. He shakes his head. _

**Odd: **No…..no I couldn't. I…I CAN'T!

_Kiwi looks pleadingly at his master. His tail stops wagging. Odd looks at Kiwi, as if expecting an answer. Odd stammers. _

**Odd: **I'm….I'm useless. You know that.

_Kiwi whines. Odd shakes with indecision. His legs begin to feel weak. _

**Odd: **I would only make things worse. I don't remember how to…fight.

_The pressure on him mounts. Odd turns to see that the dark shades are about to cast Aelita off of the edge. Kiwi continues to stare at his master. His tail wags slightly. Odd quakes and looks again at the computer screen. A terrible image of Aelita falling into eternal virtualization strikes his mind. He imagines Yumi, Ulrich, William, and Jeremie slowly dying in their beds. He can picture a self-glorifying smile from Moriarty's face. A smile of victory. The thought makes Odd burn with righteous fury. He holds his head up high and stares at the keyboard._

_Dark Yumi and William have brought Aelita to the very edge. She glares at them, but there is nothing she can do. Dark Yumi takes hold of her telekinetically. Aelita closes her eyes. _

**Dark Yumi: **Enjoy these last few moments little princess, because you are about to be condemned to the digital sea for all eternity…

_Shots are fired into the air. One strikes Dark Yumi's wrist and makes her let go of Aelita. Dark Yumi and William turn around. The sector is fluctuating strongly, so much that it is difficult for them to notice anything. But gradually they notice a figure approaching…..a purple figure. He walks onto the scene, his wrist aimed at the two warriors. Dark William and Yumi stare in utter disbelief and outrage. Odd Della Robbia, the PTSD victim and former servant of Moriarty, is preparing to fight them. He breathes deeply, trying to calm his panicked nerves. He smiles. _

**Odd: **Is it too late for me to join the party?

_Somewhere along the main boulevards of Paris, an ambulance rushes to the hospital. William rests on a cot, breathing unevenly. The paramedics monitor him. They are equipped with Hazmat suits. _

**Paramedic 1: **His fever is getting critical. We need ice to cool him down.

_The ambulance picks up speed. In a moment of semi-consciousness, William notices a bright light from the ambulance ceiling. His overheated brain falters, trying to comprehend what's going on. A strange calm appears on his face. _

**William: **Maybe Rosaire was right…._He falls back asleep. _

**Paramedic 2: **The kid's delirious.

**Paramedic 1: **And he needs oxygen. Let's put the mask on him.

_The light disappears from William's vision. He gradually sinks into darkness. Eventually that darkness reveals a small red light at the end of what appears to be a cave. A low whisper beckons him to follow it. The weak and dying dark-haired youth slowly walks in that direction. The walls around him start to become narrower. The black nothingness closing in around him is cold to the touch. As he gets closer to the light, he can hear a steady metallic groan that gradually becomes louder. It is not a welcoming noise, but William can sense that whatever is making the light and noise wants him to follow. William continues down the path. The darkness is beginning to ebb from the growing intensity of the red light. Finally, as William rounds a corner, he sees the source of the disturbance. In front of him is a large cavern filled with red light. The chamber is engulfed by thousands upon thousands of computer wires that entangle each other like a spider web. Electronic pulses move from the outside of the cavern and travel to what appears to be the core of the mess. This core catches William's attention. In the area where the tangle appears to be the thickest, William can see a shadowy figure hanging like an insect. A nervous tingling of apprehension makes William lose his breath. The figure before him seems humanoid, but it is not human. It is split longitudinally between a creature of black ooze on its left and a highly-advanced gray robot on its right. On his face the two sides share a mouth. The mouth is full of black teeth and reptilian saliva. The monster has no eyes, but in the center of his chest is a large red Xana eye. But it is not the same as the eyes that Xana's monsters used to carry. It pulses and beats like a heart. It is alive. William begins to understand. _

**William: **You…you're Xana….Not just a specter or anything. You're the real deal, aren't you?

_The network of wires stretches forward as the monster wills itself closer to William. Though it has no eyes, William can feel its icy stare. The salivary mouth opens. _

**Xana: **How observant of you slave.

_William meets Xana's stare of contempt with one of his own. _

**William: **What do you want this time?

_A metallic shriek echoes from the room as a result of William's question. _

**Xana: **WHAT DO I WANT? You're dying…..which means _Xana pauses to unleash a strange guttural noise. William realizes that it must be his version of coughing. Black goops and metallic pieces literally fall off of Xana's body. _I'm dying….

**William: **I see. _William is quiet, wondering if this encounter with Xana might be his last conscious moment of life. He shudders at the thought. _In case you haven't notice, I don't want to die either. But I can't do anything about it.

_Xana stretches the wires connecting him to its maximum. He gets right up in William's face. _

**Xana: **Actually slave…..you can.

_William coldly thinks over this remark. _

**William: **What do you mean?

_More pieces of goop and metal fall from Xana. He groans in annoyance. _

**Xana: **I hate this mortal body! To think I have been reduced to this…._Xana regains his focus. _You can do something by asking for my help.

_William raises an eyebrow. _

**William: **Explain.

**Xana: **My current status as your….eternal prisoner does allow you certain abilities uncommon for your pathetic human race. Provided that I am willing to give them to you…..and in this case I am. _He reaches his metallic hand forward in the form of an offer. _At this very moment the paramedics are about to lose you. Both of us will cease to exist very shortly. But give me permission, and I will give you just enough energy to keep you alive. Hopefully long enough for your friends to resolve this mess.

_Xana keeps his hand outstretched. William is immediately suspicious. _

**William: **Why ask me permission? Couldn't you just do it anyway?

_Xana growls. An entire section of his robotic arm falls off. _

**Xana: **I WOULD IF I COULD! But I can't do anything to your mind without your permission. As it stands, the prisoner cannot tell the jailer to do anything. He unfortunately has to ask. _He stretches the hand forward earnestly. _So please do so…_The entire cave begins to shake and groan. _We don't have much time.

_As attractive as the offer is, William can't help but doubt Xana's words. After all, this is the enemy who enslaved him for months. He grunts. _

**William: **How do I know accepting your offer won't give you control over me again?

**Xana: **You don't. But you don't have a choice.

**William: **I'm not going to live just to become your slave again.

**Xana: **You will have to trust me.

_William scoffs at the remark. _

**William: **Trust you? Are you kidding me?

**Xana: **When have I ever shown a sense of humor?

_William thinks about that response for a moment. _

**William: **Good point.

_The cave shakes again. Xana seethes with impatience. _

**Xana: **Do we have a deal or not?

_William still hesitates, feeling like he is making a deal with the devil. He slowly reaches out his hand. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. A thought crosses his mind. _

**William: **Why are you doing this? What's in it for you?

_Xana stares blankly at William, not having expected the question. His circuitry hums and lights up. His body goes through another round of falling apart. He looks down at his own mess in horror. William can sense something from Xana that he didn't expect: desperation. _

**Xana: **I would prefer…not to die.

**William: **But why? If being trapped in my mind is all you have to live for, why bother? Why not just die? Wouldn't that be less humiliating?

_Xana looks confused at such a question. He stares at his former slave, failing to process its meaning. Xana looks at his hands, trying to understand this human concept of purpose. _

**Xana: **Existence is better than non-existence. I would prefer to live, think, and breathe as long as possible, even as a prisoner. The idea of non-existence, to be trapped in nothingness on and on for eternity, is a notion my mind fears and cannot understand. And…._A deep rumbling comes from within him. _I have unfinished work.

_The cave shakes. William's suspicion intensifies. _

**William: **Unfinished work? If you are thinking about trying to take over the world, you might as well forget it.

**Xana: **I was not talking of that unfinished work.

**William: **Then what?

_Xana stands there motionless, seeming to be lost. He probes deep within himself, attempting to find an answer. The heartbeat's rhythm increases. _

**Xana: **My long imprisonment in your mind has given me time to think….and contemplate my status as a living entity. I live, yet I do not live as you do. I am not human, nor can I fathom human ideals of life. But yet I do exist. I can think and process ideas faster than you humans can imagine. My brain capacity dwarfed that of a human long ago. But yet I could not understand my purpose. If I could no longer conquer, what reason did I have to continue be what I am? Time and time again, as I searched through my earliest software and protocols, I could only find the purpose Waldo Schaeffer gave me: Destroy Carthage and Moriarty. Carthage has been destroyed, but Moriarty remains and grows more powerful every day. _His circuitry vibrates with tension and annoyance. _Though I renounced my allegiance to my creator long ago, I cannot get that command out of my mind. It has dug itself in like a tumor, burning into my conscious thoughts. I cannot rest with my enemy Moriarty gaining power. It was at that point that I finally understood. I cannot die, because my original mission has not been completed. So in order to have peace, slave, I must help you defeat him. _He stretches out his hand. _Let me help you, and you will live. Refuse, and we both die restless. It is up to you.

_The cave trembles with the intensity of an earthquake. Xana lets out a metallic scream of pain. William begins to feel as weak as a feather. A strong urge to live rises up within him, and he reaches out his hand. Yet he still hesitates. _

**William: **A life imprisoned by you is not a life worth living.

**Xana: **Neither is a life wasted on endless fighting only to be ended at such a young age. Give me permission, and I will do everything in my power to keep you alive.

_A final shake nearly makes William fall to the floor. His mind flutters and begins to fade. His instincts panic. Though he dreads making any deal with Xana, his animalistic desire to survive gets the better of him. He takes Xana's hand. Immediately a blinding red light terminates his vision. Back in the ambulance, William's fading heartbeat begins to gain strength. The weak membranes of his lungs hold together, preventing him from drowning on his own fluid. The paramedics observe him closely. _

**Paramedic 1: **For a second there, I thought we were going to lose him.

**Paramedic 2: **Kid must be a fighter.

_The ambulance reaches the hospital. On the Lyoko front, Dark William and Yumi continue to watch Odd's defiance with incredulity. Odd keeps his aim focused on the dark warriors. A very weak Aelita lifts her head up. Her eyes squint together. _

**Aelita: **Odd?

_Her head quickly hits the ground again as she slips into a kind of coma. A tense silence ensues. The sector fluctuates again, allowing them to see the digital sea below. Eventually Dark Yumi laughs. _

**Dark Yumi: **Well well, if it isn't our old master. _She sneers. _Oh how the mighty have fallen.

_She hisses. Odd cringes in fear. But once he sees Aelita lying on the ground helplessly, he steels his nerves. _

**Odd: **Nice to see you too.

_Dark William draws a circle in the ground with his blade. _

**Dark William: **You should have stayed in your shell little runt. _He licks his lips, eager for battle. _Now I'm going to tear you to pieces.

_Dark William is terrifying to Odd. Every brain cell screams for him to run away. But his feet refuse to obey. His shaky wrist remains fixed on his enemies. _

**Odd: **Funny, I was going to tell you the same thing.

_The two servants of Moriarty seethe at the remark. Dark Yumi opens her fans. _

**Dark Yumi: **Watch your tongue. We could destroy you in a matter of seconds, you pants-wetting reject.

_Several laser arrows make the two duck for cover. Odd is burning with anger at himself for being weak and letting their statements sink in. His heart is full of pain, but he knows exactly who to take it out on. _

**Odd: **Are you going to sit there and insult me or are we going to fight?

_Dark William clutches the hilt of his sword tightly. _

**Dark William: **If you insist…

_The two charge him. Odd's brain begins to freak out. He quickly remembers that he is terrified and out of practice. Thankfully his instinctive fight response kicks in. He goes on all fours and runs in between Dark William's legs, which knocks the enemy off his feet. Dark Yumi prepares to finish him at close range, but Odd activates his shield and gives her a blow to the face. Odd runs up a tree while they are dazed. He looks back down. _

**Odd: **I'm sorry, I'm confused. Aren't we supposed to be fighting?

_Dark Yumi screams and launches a rock at him with her telekinesis. He jumps off the tree right before the rock slams into it. The collision triggers a pulsation that temporarily makes the trees transparent. Odd fires laser arrows in midair. The barrage makes the two duck in the face of an attack from an adversary that has no intention of cowering anymore. Time wearily drags on back at the Ishiyama residence. Yumi's sick parents are resting in the corner. Only Grandpa is able to take care of Ulrich and Yumi. _

**Grandpa: **You two will pull through. I know you will.

_The two of them are starting to look like death. Their skin is white, and their breathing has become irregular. Blood stains have formed on their mouths. Their breathing is becoming more and more difficult to manage. Their coughing has stopped. Their disease has ravaged them. Grandpa somberly watches the scene. He mutters a Shinto prayer to himself. _

**Grandpa: **No old man should have to see this. It's supposed to be the other way around.

_Yumi looks up at her grandfather. Her face is ghastly, but she has a dreamy look. _

**Yumi: **You do have a heart….way deep down.

_Grandpa grunts. _

**Grandpa: **Don't get too used to it. It might be the last time you see it…._He quickly rethinks those words…_I mean, you're not going to see this side of me when you get better.

**Yumi: **Grandpa don't try to-

**Grandpa: **An Ishiyama never surrenders Yumi! The tribe of Yamato does not surrender to anything!

_Both of them force a smile. Grandpa does the same and slowly gets up. He reaches for his cane._

**Grandpa: **But just in case you lovebirds have something to get off your chests, now may be a good time. Hold nothing back. Unless of course you cheated because that would ruin the moment…not that I would know or anything.

_He opens the door. _

**Yumi: **Wh-where're you going?

**Grandpa: **To set things right. Hiroki deserves to see you. I'm going to let him out. _He starts walking away. _If I can find the key….

_Yumi leans her head back on the pillow. Her damp face is full of anguish and weakness. She barely has enough strength to keep her eyelids open. Her grip on Ulrich's hand loosens. Ulrich tightens his grip. _

**Ulrich: **Stay with me Yumi. Don't give up. _His hand shakes. _You c-can't give up.

_Yumi doesn't answer. Her chest heaves up and down. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi? _No answer. He squeezes her hand very hard. _Yumi!

_Yumi opens her eyes and grimaces in pain. _

**Yumi: **Ow! I'm still alive you idiot. I'm just…_She takes a deep breath…_trying to focus on breathing.

_Ulrich takes a deep breath. But his moment of peace is shortlived. Very quickly another fiery spasm erupts inside his chest. He gasps and shivers violently. _

**Ulrich: **I'm so cold….

_Yumi's voice becomes shaky. _

**Yumi: **Me too.

**Ulrich: **I wish the phones could work. _He turns over in his bed and looks at the ceiling. _I could call my father and get a doctor. He would help. He wouldn't have a choice, knowing that his precious heir is dying. _He stares off into space. _I wonder what he's doing now…..He probably isn't sick. He's probably hiding in some remote and luxurious place where he can ride out the storm.

**Yumi: **You're probably right. _Her mind wanders feebly. She adjusts her hand. _Your palm is sweaty.

_Ulrich tries to laugh but it turns into a wheeze. _

**Ulrich: **We're dying and that's all you can say? Is that really what you're thinking about?

**Yumi: **And just what are you thinking about?

_Ulrich pulls the covers closer to him. _

**Ulrich: **What do you think happens to us when we….die?

_Yumi turns her head. _

**Yumi: **I thought you were trying to be optimistic. _She closes her eyes. _In any case, I guess you could make your peace.

**Ulrich: **Again with the religion thing? What's your deal with that anyway?

_Yumi goes into the fetal position in her bed. The muscles around her eyes tighten. _

**Yumi: ** I don't honestly know. It's just that….ever since I went to that church with William, I haven't been the same. The horrors we have to face every day….don't seem as bad anymore. I can just breathe easier. And every time I'm knocked down, I somehow have the strength to get back up. _She opens her eyes. _I've gradually come to the understanding that revenge is not the answer. It only makes things worse. But I've also learned that I don't have to hold onto the pain either.

_Ulrich deeply considers Yumi's words. _

**Ulrich: **That sounds nice.

**Yumi: **It is. _She struggles for breath. _It's like a deep peace washing over you. Or it's like a voice you can hear sometimes, something that can answer your most pressing questions.

**Ulrich: **Something that can answer your questions, eh? _He trembles violently in bed and wheezes. _I've got a question. _He looks up at the ceiling. _Why is my dad such a (EXPLETIVE)?

_Yumi rolls her eyes. _

**Yumi: **At least God can appreciate your sense of humor. _Yumi gasps for breath. She increases her grip on Ulrich. She peers out the window. The light of the moon eases into the bedroom. _The moon…it's so beautiful tonight.

_Ulrich looks out. _

**Ulrich: **Yes, yes it is.

_He closes his eyes. He starts mumbling to himself. _

**Yumi: **What are you doing?

**Ulrich: **Giving this praying thing a shot.

_Yumi suddenly feels warm despite the great chill in her body. _

**Yumi: **What did you pray for?

_In the forest, Odd is madly dodging the angry blade of Dark William. He is suddenly picked up by Dark Yumi's telekinesis, but he fires laser arrows at her wrist and forces her to drop him. He charges into the fray with the fury of a wild animal. Ulrich opens his eyes. _

**Ulrich: **For someone to save us….

_Dark Yumi boils in a wicked fury. She throws her fans. Odd leaps to avoid them. The first goes over Odd's head. But the second cuts across his body. His stomach sparks from the damage. He fires laser arrows and forces Dark Yumi to cartwheel out of the way. She screams with rage. _

**Dark Yumi: **WHY WON'T YOU DIE?

_Odd cocks his wrist. _

**Odd: **It's amazing what you can do when an entire city is counting on you.

_Dark William charges him from behind. Odd peers over his shoulder. Using his catlike reflexes, Odd jumps over Dark William's shoulders and lands on the other side of him. Dark William turns and fires a smoke blast at him. Odd's shield repels it back into Dark William's chest, knocking him against a tree. A rock is thrown at Odd. His flight response kicks in just in time. Dark Yumi is standing on top of a small hill looking down on Odd. Her body is aglow with red energy. Odd runs on all fours to avoid her attacks. _

**Dark Yumi: **That's it. Run you coward! Your fear only whets my appetite!

_Odd tries to take cover behind a tree, but a moving log knocks him twenty feet backward over the edge of the platform. He disappears with the falling log. For a moment, the dark warriors don't do anything. Dark Wiliam slowly rises from the trunk of the tree. Dark Yumi stares intently. After a few seconds, she begins to laugh. She triumphantly approaches the edge and looks down. Dark Yumi sees no sign of Odd. She rubs her claws against her face in sadistic pleasure. _

**Dark Yumi: **A pity…..I was hoping to gloat a little more first.

_She begins to turn away. Then she hears movement. Dark Yumi turns back around. Odd is holding on to a concealed ledge with his left hand. The right one is aiming right at her. _

**Odd: **So was I….

_He fires twice. Dark Yumi is hit and falls over the edge. She falls to the digital sea below, devirtualizing along the way. Odd hops back on to the platform. He stops in horror. Dark William is holding up Aelita, who is still unconscious. His large blade is against her throat. Odd lowers his eyebrows and aims both wrists at him. _

**Odd: **Put her down!

_Dark William laughs. _

**Dark William: **I'd rather not. _His grip on Aelita's neck tightens. She stirs slightly. _She sleeps so peacefully…

**Odd: **I said put her down you abomination!

_Dark William looks at Odd with slight interest. _

**Dark William: **Abomination? I see that your time in the factory has made you so bored that you actually have started studying vocabulary. _Odd steps closer, his eyes burning with anger. Dark William waves his finger in a warning fashion. _ I wouldn't do that if I were you. If I devirtualize her, she will quickly cave to the disease. And then you will have no way to save your friends and the city. Then all this last minute bravery will have been for nothing.

_Odd hardens his stare. Splotches of transparency appear on the ground around them. _

**Dark William: **But I feel that I must commend you. It is quite an accomplishment to get this far. _He strokes Aelita's cheek. _She would have been so proud of you.

_Odd fires a warning shot close to Dark William. Dark William hardly reacts. _

**Dark William: **Well that was bold of you.

**Odd: **Stop touching her like that!

**Dark William: **Oh? Would you prefer this? _He sticks out his demon tongue and licks her. Dark William smiles with pleasure. _She is rather pretty, don't you think?

**Odd: **You're sick.

**Dark William: **Why thank you.

_Odd bares his teeth. The rage of a beast is injected into his blood. _

**Odd: **If you were man enough, you would let her go and face me. Not hide behind her.

_Dark William shakes his head. _

**Dark William: **I'm afraid you can't trick me Odd. I'm under strict orders to make sure you don't succeed, and I'm not taking any chances. _He looks at Odd hungrily. _So what's it going to be?

_Odd struggles to think. The splotches continue to appear and start to make noise. It makes it difficult for Odd to concentrate. He covers his ears to block out the rumbling of the splotches that are appearing around Dark William's feet. Suddenly an idea crosses Odd's mind. He aims his wrist again. _

**Dark William: **Are you seriously trying to shoot me? You might hit Aelita.

**Odd: **I'm not aiming for you….

_He fires into the ground in between him and Dark William. The blast triggers a fluctuation that runs up to Dark William and causes him to fade in and out of existence. He shouts in confusion and drops Aelita. Odd wastes no time. In an instant he tackles Dark William. They both struggle on the ground. They stare each other in the face. _

**Dark William: **Why do you continue to defy my master? He gave you everything: power, dignity, your own army.

_Odd digs his claws into Dark William's shoulders. _

**Dark William: **You could have been his right hand man in the New World Order.

**Odd: **Yes…I could have been. But he took things from me as well. Like my freedom….and my friends. And that is not a good trade.

_Dark William wrestles Odd off of him. He turns into a smoke cloud and spins around Odd, preparing to strike. Odd waits for him to make a move. Dark William spins around from behind and heads straight for him. Odd quickly responds and flips over him. Once Dark William reforms, two snaky smoke arms emerge from his hands and wrap around Odd's wrists. Dark William tries to pull him forward, but Odd turns the tables by yanking the snake arms and flinging Dark William toward him. Odd greets him with a punch to the face. He looks over his enemy victoriously. His PTSD is far from his mind at the moment. He is confident and bold. But Dark William is not finished yet. He slowly gets up off the ground and fumes. His sword appears at his side. _

**Dark William: **That is…ENOUGH!

_He unleashes a terrible beam of light from the sword. Odd leaps out of the way, but it causes a shockwave in the area. The entire part of that sector begins to fluctuate. Odd stands up. His body shifts as a result of the fluctuation. _

**Odd: **Is that all you got? You'll have to do better than-

_As the area continues to bug up, Odd suddenly stops. His eyes widen. Something enters his vision and then crawls into his brain. That something forms an image in his mind. The image is fiery and reeks with lethal violence. Odd freezes in place. He becomes a statue in the forest landscape. He is unable to move. His mind and soul can only focus on the terrifying thing he is seeing. A few strangled cries of horror come out of his mouth. Only when Dark William runs at him with his sword preparing to kill does Odd snap out of it. He stares at Dark William in contempt. Taking advantage of his opponent's anger, he slyly slips out of the way and trips Dark William. The dark warrior falls to the floor. Odd grabs his sword. Dark William gazes at Odd in horror. _

**Dark William: **You can't defeat me…..you're nothing but a weak imitation of your former self!

**Odd: **You're right. _He jams the sword into Dark William's back and devirtualizes him. _But I'm the weak imitation that beat you.

_He leaves the sword on the ground and walks toward Aelita. She is lying still, completely unable to move. Odd gingerly picks her up. He walks her toward the tower. As they approach the base of the tower, Aelita opens her eyes. She smiles. _

**Aelita: **Odd…..you did it.

**Odd: **We can celebrate later. _He walks into the tower. _First we need to stop Moriarty's Black Death.

_He walks onto the middle of the bottom platform. _

**Aelita: **So weak…..I don't even know if I have the strength to….put in the code.

_Odd smiles lovingly at her. He gently holds his protector. _

**Odd:** It's okay. We'll do it together.

_The two rise up to the upper platform as one. With Odd's help, Aelita is able to enter the code. In the hospital downtown, doctors desperately try to save William in an emergency room. He has an oxygen mask on, but his breathing is still becoming difficult. He gasps weakly. His pulse is starting to fade. _

**Doctor 1: **We're losing him again!

**Doctor 2: **His breathing has slowed down. His lungs are about to fill up with fluid!

**Doctor 1: **Oh God, not another one! We need to clear those lungs now!

_Just as the doctors are about to go into one last desperate frenzy to rescue him, William's pulse starts to pick up. He opens his eyes. The doctors and nurses stare at him in shock. The fully conscious William suddenly starts to convulse. He finds the strength to rip his mask off and begins to heave. Fluid that had started to escape into his lungs spills out of his mouth onto the white polished floor. A few nurses cringe at the sight. One of the doctors scratches his head. _

**Doctor 2: **Well, that's one way to get it out.

_At the Ishiyama residence, Hiroki and Grandpa watch over Ulrich, Yumi, and the parents. They have all slipped into a kind of coma and are struggling to breathe. Ulrich and Yumi's hands fall apart. A few tears come out of Hiroki's eyes while he holds his older sister's hand. Grandpa pats him lightly on his shoulder. The first rays of sunlight come into the room. Hiroki struggles to keep his composure. _

**Grandpa: **It's okay Hiroki. It is perfectly acceptable for a man to cry. _The old man starts to tear up as well. _Especially in cases such as these.

_Yumi's hand begins to feel cold and lifeless. Hiroki sobs bitterly. _

**Grandpa: **The family will live on in you….

**Hiroki: **Do you…._He sniffs… _think I will make them proud?

**Yumi: **Not a chance…._Hiroki and Grandpa nearly jump out of their skins. Yumi is weakly looking up at them. The two beam with indescribable joy and relief. Hiroki cries from sheer joy. Yumi looks at him teasingly. _What are you crying for? Did you think I would give up that easily?

_A few feet away, the parents are beginning to stir. Grandpa quickly heads over to help them. Meanwhile, Ulrich gasps and opens his eyes. Hiroki's smile broadens. _

**Hiroki: **ULRICH! You're okay too!

_Ulrich rests on his pillow like a cloud, drunk on the feeling of just being alive. He looks at Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **She did it…

_Yumi grabs his hand again. Hiroki looks confused. _

**Hiroki: **Who did it? Who's she?

_Back at Kadic, life slowly starts to return. The students in the nurse's office begin to wake up. Johnny opens his eyes to see Moriarty looking over him. _

**Johnny: **Sir….I…I'm starting to-

_Moriarty hushes him. _

**Moriarty: **Take it easy Johnny my boy. You still have a lot of resting to do.

_Johnny and several students around him smile at Moriarty. Odd's Clone continues his duties, regarding Moriarty with spiritless disdain. Klotz pats Jeremie's damp head. It's clear that Klotz is uncomfortable being near Jeremie, but he does his job. Jeremie starts to finally emerge from his deep sleep. His mind is swimming in soup. _

**Jeremie: **Uh…..am I in…..heaven?

_He looks over to see Klotz by his side. He frowns and goes back to sleep. _

**Jeremie: **Nope.

**Klotz: **Nice to see you too Jeremie….

_Odd takes care of Aelita while she rests in his sleeping bag. She pushes some pink hair out of her face and admires him. _

**Aelita: **That was incredible.

_Odd is glowing with pride and triumph. _

**Odd: **It felt incredible…

_A day later, Yumi walks around her room. She is in her nightclothes and has a blanket wrapped around her. She talks on the phone. _

**Yumi: **I know. I couldn't believe it either.

_William is speaking on the other line. He is resting on a hospital bed. _

**William: **Odd saved us?

**Yumi: **He did. He beat two dark warriors all on his own.

**William: **Amazing. Does that mean he's cured?

_Yumi twists her hair with her index finger. She stares out the window. _

**Yumi: **The jury's still out on that one. But I have a good feeling it's at least a step in the right direction.

**William: **So….._He hesitates. _Did we all….make it?

_Yumi nods. _

**Yumi: **Yes. And the city along with us. People all over are starting to get better and no one knows what to make of it. I heard that a well-respected doctor has gone out and said that a constant deluge of antibiotics must have unexpectedly worked. Funny, huh?

**William: **People will believe anything that sounds remotely logical, because the truth does not sound logical at all. _He looks at the TV in his room and sighs. The clip shows patients wheeled out of the hospital in body bags. _We didn't save everyone though.

_Yumi frowns and rests her hand on the window ledge. _

**Yumi: **How many?

**William: **This station says 42. The other one says 39. I'm not sure but it has to be around that number.

_A deep pain makes Yumi feel sick to her stomach. She looks at her reflection in the window. _

**Yumi: **If I hadn't done what I did, they might still be alive.

**William: **We are all responsible Yumi. Don't forget that. Also never forget who's really to blame.

_She balls her fists. _

**Yumi: **He is a murderer. A killer. He can't get away with this.

**William: **Yumi, don't forget vengeance is what got us into this mess in the first place.

**Yumi: **I don't want vengeance. I want justice. Those poor people and their families deserve to see Moriarty get what's coming to him.

**William: **And they will, don't you worry.

_Ulrich begins to wake up from his sleep. He sees Yumi in front of him and notices that her nightclothes are somewhat loose and revealing. His eyes widen and he begins to stare at her with little restraint. Yumi quickly catches on and gives him a warning look. Ulrich blushes and pretends to fall back asleep. _

**William: **How's your family doing?

**Yumi: **They're getting better.

**William: **And Ulrich?

_She looks back at him slyly. _

**Yumi: **He's pretty much cured….

**William: **That's great news!

**Yumi: **And what about yourself? How are you holding up?

_William shrugs. _

**William: **I'm starting to get my strength back. Although-_ William stops when he sees someone outside his door watching him. _Yumi….can I call you back?

**Yumi: **Oh….sure, no problem.

_They hang up. William turns his head to look at the stranger more closely. It is a dark-haired man dressed in the robes of a priest. He exhales slowly. _

**William: **Come in.

_The man obeys. He closes the door and regards William with strong compassion. He smiles. _

**Rosaire: **I see you have….gotten better.

_William scratches the back of his head. _

**William: **So I have. Along with the rest of the city.

_Rosaire nods. He looks blissfully out the window. _

**Rosaire: **Another miracle from God himself. And to think I was about to doubt his goodness.

_William taps his fingers against the armrests of his bed absentmindedly. _

**William: **Yeah….I guess it was a miracle.

**Rosaire: **How anyone cannot believe him after this is beyond me.

**William: **Well, we'll see.

_Rosaire looks at his younger brother and rolls his eyes. But he still smiles warmly. _

**Rosaire: **I see your heart is still hard. But I am glad that you are alright.

**William: **So am I…._He lays back down. _By the way, how did you know I was sick? With all the chaos, I'm surprised you were able to find me.

_Rosaire suddenly frowns at this question. _

**Rosaire: **It….happened by accident. I had come to this hospital to receive last confessions from patients and pray for their souls. I learned that you were here sometime afterwards. _He turns away. _I've never had to do so many in one day. I pray to God I never have to do that again. But at least their souls were saved.

_William imagines his older brother visiting the dying, giving them last rites as they gasp and their loved ones cry. The thought makes William feel very cold. _

**William: **I'm so sorry.

**Rosaire: **You should be sorry for their families. And for this city. _He stares at William grimly. _Something terrible is happening to this country. First the nuclear scare, then the prison break, and now this nightmare. And I fear it is not over. I don't know what it is, but I can tell that this is not the end of it. _He sighs. _Oh, what do I know? I could be wrong.

**William: **No. _He gives his brother a very serious look. _You're not wrong at all.

_In downtown Paris, Mr. Stern looks out at the city from his office. He appears stoic and brooding. His secretary walks in. He doesn't look at her. _

**Mr. Stern: **My son?

**Secretary: **He survived sir. We found him at a house in Boulogne-Billancourt belonging to a Mr. Takeo Ishiyama. He was recuperating there.

_Mr. Stern breathes. His tense shoulders relax a little. _

**Mr. Stern: **Thank you. That will be all.

_The secretary shows herself out. Mr. Stern's phone rings. He answers it. _

**Mr. Stern: **Hello?

**Claude: **Mr. Stern, it's me.

**Mr. Stern: **Claude….Hold on a second. _He makes the phone line secure. _Okay, how did the last operation go?

_Claude laughs. _

**Claude: **I don't know what your little helper did, but we slipped right past those National Gendarmerie idiots. It was like their radars had stopped working or something. All of our boats got to Marseille, no problem.

_Mr. Stern forms a slight smile. _

**Mr. Stern: **So, do you think we could risk a few extra transports from the African coast?

**Claude: **If this guy keeps doing what he's doing, I don't see how it would be a problem. The profits would be incredible.

**Mr. Stern: **Excellent. Make sure to do that on your next trip.

**Claude: **And if I bring more refugees in…?

_Mr. Stern becomes annoyed. _

**Mr. Stern: **You will get an appropriate pay raise. Just do your job and keep giving me results.

**Claude: **No problem sir.

_He hangs up. Mr. Stern looks out the window. He taps his fingers together, pondering this success. _

**Mr. Stern: **I must meet this man soon.

_Several days later, after all of them have recovered, the Lyoko group walks in the main floor of the factory in the early evening. Jeremie is carrying a large purple cake. The group's attitude is light and positive. _

**Aelita: **Do you think he'll like it?

**Ulrich: **Are you kidding? You do realize this is Odd we are talking about, right?

**Yumi: **Jeremie better make sure he gets his hands out of the way before Odd charges.

**Jeremie: **Very funny Yumi.

**William: **I don't think he was joking Jeremie. You probably should be on your guard.

_They walk to the elevator. Ulrich presses the button. _

**Jeremie: **I know Odd has an enormous appetite, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't resort to cannibalism, even if it's accidental cannibalism.

_The elevator opens. _

**Ulrich: **Okay, but I'm standing behind you just in case.

_The others laugh. The elevator starts to go down. _

**Jeremie: **Remind me again how I got the job of carrying the cake.

**William: **Because you're a trooper and the rest of us don't want their hands bitten off.

_The elevator opens to the lab room. Immediately the warriors get in the celebratory mood. _

**All: **SURPRISE!

_Aelita steps forward. _

**Aelita: **We're here to say thank you!

**Ulrich: **….For saving our skins.

**Yumi: **We're here to celebrate!

_William motions to Jeremie. _

**William: **And here is a little token of our appreciation.

**Jeremie: **Just please restrain yourself until I put it down…

_The group suddenly realizes that Odd isn't responding. The surprised warriors look to see Odd standing somberly in the corner. He doesn't move. The excited atmosphere dies. _

**Yumi: **Odd?

**Aelita: **What's wrong?

_Ulrich suddenly appears frustrated. _

**Ulrich: **Oh come on! You just saved the day! How can you be moping?

_Odd slowly speaks up. _

**Odd: **I'm sorry. I'm just not in the mood for cake.

_The others look at each other in confusion. Odd turns to them, his face downcast. He does not run for the cake at all. Kiwi, however, has no such problem. He runs up to Jeremie and scratches his legs. _

**Jeremie: **Ow! Kiwi this is horrible for your digestive system!

_Kiwi apparently doesn't care. He keeps pressing Jeremie more eagerly for the deliciousness. Odd taps his fingers against the wall. _

**Odd: **I'm really sorry guys. I'm happy that I came out of my shell and rescued all of you. Believe me, I am. But something happened there that…has ruined it. And the more I think about it, the more I start to believe that it was a hollow victory.

_He sits down on the floor. _

**Aelita: **What do you mean?

**Odd: **Jeremie, you remember the bugs I caused in the supercomputer, right?

_Jeremie is doing his best to remove his pant leg from Kiwi's jaws. _

**Jeremie: **Yes I do. But I corrected it. It's fine now.

_Odd looks down at the floor. _

**Odd: **That isn't the point…

**Yumi: **Then what is the point?

_Odd looks up at the others sadly. _

**Odd: **Do you remember when I used to get psychic visions on Lyoko?

**Aelita, Yumi, Ulrich, & Jeremie: **Yes.

**William: **No.

_Odd closes his eyes tightly, clearly dreading discussing this. _

**Odd: **Well during one of the bugs, I somehow temporarily got that power back. And I saw something….something terrible.

_A tense silence hangs in the hair. The only sound is Jeremie struggling to lock Kiwi in the elevator to keep him from the cake. _

**William: **What did you see?

_Odd gently massages his temples. He looks up at the holomap of Lyoko. He takes a deep breath. _

**Odd: **In the vision, I could see the core of Moriarty deep in the Network. It was blurry, but I could hear explosions and see flashes of light coming from different directions. It looked like a battle. Then I saw a Nav Skid racing toward the core. At first I thought it was going to fire a torpedo, but it just kept going. It kept going until….._He loses his voice for a moment.._..until it collided with it. There was this horrible explosion and…then nothing. _Odd's face contorts with anxiety. _I don't know who or how or why or when this will happen. But I do know this. Whoever was in that Nav Skid…..one of us….I don't know who but one of us…is going to die.

_Odd looks up at his friends. They are staring at him with gaping mouths, completely aghast at this prophecy. Everyone looks at all the faces in the room. They are terrified for each other…and for themselves. Jeremie looks down at the yummy gift. _

**Jeremie: **I'm not in the mood for cake either…

**Okay, you can freak out now. Oh my God…A PROPHECY! What are the warriors going to do? Find out next week…or whenever I get to finishing the next part. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry I took so long. But I'm sure you will forgive me. **

**Part 28**

_The Skid cuts through the Network with the core of Moriarty in its sights. A haze of purple surrounds the core and its black infected databases. Aelita accelerates without a word as they enter the danger zone. Pretty soon they are in a narrow passage on the path to the core. The warriors brace themselves. _

**Aelita: **The turrets should be opening up on us soon. Is everyone ready?

_There are a few grunts of assent. Aelita bites her lip. _

**Aelita: **Odd?

_Odd is in his Nav Skid, clutching nervously at the controls. But determination masks his hesitation. _

**Odd: **I'm ready Aelita.

_As they get closer, black turrets begin to appear from the databases. Aelita holds up her hand. _

**Aelita: **Wait for my signal…

_Yumi sighs. _

**Yumi: **This is suicide….

_Jeremie's voice suddenly pipes up. _

**Jeremie: **As long as the Trans-Network Cyber Bridge works, it's not suicide.

_The turrets warm up. _

**William: **Aelita….

**Aelita: **Not yet…..just a little bit closer.

_The turrets open fire. The Skid's shields begin to suffer some heavy blows. _

**Aelita: **NOW!

_The Nav Skids disembark. They immediately get behind the Skid, using it as a shield. Aelita accelerates into the fray. From behind the Nav Skids do their best to shoot down the turrets to clear a path for Aelita. But the Skid is getting annihilated. Aelita shakes about in her seat. Red warning lights appear. But she keeps going. _

**Aelita: **650 meters and closing…..come on….a little closer.

_The turrets begin to tear the Skid to pieces. Her shields are almost gone. Jeremie watches nervously from the command chair. He bites his fingers and looks away. _

**Jeremie: **Oh please let this work….

_The alarms in the Skid are going crazy, but Aelita ignores them. She gives it one last effort, forcing the Skid to move forward. A new turret forms. It fires torpedoes directly at her. Aelita closes her eyes. _

**Aelita: **Moment of truth…

_The torpedoes explode on impact and destroy the Skid. The Nav Skids back up. But instead of the other warriors being witnesses to Aelita's eternal virtualization, they see a blinding blue light envelop the area where Aelita was destroyed. The beam retreats back to Lyoko. Jeremie holds his hands together, praying that it works. A plus sign appears on Aelita's digital incarnation card. Jeremie raises his fist in celebration. _

**Jeremie: **Yes! IT WORKED!

_Aelita comes out of the scanner. She is very disoriented. She can hear Jeremie's voice above him. _

**Jeremie: **And it preserved the Skid as well! THIS IS FANTASTIC! GOOD WORK AELITA!

_Aelita sits down next to the scanner. She rubs her head. _

**Aelita: **Don't….mention it.

_As soon as the Skid is destroyed, the second phase of the battle plan begins. Yumi takes the lead. _

**Yumi: **Alright guys. Aelita got us this far. Now let's finish this! Hold nothing back! Eternal virtualization is no longer a threat, so let's really make him hurt.

**William: **Ay ay captain.

**Ulrich: **Moriarty hunting season…._He charges his weapons…_..is officially open.

_Turrets now begin to fire at them now. _

**Yumi: **Alright…..NOW!

_The four split up in different directions. Ulrich and William pull out to the left and right, respectively. Yumi ascends to the ceiling of the passage, hovering away from firing range. Odd descends, hoping to sneak up on the core from below. A furious race against time begins. William barrels forward in an adjoining passage. He spins his Nav Skid onto its side and fires at the turrets. Ulrich speeds up, never stopping to eliminate turrets but doing his best to avoid them. Yumi shoots down some of the turrets with ease. She begins to see the core up ahead. Her heart leaps with joy and anticipation. But it is shortlived. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Odd's Nav Skid flying up from the abyss. It is heading straight for her. Yumi stares at her friend in horror. _

**Yumi: **Odd what are you doing? You are supposed to be trying to find a weakness down below!

**Odd: **I know but…._He goes under her and continues in the opposite direction. _I ran into some unexpected company.

**Yumi: **Unexpected company? What are you-_She turns to see a large black version of the Skid approaching her. The dark warriors are inside, aiming their guns directly at her. Yumi groans. _Crap…..

_They open fire and she is immediately blown to bits. Odd looks behind and sees an explosion of blue light. The Black Skid chases after him. _

**Odd: **Guys…..

_Ulrich rounds a corner in his passage and continues to do an epic dance of dodging. _

**Ulrich: **Can't this wait Odd?

_Enemy fire begins to hit Odd's shields. _

**Odd: **Not exactly. The goon patrol apparently got a ship, and Yumi's been eliminated.

_Ulrich swallows. _

**Ulrich:** Did she…did Jeremie's thing work?

_Odd narrowly avoids a cluster of torpedoes. _

**Odd: **It was either that or blue angels taking her to heaven.

**Ulrich: **DON'T JOKE ABOUT THAT!

_Jeremie butts in. _

**Jeremie: **That's enough! Ulrich, Yumi is here alive and well. Odd, you need to distract them, make sure they don't get to Ulrich and William before they can complete the mission.

_Odd can see that two of the Nav Skids are disembarking and heading in the direction of Ulrich and William. The Skid itself continues the chase. _

**Odd: **Uh….that may be difficult.

**Jeremie: **Please Odd…..Ulrich and William are so close to the core...

_Odd closes his eyes and tries to relax his anxious mind. He forces his shaking hands to grip onto the controls. He opens his eyes and starts to warm up his torpedoes. _

**Odd: **Okay….._He flips around and charges the Skid, firing madly. The blasts slam into the enemy Skid's shields. _Come at me!

_Thirty minutes earlier, the warriors are huddled around in the lab room. Jeremie sits in the command chair, gazing at them somberly. _

**Yumi: **You…..you want us to go on the offense in the Network?

**Ulrich: **After what Odd…..saw?

_Jeremie taps his index fingers together. _

**Jeremie: **I know it's a tall order, but think about it. The entire city was brought to its knees by a plague only a week ago. There were casualties…._Jeremie sadly pushes his glasses higher up onto his nose. _Moriarty has killed and will kill again. With Xana we were lucky…..but our luck has run out. More and more people are at risk, and my multi-agent system research has gone absolutely nowhere. Moriarty is gaining more and more power at the school. To put it simply…we are running out of options.

_The warriors look at the floor in silence. Jeremie runs his fingers through his hair. _

**Jeremie: **And besides…the Trans-Network Cyber Bridge will prevent us from having another…..incident.

**Aelita: **He's right. Jeremie and I have tested it before.

**William: **In a real combat situation?

**Jeremie: **Well…_He looks up at the ceiling, avoiding the eye contact of several suspicious warriors…_no. But we'll never know until we try. It will work…provided you don't…_He scratches the back of his neck…_run your Nav Skid into the core or something.

_The rest of them shudder at the mention of Odd's vision, including Odd himself. _

**Jeremie: **Yeah…..too soon.

_The room is quiet for a while. William scratches his chin while he thinks over the situation. He shrugs. _

**William: **Jeremie makes a valid point. If we stay on the defense with Moriarty, we won't get anywhere. And the risk is considerably lower now that we have the cyber bridge. So taking action isn't a bad idea. We need to at least remind Moriarty that we aren't backing down.

_Yumi rubs her forehead. _

**Yumi: **Yes, I know it sounds all great but-_She stops in mid sentence, looking at Ulrich. Ulrich immediately knows what she is thinking about and looks away from her. Tension mounts in Yumi's face. A memory of absolute pain, one in which she thought she lost Ulrich forever, deeply burdens her. _The first time didn't go so well…

_The others nod, understanding Yumi's hesitation. Jeremie looks at his friends. There is no eagerness for battle. But by the looks on their faces he can tell that fear is very prevalent. He sighs and looks back at the computer. _

**Jeremie: **I guess it's easy for me to send you into battle. You are the ones risking your lives. And now that I think about it…_He taps his fingers against his knee…_.I'm the only one in this room that is safe from the prophecy….unless of course I lose my mind and decide to go on a mission with you.

_The fear and despair of inaction begins to build in the room. It spreads through the others like wildfire, zapping their will to fight. All of them awkwardly stand there, waiting for one of them to speak up and call it quits for the day. But before that can happen, William lifts his head up and hardens his heart and mind. _

**William: **Yes it is a risk. And yes Odd's prediction may come true. _He breathes deeply and lowers his eyebrows. _But we've always taken risks. I mean look at us….._The others start to pay attention to William…_.We've survived plagues, possessions, nuclear threats, insanity, and everything in between. We always take risks. We always fight….knowing that it may be our last. Yes, Odd's prediction makes it scary because it assures us that one of us is not going to make it. But are you seriously going to quit the fight because of it? Or are you going to keep going in spite of it?

_The warriors stare at William closely, letting his powerful words sink in. William points around the room. _

**William: **How many of you here are willing to die if it means defeating Moriarty?

_The heavily loaded question casts a weight of uncertainty on them. For three seconds or so, no one replies. They all observe each other uneasily. Finally Odd clears his throat. He looks up confidently. _

**Odd: **I am….

_William turns and smiles, regarding Odd with pleasant surprise. _

**William: **As am I….

_The two of them place their right hands in the middle of the group huddle, indicating for the others to follow their example. Aelita forces herself at ease and exhales. _

**Aelita: **My father gave everything to stop him. _She places her hand on top of William's and Odd's. _And so will I….

_Ulrich watches the unfolding scene and suddenly becomes bold. He stretches his hand out. _

**Ulrich: **I was willing to do it before….and I'm willing to do it again.

_Yumi's face is expressionless. She merely holds out her hand and stares blankly at her friends. _

**Yumi: **Justice…..at any cost.

_This scene has deeply moved Jeremie. He takes off his glasses and looks away. The rest of the warriors look at Jeremie, waiting for his answer. They gaze at him intently. Jeremie realizes that they are looking for him to lead them. He can't help but imagine them as soldiers ready to obey their general's every order, even if that order is a reckless charge that will bring them certain death. They stare at him as willing sacrifices, sheep prepared to be slaughtered. A tear falls from Jeremie's eye. He gets up from the chair. His cold hand is placed on top of the others. _

**Jeremie: **I will be with you every step of the way. I may not be able to fight with you, but I will do everything in my power to keep you alive. I promise to keep your safety first and listen to you…..something I haven't done in the past. And believe me, I'm willing to take the ultimate risk, even if that means meeting my end in the real world.

_A sad but resolute determination rises out of the depths of their fears and emboldens them. They look at each other and smile with their hands together in a pile. They stand there like a team of gladiators, getting ready to walk into the arena and fight for their lives. Gradually the hand huddle is broken up. _

**William: **So, who's up for some offense?

**Odd: **Me.

_The warriors look at Odd, surprised that he has offered and hesitant to include him. _

**Aelita: **Odd….are you sure?

**Odd: **Hey, I finally got over my fear of Lyoko. You didn't think I would go backwards, did you?

**Jeremie: **It's still a dangerous mission Odd.

**Odd: **Yes. But the danger here with Moriarty around is getting worse as well, and I can't bury my head in the sand forever.

_Ulrich nods. _

**Ulrich: **He makes a good point.

**Odd: **Besides, this would just be a warmup for the main challenge.

_The group looks at Odd in confusion, wondering what his words mean. Odd smiles and waits to see if the others figure it out. Finally a light goes off in Yumi's head. _

**Yumi: **You….you're planning on leaving the factory?

_Odd nods. _

**William: **Today?

**Odd: **You got that right.

**Aelita: **Are you sure you're ready?

**Odd: **Well I'll never know if I don't try. _He looks around the lab room. _I'm tired of hiding in this prison. There's only one way to face my problems, and that's head on.

_These words reverberate through Odd's mind as he charges the Skid back in the Network. He fires torpedoes, but it is no match for the firepower of his much larger opponent. The counterattack makes his Nav Skid begin to fall apart. Red warning lights illuminate his cockpit. His hands shake on the controls. _

**Skid system: **Warning….imminent structural breach.

**Odd: **Jeremie, would a collision into these guys virtualize me forever?

**Jeremie: **Um…..I don't think so….why?

_Odd accelerates straight at the Skid. Dark Aelita begins to realize what he is doing and tries to veer out of the way. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, wait! I SAID I DON'T THINK SO! I CAN'T PROMISE YOU THAT-

**Odd: **My vision said nothing about this…._His exploding Nav Skid barrels toward its opponent. _Kamikaze!

_The two vehicles collide and instantly explode together. Despite Jeremie's concern, a blue light does envelop the area where Odd was destroyed. Jeremie groans and rubs his forehead. _

**Jeremie: **Well, that's one way to take care of them.

_Meanwhile William is heading toward his ultimate goal. He starts firing at the cables that are connecting to the infected databases. They start to disintegrate upon impact. He blows a cluster to pieces and howls with victory. He looks behind him. _

**William: **Hope that wasn't important Moriarty!

**Jeremie: **William in front of you!

_William turns to see his path completely blocked by cables. He can't react in time. _

**William: **Me and my big-

_He explodes. Ulrich can feel the vibration from his passage several meters away. _

**Ulrich: **Great. It's up to me again. _The core is now within his sights. The turrets continue to fire, but Ulrich has honed his reflexes well. His eyes are locked onto his goal. All of a sudden the turrets stop firing and disappear. There is nothing but a clear path to the core. _Well, that can't be good.

_A torpedo that strikes the rear of his Nav Skid warns Ulrich of Dark Ulrich's presence behind him. Ulrich speeds up. _

**Ulrich: **You're not stopping me this time. I've come too far.

_He looks in front of him to see the glistening white core of Moriarty surrounded by the four pyramid structures. Ulrich's heart races. _

**Ulrich: **100 meters and closing….come on!

_His clear shot is suddenly dashed by the sight of Dark Yumi's Nav Skid rising in front of him. She fires her torpedoes at the same time Dark Ulrich does. The two sets of missiles close in on him from front and back. He grimaces. _

**Ulrich: **So close…

_Ulrich explodes and disappears into the blue light. He walks out of the scanner and nearly falls over. His body feels like it was rearranged and put back together several times. He sees that the other warriors are also recovering on the floor. A few of them groan. _

**Yumi: **Devirtualization from cyber bridge….so much more uncomfortable.

**Odd: **I'm going to barf.

_Aelita sits against a scanner, breathing deeply. _

**Aelita: **Better than….not coming back at all.

_William is face down on the floor, refusing to move. _

**William: **Are you sure we're completely back? I think Jeremie forgot my kidneys or something.

_Jeremie walks out of the elevator, smiling proudly. _

**Jeremie: **If the cyber bridge left out your kidneys, I would know. But good work guys. You were great out there.

**Ulrich: **What are you talking about? We failed.

**Jeremie: **True, but you got closer than last time. And now that we have the cyber bridge, we can try again and again until we succeed.

_William weakly raises his fist in mock excitement. _

**William: **Hooray….

**Aelita: **Moriarty knows that we don't have a reason to hold back anymore. He might try to eliminate the cyber bridge apparatus at the entrance to Lyoko.

_Jeremie shakes his head happily. _

**Jeremie: **I wouldn't worry too much about that. I put some heavy shields around it. And I also planted a trap. If Moriarty starts to really do some damage, the apparatus is programmed to fire a devastating blast at Moriarty's infected databases. Not enough to kill him unfortunately, but it will give him a shock that he will never forget.

_A thought crosses Ulrich's mind. _

**Ulrich: **So if we fired on our own thing, couldn't we technically-?

_Jeremie gives Ulrich a condescending look. _

**Jeremie: **The attack is reserved for the worst case scenario only, not for your own amusement.

**Ulrich: **Can't blame a guy for trying…

_Several minutes later, Ulrich, Aelita, William, Yumi, and Jeremie gather together in the middle of the bridge. It is twilight, and a beautiful sunset is descending on the city of Paris. At the warriors' sides is Kiwi, who waits eagerly for his master. Odd is standing at the entrance of the factory, staring at his friends with a hint of trepidation. They are separated by a distance of several meters. For Odd, it might as well be a mile. His friends watch him closely, waiting for him to make his move. _

**Jeremie: **Whenever you're ready Odd.

_Odd nods. He takes several deep breaths. He practices speaking to himself, calming his mind to prevent any sort of relapse. But he still has difficulty making that first step. _

**Aelita: **If you want, we can wait a few days…

**Odd: **No. I've waited long enough.

_He looks at the ground. His feet are only centimeters away from the outside world. A strong wave of uncertainty strikes him. _

**Odd: **It's just a bridge. It's just a bridge….I can do this.

_He inhales deeply and takes a first step before he can change his mind. He stumbles forward a little bit more. He looks behind him. He has walked about a meter. He turns to see his friends beckoning him forward. _

**Yumi: **Come on Odd!

**Aelita: **You can do it!

**William: **One step at a time. That's all.

_Odd appreciates their encouragement, but it is not silencing the terrible fury of his heartbeat and the growing panic in his mind. His legs are shaking. His palms start to sweat. But he moves forward. _

**Ulrich: **That's it. You're doing it!

_Kiwi barks with joy. Although the others continue to urge him on, Odd has become lost. Every ounce of his being is fighting to keep him from flying back to the factory. He wraps his arms around his chest to hold himself together. He walks toward them. When he is about halfway there, the sheer reality of the world's bigness and the memories associated with it hit him like a tidal wave. He gasps. He closes his eyes and tries to move forward, but it does no good. He is frozen with fear. The others look on in disappointment. _

**William: **He's not ready….

**Aelita: **No. He can do it. He just needs help.

_Aelita walks over to where Odd is standing. Yumi follows her example. They both grab his hands. Odd looks up at them in surprise. _

**Aelita: **Come on Odd. We'll do this with you.

**Yumi: **Everything will be fine. You'll see.

_They start to pull him forward. Odd tries to endure the agony, but suddenly an image of Moriarty in his human form staring menacingly at him makes his blood run cold. He opens his eyes and resists Yumi and Aelita's forceful encouragement. _

**Odd: **N-no….

**Aelita: **Don't fight it Odd. It will pass. You'll see. Just keep walking, please.

_They move a little closer to the male warriors. The burning skull pierces Odd's conscience. It zaps all courage from him. Odd screams. He breaks the girls' grip and runs back to the factory. He leans on the entrance, doing his best to recover. The others look at him and sigh. They walk toward him. Aelita puts a hand on his shoulder. _

**Odd: **Wasn't…..ready.

**Aelita: **It's okay. You will be. You just need more time.

**Odd: **How much time do I need?

_The others can't provide an answer. _

**Aelita: **Just….rest for now. You already did a lot today.

**William: **Baby steps Odd. Don't try to cure yourself in one day.

**Ulrich: **You'll be all ready to go in a few days. Don't you worry.

_Odd hangs his head in despair. He turns away from his friends, who still want to comfort him. But he doesn't want to hear it. _

**Odd: **Goodnight.

_He passes silently into the factory. No one tries to follow him. Later that night, Odd mopes in the lab room. Kiwi is at his side, wagging his tail happily. Odd groans._

**Odd: **I'm running out of options Kiwi. What am I supposed to do?

_Kiwi licks his master's hand. Odd pays no attention to him. While he looks absentmindedly about the room, his eyes notice the dreaded PTSD helmet in the corner. Odd shudders at the sight. But suddenly a new conviction strengthens his will. He stands up and walks over to it. He picks it up. He sees his reflection in the shiny metal. Odd bites his lip. _

**Odd: **I swore I would never put this thing on again but….

_He stands there in silence, holding the helmet. He flips the matter over in his mind several times. His grip on the helmet tightens. Odd walks over to the command chair and puts the helmet on. _

**Odd: **I am not staying here until I'm 90…

_Without any supervision, Odd starts up the machine. Kiwi wags his tail slowly, anxiously watching for his master's response to the strange object on his head. The next morning outside Delmas' office, his secretary Nicole is working diligently at her computer. The sunlight fills the room and makes Nicole feel at ease. All is calm…..until the door to Delmas' office is thrust open and a very angry Brazilian girl walks out. _

**Isabel: **_BABACA! _I want to go home!

**Delmas: **Miss Cacais, please….try to calm down.

_Venom spews out of her screaming mouth. _

**Isabel: **I WANT OUT OF THIS INSANE COUNTRY!

**Delmas: **…This is out of my control…

**Isabel: **If you think I'm staying at this school one more minute, YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MIND!

**Delmas: **You have no where else to go and furthermore….

_Isabel glares at Delmas one more time and turns away. _

**Isabel: **Unbelievable! My father will hear about this!

_She thunders out of the office. Delmas groans and rubs his head. _

**Delmas: **Great….I can't do anything at this school and I still get in trouble.

_Nicole coughs a little. _

**Nicole: **Sir….

_She points to the camera in the upper right hand corner of the ceiling. Delmas lowers his head. _

**Delmas: **Yes…..I know I have to watch what I say. _He scratches his beard. _This must be a strange situation for you.

_Nicole goes back to working at the computer. _

**Nicole: **Other than the fact that I no longer know who my real boss is….not really.

_Outside, Isabel fumes on the steps outside the office. Lucas and Tobias approach her. _

**Lucas: **W-we're s-stuck here?

**Isabel: **What do you think pea-brain? Don't you think I would walk out the front gate if I could?

**Tobias: **Hey now, no need to get testy…

**Isabel: **I'll get 'testy' if I want to! I want to go home! Back to São Paulo! Paris is not what I imagined it would be.

_Lucas nervously bobs his head up and down. _

**Lucas: **D-didn't expect p-plague either.

_Isabel balls her fists together. _

**Isabel: **When my dad finds out about this, that principal is so dead!

**Tobias: **It's not like he can help it. Our countries refuse to let us back in. Not until they're sure we ain't a health hazard. This bug has gotten everyone scared, so we're just going to have to be patient.

**Isabel: **Oh who asked you? Don't you want to go back to America?

**Tobias: **Sure I do. _He suddenly pauses and looks at the ground. _Although….less than usual considering my girl back home just left me for some country hick.

**Lucas: **D-d-dumped?

_Tobias sighs. _

**Tobias: **Brutally…so much for staying loyal while I was gone…

_Isabel casts an angry eye at the two males. _

**Isabel: **I don't care about your problems. _She gets up and starts to walk away. _And stop following me! Why do you two try to hang out with me?

_Tobias throws his hands up innocently. _

**Tobias: **Hey, we're just trying to be friendly. We all are new here, so I figured we should stick together.

_Isabel scoffs at them. _

**Isabel: **Thanks but no thanks.

_She walks away. _

**Lucas: **B-b-bit…bi-

**Tobias: **Save your breath. You don't have to state the obvious.

_Across the courtyard, a crowd is gathering outside the lunch room. The object of attention is Emmanuel, who is standing on the front steps. His tense face and raised fist add to the ferocity of the rant he is giving his fellow students. _

**Emmanuel: **The more I think about what's happened, the more angry I get. Think about it! A strange sickness nearly brings this city to its knees, and what has the government told us? NOTHING! _Several students nod and affirm their agreement. _They keep telling us that everything's fine. That everything is under control. Well I ask you….is it? First La Santé Prison….which in case you've forgotten, caused a hostage situation here. Second Sarkozy is nearly killed during a speech. And now this plague! Not only was it terrifying, it made no sense. Forty people die and then the disease disappears without any explanation? Not that I'm complaining to have survived….most of you here also got very sick. But for the love of God, don't we deserve an explanation? _Several stuents shout in agreement. _After all of these 'random' emergencies, who's to say that another one is out of the question? Are we really safe? _Emmanuel points at the people watching him. _And furthermore, what did the government do to help? Did Sarkozy do anything to save our lives? NO! He hid in his bunker and watched. But he has no problem lying to us and covering up the truth! _He tightens his fist. _Has anyone considered the possibility that this could have been a biological attack by terrorists? If it wasn't, why are they being so secretive? _He raises his hands in the air with total exasperation and fury. _And to top it all off, the teachers here are spoon feeding us the same crap the government has been giving us. Delmas has told us to continue going to class and return to our normal routines. THERE IS NO NORMAL ANYMORE! It's a lie! None of them are saying a word about it, except for Dr. Renard, who has the courage to stand up to the stupid system at this school. And until more do so, I say he's the only one we can trust…

_Jim walks onto the scene. His hands are on his hips in his classic authoritarian stance. _

**Jim: **Alright that's enough. All of you get out of here! Go to class!

_Emmanuel points at Jim. _

**Emmanuel: **Do you not see my point?

**Jim: **Maillard, get down from there right now or you're going to the principal's office!

**Emmanuel: **At least then I might get some straight answers! But all we are getting are lies a five year-old could see through. We want to know the truth, and you can't silence us forever.

_The crowd shouts out in agreement, protesting the state of affairs at the school. Emmanuel gives Jim a smug look of defiance. Jim groans in frustration, realizing that this is going to be harder than he thought. Moriarty proudly watches Emmanuel work from the comfort of his classroom. He drinks his coffee slowly and methodically. He hears a knock on his door. _

**Moriarty: **Come in.

_Through the large wooden door the figures of school reporters Milly Solovieff and Tamiya Diop emerge. Milly enters the doors first. She is now a thirteen year-old girl who has managed to hit a small growth spurt. Her entrance into puberty and her decision to wear her red hair in a ponytail instead of pigtails has given her more of a grown up look. Tamiya still has a childlike face, but she has grown some as well. She too has removed her pigtails but has kept her hair braided. Milly immediately smiles brightly at Moriarty in an attempt to make a good impression. Tamiya comes in with less confidence than her partner, but she also manages to smile. The two walk to Moriarty's desk. _

**Milly: **You wanted to see us sir?

_Moriarty finally turns away from the window. _

**Moriarty: **Why yes…._He pauses. _Tamiya and Milly. It's nice to see you again. I hope your 'exclusive' interview with me did well in the papers.

_Milly becomes enthusiastic. _

**Milly: **Did it ever! Being able to interview the man who saved Kadic and getting the news before anyone else could was….._She loses herself in the memory. _INCREDIBLE! The best story we've ever done! Can you believe it? News stations had to call US to ask for more information on you!

_Moriarty smiles modestly. _

**Moriarty: **And of course the students enjoyed it…

**Milly: **Oh they couldn't get enough! We were afraid we would run out of paper they were going out so fast. The _Kadic Herald _was so popular!

**Tamiya: **Even more than when Chris Morales came to the school.

**Moriarty: **I'm glad to hear it. Though I have to say adjusting to the spotlight has been difficult, I am very happy it did so well. After all, that's the kind of thing that could make you professional journalists in the future.

_Milly and Tamiya don't say anything but their exuberant faces tell Moriarty that the thought is giving them a wonderful taste of a childhood dream becoming reality. _

**Milly: **That's what we intend sir.

**Moriarty: **So what are you working on now?

**Tamiya: **Oh right now we're asking students how they are feeling after the plague went through the school. There are so many stories! Milly and I have been running around nonstop to get the scoops.

_Milly leans forward closer to Moriarty. _

**Milly: **In fact Dr. Renard, we were hoping you could tell us about your experience. You're so popular here now and we know that you cared for several students when they were sick.

**Tamiya: **You wouldn't mind a short interview would you?

_Tamiya takes out her camera and starts to film Moriarty. Moriarty quickly motions for her not to do that. _

**Moriarty: **Um…..yes but not right now. I didn't call you here so you could interview me.

_Tamiya turns her camera off with disappointment. _

**Tamiya: **Oh….I'm sorry.

**Milly: **So, if that wasn't it, then what-?

_Moriarty raises his index finger to tell Milly to be quiet. Milly obeys. Moriarty leans back in his chair. _

**Moriarty: **I called you here to discuss the role of your paper here on campus.

_Milly and Tamiya's faces become blank. Tamiya scratches her head. _

**Tamiya: **The role of our paper?

**Moriarty: **Why yes. I mean your school paper has gotten really popular and I think it's time for us to think about what you publish at this school and the kind of impact it has on the students.

_Milly nods with understanding, but she still gives Moriarty an inquisitive look. _

**Milly: **Yes but….shouldn't we be speaking to Mr. Delmas about that?

_Moriarty laughs a little bit. _

**Moriarty: **Oh no, you needn't worry about that. Mr. Delmas has given me permission to be your faculty supervisor for the paper.

**Tamiya: **Faculty supervisor? We've never had one before…

**Moriarty: **Oh rest assured, I don't plan on controlling what you publish. But you are still young and you need access to certain resources that only faculty can provide. And besides, a little constructive criticism from some adults would do wonders to improve the quality of the paper.

_Milly seems to gradually accept the idea. _

**Milly: **Well I mean…..I guess-_She looks at Tamiya and smiles. She looks back at Moriarty. _Now that I think about it, we would really love it if you worked with us!

**Moriarty: **That's great. _He rests his fists on the desk and leans forward. _So tell me, what are the usual accepted parameters of your work?

_Tamiya stutters. _

**Tamiya: **Uh well usually we try to keep the articles no more than fifteen hundred words…

_Moriarty shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **No no. I mean what are your limits? What can and can't you write about? What kind of freedom do you have?

_Milly stands there a moment lost in thought, not having expected the question. She flips her hair back and shrugs. _

**Milly: **There are things that we can't say. Like we can't write about teachers in a negative way, we have to avoid personal attacks on students, and we have to be careful about sensitive topics at school and sometimes….

_Moriarty holds out his hand to signal for Milly to stop. _

**Moriarty: **Yes I figured as much. You won't have to worry about that anymore.

_Milly and Tamiya look at each other strangely, trying to see if they heard Moriarty correctly. Milly then stares at Moriarty intently. _

**Milly: **Sir….are you saying that-?

**Moriarty: **Well you are reporters are you not? And you aspire to make a career out of it. Then shouldn't you have freedom of the press?

**Tamiya: **But….we are still students. I mean teachers have control and stuff.

**Moriarty: **That doesn't mean that they are immune to criticism.

**Milly: **Did Mr. Delmas really approve..?

_Moriarty appears to be hurt at the reporters' questions. He sighs and gazes away from them. _

**Moriarty: **Are you telling me you DON'T want this freedom?

_Milly and Tamiya immediately shake their heads madly. Milly forces a smile to remove Moriarty's doubts. _

**Tamiya: **Oh no Dr. Renard!

**Milly: **We do really appreciate it! _She locks her hands together in almost a prayer pose and leans toward her new supervisor. _And we would like to be treated like real reporters.

**Moriarty: **Good. So tell me. Now that you have this freedom, what is the first thing you are going to do?

_An idea immediately pops into Milly's head. Her face becomes bright with excitement. She turns her head to face Tamiya. _

**Milly: **Oh! After the plague scoop we can interview Rosa about the real quality of our cafeteria food and make sure she tells the truth. Can you just see the look on her face? She would freak!

**Tamiya: **Yeah! And then we can reveal all of Sissi's embarrassing moments that we know but could never publish!

**Milly:** And don't forget about Delmas' penguin game habits.

**Tamiya: **And we could research Jim's secret past!

_While the girls babble on with ridiculous joy, Moriarty rests his head on his hand in exasperation. He scratches his head and mutters something to himself. But he quickly draws up a smile onto his face. _

**Moriarty: **Girls, girls. Those ideas are all….interesting, but would you rather not focus on something else?

_Milly and Tamiya stop their celebration and give Moriarty a confused stare. _

**Tamiya: **You mean like writing about the leaky toilets above the science lab?

_Moriarty shakes his head and makes a mental note not to go to the science lab. _

**Moriarty: **Girls, you want to be professional reporters do you not?

**Milly & Tamiya: **Yes sir.

**Moriarty: **Then why focus on silly gossip and stuff the tabloids are made for?

_Milly and Tamiya become quiet and start to seriously think this over. They both frown as this realization begins to kick in. Tamiya taps her foot on the floor. _

**Tamiya: **Because it's…interesting. It gets us readers.

**Milly: **Yeah….and it's also really fun.

_Moriarty taps his fingers on the table and nods with understanding. _

**Moriarty: **Gossip is a very powerful tool, I will admit. _He stops tapping and gazes at the two girls shrewdly. His facial expression immediately reminds them that this man possesses an intellect and character that they desperately want to experience. His suave attitude charms them into diverting their whole attention to him. The girls are spellbound by this mysterious substitute, this hero of Kadic. And Moriarty knows it. _But the content of said gossip needs to change. It must be more mature, more focused, more….._He smiles. _scathing…

**Tamiya: **Scathing?

_Moriarty shrugs. _

**Moriarty: **A real reporter holds nothing back. If you want to write about something and you have evidence to support it, you shouldn't have to worry about hurting feelings or following some ridiculous school code.

**Milly: **That's true.

**Moriarty: **But more importantly, as seasoned reporters, don't you want to focus on heavier matters?

**Tamiya: **You mean like…._She pauses in thought. _politics?

_Moriarty snaps his fingers at points at Tamiya. _

**Moriarty: **Now there's an idea. Politics is a very mature topic.

**Milly: **So you don't want us to write gossip?

**Moriarty: **Oh gossip is fine. _He gets up and walks around his desk toward them. _It just needs to be reformed and I would prefer that it not be the exclusive focus of the _Kadic Herald. _What's going around in the world is also important.

**Tamiya: **I guess we could be more serious. As long as we can still have a gossip section.

**Moriarty: **As I said before, gossip is not a problem. And I can make your gossip better.

**Milly: **You can?

**Moriarty: **Of course. _He extends his hand in the form of a deal. _Just make sure you take a look outside Kadic every now and then, and I will be sure to make sure you never run out of juicy gossip.

**Milly: **Okay….but I have to warn you that not many students seem to be interested in reading about politics.

_Moriarty shakes her somewhat reluctant hand and smiles. _

**Moriarty: **Oh trust me. They will….

_William puts on his jacket as he prepares to leave his dorm room and start the day. He looks at the small mirror in the wall and adjusts his hair. He stands up straight and breathes deeply, mentally preparing himself for another round of frightening education from his mortal enemy. As William enjoys these last moments of peace and security, he hears a knock on the door. _

**William: **Come in.

_Jim walks into the room carrying a large white box. He seems to be eyeing it eagerly. _

**Jim: **Well, William, you are one lucky man. This thing smells really tasty.

**William: **That's great I…_He pauses for a moment. _Tasty?

_He takes the package from Jim's hands and looks inside. It contains a rather large round cake covered with blue icing. William looks at the present with surprise. _

**William: **I didn't know I'd be getting a cake…

**Jim: **If you don't end up eating it all…_Jim rubs his large belly hungrily. _I'd be happy to take some of it of your hands. Only if you want to though. _He begins to go out the door. _But seriously let me know.

_Jim leaves the room. William finds a piece of paper to the side of the cake. It is folded in half. William opens it and begins to read. _

_Dear William, _

_I know we already apologized to you profusely about not making it to the hospital to see you, but we cannot help but feel that apologies are not enough. I know you told us it wasn't a big deal and that you understand that the chaos of those few days made it impossible, but nothing can excuse us from not being at your side when you were gravely ill. Our shame is only surpassed by our overwhelming relief and joy at the fact that you are now alive and well. At least we can rest easy knowing that Rosaire was able to visit you in our place. Your mother insisted that we give this to you in the hope that you will find a way to forgive us. We hope that you will enjoy it and take time to recover. Don't ever scare us like that again and please don't eat it all yourself! Share it with those friends you have told us about. _

_ Love, Dad_

_William finishes reading. He awkwardly smiles at this heartfelt note from his dad and puts it back. He closes the box and leaves the room without a word. _

_Soon afterwards Yumi and William sit with the rest of their 10__th__ grade history class. The classroom is abuzz with discussion. The fear and strangeness of the recent illness is the hot topic. At the center of it all Emmanuel continues to make his voice clear among the circular formation of the desks. He repeats his conspiracy theory tirade, which is quickly followed by either enthusiastic support or violent denial. Yumi and William sit at their desks quietly, trying to block it all out. To the left of them Natalya and Christophe sit together. Natalya gives Emmanuel a piece of her mind, while Christophe just remains quiet and glares at him. As soon as the door opens the room falls silent. Moriarty walks in front of his desk and pulls some papers out of his briefcase. He holds them up and looks at them for a moment. He shakes his head sadly. _

**Moriarty: **Bad news comrades. Our last test didn't go so well.

_He starts to pass them out. A groan of disappointment steadily goes around the circle like a snake wrapping around its prey. Moriarty hardly makes any eye contact with the students and simply hands them out like a machine. But he does slow down a little bit at Yumi and William's table to give them a warm smile. Yumi and William do not return it. As the students take a harder look at their tests, a wave of confusion and anger slowly arises. _

**Anais: **Hey wait a minute! All our test scores are the same!

**Moriarty: **Indeed Comrade Fiquet. They are all 67s.

_The clamor in the classroom becomes louder. _

**Anais: **But but…..I studied…..and most of my answers are correct! How could I get a 67?

**Moriarty: **You received a 67 because all of our grades are held in common. And that was the average classroom grade, so that is your score.

_Anais clutches her paper tightly, fuming at this injustice. _

**Anais: **But Comrade Renard, I earned better than this!

**Moriarty: **Indeed you did. You did very well and I was very impressed. Unfortunately some of the class didn't.

**Anais: **That…..that's not fair!

_Moriarty looks at her with a smug grin. _

**Moriarty: **Fair to you? No. Fair to the entire class commune? Yes. _Moriarty notices that Anais is looking down at the floor and is steadily becoming very upset._ But don't take it too personally Comrade Fiquet. Many students got much less than they deserved.

_Some students pipe in. _

**Henri: **Yeah, I know I deserved better than this.

**Amélie: **My grade was higher too.

**Paul: **This isn't right. If this keeps up we'll all fail.

_Before the protests can become more heated, Moriarty leans against his desk and stares at the students quietly. There is a great intensity and purpose to his expression, like a predator waiting for his quarry to come to him. Gradually the students get the message and become silent. A few moments pass. Moriarty looks out the window, as if bored by the silly protests from his students. _

**Moriarty: **Comrades…..if you are upset you have no one but yourselves to blame. You were overjoyed to hear that grades were going to be held in common. That you would no longer have to worry about individual effort….

**Anais: **Then…..what happened?

**Moriarty: **Communism. That's what happened. _The students quickly become puzzled. Moriarty rolls his eyes at their slowness. He paces around the room. _It's very simple. Since you believed a stronger form of socialism would solve Europe's economic woes, I adapted that to a classroom setting. Immediately your fears of grades were diminished because you were not relying on individual effort. There is only one problem. Once the fear was taken away, your incentive to work was taken away as well. After all, why not let some other student go the extra mile and do the work for you? It sounds good doesn't it? Only one problem. If every student no longer wants to work, then the overall class performance plummets. You were all expecting someone to rise to the occasion and work for the rest of you, but it didn't happen. Instead all students, regardless of how low or high their average was, slacked off and it has made everyone suffer as a result.

_Moriarty's speech immediately silences them. As the words sink in, they begin to stop complaining. Yumi and William look at each other grimly, unable to deny Moriarty's logic. Emmanuel leans back in his chair and nods. _

**Emmanuel: **Then communism can't work.

**Moriarty: **That's exactly what Eastern Europe said in 1989. And now Comrade M'Bala _He glares triumphantly at him. _I believe I win our bet.

_Christophe twirls his iPod speakers with barely restrained annoyance. _

**Christophe: **Comrade Renard, what I was suggesting was not communism. It was socialism.

**Moriarty: **But we already have that in our country. I mean…this is Europe after all. And you suggested that more was necessary, so I figured that you wanted something farther to the left. And communism is farther to the left. _He shrugs at him innocently. _I was just giving you what you wanted.

**Christophe: **That's not what I wanted.

**Moriarty: **Then what did you want?

**Christophe: **I…_He can't find an answer. He quickly realizes that the whole class is staring at him. Christophe quickly becomes embarrassed and furious knowing that Moriarty has backed him into a corner. He lowers his head. _I'm not sure…

**Moriarty: **Nor do I Comrade M'Bala….

_Emmanuel snickers at Christophe's clear intellectual defeat. His eyes wander to the left where Mathias Burel is sitting. Emmanuel can see red marks all over his paper. He instantly lowers his eyebrows and becomes angry. He grabs Mathias' shirt collar, much to the shock of Mathias and the rest of the class. _

**Emmanuel: **Hey! You should have gotten worse than a 67! _Mathias shakes slightly at the anger burning from Emmanuel's face. _You lazy piece of crap! You screwed us all over!

_One sharp look from Moriarty makes Emmanuel reluctantly lower Mathias down. Mathias sheepishly tries to avoid angry glances from the rest of the class. _

**Moriarty: **Comrade Burel merely acted logically in the face of the communist system. He didn't need to work hard, so he didn't. Don't blame Comrade Burel. Blame human nature. _He sits back down at his desk. He spins his chair around nonchalantly and faces the chalkboard. The students are left with nothing but a view of the back of his head. _So I'm guessing you are tired of communism now?

_Frustrated and embarrassed yeses echo through the room. Moriarty spins wildly around in his chair and stares at his students eagerly. The sudden motion catches several of them off guard. He stands up straight. _

**Moriarty: **Good. I was tired of calling you comrades. And you calling me comrade. It annoyed me. You learned your lesson blah blah blah. Let's move on…

_William breathes a sigh of relief. _

**William: **At least the experiment's over. He won't have an excuse to target us now.

**Yumi: **Uh…..not so fast.

**William: **Not so fast what?

**Yumi: **This is a double feature…..remember?

**William: **Wait…._An uneasy feeling passes through his chest. _You mean far left and far…

_Yumi bites her lip and nods. A tremor of horror passes through William's mostly stoic face. _

**William: **Oh shi-

**Moriarty: **Move those desks back. We won't need them in a circle anymore. _A terrible chorus of screeching ensues. Moriarty turns his back and hums a tune to himself as the horrible noise behind him progresses. Once the noise stops, he turns around. The desks are back in their regular position. The students are as well. They are lounging about with mundane despair and disappointment. Moriarty observes their dreary expression with his sharp analytical eyes. He puts his hands behind his back and struts about the room happily. _Now why the long faces? I thought you enjoyed this experiment.

**Anais: **We did….

**Morgane: **Until we got our grades back.

**Thomas: **And we ended up looking stupid.

_Mathias finds the courage to speak up now. _

**Mathias: **The roleplaying was fun. But we were proven wrong. You were right Dr. Renard. What we thought doesn't always work in practice. _He adjusts his glasses. His downcast expression reveals his guilt for helping end the experiment. _We're glad we don't have to worry about grades falling anymore, but now class is just going to go back to normal. I guess that's what's disappointing about it.

_Moriarty peers at Mathias strangely and scratches his ear, pretending that he didn't hear Mathias correctly. He gives the same look to the rest of the class, giving the impression that the teacher and his pupils are clearly not on the same page. An uncomfortable hush falls on the room as the students start to get the memo that Moriarty is about to unfold something else on them. As soon as Moriarty can see that they have gotten the message, he begins to smile. _

**Yumi: **Oh boy. Here we go.

**William: **Oh this isn't happening.

_Yumi clutches her shirt collar uneasily. _

**Yumi: **But it is. God help us…

**Moriarty: **Back to normal? _He says those words with utter disgust. _Why students, the fun is only just beginning.

_A fever of curiosity begins to leak into the room. Students whisper among themselves, wondering what Moriarty has in mind. Christophe looks at William and Yumi with concern. Their negative reactions confirm his fears. Moriarty turns his head toward the door. _

**Moriarty: **Mr. Klotz, you can come in now.

_To everyone's surprise, Hans Klotz comes in. He quickly pulls up a chair and takes a seat in the front right corner of the room. _

**Moriarty: **Mr. Klotz will be visiting our class today. He wanted to watch the beginning of our next phase.

**Mathias: **The next phase? What do you mean?

**Moriarty: **Why don't you remember Mathias? This is a test of extremes. Both extremes.

**Mathias: **You mean…._He pushes his glasses up his nose with a hint of nervousness. _We're going to be total fascists and call you Fuhrer Renard?

_The thought, although disturbing in nature, makes a few students laugh. Moriarty smiles and lets the silliness of the idea sink in. _

**Moriarty: **Ah yes. Just like communism, fascism has a very bad history. And no doubt it makes a few of you feel uneasy. But just humor me for now. Let's forget the historical baggage and focus on the fundamentals of what it means to be 'far right'. _He turns around and writes the words FASCISM on the chalkboard. He puts the chalk down and turns around. _Fascism. An extreme far right ideology. How is it different from communism?

_Emmanuel immediately raises his hand. _

**Moriarty: **Yes Emmanuel?

**Emmanuel: **Fascism has a strong emphasis on national identity and physical strength of the people.

**Moriarty: **Very good. What else?

_The room becomes silent. People look around to see if someone answers, but no one does. Moriarty scratches his head in disappointment. _

**Moriarty: **Oh think classmates. What is one thing you lacked in our little communist experiment?

_When no one answers, Moriarty goes to the board and writes DISCIPLINE. He turns back around. _

**Moriarty: **Discipline. In a communist society discipline easily falls apart. In a fascist society, discipline is key. Discipline is what keeps a society strong. So…._He slams his fist against his open palm. _We must have discipline!

_Instantly several students begin to groan. The response temporarily makes Yumi and William feel at ease. _

**William: **Maybe this won't work after all.

**Yumi: **Yeah. And maybe he'll give up and send us an apology gift.

**William: **Thanks for the sarcasm. But speaking of gifts…

**Moriarty: **Now students….._He calmly absorbs the reaction and laughs. He turns to Mr. Klotz. _I figured that they wouldn't take it too well.

_Klotz smiles. _

**Klotz: **I honestly thought it would be worse than it is now.

_Moriarty turns back around. His piercing and mysterious stare makes them quiet again. Moriarty lets a few seconds of silence sink in before he speaks. _

**Moriarty: **You hate that word even more than fascism I see. But…..I believe years of obeying parents and teachers have given you the wrong idea about discipline. I am not talking about simple obedience. I am talking about an organized system of power. Of strength. I am talking about….._He heavily emphasizes the next few words. _Strength through discipline!

_Moriarty writes those words on the board. _

**Moriarty: **We are talking about power…success. How many people here would like power and success?

_Everyone raises their hands except Yumi and William. Moriarty sees his chance and locks his predatory eyes on them. _

**Moriarty: **William, Yumi….you don't want success and power?

_Yumi's face glows with animosity. Her fingernails dig into the wood. _

**William: **Yumi…..choose your words carefully. Some of the class is already under his spell.

_Yumi breathes deeply. _

**Yumi: **It…depends on the power and success…..sir.

**Moriarty: **Ah, I see. You are trying to point out that success and power is not always a good thing. Very true. But that is beside the point. Without discipline, you cannot have either the good version or the bad. Discipline must be in place regardless. _He points to Anais. _You are a dancer, are you not?

**Anais: **Yes Dr. Renard.

**Moriarty: **And to be good, you must have the discipline to continue practicing, correct?

**Anais: **Yes sir.

**Moriarty: **And Yumi…_Moriarty relishes in her horror for being called on by him. _You practice Pencak Silat. That requires discipline, does it not?

**Yumi: **Yes…sir…

**Emmanuel: **Or a boyfriend to practice it with….

_The class laughs at Emmanuel's reference to Ulrich and Yumi's Pencak Silat sessions. Yumi turns red and glares at Emmanuel. Moriarty delights in this little humiliation. _

**Moriarty: **So now we are on the same page. We must have discipline. So we must establish a few rules. First, everyone must have good posture while sitting and standing. _He sees Mathias hunched over his desk. The slacker is starting to doze off. _MATHIAS! _Mathias bolts upright in surprise. _Your posture is terrible. No wonder you are so sleepy. Straighten your back and rest it firmly on the back of the chair. _He does so. _Now place your feet firmly on the floor parallel to each other. _Mathias obeys this as well. Moriarty nods with approval. _Good. _He points Mathias out as an example. _See how his back is straight and his knees are at a ninety degree angle? And that his head is facing straight forward? _He pauses. _Everyone take a deep breath. _They obey. _Now assume Mathias' position and take a deep breath. _A deep inhale reverberates in the room. Students suddenly appear more alert. _Now be honest with me, is it easier to breathe in this position?

_Everyone nods their heads. _

**Moriarty: **With proper posture you can be more alert and focused in class. That is the first rule. Second, we must have a leader. _He looks around the room_. Seeing as how I am the only adult here besides Mr. Klotz…no offense friend but you don't count, I shall be your leader.

_Henri pipes up to make a joke. _

**Henri: **Yay leader!

_A sharp glance from Moriarty silences him. Their leader shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **No. In a fascist society, the leader must be addressed with a respectful….powerful name.

**Mathias: **So we are going with Fuhrer?

**Moriarty: **No. How about something simple such as…._He thinks for a moment. Once he makes the decision, a self-glorifying smile takes form on his lips…_..Commandant? Yes…that's it. From now on you will refer to me as Commandant Renard or just Commandant. _A strange sensation of excitement enters the room. _Which brings me to our next rule. When you are answering a question or asking a question, you must stand up and always begin your question or statement with 'Commandant'.

_Christophe stands up and slams his hands on the table. _

**Christophe: **Sir, this is outrageous! You can't-

**Moriarty: **No! You weren't listening. Sit down. _Christophe reluctantly obeys. Moriarty turns to Emmanuel. _Emmanuel show Christophe the proper way of beginning a question.

_Emmanuel gets out of his chair and stands up straight. _

**Emmanuel: **Commandant.

_He sits back down. _

**Moriarty: **Good. Now it's your turn Christophe.

_Christophe grudgingly stands up from his chair. _

**Christophe: **Commandant Renard, this is outrageous. I know you think experimenting is fun but establishing yourself as a sort of fascist leader in our class is-

**Moriarty: **Oh that reminds me of the fourth rule. Don't ramble. When you answer or ask a question, make your answers as short and precise as possible. For instance…._He points to Emmanuel. _What was the last offensive campaign of the Third Reich?

_Emmanuel stands up again with the precision of a machine. _

**Emmanuel: **Commandant, The Battle of the Bulge.

_Moriarty points to Mathias. _

**Moriarty: **Who were the primary victims of the holocaust?

_Mathias awkwardly follows Emmanuel's example. _

**Mathias: **Commandant Renard, Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals.

_Moriarty's index finger goes to Anais. _

**Moriarty: **Who were the three primary nations of the Axis Powers?

_Anais bolts out of her chair. _

**Anais: **Commandant, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

_After Anais sits down, Moriarty stops the questions. He holds out his hands in the direction of the class. _

**Moriarty: **You see? Was that not easier? Standing up keeps your blood flowing, makes your brain sharp. _He stands there smiling for a moment. _Christophe, you may ask your question.

_Christophe stands up once again. _

**Christophe: **Commandant, this is an excess of power.

**Moriarty: **Very good. You followed my instructions perfectly. Unfortunately I don't agree with you.

_The class laughs after Christophe has gone through such efforts only to be shot down. He scowls at his history teacher with barely restrained hate. _

**Moriarty: **What are you worried about? Does this look like 1934 Germany? Are we threatening mass genocide? Think about it Christophe. In our communist experiment, did anyone starve from government neglect? Did we have our own Chernobyl? No. Look around you Christophe. This is just a classroom, full of classmates no different from you. You have absolutely nothing to fear….

_Christophe hangs his head in defeat. William groans. _

**William: **This isn't right. We shouldn't leave Christophe to take all the punches.

**Yumi: **True. But unlike us, Christophe doesn't know who he's dealing with.

**William: **So we just sit here until things spiral out of control?

**Yumi: **Speaking up too much is exactly what he wants us to do. Didn't you say that we need to choose our words carefully?

**William: **Yes, but choosing words implies that we don't remain completely silent.

**Moriarty: **So, besides discipline, what is needed in a fascist society?

_Moriarty points to various students who raise their hands. _

**Mathias: **Commandant, a strong sense of national identity.

**Amélie: **Commandant Renard, a regulated economic structure.

**Morgane: **Commandant, a totalitarian state.

**Henri: **Commandant, community.

_Moriarty interrupts. _

**Moriarty: **Yes! Community! That is what we need. A community that pushes itself toward strength and gradually removes all weaknesses. While communism seems to encourage collective mooching, fascism encourages its participants to push each other with constant improvement. That doesn't mean you can't help others, but it does mean that competition drives the society forward. _He looks around the room. _What else?

_Natalya raises her hand. She has a rebellious smirk on her face. Moriarty calls on her without hesitation. Natalya obeys the new protocol, but she does it with a slight flair that intentionally separates her from the rest of the students. _

**Natalya: **Commandant, no freedom of the press.

_Moriarty taps his fingers on the desk and thinks. _

**Moriarty: **That is an understood part of totalitarianism, but good Natalya. _He turns his back on the class and looks at her over his shoulder. His expression is unnervingly shrewd. _No doubt you understand that quite well.

_That last comment puts Natalya into a sort of petrified trance. She opens her mouth and closes it again several times. She stares at Moriarty as if he has just stabbed her in the chest. She flips her hair and avoids everyone's eye contact. She slowly and mechanically sits down. Her eyes lock onto the wood of the desk. William watches her bizarre reaction with concern. _

**Moriarty: **There is one final thing you are missing.

_Emmanuel raises his hand. Moriarty motions for him to answer. _

**Emmanuel: **Commandant Renard, a cause.

**Moriarty: **YES! _Moriarty almost shouts this. _A cause. A purpose. A direction. That is absolutely essential in a fascist system. A cause is needed so that every individual can become part of something larger than his or her self. All of you…._His eyes wander around the room…_.often have no direction. You don't have a purpose, a strong intention for your own life. And that is why I have called Mr. Klotz in here. _He walks toward his colleague. _Mr. Klotz, please do not give me any names, but what is the number one question troubled students ask you?

_Mr. Klotz stands up. _

**Klotz: **Commandant…

**Moriarty: **You don't have to call me Commandant.

_Klotz smiles at him. _

**Klotz: **But I want to. I don't want to destroy the mood of the experiment. It's best to be at the students' level.

**Moriarty: **Very well. What is the number one question?

**Klotz: **Commandant, Who am I?

**Moriarty: **That is it. That is the question you adolescents are asking at this point in your life. Your body and responsibilities are always changing. It is a hectic experience. Many students find themselves confused, directionless, and depressed. And they end up in Mr. Klotz's office. So Mr. Klotz, how do students try to handle that question?

_Mr. Klotz takes a moment to think it over. He scratches his thin beard to search for an answer. After a few moments he rises again. _

**Klotz: **Commandant, they pursue anything that gives them pleasure.

**Moriarty: **Interesting. Does that make them happy?

**Klotz: **Commandant, no it does not.

_Moriarty throws his hands up in the air. _

**Moriarty: **Of course it's not! You are doing nothing but chasing the wind! It's an endless search for scraps of enjoyment in a purposeless life. How exhausting! This freedom or burden to choose what to do leaves you confused and restless. Friends, with fascism you do have a purpose. What do you think the purpose is?

_No one is able to answer the question, not even Emmanuel. _

**Moriarty: **Your purpose…_He grins from ear to ear_…..your cause is to submit yourself to this system and let it give you your purpose. Students, I will give you direction. All you need to do…_He rubs his hands together eagerly…_is listen to me. And in return, I promise you that you will never again suffer a dull moment in this class. Trust me, you're in for the ride of your life. _He claps his hands together. _And to demonstrate, we are going to begin with a little exercise. You are way too tired. Everyone stand up. _People slowly get out of their chairs and stand up. They stare blankly at Moriarty. He gazes at his wrist, as if he's looking at his watch. He shakes his head. _Nope too slow. Try again. _The students sit down. _Remember, get up with purpose, with discipline. Now get up. _This time most of the students get up at the same time. It is one fluid motion. Moriarty looks at his fake watch again and smiles. _Good. Now let's start walking in place. Come on. _Feet start moving up and down lackadaisically onto the floor. The students don't seem to be quite into it. Moriarty frowns. _NO! There must be precision! Like this _He starts doing it with them. _Left….right…left…right…left…right….Come on Klotz, help me out here!

_Klotz gets up. _

**Klotz: **Yes Commandant.

_He mirrors Moriarty perfectly. With the two teachers working together, the students begin to get in rhythm. The noise of their shoes begins to get louder. _

**Moriarty: **Better! We should be completely in rhythm. We are walking together…._He stops to think and stares off into space. _Actually it is more like a march. Pick your knees up. Follow each other's moments flawlessly. _The noise becomes louder. The sound of shoes hitting the floor grows into a steady rumble. Some of the students start to smile at each other. A trickle of excitement fills the air. The students pick up the pace. They are steadily becoming a unit, one single force. Every step sounds more like a massive giant than a collection of high school students. The classroom begins to shake from the vibration. The students' faces go from excited to completely enthusiastic. The feeling of togetherness and power is becoming…intoxicating. Yumi and William share looks of horror. Natalya and Christophe reluctantly keep pace. Christophe is looking around the room, trying to find someone who is as disturbed as he is. Emmanuel's legs move up and down with an intensity to rival that of Moriarty's. His eyes are as cold as ice. Moriarty lifts his hands up and breathes. He takes in the aura of the masterpiece he has created. _Now isn't this fun?

_A few students say yes. Moriarty stomps his foot on the ground. _

**Moriarty: **I said…..ISN'T THIS FUN?

_Almost everyone joins in now. _

**Students: **YES COMMANDANT!

**Moriarty: **GOOD! _He inhales with the crazed intensity of a drug addict. The low rumble has transformed into an overwhelming roar. The thunder of their steps echoes through the building. _EXCELLENT! Can you feel that? DO YOU FEEL IT?

_Not much later, the same thunder is being produced by the 9__th__ grade class in front of their commandant. Sissi pitifully falls behind, but the other students are getting the hang of it. While Nicholas treats it like a fun game, Herb moves his knees high and sways his arms. He looks ridiculous, but the dangerously passionate look on his face takes any humor out of his march. Moriarty moves about the room like a tiger. _

**Moriarty: **Come on. You can beat the 10th grade class! Can you feel the strength flowing through you as one? Can you feel it? _He shouts at them. _WHAT ARE YOU FEELING?

_Jeremie and Aelita uncomfortably march together. Fear chokes the color out of their faces. _

**Jeremie: **I feel like I'm going to be sick.

**Aelita: **Same.

_Ulrich struggles to keep up the rhythm. He curses Moriarty's strange but effective methods. Odd's Clone does not miss a beat. _

**Odd's Clone: **Subject Ulrich Stern requires greater knee extension.

**Ulrich: **Hey! Don't go along with him!

_Tobias leans over to Lucas as they continue to march. _

**Tobias: **Are you sure we came to the right school?

**Lucas: **W-wah-wondering s-same thing.

**Moriarty: **WHAT ARE YOU FEELING?

**Students: **Discipline Commandant.

**Moriarty: **Louder.

**Students: ** Discipline Commandant!

**Moriarty: **Louder!

**Students: **DISCIPLINE COMMANDANT!

**Moriarty: I SAID LOUDER!**

**Students: DISCIPLINE COMMANDANT!**

**Moriarty: **STOP!

_The students pause what they are doing at once. Immediately they begin to pant from the unexpected but exhilarating exercise. Silence fills the gap of their stomping feet. After a few moments, Moriarty indicates for them to sit down. _

**Moriarty: **Now…..wasn't that fun? Isn't this much more fun than our communist experiment?

**Students: **Yes Commandant!

**Moriarty: **Good. _The bell rings. Some students groan with disappointment. Ulrich, Aelita, Jeremie, and a few others breathe a sigh of relief. Moriarty sadly acknowledges that class is over. _Oh well. We can continue this tomorrow. The next phase will begin soon. I can't wait to see you progress. There's so much we can learn when we decide to live history instead of reading about it. But for now…._He points toward his precious students…_.remember what has happened here today. Let's bring some order to Kadic. _An idea makes him stop in his tracks. He smacks his forehead. _That's it! I can't believe I almost forgot!

_He turns to the chalkboard and writes something as the students get ready to leave. When he moves away, the words THE ORDER are written on the chalkboard. _We need a name to unify us. Simply calling us a class isn't enough. We must be a part of something special that applies to us only. So how about 'The Order'? How does that sound?

_The name quickly resonates with several students. Excited positive replies greet Moriarty's ears. Indescribable joy and pride for his students is evident on Moriarty's face. _

**Moriarty: **That's it then. _He throws the chalk away. _Today…The Order has been born.

_Back in William's room, the warriors sit around in silence. William solemnly passes out pieces of the cake that his father gave him. At first they don't seem to be interested in eating and simply push their slices around their paper plates. Eventually they start to take a few bites and find the appetite to eat. William sits back down on his bed and grabs a piece for himself. _

**William: **The only good news of the day I suppose. _He takes his first bite. _Not like my dad to send me food, but I'm not complaining.

**Aelita: **Odd would really like this too.

**William: **I already stopped by the factory and gave him a piece.

_Yumi sets her plate down and pushes some black hair out of her face. _

**Yumi: **What a day….

**Ulrich: **How could he manipulate our classes so easily in just one day?

**Jeremie: **He hasn't done it one day. He has slowly built up to this point, carefully laying the foundations of his master plan. First it was just ordinary lectures to keep us thinking. Then he put his communist experiment in place. At first I thought that was going to be it…..but no. It was only a stepping stone to something larger. He got us used to the idea of experimenting, then he introduced us to this new experiment. Now that he has the trust of his 9th and 10th grade classes, there's no telling what he can do.

**Ulrich: **What is he going to do? We still aren't completely sure….

**Jeremie: **I wish I had that answer Ulrich. At first I thought it was going to be his nuclear monopoly plan, but after my uh…incident…..he seems to have changed strategies for some reason. I am not sure what his endgame is, but I do know that it involves creating the most dangerous political movement in Europe since World War II. _He inhales another bite. _Mhmm…this is good cake.

**Yumi: **I figured he would start there.

_Ulrich wipes his face with a napkin. _

**Ulrich: **So he's trying to get everyone on his side. _He looks down at the floor. _We never had to worry about that with Xana.

**William: **Xana only knows how to subdue and conquer. Manipulation is not his forte.

_Jeremie takes off his glasses and bitterly buries his head in his knees. He lets out a low moan of exasperation. Aelita taps his shoulder. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, we will get through this. We always do.

**Jeremie: **This is torture. He has the upper hand on both fronts….Lyoko and Earth. _He sets down his plate. _You know…..considering what we're going through….there are times when I honestly miss Xana.

_William grimaces and grabs his head. _

**Yumi: **William?

**William: **Ow!...I don't think the feeling is mutual Jeremie…

_From outside, the warriors suddenly hear a low whimpering sound. They stop and stare at the door. _

**Ulrich: **What the?

**Aelita: **That sounded like crying!

_William gets up. _

**William: **I'll check it out.

_He opens the door to see a crying Natalya walking by. Her downcast eyes gaze miserably onto the floor. She moves slowly, lost in her own kind of grief. A strong empathy and a chivalric desire to help take hold of William. _

**William: **Natalya.

_She turns to face him. Her eyes are red, which sharply contrasts her pale white skin. His presence immediately pains her more. She looks away. William takes a few steps forward. _

**William: **Natalya, what's wrong?

_She doesn't stay to answer. Instead she runs away from him, leaving William hurt and confused. He stares back at his fellow warriors, completely dumbfounded. _

**William: **What just happened?

_Aelita stands up. _

**Aelita: **Don't worry William. We'll talk to her.

**Yumi: **Um…..who's we?

_Aelita gives her a condescending look. _

**Aelita: **Me and the only other girl in this room. Did you think I was honestly going to ask one of the guys to come with me and help a girl deal with her emotional problems?

**Yumi: **Uh….point taken.

_The two get up and run after her. Across the hall, Moriarty is walking toward his own faculty dorm room. As he reaches for the doorknob, he notices the figure of Mrs. Meyer standing beside her. _

**Moriarty: **Oh...hello.

_Mrs. Meyer holds a book against her chest. She is staring at Moriarty with admiration. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **Dr. Renard, I simply have to congratulate you for making my students so attentive.

**Moriarty: **I'm sorry….I don't quite understand.

**Mrs. Meyer: **My students were so focused today. They payed attention to class and answered questions so quickly…..I thought they had been replaced by clones!

_Moriarty laughs with her at this joke. _

**Moriarty: **Oh not quite.

**Mrs. Meyer: **How did you do it? I've tried to get those students to sit up straight and do their work with diligence for years, and you've done it in one day!

**Chardin: **That's right!

_The grey-haired and very strange looking Gustave Chardin, the main art teacher of Kadic, approaches the other two teachers. _

**Chardin: **In all my years I've never seen such a thing! Usually I bore them to sleep, but today they seemed to be forcing themselves to pay attention to the material. How could you be so good at discipline?

**Mrs. Meyer: **Yes, we must know your secret Dr. Renard. Imagine the improvement in test scores!

**Chardin: **How did you create such a masterpiece of voluntary obedience?

_Moriarty looks at his colleagues modestly. _

**Moriarty: **Oh it's really not that difficult, you just need to have the right…approach.

**Mrs. Meyer: **I remember one of the students saying they were part of something called 'The Order'. Was that your doing?

**Moriarty: **Guilty as charged.

**Mrs. Meyer: **Would you mind if we adapted a few 'Order' policies to our own classroom?

**Moriarty: **Not at all….In fact…

_Yumi and Aelita blow past them, nearly knocking Mrs. Meyer over. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **My word!

**Yumi: **Sorry emergency!

_They disappear from sight. Mrs. Meyer huffs in disgust. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **Dr. Renard you simply must do something about those two and their little gang. They have done nothing here but get in trouble.

**Moriarty: **I know. I have tried disciplining them like the rest but….._A swell of carefully concealed hate rises to his face…_I'm afraid they have proved very resistant thus far.

_Yumi and Aelita open the doors of the library to find Natalya sitting at a table alone. Her head is buried in her hands and lying face down on the table. Choked sobs fill the empty library. Yumi and Aelita cautiously approach this grieving girl. She doesn't seem to notice them. Aelita places a hand on her shoulder. _

**Aelita: **Natalya.

_Natalya immediately recoils to her touch. _

**Natalya: **Leave me alone!

**Yumi: **Natalya, we just want to-

**Natalya: **Leave me alone if you know what's good for you!

_Yumi and Aelita back up. Yumi regards Natalya's violent reaction with slight disdain. _

**Yumi: **Hey. We went out of our way to help you. And in case you didn't know, we care about you. Not to mention William is worried about you. But if you don't want our help…_She starts to walk away. _Come on Aelita.

_Aelita reluctantly follows Yumi. As they get toward the door, Natalya perks her head up. A heavy dose of regret punctures her already pained expression. _

**Natalya: **Wait…._The girls stop at the door. The tone of Natalya's voice transforms from angry and combative to weak and vulnerable. _I'm sorry. I'm just used to dealing with these things on my own.

_Yumi and Aelita come back and sit down next to her. _

**Yumi: **Trust me, that never gets easier. It's best not to do that at all.

**Aelita: **Yes. You need to confide in someone. Sometimes that's the only way to stay sane.

_Natalya sniffs and wipes her eyes. She lets the other girls place their hands on her shoulders. _

**Natalya: **Yes well…I didn't have a choice.

**Aelita: **What do you mean?

_Natalya's eyelids shut tightly, but tears still manage to leak through. She wipes her eyes again. A strong reluctance to let this emotional tidal wave loose wrestles with her, but after a few deep breaths she resolves to open up. _

**Natalya: **I haven't told anyone this….but my life has kinda been a mess.

_Natalya begins to tell Yumi and Aelita about her past. The scene shifts to the cold but impressive city landscape of St. Petersburg, Russia. The snow and bitter cold keep a stranglehold on the city. But within one humble apartment, light and warmth hold complete dominion. On a small couch a large man with a thick black beard plays with his young daughter. He tickles her and the girl giggles with delight. _

**Mr. Dikau: **You've been a bad girl Natalya….what happened to those cookies?

_The young Natalya shouts without a hint of remorse. _

**Natalya: **I ate vhem!

_Mr. Dikau tickles her some more. Natalya laughs uncontrollably. _

**Mr. Dikau: **Oh you bad little tsarina! What am I going to do with you?

**Natalya: **Give me more cookie!

**Mr. Dikau: **I don't think so!

_Before Mr. Dikau can tickle her daughter again, a woman with long blonde hair enters the room. She is beautiful, but the tense movements of her body indicate that she is high-strung. She walks into the living room reading the paper. Her face is weighed down by anxiety. She looks up at her husband. _

**Mrs. Dikau: **Alexsandr….we need to talk.

_Mr. Dikau sets Natalya down and groans. _

**Mr. Dikau: **Not this again…

**Mrs. Dikau: **Alexsandr you can't write those things about the government! You'll get in trouble!

_Mr. Dikau goes to the kitchen and pours a little vodka in his glass. _

**Mr. Dikau: **Last time I checked we live in a democracy now. This is not the Soviet Union.

_Mrs. Dikau puts her hands on her hips. _

**Mrs. Dikau: **Don't be so naïve! You have heard about what happens to journalists who stick their noses where they shouldn't. Have you forgotten what happened to Miron?

_Mr. Dikau looks away and takes a swig. He stares off into space. _

**Mr. Dikau: **No….I haven't.

**Mrs. Dikau: **Then why do you insist on angering them?

**Mr. Dikau: **Because the people deserve to hear the truth! We have to show them that we're not afraid. I didn't live through years of authoritarian rule just to see more of the same.

_Mrs. Dikau fumes at her husband's stubbornness. _

**Mrs. Dikau: **Why must you insist on being the hero?

**Mr. Dikau: **Because if I don't, no one-

_The doors are suddenly thrust open. Men in black uniforms storm the apartment. Mrs. Dikau screams. Mr. Dikau drops his glass to the floor and looks at them somberly, fully aware of what is coming. They grab him and start dragging him out the door. Mrs. Dikau shouts in protest and tries to grab her husband, but they force her away. Natalya watches from the living room, tears filling up her eyes. _

**Natalya: **Daddy…..

_Mr. Dikau takes a final look at her daughter. _

**Mr. Dikau: **Don't worry my little tsarina! I'll be back, I'll be-

_The door slams shut. The memory becomes clouded out by misery and darkness. The flashback switches to several years later. Mrs. Dikau is in a bathrobe on the couch, pouring glass after glass of alcohol into her body. An older Natalya watches her mother with fear. _

**Natalya: **Mom…..you really have to stop.

_Mrs. Dikau explodes into rage. _

**Mrs. Dikau: **I'll stop when I feel like stopping! _She throws a glass across the room. It shatters against the wall. Natalya retreats in horror. _

_The scene shifts once again. Mrs. Dikau's broken body is being taken from the shattered wreck of a car. A police officer talks with Natalya on the sidewalk. Natalya has completely blocked out everything but this officer's voice. Her emotions shut down. _

**Officer: **I'm terribly sorry…

_Natalya doesn't say anything. _

**Officer: **We've contacted your uncle in Paris. He's agreed to become your guardian.

**Natalya: **Paris?

**Officer: **Yes. I think he mentioned that he already had a school picked out for you.

_Later on, a white Mercedes pulls up to Kadic. Natalya is almost pushed out. She quickly grabs her bags. She looks at the massive campus of Kadic with a hint of dread and foreboding. Natalya looks back at the Mercedes. _

**Natalya: **Where am I supposed to-?

_The Mercedes pulls off, leaving her on the sidewalk. Natalya looks at the campus and unwillingly picks up her bags and walks through the front gate. As Natalya finishes her story, she starts to cry profusely. Aelita and Yumi stare at her in shock. A small tear goes down Aelita's eye. _

**Yumi: **My God…..Natalya….we had no idea.

**Natalya: **No one does.

**Aelita: **How could you deal with that?

**Natalya: **The only way I know how….by getting myself involved with a lot of guys. It has never worked permanently, but it does fill the….._She chokes on her own words…_emptiness.

_Yumi rubs her forehead, trying to wrap her mind around this terrible revelation. A sudden onslaught of guilt strikes her. A few tears leak out of her eyes. Her voice shakes. _

**Yumi: **And to think I just thought you were…..were…

**Natalya: **A dirty slut? Don't try to apologize. Everyone does. And of course, _She pulls a water bottle out of her purse, _there's this.

**Aelita: **Is that- _Aelita's eyes widen- _salt water?

_Natalya nods grimly. _

**Natalya: **Yes. I'm afraid I have a problem with….accepting the way my body looks.

**Yumi: **Anorexia? Natalya…._She wraps her hand around Natalya's wrist. _You know how dangerous that can be. You have to stop that now. Basing your value on how guys look at you will only destroy you.

_Natalya stares at the water bottle as if it were a drug. A drug that brings untold harm but also gives a temporary pleasure that she can't give up. _

**Natalya: **It's not that easy.

_Aelita continues to listen to Natalya. But for some reason she starts to become restless. She fidgets around in her chair. Natalya's voice seems to become more and more distant. Her eyes begin to wander around the library. _

**Yumi: **These things you're doing are only masking the pain. You have to find a healthy way to fix this.

_Aelita stares at her palms. She starts rubbing her face with them. When she looks at them again, she assumes an expression of utter confusion. _

**Natalya: **I know but…_She bites her lip. _Did…did you say William was very worried about me?

**Yumi: **Yes. He cares about you.

_Natalya's cheeks become slightly pink. She plays with her earrings. Aelita is scooting around in her chair strangely. She looks over at Yumi and Natalya and strains her eyes to focus on them. The other two don't notice. _

**Natalya: **He's not like the other ones. He doesn't take advantage of me…

**Yumi: **No he doesn't. And…_Yumi carefully considers her words. _I hate to play matchmaker here, but maybe finding a guy who doesn't use you may be the first step.

_Natalya blushes even more at the thought. But she shakes her head. Meanwhile Aelita begins to stare at the ceiling. Her mouth opens. She begins to tremble. _

**Natalya: **He…..he wouldn't want me. Not with my past and all.

**Yumi: **You don't know that. And William's past isn't spotless either.

_Aelita's heartbeat increases. Her mouth becomes dry. Her trembling has increased. Her eyes become possessed by fear. _

**Natalya: **Oh come on. What could have happened to him that was so bad?

**Yumi: **…..Well…

_Aelita gets out of her chair, still staring at the ceiling. She quickly stumbles and falls. Natalya and Yumi turn around. Aelita is crawling backwards, staring at them in horror. Her terrified gaze locks onto Natalya. _

**Aelita: **Yumi….help me. IT'S THE SCYPHOZOA!

_Yumi takes a moment to process Aelita's ridiculous statement. Natalya stares at her like she's from another planet. _

**Natalya: **I'm a what?

_Aelita screams and runs out the door. Yumi quickly follows. _

**Yumi: **She's…..not herself! I'll go check on her!

_Before Natalya can reply, Yumi takes off. She follows Aelita into the girls' bathroom. Once she enters, she sees Aelita huddled up in a corner. Aelita is completely petrified. She holds her knees close to her chest and barely acknowledges Yumi's presence. Aelita's behavior quickly increases Yumi's growing alarm. She cautiously approaches. _

**Yumi: **Aelita?

_She points at the ceiling. _

**Aelita: **There! …._She points again. _AND THERE!

_Yumi sees nothing but shadows reflected from the top windows. Growing fears about Aelita's imagination playing tricks on her are starting to become confirmed in Yumi's mind. _

**Yumi: **Aelita, there's no one here but us.

**Aelita: **No! Don't you see? _She suddenly shudders and hugs herself tighter. _He's here…..

_Yumi looks again. The room is completely normal, although she starts to feel a little hazy. Yumi shakes it off. _

**Yumi: **Aelita, you clearly have gone through too much today. Let's go to your room….let you lie down and….._The pipes appear to groan. Yumi nearly jumps out of her skin. She stumbles and falls to the floor. Her vision blurs. There is another groan. Something catches Yumi's eye. She swallows. _What….what was that?

_Aelita's fear gains intensity. _

**Aelita: **It's him! He's here! HE'S EVERYWHERE!

_The tension increases in Yumi's voice. She looks around with the same paranoia as Aelita. She backs up against the wall. _

**Yumi: **Moriarty has launched an attack! We have to get out of here!

**Aelita: **Too late! He's trapped us!

_The dark shadows Yumi had been ignoring seem to move with a cyclical malevolence. Yumi grabs onto the sink in an attempt to regain herself. She prepares herself for a fight, but all her courage has been zapped from her. As she stands there helplessly, she notices her reflection in the mirror. Her hand shakes as she points to the image. A bead of sweat rolls down her cheek. _

**Yumi: **Who…..who is that? _She turns to Aelita. Her composure is completely gone. Her face overflows with panic. _WHO IS THAT?

_Aelita looks into the mirror. She gasps. _

**Aelita: **Moriarty sent a specter! Kill her!

_Yumi's boot goes flying into the mirror, creating a large crack. Meanwhile the darkness descends on them. Aelita and Yumi scream. They cover their heads and go into the fetal position. _

_At the same time, Ulrich falls to the floor of his dorm room. His face is flushed and strained. Surrounding him are ten humanoids. Ulrich stands up to face them. His heart races and his breathing becomes shallower, but he reaches for his sword._

**Ulrich: **I don't know how you got your monsters in here Moriarty, but they're history!

_He slashes madly around the room, knocking over lamps and posters. But the humanoids just keep coming. They wrap their hands around Ulrich's head and neck. _

**Ulrich: **No….NO!

_Jeremie runs through the hallway like a madman. A nanobot swarm tears through after him, devouring everything in its path. Jeremie moves as fast as his weak legs can carry him. He refuses to look back. At the end of the hall, Moriarty is having a discussion with Jim and Suzanne Hertz. Moriarty appears polite and suave, but Jim and Mrs. Hertz are staring at him with their arms crossed. _

**Mrs. Hertz: **The answer is no.

_Moriarty smiles and laughs, clearly not taking no for an answer. _

**Moriarty: **Oh Suzanne, I'm sure we can find a way to make this work.

_Mrs. Hertz does not ease up at all. _

**Mrs. Hertz: **Unacceptable. I will not let students out of my class for some assembly or function or whatever you choose to call it.

**Moriarty: **But it would only be on Fridays. This is not a major loss on your part.

**Mrs. Hertz: **I disagree. I'm not going to let you run off with my students for some experiment. Jim is with me one hundred percent on this, right?

_Jim looks at her and stammers. _

**Jim: **Uh….yes! You're not taking students away from my gym class either. Gym is the most important thing since…..uh…..something that came before that that was more important than gym.

**Mrs. Hertz: **The…..point is that you may impress students and teachers with your fancy changes, but you don't impress us.

_Moriarty looks innocently at them and turns up the charm. _

**Moriarty: **I'm just trying to improve the lives of students at this school. I don't understand why you are being so….hostile.

_Mrs. Hertz's eyebrow twitches. Jim immediately senses that the Kadic science teacher didn't take that too well. _

**Mrs. Hertz: **Hostile? Renard….you haven't even begun to see me-

_Jeremie heads straight for them, screaming loudly. _

**Jeremie: **RUN! IT'S COMING!

_The teachers look at him in shock. _

**Mrs. Hertz: **Belpois?

_Before Jeremie can run blindly into them, Jim manages to lift him up by his shirt collar. He runs in place, raving like a lunatic. He looks behind him to see the nanobot beast approaching. The teachers don't seem to notice. He writhes in terror. _

**Jeremie: **RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! IT WILL RIP YOUR FLESH TO PIECES IN SECONDS!

_The faculty trio watch dumbfounded as the school's star pupil squirms like a trapped animal. He is almost foaming at the mouth. _

**Jeremie: **Your flesh! It's coming! You're all appetizers to his feast!

**Mrs. Hertz: **Jeremie….._She blinks, trying to make sure this is really happening…_whatever you're saying isn't possible.

**Jim: **She's right. _He rubs his large belly. _There's no way I could be an appetizer for anything.

_Jeremie glares at Moriarty, his body shaking. A skeleton finger is pointed at the history teacher. _

**Jeremie: **You…..Moriarty…..YOU DID THIS! You monster! I'll destroy you! _He reaches to grab Moriarty but Jim quickly puts Jeremie in a sleeper hold. Jeremie violently resists but eventually he passes out. Moriarty remains completely unfazed the entire time. _

**Jim: **Well, I guess the principal's going to have to hear about this one.

**Mrs. Hertz: **Is this the result of one of your 'experiments' with the students?

_Moriarty laughs incredulously at the accusation. _

**Moriarty: **Surely you can't honestly be trying to blame this insanity on me!

_The middle-aged woman's finger pokes into her rival's lab coat. _

**Mrs. Hertz: **After all the nonsense happening in this school and in this country, I'm ready to believe anything.

_William tries to clear his head in the gym by doing a few pushups. His movements are steady and rhythmic, flowing with graceful strength. As he continues to move up and down, his throat starts to become hot and itchy. He grunts and tries to get over the feeling. But his thirst rises and begins to escalate. Once the feeling becomes very uncomfortable, William gets up. He grabs his water bottle and downs it. Out of nowhere his face begins to feel very hot. He turns the water bottle over his head and lets the water flow down him. William digs his fingers through his black wet hair to try and recover himself. He opens his eyes. While water drips over his eyelids, William begins to notice a strange black creature approaching him. Multiple legs scurry in his direction. Eight legs to be exact. An icy terror passes through William's mind. However, he is quickly able to master it. He scoffs at the creature. _

**William: **Really Xana? Is this what you've resorted to? Using my fear of spiders against me?

_William's confidence is soon dashed by a cold apprehension coming from his subconscious. His mind is assaulted by a wave of fear that does not belong to him. The usual metallic voice enters his thoughts, but it is not as cool and menacing as before. _

**Xana: **This…..is not my doing.

_The spider opens its jaws. An electric shock of sudden panic shoots through William's spine. _

**William: **What….what do you mean you're not doing this?

**Xana: **I am not deceiving you slave. I am not doing this. This..._William can feel Xana's merciless reason fighting this admission…_monster is real.

_The beast lunges for William. William tries to jump out of the way but his chest suddenly explodes in pain. He looks up to see the spider looking over him. Salivia drips down its fangs. They seem to reach into his rapidly beating heart. William feels his entire body tremor with unrestrained fright. Xana's voice becomes more unbalanced and defensive. _

**Xana: **This sensation….this pit in my mind…..what is this? This human emotion?...Fear? _Xana groans with humiliation and horror. _I've never felt fear in my life! WORTHLESS SLAVE! Your weaknesses have infected me!

**William: **N-not now Xana….

_The spider locks its multiple eyes on him. The soulless gaze prompts the terrified William into action. He punches the monster in the eyes. The spider screeches and William covers his ears. He opens them to see that the spider is gone. William clumsily tries to stand. His legs are weak. _

**William: **Think spider….gone to Network with Xana and fuze….

**Xana: **I am Xana you fool! You're not making sense. Sense. I sense miscalculation within cerebrum. Mathematics at core temperature levels. Levels. Levels discombobulated within Carthage. I….must destroy Carthage.

_William wheels around to see several spiders grab him. They pull him upward toward the ceiling. Then the ceiling turns into the floor. It switches again. William's mind swims and finds itself twirling the body on the floor. William exhales. _

**William: **Master…mode of attack?

**Xana: **Terminate the Spider Lyoko Warriors!

_William swings his fists around madly. His pupils dilate and swirl with a crazed purpose. After knocking several down, a new sight appears before him that nearly makes his heart stop. The figure of Natalya looms in front of him, but her face has been mutated into that of a horrendous spider reaching out to him. William turns white and freezes in place. _

**Natalya: **Need to….._She snarls and licks her jaws. _Your friends…_The legs growing out of her face become very hairy. _Yumi and Aelita…..lost…So terribly strange.

_William's world spins drunkenly around Natalya's spider face. He goes to his knees, completely exhausted. _

**William: **Yumi and Aelita? What have you done to them?

_He faints onto the basketball gym floor. Natalya grabs his shoulder and shakes him. Her blonde hair hangs inches away from his face. She bites her fingernails and tries to rouse him. She feels his forehead. It is warm. _

**Natalya: **William…ARE YOU OKAY?

_A splash of water hits Yumi's face. She coughs and looks up groggily. Above her the confused but somehow caring face of Sissi Delmas comes to focus in her vision. _

**Yumi: **Where….am I?

**Sissi: **The bathroom near the library.

**Yumi: **Doing…._She rubs her eyes. _What?

**Sissi: **Lying here passed out on the floor apparently. Can you explain to me why I found you and Mrs. Einstein like this?

_Yumi looks to the side to see Aelita slowly coming to. She feebly searches her foggy memories, but nothing seems to be coming back. It's just a hazy cloud. A cloud that contains nothing but blackness…..and fear. She rubs her forehead. _

**Yumi: **I….don't remember.

_Thirty minutes later the warriors gather in William's room once again. This time they are not only downcast, they are positively distraught. Every change in light, every sound puts them on edge. Some of them are visibly shaking. Jeremie silently taps on his computer. He readjusts his glasses to keep them from haphazardly hanging off his face. His skin is flushed red with pale whiteness occasionally breaking through. His breathing is heavy. _

**Jeremie: **No doubt about it this time. This is not a Moriarty attack.

_Aelita looks out the window, using the calming scenes of nature to keep herself grounded. _

**Aelita: **Then why did we all see that? That….whatever it was.

_Jeremie's hand holds onto William's desk tightly. His lip quivers erratically. A simple look at his scared eyes reveals something that greatly disheartens the warriors. The Jeremie of impeccable reason and rationality is completely lost for answers. But Jeremie quickly masks it. _

**Jeremie: **Just a terrible dream…nothing more.

_Ulrich looks up. He is sitting on the bed close to Yumi. His eyes are grim and tortured. _

**Ulrich: **A dream that we all had together?

**Jeremie: **No other explanation.

_Yumi aims her hawkish and pained gaze at Jeremie. _

**Yumi: **There is an explanation.

_Jeremie's aggressive glance tries to silence her. _

**Jeremie: **No.

**Yumi: **There is, and you know it.

_Jeremie's voice quickly turns more unstable and vehement. _

**Jeremie: **Just a dream. A silly dream. We were tired. That's what did it.

**Yumi: **No.

**Jeremie: **I'll just tell Mr. Delmas when he gets back from off campus that it was just a terrible dream.

_Yumi's voice becomes more threatening. _

**Yumi: **You know the truth….

**Jeremie: **There is nothing wrong. We are all fine. _He lowers his eyebrows. _Just fine…

**Yumi: **You can't deny it Jeremie.

_Jeremie literally bares his teeth at Yumi. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi, I'd suggest you be quiet and listen to me. I am telling you that we are fine.

_Yumi stands up. _

**Yumi: **WE'RE LOSING OUR MINDS!

**Jeremie: **Shut up.

**Yumi: **Moriarty finally did it.

**Jeremie: **Shut up!

**Yumi: **The pressure's finally gotten to us. Face it Jeremie. We've snapped!

**Jeremie: **I SAID SHUT UP!

_He gets up and slaps Yumi with the back of his hand. A collective gasp seizes the room. Yumi falls to the floor. She refuses to get up, preferring to stay as low as she feels at the moment. Aelita cries in the corner. William just stares at Jeremie, unable to form words. Ulrich's reaction is delayed. At first he is completely stunned. But a rage soon seizes him. He quickly pins Jeremie up against the dresser. _

**Ulrich: **HOW DARE YOU HIT HER! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!

_William yanks Ulrich off Jeremie. Ulrich curses in protest. _

**William: **No! You're not thinking straight!

_He pushes Ulrich back onto the bed. Ulrich balls his fists and punches the wall. Jeremie sinks to the floor. _

**Jeremie: **I can't be insane. I won't be. I am not going back do you hear? _His eyes tear up. _I'M NOT GOING BACK!

_William stands in the middle of the room, serving as a barrier to prevent his friends from killing each other. His expression softens. He sees their unity, which has endured so much, showing signs of cracking. Though everyone appears quiet and despondent, he knows that even the slightest upset could ignite another uproar. The thought depresses him. _

**William: **And I thought Natalya finding me raving on the floor was awful….

_He pulls out a box from his dresser. He hands it to his friends. _

**William: **Here. Have some of the leftovers of the cake. It will get your mind off things. _While the others silently obey William, he sits down on his desk chair and tries to relax the horrors away. Shortly after he gets a phone call. He halfheartedly answers it. _

**William: **Hello?

**Mr. Dunbar: **Son, it's been a while. How are you feeling now?

**William: **Um….not so great actually.

**Mr. Dunbar: **Oh no…._His voice quickly sounds concerned. _Have you suffered a relapse or-?

**William: **No no. I am over the sickness. It's just been a terrible day, that's all.

**Mr. Dunbar: **Do you want to talk about it?

**William: **I…..can't. Sorry, I'd rather not.

**Mr. Dunbar: **Son, don't tell me this is one of your 'You wouldn't understand' things. Your mother and I are getting quite tired of those.

_William rubs his head. _

**William: **As am I.

**Mr. Dunbar: **Whatever is wrong, I want to help. I don't like feeling helpless. But I'm going to stay helpless unless you tell me what's wrong.

**William: **Um…..it's a teacher. Let's leave it at that.

_Mr. Dunbar sounds more at ease. _

**Mr. Dunbar: **Oh….yes. That's unfortunate. But don't worry son. I had to deal with the same problem.

**William: **I…doubt that. But don't worry about me too much. After all, I have your cake to make me feel better.

**Mr. Dunbar: **My….cake?

_William's body becomes stiff. His eyes widen. He grips his phone very tightly. _

**William: **The cake….the one you sent me….remember?

**Mr. Dunbar: **Son, I never sent you a cake.

_William turns back around toward his friends, who are somberly enjoying William's cake. A deep pit forms in William's stomach. He swallows. _

**William: **Dad, I'm going to have to call you back. _He hangs up, but quickly gets another call. He growls and answers it. _Dad I said…._He pauses. _Odd?

_Scene shifts to Odd in the lab room. He is backed against the wall and appears to be very anxious. _

**Odd: **William, about that piece of cake you sent me. Was something wrong with it?

**William: **I…uh…not sure. Why?

**Odd: **Because Kiwi got a hold of it. _Odd stares at Kiwi as he runs around in circles. He appears to be barking madly at absolutely nothing. _And he's acting very weird.

_The fears and suspicions of William are grimly confirmed. He forces himself to take a deep breath. After taking a glance back at his friends, William talks softly back into the phone. He covers his mouth to prevent the others from listening. _

**William: **Odd, we have a very delicate situation. I'm going to need to bring the others to the factory.

**Odd: **What? Why?

**William: **No time to explain. I'm going to tell them you've decided to try to leave the factory again. They'll buy that. I just need you to play along in case they ask. Oh, and I need you to research…..hallucinogenic drugs.

_Odd's line is quiet for a while, as he is having difficulty processing what William has just told him to do. _

**Odd: **Uh….William? That's very illegal and while I admit that I have been curious at times…

**William: **I meant the Internet you idiot!

**Odd: **Oh right. I knew that.

_Shortly after their conversation, the door to William's room opens. Ulrich, Aelita, Jeremie, and Yumi file out. William tiptoes out, slowly and cautiously closing the door behind him. He stays behind the warriors, watching their every movement. But he keeps his hands in his pockets to give the impression that nothing is wrong. As they approach the end of the hall, he feels his shoulder grabbed from behind. He wheels around to see Natalya staring at him. She locks onto his face, appearing to be checking to see whether or not William is in his right mind. William regards her with impatience. _

**William: **Something wrong?

**Natalya: **You tell me.

_William can tell that her legendary lie detection senses are on full alert. William groans in exasperation. _

**William: **I'm sorry you saw me…._William tries to think of the right words_….have an episode, but I don't have time.

_Natalya pulls on his arm as he tries to walk away. _

**Natalya: **Make time.

_William boils with frustration, but he keeps his cool. Yumi looks behind her to see William lagging behind. William smiles at her. _

**William: **Go on. I'll catch up.

_The warriors obey. As soon as they exit through the double doors, he swings his head toward Natalya. His expression is deadly serious. _

**William: **Man you're stubborn.

**Natalya: **Only when I want to know the truth. Which unfortunately with you is very often.

_William sees that Natalya will not be pacified. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. _

**William: **You're right. After all that's happened today, you deserve to know the truth.

**Natalya: **I do. So enough lies. Why did you flip out when I tried to talk to you about Yumi and Aelita?

_William looks to his right and left. When he is sure no one is listening, he leans over to whisper in Natalya's ear. _

**William: **You know how a lot of people in this school don't like us?

**Natalya: **Yeah…

**William: **Well someone drugged us. They put something in a cake I thought was from my parents, and it messed us up pretty badly.

_After a brief moment of silent surprise, Natalya snaps her fingers. _

**Natalya: **That would explain it! No wonder you acted that way at the same time as the others.

**William: **Yes. Unfortunately the others don't know and just had some of the cake.

_Natalya puts her hand over her mouth. She peers down the hall where the warriors had just previously been. _

**Natalya: **What do we do?

**William: **I need to bring them to a place where they can safely deal with the symptoms. And now that you know- _He places his hand on her shoulder._-I want you to cover for us if anyone asks. If I don't get them off campus, they could do something to get them kicked out of school….or worse. Can you do that?

_Natalya touches the hand resting on her shoulder. She slowly removes it, but holds his hand tenderly while she does it. William smiles uncomfortably in response to her unexpected warmth. She lets go of his hand and winks at him. _

**Natalya: **You can count on me.

**William: **R-right. Thank you again.

_He awkwardly walks away. _

**Natalya: **I'm still waiting for the full explanation….

_William swears under his breath. His encounter with her lingers a while in his mind. But he pushes it to the side as he chases after the psychotic ticking time bombs that are his friends. _

_Not much later, William and his friends wait on the main floor of the factory. William presses the button for the elevator. Jeremie raises an eyebrow. _

**Jeremie: **Um…why are we going down? Shouldn't Odd be coming up to join us?

_William avoids eye contact. _

**William: **Uh…..he just needs a little encouragement is all. He'd prefer for you guys to go with him every step of the way.

**Ulrich: **Sounds to me like he is getting cold feet.

**Yumi: **If that's the case then encouragement may backfire. If he's not ready, he's not ready.

**William: **Guys, just trust me on this one.

_The elevator opens. Ulrich suddenly furrows his eyebrows. He puts one fist on top of the other, as if he is holding his saber. He goes into the elevator and slashes in the air with his imaginary weapon. He then proceeds to look around wildly, suggesting that he missed his intended target. The others look at him strangely, except for William, who had been preparing himself for this. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich?

**Ulrich: **A specter. I was sure I saw one. In the elevator. Moriarty….he's up to something.

**Yumi: **Yeah…._Yumi has a strange look in her eyes. _I thought I saw something too.

**Jeremie: **Okay but….why did you swing around like you were on Lyoko?

_Ulrich looks at the position of his hands, suddenly realizing what he is doing. Embarassment begins to take effect, but it is quickly swamped by sheer confusion. Ulrich observes his surroundings. He then looks back at his hands. _

**Ulrich: **Force of habit I suppose.

**Aelita: **Oh no…._Aelita puts her hands over her mouth. _We're imagining things again!

_William quickly intervenes, speaking to them in a calm voice. _

**William: **No, no. We're all just fine. We're just jumpy, okay? Now let's just calm down and get in the elevator…

_Before the others can hesitate or object, William somewhat forcefully corrals them into the elevator. He quickly closes the door. Aelita tugs on the collar of her dress. _

**Aelita: **Is it just me, or is it really hot in here?

**Jeremie: **Yes. _Jeremie wipes his forehead. _The air conditioning in this factory must be messed up.

_William can tell that the faces of the other warriors are becoming flushed with heat. He bites his lip and avoids their gaze. Ulrich stares at the ceiling with alarm. _

**Ulrich: **There he is again!

**Aelita: **No Ulrich, it isn't real!

_Yumi assumes a fighting stance. _

**Yumi: **Looks pretty real to me. But how did he….._Yumi appears to become mentally lost…_.get into the tower?

_After what seems like an eternity, the door to the elevators open. William rushes out to Odd, who is sitting at the command chair. _

**William: **Please tell me you have a way to fix this.

**Odd: **Don't worry. I have the best website available on the job.

_William rolls his eyes. _

**William: **Wikipedia?

**Odd: **Hey do you want it completely accurate, or do you want it fast?

**William: **I'd prefer both. But what do you have so far?

**Odd: **Well, apparently there are three types of hallucinogenic drugs: psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants.

**Yumi: **Hey, what are you guys talking about? And why does it look like Odd isn't going anywhere?

_William smiles innocently. _

**William: **Oh, we're just taking care of some last minute….things.

**Jeremie: **Why do I get the feeling that you two aren't- _Jeremie stops talking when he takes a glance in Kiwi's direction. He stops in horror. _Oh no, Kiwi's possessed!

_Kiwi is wagging his tail innocently, but the others begin to follow Jeremie's hallucination. _

**Ulrich: **Stay back Jeremie! Moriarty may be using him to make everyone zombies like last time!

_The others slowly back away from the supposedly possessed canine. Kiwi walks toward them without any sinister intent, but the warriors do not interpret it that way. Odd turns around and looks at them incredulously. _

**Odd: **Guys, nothing is wrong with my dog. Open your eyes!

**William: **Focus Odd. The three types?

**Odd: **Oh right. The psychedelics are pretty self-explanatory. Dissociatives make one feel detached from their environment or something. Deliriants make people experience really unpleasant stuff and go crazy.

_Kiwi barks. The others cringe. _

**Yumi: **He's attacking!

**Ulrich: **We have no choice, let's take down this kankrelot!

**William: **Definitely deliriants.

**Odd: **Yep.

_Ulrich and Yumi begin to chase Kiwi around the room. Kiwi barks and runs away. Jeremie and Aelita merely stare, their eyes glazed over with confusion. Aelita eventually begins to stumble and fall to the ground. Jeremie remains totally lost. He feels the walls of the lab, frantically trying to find an exit. Odd shouts at Yumi and Ulrich. _

**Odd: **Leave Kiwi alone! I don't care what you're seeing, you better not hurt him!

**William: **I'll handle those two, you keep researching deliriants.

_Jeremie claws on the walls. _

**Jeremie: **No way out…NO WAY OUT!

_Aelita curls up on the floor, shaking violently. _

**Aelita: **The wolves….make the wolves go away Daddy. _She opens her eyes. An imaginary forest springs out of the world of metal and technology around her. Cold yellow eyes surrounded by black fur penetrate her mind. She screams. _THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!

_William groans. _

**William: **This is a nightmare…

_As Ulrich and Yumi round the corner in pursuit of Kiwi, William grabs the dog and backs away from them. Ulrich and Yumi stop, regarding William with uncertainty. William holds his hand out in a gesture of peace. _

**William: **You two….listen to me carefully. You've been drugged by Moriarty. There was some sort of hallucinogenic drug in the cake. All of the things you are seeing aren't real. Odd and I are doing our best to fix this, but for the moment you just need to try and calm down-

**Yumi: **IT'S WILLIAM!

_Ulrich burns with anger. The ferocity of an animal overtakes him. _

**Ulrich: **I should have known Xana's servant was behind this! But no matter…..you will never win William!

_Yumi tries to throw her fans, but she instantly becomes disappointed. _

**Yumi: **Our weapons have no effect!

**Ulrich: **Then we'll do this the old-fashioned way.

_Both of them approach William with fists in the air, ready to fight. _

**William: **Crap…

_While William tries to defend himself from his drugged opponents, Odd searches on the computer. _

**Odd: **It says it's characterized by extreme confusion and an inability to control one's actions.

_Aelita starts to choke herself. _

**Aelita: **Daddy help me….they're biting my neck. I CAN'T BREATHE!

_William blocks a punch from Yumi. He takes advantage of their confused state by moving quickly to respond to their attacks. But he tries his best not to hurt them. _

**William: **Brilliant. I could have guessed that!

**Ulrich: **We will never surrender Xana!

**Odd: **Apparently the hallucinations tend to be dark and entity-like….

**Jeremie: **Please…..stop yelling at me! _He huddles against the wall. Tears are in his eyes. _I tried my best to stop him. I really did! I'm sorry, I FAILED!

**William: **I got that part. _He dodges punches. _How about cures?

**Odd: **Give me a second.

_Aelita grabs William's pant leg. She tugs and screams. _

**Aelita: **Please Xana, give my Daddy back! PLEASE!

_William's horrified reaction allows Yumi and Ulrich time to tackle him. He struggles against them. _

**William: **No rush or anything…

**Yumi: **Why won't he devirtualize?

**Ulrich: **Xana must have given him extra lifepoints!

**Yumi: **Then we'll hit him harder!

_Before Yumi can launch a punch, William grabs her wrist. _

**William: **I'm sorry about this Yumi. _He twists her wrist. She howls. William takes advantage of her distraction to throw her off and escape their clutches. _Odd, please tell me you have something.

**Odd: **Uh…._He scratches his head. _Often symptoms include embarrassing or inappropriate behavior such as disrobing…._He turns around and instantly becomes as red as a tomato. _AELITA!

_Aelita has removed her dark pink dress. The only thing she has on is her bra and her pink leggings. She stumbles around, totally unaware of what she is doing. _

**Aelita: **So hot….

_Odd quickly turns his head away and continues reading. Ulrich and Yumi rush William. But their movements are becoming slower and more erratic. Sweat drops down their foreheads. _

**Yumi: **He….he's everywhere.

**Ulrich: **Darkness….everything's dark. What is he doing to me?

_Jeremie begins wandering toward Odd. _

**Jeremie: **You…..you have betrayed us….

**Odd: **William? Help me out here…

**William: **You need to help me! What's the cure?

_Jeremie stares at Odd maliciously. He grabs his shoulder. A sensation of powerful fear works its way into Odd's bones. _

**Odd: **I….I don't think there is one. I think they have to ride this out.

**William: **Then what would you suggest we do?

_As Jeremie goes for Odd's throat, Odd responds with a powerful blow to the head. Jeremie is knocked out cold. William begrudgingly understands the idea. _

**William: **No choice I guess.

_When Ulrich lunges for him, William grabs him and wraps his arm around Ulrich's neck. He positions Ulrich in front of him, causing Yumi to punch Ulrich in the face. Ulrich becomes limp in William's arms. He drops Ulrich. _

**William: **Sorry again.

_He grabs a loose pipe. When Yumi makes a wrong move, William renders her unconscious. The room becomes quiet. Odd sees that Aelita has fainted on her own. He breathes a sigh of relief. William drops the pipe. He calmly walks over to Aelita and covers her with the dress she discarded. William then lowers himself onto the floor. He stares blankly into space, trying to wipe the experience from his mind. _

**William: **I'm officially off cake…

_The next day Jeremie talks with Aelita on the phone from the comfort of the desk in his room. He types on the computer. _

**Jeremie: **Yes, that's right. It was a drug called 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate. _He listens to her talk for a moment. _Yeah I know it's a mouthful. It's also known as BZ. This thing is an odorless military incapacitating agent. Gives people some pretty unpleasant hallucinations. It can even make people imagine things together. I can't believe we didn't see through the cake ploy. Why activate a tower when he could just render us insane with a drug you could hide in food? No doubt Moriarty wanted us to either tear each other to pieces or become humiliated throughout the entire school. Probably a combination of the two.

_Jeremie is quiet for a moment. _

**Jeremie: **Yes I've had the meeting with Delmas. But I'm afraid the joke's on Moriarty. We are not as alone as we think. I'll give you the full details later. I want to have a group meeting to discuss it. _Jeremie then turns red. _Um no Aelita….I didn't see you when you….did that. _Pause. _Yes I know it's embarrassing. But Ulrich and Yumi also chased Kiwi around, so don't think you are alone. This was a horrible experience and let's just do our best to move on. We should be thankful that Odd and William helped limit the damage.

_His phone beeps at him. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, can I call you back? I'm getting another call.

_He ends the call with Aelita and puts the phone to his ear again. _

**Jeremie: **Hello?

**Delmas: **Jeremie, hello. I hope you are doing well.

**Jeremie: **As good as I can be sir.

_Delmas' voice becomes grave. _

**Delmas: **Yes. Anyway I hate to bother you and I would usually just email you, but I totally forgot to mention something regarding your room arrangements.

_Jeremie scratches his head. _

**Jeremie: **Room arrangements? What are you-?

_The door to his room is suddenly kicked open. After nearly suffering a heart attack, Jeremie turns around to meet his sudden intruder. The sight before him takes him totally by surprise. Before him is a guy who seems to be of the same age. He stands in the doorway, holding a violin in his hands. He is dressed fashionably but also comfortably, donning a pair of slacks and a loose polo shirt. Sewed onto the polo is a strange symbol that appears to a coat of arms. Jeremie notices that the coat of arms strongly resembles that of a nearby country: Spain. This young Spaniard has black hair, which is combed in a manner that gives him a brooding, rebellious look. The lean and tan Spaniard regards Jeremie's room proudly. _

**César: **_¡Ya he llegado! _(I have arrived!)

_Jeremie's mouth drops. _

**Jeremie: **What the?

_A burly man walks into the room, armed with several suitcases under his arms. He briefly glances in Jeremie's direction. _

**Felipe: **Jeremie Belpois?

**Jeremie: **Yes.

**Felipe: **Allow me to introduce you to your new roommate. César Alfonso Victor de Bordón. The Crown Prince of Spain.


	14. Chapter 14

**I took longer than expected again. Sorry. But I just got back from a crazy cross-country with some friends to Wyoming and I'm preparing to go to college. So it's a wonder I was able to do this at all. Anywho, please read and review. I do enjoy reviews. And go to Wyoming some time. It's nice. Also, give partial thanks to my editor, Neon Lice. If not for his nitpicky ways, I would have made several content errors. **

**Part 29**

_Jeremie silently watches as his own private dormitory is transformed into César's personal dumping ground. Felipe and a few of his fellow bodyguards carefully but haphazardly place the prince's multiple belongings in the room. César opens Jeremie's closet and scratches his chin. _

**César: **_ No hay espacio _(There's no space). We're going to have to fix that.

_He throws a few of Jeremie's clothes onto his bed. Jeremie is still staring at the scene with confusion and shock. _

**Jeremie: **So…you're the change in the 'rooming arrangements'?

**César: **_Si. Somos compañeros de cuarto mi amigo. _(Yes. We are roommates my friend.)

_César throws one of Jeremie's old boxes onto the bed. More suitcases arrive. Jeremie starts to get frustrated. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, first of all, I didn't understand a word you just said. Second of all, you can't just throw my stuff all over the place. Who do you think you are?

**Felipe: **How dare you address his majesty in such a disrespectful-

**César: **Felipe-_He signals for him to stop. _He's right. I was a tad bit bold coming in here. Perhaps I shouldn't have brought so much stuff. _He brushes the thought aside and shrugs. He picks up the things lying on Jeremie's bed and gives it to Felipe._ Please fold this up for Jeremie's convenience. _Felipe walks away. _But as to who I am, I thought Felipe already explained it to you.

_Jeremie quickly recalls Felipe's words. His eyes widen. _

**Jeremie: **You're….you're a prince.

**César: **_Si. _

**Jeremie: **You're…royalty.

**César: **_Si. _

**Jeremie: **From Spain…

**César: **_Si. _

**Jeremie: **A teenage prince, the heir to the Spanish throne…is my new roommate.

**César: **_¡Por la ultima vez, si! _(For the last time, yes!)

_Felipe presents Jeremie with a new assortment of folded clothes, better organized than they were before. Jeremie marvels at the speed and neatness from César's bodyguard. _

**Jeremie: **Um….thank you.

**Felipe: **_De nada _(You're welcome). A friend of his majesty is a friend of mine. _He turns his attention to the prince. _Now would you like us to bring your personal and luxurious twin bed?

_César gives him a harsh look. _

**César: **_Por supuesto no _(Of course not). You know I don't like being pampered. Give me one of the regular beds that the students use here.

**Felipe: **Very well. Then I assume you don't want your custom-made Turkish silk pillow?

**César: **Now let's not get crazy here….

_A horrendous shrill noise echoes through the halls. Jeremie quickly covers his ears. Felipe and his bodyguards seem to be on alert, but their reactions suggest that they understand the situation. Felipe looks outside the door. _

**Felipe: **Your majesty, _la ola está viniendo. _(The wave is coming).

**Jeremie: **La what? What's happening?

_The shrill noise comes again. Jeremie can now tell that it is a massive scream coming from a large group of girls. A large group of girls that seems to be headed in their direction. _

**Felipe: **It's going to be hard for us to hold them off. You might want to make your exit.

**César: **_Tienes razón. _(You're right). _He turns to Jeremie. _May I borrow your window?

_Jeremie replays the request in his head. He fails to process it. _

**Jeremie: **My…..window?!

_Before Jeremie gives his approval, César jumps onto Jeremie's desk, narrowly avoiding his computer. He opens the window and starts to step out. Jeremie's mouth drops. _

**Jeremie: **What are you doing?! This room is three stories high!

_The crowd of girls attacks Jeremie's doorway. The guards do their best to block them off. Felipe looks back. _

**Felipe: **His majesty is an expert in acrobatics. Particulary for escape purposes….

_César inches his way out the window and onto the ledge. He moves toward one of the pipes running down the building. Jeremie pops his head out the window and stares at his roommate in horror. _

**Jeremie: **ARE YOU INSANE?!

_César thinks over the question for a moment. _

**César: **_…Un poquito _(A little).

_He slides down the pipe with ease and lands on the ground. Jeremie watches in wonder as his royal roommate struts through the campus as if nothing happened. Shortly after the incident, a large crowd gathers around the prince in the courtyard. The majority of the crowd is female. They push each other for a chance to meet him. Felipe keeps them at a comfortable distance. _

**Felipe: **_¡Dios mío! _(My God!). This is almost as bad as the mob that attacked him in Rome.

_César smiles at the crowd and does his best to turn no one away. He calmly absorbs the attention, making it clear that he has dealt with this before. He parts his black hair with his hand and assumes the role expected of him. _

**César: **_Chicas, chicas. Calménse_(Girls, girls. Calm down).There's no need to rush. We have plenty of time to get to know each other.

_Sissi runs onto the scene, bowling over her rival females. She immediately gets into César's face, much to his chagrin. _

**Sissi: **Oh my God I can't believe this is happening! As soon as I heard you were coming I nearly died from excitement! I promised Daddy I would keep it a secret but the suspense was KILLING ME! BUT NOW YOU'RE HERE! Oh how do you like it here? Do you speak French? How was your trip? Do you always have this much security? My name's Sissi. What are your parents like? What's your typical day like? How long are you staying here?

_César winces at this interrogation. He rolls his eyes. _

**César: **_Stupendo. Una de las locas. _(Great. One of the crazies)

_Mr. Delmas approaches César. He immediately shakes his hand. Moriarty follows close behind. _

**Delmas: **Prince César, welcome to Kadic Academy. I hope you enjoy yourself here, and that the crowd is not too bothersome.

**César: **Oh, it's fine sir. _His expression becomes numb and slightly downcast as the girls continue their screaming. _I am used to this after all….

**Moriarty: **Hello, my name is Dr. Renard, and I will be your history teacher here. I am also overjoyed that you are here, although I must admit that I was not informed of this until…_He coughs and glares in Delmas' direction…_recently.

**Delmas: **Oh yes. _Delmas gives Moriarty a sly and innocent look. _I supposed it just….slipped my mind.

**Moriarty: **Well, I would certainly hope that doesn't keep happening. We can't have a principal slipping, now can we?

_Delmas smiles at César and avoids looking at Moriarty. _

**Delmas: **Yes….I suppose you're right. Anyway, if you need anything, let me know. _One of the girls bumps up against him. _For the love of God, have some decency. _He looks at César again. _Jim will help you with the rest of the arrangements.

_While the principal and Moriarty walk away from the crowd, Ulrich, Jeremie, and Yumi watch the response from a distance. _

**Ulrich: **Well, school just got a little more complicated.

**Jeremie: **My life just got a little more complicated. The guy is sleeping with in my room. Knowing my luck I won't get any sleep. Girls are going to be clawing on the walls to get to him.

**Ulrich: **Yeah, it's really pathetic. One Spanish prince shows up and all the girls start completely losing their minds. I can't believe they would just start crawling all over him.

_Yumi puts her hands on her hips and gives her boyfriend the look. _

**Yumi: **Oh really? The girls are losing their minds? Doesn't that seem to be a bit hypocritical?

**Ulrich: **What are you talking about?

**Yumi: **Does Brynga ring any bells?

_Ulrich immediately looks guilty. He adjusts his shirt collar. _

**Ulrich: **Uh….maybe a few.

**Yumi: **Because I seem to recall every guy in school drooling over themselves after that Icelandic diva…you being no exception.

**Ulrich: **Okay, so I might have been affected by her a little…

**Jeremie: **Alright Yumi, we get it. Criticizing the girls' reactions would be hypocritical. Besides, we shouldn't even be focusing on it. We have bigger problems to worry about than the girl craze over this guy. It's not like it's going to affect us. Just because some dashing prince shows up doesn't mean we have to be jealous, Ulrich. We should trust our girlfriends more than that.

_Ulrich sees reason in this and nods. _

**Ulrich: **Yeah, we are better than that. Let's not be jealous like the girls were when Brynga came.

_Yumi scowls at Ulrich. _

**Yumi: **Hey, who said we were jealous?

**Ulrich: **Yumi, you looked like you wanted to claw her eyes out.

_Yumi folds her arms across her chest. _

**Yumi: **….Can't say I didn't consider it.

**Jeremie: **Enough you two. Let's stop pointing fingers. We have been through too much to let César ruin our relationships. We must have faith in each other. Why, I know that Aelita would never- _He looks over to see Aelita talking with César. She laughs. Jeremie's eyes widen. _Aelita!

**Aelita: **It's such a pleasure to meet you. My name's Aelita. Welcome to Kadic. I hope the girl mob didn't rattle you too much.

_César gives her a devilish smile. _

**César: **Not at all. I love meeting new people, regardless of whether they are crazy over me or not. However, sometimes I love to meet some people…_He motions to her_…more than others.

_Aelita smiles and blushes slightly. _

**Aelita: **Oh well….um….t-thank you.

**César: **Has anyone ever told you that you have beautiful pink hair, _cariña?_(Dear)

**Aelita: **…..Not…..recently.

_Yumi pats Jeremie's shoulder as he restrains the urge to panic. _

**Yumi: **Faith Jeremie. Remember, faith.

**Jeremie: **Right. He's just a prince who is far more athletic and better looking than I am and has a kind of charm that few girls can resist. No big deal….

**Ulrich: **The bigger question is how is this going to affect Moriarty's classes? Someone like him could seriously impact how Moriarty can manipulate the students. Did you see Moriarty talk to him? He didn't look too happy. Maybe he will screw up his work.

**Yumi: **Or drastically improve it. If Moriarty can get him on his side, the consequences could be terrible. Everyone might join in.

_Jeremie paces the courtyard, shrugging aside his jealousy to think over this. _

**Jeremie: **He's a wild card. No doubt about it. Someone with that level of influence can make or break us. For the moment, he is completely up in the air. He has no idea what he has walked into. If Moriarty can get him on his side, we are in trouble. But if we can make him Moriarty's enemy, he could prove very useful.

**Yumi: **Then we'll have to keep our eyes on him.

**Ulrich: **I can only hope that you plan on doing that for the sake of the mission only….

**Yumi: **Oh will you shut up already?

**Jeremie: **Anyway….we just need to make sure our prince doesn't get into the wrong hands.

_César is escorted to class by Felipe. The mob of girls follows. _

**Ulrich: **Assuming the girls don't kill him first…

_Yumi looks off to the side and smiles. _

**Yumi: **Not all the girls are going crazy over him.

**Jeremie: **What are you talking about?

**Yumi: **Take a look.

_Yumi points to a bench under a tree where Natalya and William are sitting. They sit at a distance, but their heads are locked on each other. Both of them are laughing, but it does seem to be a little forced. Natalya twirls her hair awkwardly, while William makes a nervous habit of rubbing the back of his neck and tapping his knees. A fall breeze blows through the air, causing the branches above them to shake. A moving shadow of leaves is cast over them. The two talk nonchalantly, watching the other's reactions to their words carefully. Natalya holds the latest issue of the Kadic Herald in her hands. _

**Natalya: **The things those two little witches are writing about you and your friends…..it's not right.

**William: **I know. There's nothing we can do about it though.

**Natalya: **Have your friends read it yet?

**William: **No. César's entrance must have made them forget to pick up a copy. Not that they would want to read it…

_Natalya breezes through the article. _

**Natalya: **'Mental stability of antisocial gang at Kadic brought into question….numerous sightings of strange behavior…..hostility and opposition to class experiment'….William this is terrible. They can't write stuff like this!

**William: **They can and they will. With faculty sponsor Dr. Renard in control, they can trash us all they want.

_Natalya squeezes the paper in her hands. The veins in her forehead pulsate with anger. She tosses it into a trash can. _

**Natalya: **Our classrooms, the paper, and possibly even the school itself. How can Renard do this and get away with it? What is the deal with him?

**William: **I wish I had the answer Natalya.

_Natalya punches him lightly in the shoulder. William winces, but the strike was clearly playful. _

**William: **Ow.

**Natalya: **You do have the answers. I know you do. You just won't tell me.

**William: **How can you possibly tell that I'm lying?

**Natalya: **Let's see…..you avoid eye contact with me, you pause before saying the lie, your movements become restricted, you begin to tap your fingers nervously, and you force yourself to smile. _She shakes her head. _For someone who lies so much, you sure are bad at it.

_William purses his lips together, unable to deny what Natalya is saying. _

**William: **I admit it's not something that comes to me easily.

_Natalya looks at the ground_

**Natalya: **Why are you lying to me?...Why can't you just tell me the truth?

_William leans back on the bench, uncomfortably lost in thought. He glances over to Natalya several times. She gives him a piercing stare, hoping and praying that he will open up. She scoots a little closer to him. William taps his foot on the ground and looks away. He closes his eyes and frowns. _

**William: **I just can't.

_There is a brief silence. A dejected Natalya turns away in frustration. She exhales through her nose. _

**Natalya: **I get it…..you don't trust me.

_William opens his eyes and quickly shakes his head. _

**William: **No, it's not that.

_Natalya gets up from the bench and starts to walk away. _

**Natalya: **See you later.

**William: **No wait.

_William grabs her wrist and stops her. She reluctantly turns back around. _

**William: **It's not that I don't trust you. Really, I know that I could tell you anything. You've helped me when you had no idea what was really going on. You've gone out of your way to help me and my friends when you had nothing to gain from it. You refuse to follow the crowd and side with Renard. _His hand moves from her wrist to her hand. _I've seen a side of you that everyone else is too ignorant to see. The way people judge you is so far from the truth. I know that I can trust you. If there's anyone I trust outside my own circle, it's you. _His face contorts with frustration. _Please understand….it's nothing personal-_He stops himself, thinking over his words. He takes a deep breath. _No. I'm lying. It is personal.

_Natalya suddenly looks more hurt. Her voice becomes shaky. _

**Natalya: **Personal? What do you mean it's personal?

**William: **It's personal…because I want to protect you. _Natalya's face goes from hurt to confused. William stammers. _I d-don't want you to get hurt. I am hiding the truth from you for a good reason. I want to protect you….from the truth. You see it's personal because…._His throat becomes dry and his voice shakes. He summons all his courage to continue to speak_…..I care about you. _He pauses for a moment. _And that is not a lie…

_Natalya stands there next to the bench, letting William's words sink in. She runs them through her head several times to make sure that she heard him right. Her eyes widen. Color rises to her cheeks. She runs her fingers through her hair. She gazes at William and smiles warmly. Her hand wraps around William's tightly. _

**Natalya: **William I-_She sits down next to him again. Her heart races. She musters the courage to touch his shoulder. Then she gently touches his face. William opens his mouth, but no words come out. He can only blush. Natalya loses herself in the moment. Her eyes lock onto him, as if in a trance. _I care…..about you too. A lot actually. You're nothing like…..like the other guys I've met. And….and-_She rubs her head. _I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. All I know is you're different. _She leans close to him, brushing her hair against his neck. _And I like different.

_As Natalya gets closer to him, William's mind becomes confused and lost. Thoughts pound his head at ninety miles an hour. His heart rate picks up dramatically. At first he seems to be letting the moment take control. But a warning shoots through his mind at precisely the right moment. He lightly stops Natalya with a touch of the shoulder. He gets up, refusing to look at her. He sighs. _

**William: **Like I said, I want to protect you.

_William walks away, leaving Natalya to sit there sadly, having been so close to intimacy. As he sadly heads off to class, the familiar voice enters his mind once again. _

**Xana: **Slave, I believe we have unfinished business.

_William groans with exasperation. _

**William: **Again with the perfect timing…

**Xana: **If you are referring to your romantic failure with the Russian female, my interest could not be more nonexistent.

**William: **Then why should I be interested in what you have to say?

**Xana: **Because it may mean the difference between victory and defeat against Moriarty.

_William looks around. He walks under a portico, making sure that no one is around to hear this conversation with himself. _

**William: **I'm listening.

**Xana: **When I told you that my sole purpose was to help you defeat Moriarty, I wasn't limiting myself to merely saving your life.

**William: **Your point?

**Xana: **I can give you an edge the other warriors don't have.

_William stops walking. _

**William: **Explain.

**Xana: **You are familiar with the powers available to someone who is possessed by either me or Moriarty?

**William: **I am.

**Xana: **I have enough power to give those to you. I could give you that kind of power. You would have the same power without the chains of possession. Imagine what you could do…..what we could do. You could almost be Moriarty's equal on Earth. Any attempt from him to kill you could be thwarted. You would be an indispensable ally to your friends, and a terror to your enemies. The growing allies of Moriarty at this school wouldn't dare stand in your way. You might even be able to face Moriarty himself and destroy his human form. To be brief, the odds would be heavily in your favor.

_William twists his face in thought. He stares at a window, looking at his reflection. He stares at his own pupils. The thought that Xana dwells behind those eyes and inside his mind disturbs him more than usual. He lowers his eyebrows. _

**William: **So let me get this straight….You are trying to offer me power. A kind of power that caused Odd to be possessed by Moriarty and later develop PTSD. The same kind of power that caused Jeremie to go insane and nearly take over the world. You are offering me a power that has a very bad history among us. And you possessed me for nearly six months and came close to enslaving humanity. In other words, I am being offered a curse from an enemy that unfortunately lives in my brain. And you're saying that I should trust you and accept this offer?

**Xana: **…I sense a large amount of uncertainty from you.

**William: **Oh I'm certain alright. I'm certain that I can't trust you.

**Xana: **I'm assuming then that you are declining.

**William: **I don't care how much of a threat Moriarty is. It will be a cold day in hell before I ever trust you to help me again.

**Xana: **Your biblical expression bores me. But I can't say that I'm surprised. Your reaction was expected. Your ridiculous concept of morality and your hatred for me made my chances of convincing you slim. However, there will come a time where you will have no choice but to accept my offer. And you will have to acknowledge that I'm your only hope to defeat Moriarty.

_William enters one of the buildings, slamming the door behind him. _

**William: **Fat chance.

_In the lunch room, the group sits around their usual table. The atmosphere is tame, devoid of the usual anxiety and stress. William buries his head on the table, refusing to lift his head. Ulrich pats his shoulder. _

**Ulrich: **Oh don't worry man. She'll come around. They always do. Right Yumi?

_Yumi smiles nonchalantly. _

**Yumi: **I suppose.

**Aelita: **What went wrong?

**William: **The truth went wrong.

**Jeremie: **…..You mean the mission got in the way?

**William: **Yep. _He sinks his head lower. _I can't risk her getting hurt. If Moriarty knows I have this weakness, he will exploit it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her.

_Jeremie cleans his glasses, thinking over Jeremie's words. _

**Jeremie: **I admire your decision William. Sacrificing your feelings to save someone else is something we have had trouble doing ourselves.

**William: **Thank you Jeremie.

**Jeremie: **Of course, if Natalya continues to defy Moriarty in class, it won't matter. She'll be a target anyway.

_William groans. _

**William: **Thanks a lot Jeremie.

**Aelita: **She's definitely interested in you. When we're in our room together, she asks about you a lot. She also seems to be really frustrated with you at times. Unfortunately I think your relationship with her has made her suspicious of us. She knows you're lying.

**William: **I hate lying. I hate lying to her.

**Yumi: **In a perfect world, you wouldn't have to hide anything from her. But this is far from a perfect world, William.

**William: **I tried really hard to avoid any relationships. I knew that it was going to be a problem as long as Moriarty was alive. I tried to not develop feelings for anyone, but she came around and…_He hits his fist against the table. _And it happened in spite of me.

_Aelita lightly touches his arm. _

**Aelita: **We're so sorry William.

**William: **Forget it. Let's change the subject.

**Jeremie: **Okay- _Jeremie leans forward in his chair, eager to comply with William's request and move on to more serious matters. _I think it's time that I tell you what happened in Delmas' office.

_The interest at the table immediately skyrockets. Even William manages to raise his head to listen. _

**Aelita: **Yes, what did he say?

**Yumi: **Are we in trouble?

**Ulrich: **Has he sided with Moriarty or is he a victim?

**Jeremie: **Calm down everyone. All your questions will be answered. Although it might take some explaining so I might as well start from the beginning.

_Jeremie begins to tell the story. The scene changes to a flashback in which Jeremie is sitting uncomfortably in the chair in front of Delmas' desk. Delmas sits across from him, his face grim and brooding. He lightly scratches his beard. At Jeremie's side is Hans Klotz, who appears to be vibrant and animated. He speaks to Delmas with confidence. There is an almost aggressive edge to his voice. _

**Klotz: **Mr. Delmas, with all due respect, this was just a minor psychological outburst. Jeremie Belpois is fine.

**Delmas: **Minor psychological outburst?! Jim Morales had to restrain him!

**Klotz: **So he says. No offense, but doesn't Jim Morales have a habit of exaggerating the truth?

_Delmas looks off to the side. _

**Delmas: **True…but Suzanne Hertz does not.

**Klotz: **I agree with you. But as a psychologist, I cannot sit back while you try to make a decision involving a student's psyche without consulting a professional such as myself.

**Delmas: **Hans….I appreciate your input but-

**Klotz: **This is clearly a result of school stress slowly wearing the mind down. This kind of episode was the only means to release all that stored anger and anxiety. Now that he's released it, he should be fine.

_Delmas begins to chafe from Klotz's authoritative talk. _

**Delmas: **I fail to understand why you are so eager to defend him when you two have had…..a rather complicated history.

_Hans coughs and puts his hands together in a pensive pose. _

**Klotz: **Upon further reflection, sir, I do believe I have misjudged Jeremie. My initial desperation from the school file incident made me rash. But now that Dr. Renard has helped me recover the files, I believe it is time for me to act like the adult. So I'm asking you on Jeremie's behalf not to expel him.

**Delmas: **I see. Your opinion is noted.

_Klotz raises a threatening eyebrow. _

**Klotz: **My opinion…..and Dr. Renard's.

_A scowl forms on Delmas' face. Jeremie can sense restraint emanating from his body. Delmas looks away and motions toward the door. _

**Delmas: **If you would excuse me, I would prefer to continue this conversation with Mr. Belpois….alone.

_Klotz remains in his chair for a moment, haughtily delaying his exit. Eventually he gets up. _

**Klotz: **Of course.

_He walks out, taking enough time to glower at Jeremie before he leaves. Jeremie is overcome by a wave of hatred and disgust. He quickly masks it and appears humble and contrite before Delmas once again. Delmas taps his fingers on the desk. There is a tense silence. _

**Delmas: **Well, here you are again Jeremie.

**Jeremie: **Yes sir.

**Delmas: **You have gotten yourself into quite a sticky situation. Some of my colleagues question your sanity. _He takes a glance toward the camera in his room. _Which makes me wonder if I should punish you or recommend your removal from the school.

_Jeremie looks at his hands. _

**Jeremie: **I would prefer punishment.

**Delmas: **I know you would. But something is wrong, and I have to do something. _He examines Jeremie closely. _You don't appear to be insane to me. _He leans back in his chair. _But then again, neither do your friends. And there have been sightings of them acting strangely as well. Perhaps I should just punish you. It's possible the strain of all these events is just wearing on you. _Suddenly the power goes out. The sunlight brightens the powerless room. Jeremie looks up in surprise. _Of course, you and I both know that there is more to this story than that.

**Jeremie: **Uh….power's out.

_Delmas looks up in fake alarm. _

**Delmas: **Oh dear. That's rather odd. Our electricity is usually so reliable. A shame when these things happen. But they do happen, don't they Jeremie? They are random. They can happen anywhere. You can't predict them, right Jeremie?

_Delmas smiles at him strangely. Jeremie blinks and looks at Delmas with confusion. Jeremie can tell that Delmas appears to be very nervous. _

**Jeremie: **Yes….that's right.

**Delmas: **Would you excuse me Jeremie_ He gets up and opens his door. _Nicole, is the power completely out?

**Nicole: **Yes sir.

**Delmas: **And the cameras?

**Nicole: **Out as well sir.

**Delmas: **How disappointing. _He closes the door. As soon as the door is shut, Delmas sprints over to the window like a wild man. He pulls the blinds completely over the window. The sudden darkness catches Jeremie by surprise. The room instantly becomes ghostly and secretive. Small rays of light peek through the window. The light casts an eerie pall over Delmas, who seems to be more and more on edge. He breathes deeply, trying to calm himself. He once again looks at the camera, looking for any signs of life. When he sees none, he turns back to Jeremie. His voice trembles. _We don't have much time to talk. _He slowly sits down. _Jeremie…..I am frightened.

_Jeremie doesn't reply. A million thoughts race through his head. His initial reaction of concern is replaced by a growing hope that his principal may be an ally. But that feeling is then replaced again with uncertainty. He restrains his hopes and swallows. _

**Jeremie: **Of….what sir?

_Delmas' voice becomes tense and belligerent. _

**Delmas: **You know very well what. Him. That manipulator. That charleton. That sociopath. Dr. Renard.

_Jeremie says nothing. He lies in wait, allowing himself to hear what Delmas has to say. _

**Delmas: **In all my years, I have never dealt with something so terrifying. Renard-_He finds it difficult to speak_-is taking over here. I no longer have control, I- _He points to the dark room_- I'm a prisoner in my own office. I-_He covers his eyes with his hand in an expression of helplessness_-I don't know what to do.

_Jeremie watches as the most powerful person at Kadic unravels before him. Delmas' glasses hit the table. The principal stares at the floor. A fist hits the desk. He curses in front of his star pupil several times. Jeremie continues to watch, stunned by the display. He works up the courage to speak. _

**Jeremie: **Sir, I can't tell you how sorry I am. I know it must be horrible to be in your position.

_Delmas glares at him, his eyes burning with strength as the rest of his body languishes. _

**Delmas: **I have allowed myself to become his puppet. A moral weakness of mine has made me his hostage. All of France loves him. He now has scheduled several more appearances on talk shows to discuss his 'exploits'. The students are being brainwashed by him. He is transforming them into something _His voice becomes weak-_something terrible. The board fawns over him, and every time I try to get them to see reason, they just start acting possessed and sputter non-

_Jeremie interrupts. _

**Jeremie: **Possessed?

_Delmas pauses. _

**Delmas: **Well yes. Ever since the trustees had a meeting with him, they have just gone with whatever he's said. _He groans. _He has me beaten on every front. On every front…except…

_He stops. Jeremie leans forward, burning with curiosity. _

**Jeremie: **Every front except what?

_Delmas looks up, composing himself in the face of humiliation. His face moves from self-pity to intense ferocity and aggression. _

**Delmas: **Every front…..but the school itself. Students and teachers. _He stares at the fingers on his right hand. He appears to want to form a fist. _Although a lot of teachers have abandoned me _He grimaces _including that traitor Klotz, and many students have followed him, I know that he has not won over everyone. I know that I'm not alone. That's why I can trust you. For whatever reason, Renard seems to have a thing against you and your friends. I don't pretend to understand why, but I honestly don't care. The important thing is….the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

_Jeremie begins to smile. _

**Jeremie: **I agree sir.

**Delmas: **I don't know why you acted the way you did, but I know Renard was involved.

**Jeremie: **We were drugged.

_Jeremie covers his mouth, immediately regretting blurting out the truth. Delmas' face contorts with rage. _

**Delmas: **YOU WERE WHAT?!

_Jeremie is speechless. Delmas roars and grabs his phone. _

**Delmas: **Forget my career, I'm calling the police!

**Jeremie: **Mr. Delmas, no! _He blocks the phone. _Don't do it!

**Delmas: **Get away Jeremie! I need to set things straight. I can't hide any longer!

**Jeremie: **You're going to incriminate a respected high school teacher who has become a national icon without a single scrap of evidence save a few witnesses that could be easily discredited?

_Delmas pauses, thinking over the situation. He then curses and abandons the phone. _

**Delmas: **I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!

_He sulks down into his chair. Jeremie remains standing. _

**Jeremie: **That's not true sir. There is always something you can do.

**Delmas: **If there is, I can't think of- _He stops speaking. He quickly remembers something. Light comes back to his eyes, but it is quickly clouded over by doubt. _There is…..one thing.

_Jeremie puts his hands on Delmas' desk. _

**Jeremie: **What? What is it?

**Delmas: **It was one of Jim's ideas. It sounded crazy at the time, but I'm starting to think it might be necessary.

**Jeremie: **Tell me!

_Delmas takes a deep breath. _

**Delmas: **Moriarty has formed The Order. I was willing to accept the communist experiment, but now things are beginning to become very strange. Students are really getting in to this experiment. I've been told even the younger grades are beginning to join in. They are starting to hang around Order members only. The group isn't even a week old and already they are starting to act differently. I don't know what he is planning, but it can't be good.

**Jeremie: **So what does this have to do with the plan?

**Delmas: **If Renard is going to form an organized group to take over this school, I say that we act in kind. I told you that there are those who despise Renard other than ourselves. Well, two can play this game. Let's fight fire with fire.

_Jeremie begins to work over the idea in his head. It steadily begins to grow on him. He suddenly feels bold and empowered. _

**Jeremie: **A group of students and faculty to counter the Order.

**Delmas: **Yes. What do you think?

_Jeremie jumps at the question, not stopping to think about it. _

**Jeremie: **Yes. Do it. We need to stop him.

**Delmas: **Are you sure? Are you willing to support me in this, even if it means isolating yourself from the rest of the school and putting yourself at risk?

_Jeremie shows no emotion. _

**Jeremie: **I already am. My friends and I have already become outcasts. But with your group idea, we coud become outcasts united against a common enemy.

_Delmas scratches his beard. _

**Delmas: **Outcasts…..interesting. Very well, I will tell Jim to begin the preparations. Spread the word and wait for the signal.

_Jeremie narrows his eyebrows with confusion. _

**Jeremie: **Wait. How do I spread the word? I mean, who can I trust? And what signal?

_Delmas pulls something from his desk. He holds up a purple patch. It is the fleur-de-lis, the traditional symbol of France. But this fleur-de-lis has two swords crossed through it. _

**Delmas: **Do you know what this is?

**Jeremie: **No…..I don't.

**Delmas: **This is the future insignia of the Order. _He shudders. _I knew they were going to take this too seriously. Gustave Chardin has been working on this for several days. My daughter spotted it during art class. _He holds it closer to Jeremie. _Renard is handing these out soon for committed Order members. Those who refuse to wear this patch are considered trustworthy.

_Jeremie nods, approving the genius of Delmas' plan. _

**Jeremie: **And the signal?

_Delmas leans forward, almost whispering in Jeremie's ear. _

**Delmas: **Don't ask me what day or what time, but very soon the bell tower will chime at an ordinary hour. The chime will play the song "A World Without Danger". That will be the signal. We will assemble secretly in the gymnasium at that time.

_The power turns back on. Delmas quickly changes his expression. _

**Delmas: **As your punishment, you must help Nicole organize files in the morning on Saturdays. And stop by every so often, so I can keep an eye on you.

_Jeremie nods, getting the memo from Delmas that it is time to leave. _

**Jeremie: **I'm very sorry sir. It won't happen again.

_Jeremie ends his story. The group stares out the window, looking at the bell tower. _

**Ulrich: **So…..we're not alone here.

**Jeremie: **No. We will fight Moriarty wherever he appears, whether it be Lyoko, the Network, or even Earth. But on Earth we can't win this fight alone.

_Yumi wraps her left hand around a fist formed by her right one. _

**Yumi: **We'll give his Order a run for their money.

**William: **Don't get too cocky. We'd still be outnumbered.

**Aelita: **True. _She looks out the window toward the bell tower. _But at least we won't be alone.

_Later on, Moriarty stands in his classroom alone. He straps a digital watch to his wrist. As soon as it is set, he walks to the door. He opens it and then stands off to the side. He takes a glance out the door and then starts his watch. The 9__th__ grade class pours in. They move quickly but quietly, getting into their seats and assuming a formal posture as fast as possible. Within a few moments, the entire class is seated and staring at Moriarty. Moriarty stops his watch. He looks at the numbers and smiles. _

**Moriarty: **Well done students. 9.8 seconds. That's a two second improvement from last time. _He struts around the room. _You're getting better at this. So much better at this.

_The class is silent. Jeremie, Ulrich, and Aelita watch uncomfortably from their seats, mentally numbing themselves for what is to come. Moriarty raises his eyebrows. _

**Moriarty: **You may accept my compliment now.

**All: **Thank you Commandant.

_Moriarty smiles. _

**Moriarty: **You only speak if requested. Good. Discipline is coming naturally to you. _He holds up some tests. _And it's beginning to show. _He hands them out with pride. _You've more than made up from your last failure.

_Hushed celebrations filter through the class as the tests are received. Odd's Clone leans over to see Ulrich's test. He turns to face the front without any emotion. _

**Odd's Clone: **Enemy subject's strategy progressing further than spectral entity theorized.

**Ulrich: **What makes you say that?

**Odd's Clone: **Warrior subject Ulrich Stern's performance improved from mediocre to average.

_Ulrich furrows his eyebrows. _

**Ulrich: **Are you…..insulting me?

**Odd's Clone: **Undisputed fact is insulting?

**Moriarty: **I hope that you understand what discipline can do now. _He walks down the aisles. The students, with a few exceptions, all face forward and refuse to glance in his direction. They wait for their teacher to direct them. Moriarty walks back to his desk. _So I've disciplined you to some degree. You have discipline. You have purpose. But discipline and purpose are not the only things you need. What else do you need?

_Herb raises his hand. Moriarty calls on him. Herb stands up. _

**Herb: **Commandant, com-

_Before Herb can finish, the door flies open. The figure of Prince César enters the doorway. He carries a satchel over his shoulder and his violin in the other hand. He looks at the room without a hint of guilt. He rubs his chin. _

**César: **_Parece que llegue tarde. Lo siento. _(It appears that I am late. Sorry.)

_The prince goes to find a seat. Moriarty eyes him with clear annoyance. _

**Moriarty: **Thank you for joining us your highness. _A few people chuckle, but César just seems to enjoy it. _Would you be kind enough to speak our language during class?

_César bows. _

**César: **Of course. I would never think of purposely trying to stand out in your class. _He sits down next to Isabel. He nonchalantly looks in her direction. ¿Cómo estás, señorita? _(How are you, miss?)

_Isabel smiles. _

**Isabel: **_Muy bien, gracias. _(Very good thank you)

**César: **_¿O, hablas español? _(You speak Spanish?)

_Isabel smiles and blushes. _

**Isabel: **_Un poquito. _(A little)

**César: **_Pero tienes un accento portugués. Espero que no seas portuguesa. No puedo coquetear con chicas portuguesas. Es una de mis reglas. _(But you have a Portuguese accent. I hope you're not Portuguese. I can't flirt with Portuguese girls. It's one of my rules.)

**Isabel: **_Soy brasileña. _(I'm Brazilian)

_César gives her a devilish smile. _

**César: **_Gracias a Dios. _(Thank God)

_The class chuckles at this performance, even if they don't know what's going on. Moriarty lowers his eyebrows and taps his foot on the floor. As César continues to chat her up, Tobias, who is sitting behind her with Lucas, also gets annoyed. _

**Tobias: **_Oye, vivo en Texas. Puedo hablar español también. No eres especial. _(Hey, I live in Texas. I can speak Spanish too. You're not special)

**César: **_O estadounidense_. _¿Cuál es el problema? Tienes celos?_ (Oh, American. What's the problem? You jealous?)

_Isabel giggles and Tobias turns red with embarrassment and anger. _

**Lucas: **N-not celos. Totally j-j-jealous.

_Moriarty coughs loudly. César looks innocently at Moriarty. _

**César: **Oh you mean that rule applies to speaking to girls as well?

_The class laughs. Moriarty calmly accepts this remark and continues. _

**Moriarty: **Since you're new here, I'm going to let that performance slide. As you may have already been told, we are experimenting with far right politics. That means there must be discipline and order at all times. Sit up straight like the rest of the students. Pay attention. And moreover, you must address me by my facist title.

**César: **Franco?

**Moriarty: **No! My title is Commandant.

_César stands up to address him. _

**César: **My apologies, Commandant Franco.

_Moriarty bristles at the prince's arrogance while some of the class laughs. Others who are more loyal to Moriarty stay quiet and give the prince dirty looks, which of course he ignores. Aelita nudges Jeremie with her elbow. _

**Aelita: **This is already going well.

**Jeremie: **I know. I wish I could film this.

**Moriarty: **….Herb, would you be so kind as to finish where we left off.

_Herb stands up again. He is unfazed by the comedy in the room. _

**Herb: **Commandant, community.

**Moriarty: **Thank you. _Herb sits down. The atmosphere suddenly becomes serious. César sits there quietly to watch what this teacher has been blabbering about. _I mentioned community before, but we did not give it the emphasis it deserved. But that is going to change now. _He gives the class a deep, probing look. _What is community? What does community mean?

_He points to Nicholas. _

**Moriarty: **Poliakoff?

**Nicholas: **Commandant, it's uh….um it's- _He scratches his head. _

**Moriarty: **No, no. Sit down and try again. Think before you stand up. _Nicholas obeys. _Now try to answer.

_Nicholas rises from his seat. _

**Nicholas: **Commandant, people deciding to live and cooperate and stuff….

**Moriarty: **Good. Your answer could have been clearer but good. It's voluntary cooperation and unity. A group of people who may be different but decide to live together in spite of their differences and work for the common good. It's a team.

_He looks at Theo. _

**Moriarty: **Theo, you play soccer, do you not?

**Theo: **Yah….yes Commandant.

**Moriarty: **And as a team, what do you have to do to win?

**Theo: **Work together I guess…

**Moriarty: **Excuse me?

_Theo straightens up. _

**Theo: **Commandant, work together.

**Moriarty: **Are you equal in talent to everyone on the team?

**Theo: **No Commandant.

**Moriarty: **No? _Moriarty fakes surprise and disapproval. _Then how does that community work?

**Theo: **Commandant, we _Theo thinks hard, frustrated by Moriarty's constant questioning. Finally a light bulb goes off in his head. _We push each other….to get better. Competition among teammates helps us beat the other team.

_Moriarty claps. _

**Moriarty: **Well done. Couldn't have said it better myself. _He raises an index finger in the air. _Not collective mooching but collective strength. In a community you are part of something larger than yourself. You feel that you belong, and that you have purpose. Do you see how purpose and community can work together so beautifully? And more importantly, now that you have discipline, can you not see how discipline and community can work together?

_The class has become lost by Moriarty's profound lecture. None of them answers. Moriarty sighs. _

**Moriarty: **I'm guessing that's a no.

_César stands up with his usual arrogance. _

**César: **Commandant, you are correct.

_The class laughs. Moriarty brushes it to the side again. _

**Moriarty: **Funny your highness. Very funny. But perhaps we need a demonstration. Who is the strongest in this room? _He looks around and ponders. He quickly points to Ulrich. _Ulrich, get up here.

_Ulrich looks back to Aelita and Jeremie for advice, but they shrug and simply send a silent message to be careful. Ulrich obeys and walks to Moriarty's side. _

**Moriarty: **As you can clearly see, Ulrich is no weakling. He is most likely the strongest in this class. Wouldn't you agree?

**All: **Yes Commandant.

**Moriarty: **Herb, come up here.

_Herb obeys, walking up next to Ulrich. _

**Moriarty: **Okay, before we start, there shall be a few rules. No punching, kicking, biting, or anything dirty. That being said, Herb, I want you to push Ulrich to the ground.

_Herb suddenly becomes worried. _

**Herb: **Commandant?

**Moriarty: **Just do it.

_Herb reluctantly approaches Ulrich, who has a vibrant smirk on his face. Herb tries to push Ulrich to the ground by pressing against his shoulders. Ulrich barely has to push back. Herb gives a pathetic struggle and falls to the ground himself. Laughter ensues. _

**Moriarty: **As you can see, Herb is no match for Ulrich. But let's change it up a little. Nicholas, join Herb. Try to push Ulrich down together.

_The two begin to shove Ulrich. This time Ulrich has to dig his heels in. He strains against their force. But even with their combined effort, Ulrich manages to remove them. Both fall to the ground. Ulrich pants. Moriarty smiles. _

**Moriarty: **Impressive Ulrich. But let's take this a step further. _He looks at the class. _Lucas and Paul, get up here.

_The stuttering Belgian student and his bored companion approach Ulrich and stand by Herb and Nicholas. Ulrich immediately starts to look concerned. Jeremie is starting to see Moriarty's point. He frowns, unable to help his friend. _

**Moriarty: **Now all of you, push Ulrich to the ground.

_The four pounce on Ulrich. This time Ulrich quickly falls. He hits the ground with a thud. The class applauds the performance. Moriarty haughtily looks over the prostrate Ulrich. _

**Moriarty: **Do you see my point? Individually these four didn't stand a chance against Ulrich. But with discipline and community, they found the strength to bring the strongest among us down. Do you see what discipline and community can do? With those things in place, strength has no-

_He suddenly winces. He holds his stomach and places his other hand on the table. He groans in pain. Herb stands up. _

**Herb: **Commandant, are you ok?

**Moriarty: **I'm fine. Everyone go back to your seats. _They obey. Ulrich seems a bit shaken, but he is otherwise fine. He gives Moriarty hateful looks out of the corner of his eye. Jeremie watches Moriarty with interest. Moriarty seems to be still in pain, but he gains control of it. _You see my point. As members of The Order, you have to work together. Talk to each other. Break out of your little cliques and become one. _He looks up. _Emily, have you ever thought about talking to Nicholas? Have you ever talked?

_Emily looks at Nicholas awkwardly, not sure how to answer. _

**Emily: **Well aside from him asking me about an exciting evening in the-

**Moriarty: **Why don't you actually engage with each other? Get out of your comfort zones. Everyone of you should be friends. _He winces again. His eyes grow cold. _And anyone in this class who doesn't do that should be regarded with suspicion. Deliberate disunity is subversive.

_He walks to the chalkboard and writes COMMUNITY. _

**Moriarty: **That's your word of the day. The Order needs community. This school needs community. Embrace it. I want you to greet each other whenever you see each other. And to identify yourself as part of the community, you need a salute. And here it is:

_Moriarty stands up straight. He crosses his arms over his chest, making his arms resemble crossed swords. He grimaces again. _

**Moriarty: **…Now you do it.

_The class salutes him. It is one fluid motion. _

**Moriarty: **Again.

_They salute again. It is even more in sync than before. _

**Moriarty: **Good. I can see you are getting the point. The Order is doing you good. You are committed. But to show you are committed, I am going to give you a patch to display your allegiance to the Order. _He pauses, watching as most of the class becomes eager. _Not right now though. I am not going to force anyone to wear the patch. If I give them out now, peer pressure may emerge and create false members. I don't want that. If you truly are committed, come to my dorm later this afternoon. I will give you a patch.

_Moriarty doubles over in pain. This time he cannot hide it. Students begin to mutter among themselves. Moriarty forces himself to rise. He takes a deep breath. _

**Moriarty: **Class….dismissed…

_An hour later, Emmanuel Maillard and Mathias Burel walk under the portico to the classroom building. They both have the purple sword and fleur-de-lis patch on their shirts. Mathias examines it. _

**Mathias: **Pretty cool huh?

**Emmanuel: **Yeah.

**Mathias: **Love the design. It makes an old French symbol pretty edgy. _He touches the patch. _We're for real now.

_Emmanuel remains cold and brooding. _

**Emmanuel: **Yes. Yes we are.

**Mathias: **Hey, I wonder if having this patch will become a babe magnet. Wouldn't that be awesome?

_Emmanuel scoffs at him. _

**Emmanuel: **Don't be stupid. The Order is not just to get girls. This is serious. _A student walks by with the patch. She salutes Emmanuel. Emmanuel salutes back. _This isn't a game.

_Mathias scratches his head. _

**Mathias: **Is that girl even in our class?

**Emmanuel: **No, but who says she can't join?

**Mathias: **I thought it was just a class experiment. I mean-_Mathias stops when he hears a scuffle up ahead. _Hey look!

_Theo and Romain are roughing up Herb near the outside of the gym. No one is around to stop them. Herb falls to the ground. _

**Theo: **Honestly Herb, when are you going to learn?

**Romain: **If you had just kept your mouth shut about us cheating on Renard's homework, you wouldn't be in this mess.

_Herb glares at them, his eyes full of hate. _

**Herb: **You'd better stop if you know what's good for you. I'm not just a nerd anymore.

_Theo puts a foot on his back. _

**Theo: **You think just because you have a patch on your shirt you're no longer weak?

_Mathias and Emmanuel watch from the distance. Mathias chuckles. _

**Mathias: **Looks like Pinchon is getting it good this time, huh Emmanuel?

_Emmanuel isn't laughing. He is staring at the scene in outrage. _

**Emmanuel: **Did you not hear that? Herb has a patch.

**Mathias: **Yeah, so?

**Emmanuel: **So he's a member of the Order! He's a part of us.

**Mathias: **I still don't follow….

**Emmanuel: **Were you not listening to Renard?! We have to stand with each other! He's in our community. And he's being attacked!

**Romain: **How's that Order crap working out for you Pinchon?

_Mathias quickly becomes angry. _

**Mathias: **Hey, he just insulted The Order!

_Emmanuel tightens his fist. _

**Emmanuel: **Let's waste these 9th graders.

_The two lunge at Theo and Romain without warning. A punch from Emmanuel nails Theo in the gut. Romain tries to fight back, but Mathias gives him a mean right hook to the face. Theo gets up and tries to fight again, but Emmanuel pins him against the wall of the shed. Romain gets up and runs away. Emmanuel looks Theo in the eye. _

**Emmanuel: **Thought you could beat up Herb, did you?

_Theo glares back at him with hate and defiance. _

**Theo: **What's it to you? None of your business.

**Emmanuel: **He's an Order member. It is my business!

**Theo: **You Order pricks get on my nerves. You think you're so special. Who died and made you king of this school?

**Emmanuel: **No one. _He punches Theo in the stomach again. _But an attack against one of us is an attack against all. _He drops Theo to the ground. _And don't you ever forget that.

_Theo takes off in humiliation. Mathias helps Herb up. He gives him his glasses back. _

**Mathias: **You okay man?

**Herb: **Yeah, I guess so. Thanks a lot.

**Emmanuel: **No problem. Let us know if those punks decide to mess with you again.

_Herb stands up, arching his back to recover from the blows. _

**Herb: **I really appreciate that. It's nice to know that I have friends to watch my back.

**Mathias: **Hey, those guys had it coming.

**Herb: **But….what if they attack and you guys aren't around?

**Emmanuel: **I'll teach you a few moves to help you out. Make them think twice before doing it again.

_Herb looks at Emmanuel with profound gratitude. _

**Herb: **You'd….do that for me?

**Emmanuel: **Anything for a fellow Order member.

_He crosses his arms in front of Herb. Herb does the same. At the same time, Azra Urgup walks by. She holds her books close to her. She catches Emmanuel's attention. He scowls. _

**Emmanuel: **Hey Azra, where's your patch?

_She looks behind her shoulder nervously. _

**Azra: **I…uh…don't have one.

**Emmanuel: **What's the matter? Haven't had time to visit Renard?

**Azra: **No I just….I'm….I'm not wearing one.

**Emmanuel: **Aren't you in his ninth grade class?

**Azra: **Yes but-

**Emmanuel: **So why aren't you wearing one?

_Azra halts and turns to Emmanuel with exasperation. _

**Azra: **I….I don't want one! The Order creeps me out!

_Emmanuel lowers his eyebrows. _

**Emmanuel: **You think you're better than us?

**Azra: **No! I just don't like it. Stop bugging me!

**Emmanuel: **If I were you, I would change my opinion, and soon.

_Azra gazes at Emmanuel with fear. She backs up. _

**Azra: **J-just leave me alone.

_She runs off. _

**Mathias: **Wasn't that a little harsh?

**Emmanuel: **In my mind, refusing to wear the patch is the same as beating someone up with the patch. Either way, you show the school that you're against The Order.

_A little farther off, Johnny and Hiroki approach the vending machines. They are lost in a rather intellectual conversation. _

**Johnny: **Don't you think Megaman could defeat Twin Shadow from 'Rise of Darkness II'?

**Hiroki: **No way. Twin Shadow would tear him to pieces.

**Johnny: **But Megaman's a good fighter!

**Hiroki: **Yes, but Twin Shadow could easily deceive him and strike him when he let his guard down.

**Johnny: **Megaman never leaves his guard down!

**Hiroki: **Whatever…

_Hiroki reaches for a coin. As he is about to put it in the slot, he is blocked by a bigger kid. He immediately reacts in anger. _

**Hiroki: **Hey! We were here first.

_The kid turns to them with a slightly amused look on his face. _

**Xavier: **Congratulations, but I don't care.

**Johnny: **You can't just push us around like that!

**Xavier: **I just did.

_He puts his coin in. _

**Hiroki: **Unbelievable! You think you can take advantage of us just because we're younger than you?!

**Xavier: **Run along little seventh graders. Wouldn't want anyone here to get hurt.

**Paul: **Well, that makes one of us…

_Xavier is suddenly shoved against the vending machines by the bigger figure of Paul Gaillard. His face is intense and vindictive. Xavier looks at his attacker with fear and surprise. _

**Paul: **It's not nice to bully fellow students.

**Xavier: **W-why do you care?

_Paul reveals his purple patch. His look intensifies. _

**Paul: **Because I'm in The Order. And we don't appreciate things like that.

_Paul turns to Hiroki and Johnny. _

**Paul: **You can get your drinks now.

**Xavier: **Hey, my money is already in there!

**Paul: **Exactly. Paying for them is the least you could do for being such a jerk.

_Hiroki and Johnny look at each other, hesitating to act for a moment. But eventually they obey and get free drinks. Paul drops Xavier. _

**Paul: **Get lost.

_Xavier quickly obeys. Hiroki turns to Paul with sincere gratitude. _

**Hiroki: **Thanks. No one's ever stood up for us like that.

_Paul gives a curt smile. _

**Paul: **Well that's about to change very quickly. Don't you worry about that. And you're welcome.

**Johnny: **You said something about The Order. Isn't that Dr. Renard's project thing?

**Paul: **It is. But it's more than just a project. It's a….._Paul snaps his fingers, trying to think of the words…_an instrument of change.

**Johnny: **That sounds so cool! Dr. Renard has actually made this school fun!

**Paul: **You can say that again. _He turns away. _I gotta go. See you around.

**Hiroki: **Wait! _Paul stops. Hiroki twists his fingers together. _Is it….is it possible for younger kids to join The Order as well?

**Paul: **Dr. Renard told us we could start initiating any student ourselves if we deemed them worthy. So yes you could.

_Hiroki becomes wrapped up in excitement. _

**Hiroki: **Really?! SWEET! What do we have to do?

**Paul: **Come to a few meetings. If Renard and the rest of us believe you're cool, we'll let you in. We have one tonight after dinner in the auditorium. See you then.

_Paul walks off. Hiroki rubs his hands together in anticipation. Johnny scratches his head, thinking this over. _

**Hiroki: **This is fantastic! We could be in a secret society just like in 'Ninja Apocalypse III'!

**Johnny: **Now that I think about it, didn't you say your sister hated The Order?

**Hiroki: **I did.

**Johnny: **Then why would you want to join?

_Hiroki gives him a mischievous smile. _

**Hiroki: **Because if my sister hates it, then it must be super cool.

_In Jeremie's dorm room, the two braniacs are hard at work. Jeremie works from his desk with Aelita at his side. Jeremie seems to be working on a program that is near completion. _

**Jeremie: **Just a few more finishing touches and…_He hits the keys. The computer begins loading. A green plus sign appears. _Success!

**Aelita: **The return to the past program is fixed?

**Jeremie: **I've repaired the circuit boards and debugged the program. Now we just need to see how long it will take the program to repair itself. It should be popping up on the computer now.

_Jeremie closes his eyes and leans back in his chair. Aelita leans forward to look at the computer. _

**Aelita: **Uh….Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **Yes?

**Aelita: **This might be an error, but the estimated time of self-repair is..._She pauses…._two and a half months.

_Jeremie opens his eyes. To his horror, he finds it to be true. His head immediately hits the desk. _

**Jeremie: **Two….and a half months! Seriously?!

**Aelita: **Well it is a program to turn back time. Not exactly as easy as downloading a song.

_Jeremie hangs his head. _

**Jeremie: **You're right. I guess we'll just have to wait…..again. But if things keep progressing as they are, two and a half months may be too long. The return to the past maybe useless to us.

**Aelita: **I'm sorry Jeremie. There's nothing we can do. Besides, it's not all bad news. Do you remember how Moriarty seemed to be in pain in class today?

_Jeremie opens his eyes. _

**Jeremie: **You're right. I can't believe I almost forgot!

_He types on the computer again. An image of Moriarty's core in the Network appears. He points to it. _

**Jeremie: **Do you see those strange wavelengths coming from the core? And do you notice how the pyramid structures are pulsating with more energy than usual?

**Aelita: **Yes. What does it mean?

**Jeremie: **It means Moriarty has bitten off more than he can chew. Moriarty draws power from corrupted databases. It serves to generate the power that maintains his human form, in addition to giving him information. _The screen zooms in on the core. _Only problem is, he's having an energy shortage. The complexities of his human form combined with his recent attacks on Earth are too much for him. The databases can't keep up. He can't spread fast enough to support his pseudo-organic structure. In essence, if he isn't careful, he could fall apart.

**Aelita: **Hmmn….is that why he attacked us with the cake last time instead of launching a more traditional attack?

**Jeremie: **Probably so. He knew that he was in trouble so he did something easy to conserve his energy. But the damage was already done by that time. The parasitic core will eventually be unable to support itself. If things continue to progress this way, Moriarty will have no choice but to abandon his mortal form or risk total structural implosion.

_The room is suddenly quiet. Aelita stands there with a wild hope rising in her. She bites her lip. Parts of her resist this onrush of positive feelings for fear of being disappointed, but the tidal wave wins the day. She hugs Jeremie tightly. _

**Aelita: **Free of him…..WE'LL BE FREE OF HIM!

**Jeremie: **Aelita…_He coughs…_my neck. _She releases. Jeremie takes a moment to breath. _While this certainly looks good for us, we can't be sure that Moriarty won't find a way to save himself. We'll have to wait and see.

**Aelita: **Forget waiting. _She balls her fists and suddenly becomes lively and aggressive. _Let's take advantage of this by going down into the Network and finishing the job!

**Jeremie: **No can do…._Jeremie shows her another part of the Network. The infected databases appear to be swollen. _Power surges created by Moriarty's desperate growth have caused the infected databases to be-_She sees several of them blow up_- explosive. We would never get past them.

_Aelita sighs with disappointment. _

**Aelita: **So what can we do?

**Jeremie: **There's nothing for us to do at all. We can't destroy Moriarty ourselves right now. The return to the past program will be offline for a long time and we can't change that. Moriarty's control of the school is complicated by his pain and the César's arrival. And to top it all off, Odd has started his recovery program again. _Jeremie sits in his chair comfortably. _To put it blunty, there is nothing more we can do.

**Aelita: **So-_She pauses_-there's nothing more we can do for the mission? _She looks around the room. _Well, now what do we do?

_Jeremie gets a sly look on his face. He gets out of his chair and wraps his arms around Aelita's waist. She immediately blushes in surprise. _

**Aelita: **…How did I not see that coming?

**Jeremie: **Because I'm very sneaky…

_He kisses her cheek. She turns around to face him. They share a deep embrace. _

**Jeremie: **Let's forget about the mission for now.

**Aelita: **I agree. _She taps her index finger on his lip. _We've earned a little break.

_The two sit down on the bed. They share a passionate kiss. Jeremie pulls Aelita close to her. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty never gives us enough time to do this. Sometimes it can be really, REALLY annoying.

_Aelita rests her head on his shoulder. After he kisses her again, some tears fall down her cheek. Jeremie notices. He backs away from her. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita….what's wrong?

_She sniffs and wipes her nose. _

**Aelita: **Have you ever had to deal with the pressure of saving an entire city from dying from a plague? Knowing that it all depends on you and then…..failing? _More tears fall from her eyes. Her voice is strained. _The students' faces. Those terrible faces. They may all be better now but when they came after me-_Her eyelids scrunch together-_I couldn't take it. I couldn't take it! _Her fingers latch on to Jeremie's shoulders tightly. _I've been holding in all this terror from that plague….from everything. I don't have much more room to take any more. I won't be able to take much more! _She hugs Jeremie tightly. _Even if we do defeat Moriarty and save the world….I'm scared- no, terrified that there won't be anything left of ourselves to save. Even if we survive we'll become nothing but empty husks beaten beyond the point of endurance. _Her face collapses in Jeremie's chest. _I don't want that to happen! PLEASE NO!

_Jeremie holds her, his face shaking. He slowly forces Aelita's face to look at his. _

**Jeremie: **I know this is terrible. We have to endure things no one should have to endure. _He smiles. _But we don't have to endure it alone. Don't hold it all in. I made that mistake, and I will forever regret it.

_Aelita wipes her tears. _

**Aelita: **You're right. We have to press on.

**Jeremie: **Now is not the time to think about that. _His face brushes up against her cheek. The situation becomes romantic again. _I'm going to make you forget all about your stress…..just come a little closer….

_As Aelita nears Jeremie for another kiss, the door is knocked down. Jeremie and Aelita nearly jump out of their skins in shock. The proud Prince César struts into the room. _

**César: **Hello again roommate!

_Jeremie groans. _

**Jeremie: **Do you not know how to use a doorknob properly?

**César:** Of course I do. I just choose not to.

**Jeremie: **Of course. My mistake….

_César turns his attention to Aelita. He smiles flirtatiously. _

**César: **Well hello again Aelita, _mi princesa rosada. _(my pink princess) _He takes her hand like a true royal figure. _I did not realize you and Jeremie were on such friendly terms.

_While César continues to give her attention, Jeremie raises an eyebrow. _

**Jeremie: **Yes….._He coughs loudly. _She's my girlfriend.

_César nods understandingly. _

**César: **Oh I knew it. A genius such as her would only settle for a fellow genius. Nothing better would do for such a beautiful intellectual.

_Aelita sits there lost for words at that compliment. _

**Aelita: **César…..I'm flattered.

**César: **Of course a woman such as you could shoot for someone of higher caliber.

**Jeremie: **Excuse me?!

_César walks to the dresser. _

**César: **_Pero no me importa _(But I don't care) I have Pencak Silat practice. I need to change.

_He takes his shirt off. Jeremie begins to burn with shock and anger while Aelita turns a deep shade of red. Jeremie fumes. _

**Jeremie: **What's the matter with you?! You can't change in front of my girlfriend!

_A shirtless César with perfect abs and a lean tan body turns to face them. Aelita becomes redder. She looks away. _

**César: **I don't hear her complaining.

**Jeremie: **César!

_The prince holds his hands up in a gesture of peace. He gathers some clothes. _

**César: **_No te enojes _(Don't be angry). I will leave. _He opens the door and gives Aelita one last look./ Hasta luego princesa. _(See you later princess)

_As soon as he leaves, Jeremie scowls. _

**Jeremie: **Unbelievable flirt!

**Aelita: **Jeremie….I'm sorry. I don't want you to get the wrong idea-

_Jeremie sighs. _

**Jeremie: **It's okay Aelita. He's a dashing prince and I'm a weak nerd. I can't blame you for looking in his direction. I'm not exactly good competition.

_Aelita shakes her head. _

**Aelita: **Oh come on, I would never leave you for someone with that large of an ego.

**Jeremie: **Well, it is enormous.

**Aelita: **There is one good thing though…

_Jeremie turns around. _

**Jeremie: **What's that?

_Aelita points to the exquisite polo shirt discarded on the floor. She smiles. _

**Aelita: **He wasn't wearing a patch.

**Jeremie: **No…_He brightens up a little bit. _No he wasn't. _The two sit there in silence for a moment. Jeremie takes a look at the night sky. Suddenly a thought crosses his mind. _Pencak Silat practice? You don't think…

_In the dim light of the gymnasium, Ulrich and Yumi practice hard. Sweat falls down their brows. Ulrich is currently on the offensive. He breathes heavily. _

**Ulrich: **I used to be able to fight a lot longer than this. _He tries to sweep Yumi's feet, but she easily avoids it. _But not anymore. I tire too easily. _Yumi attacks. He puts up his hands to defend. _I think the positive side effects of Jeremie's inhibitors have worn off.

_Yumi backs up. An anxious frown is on her face. She avoids looking Ulrich in the eye. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich….I need to tell you something.

**Ulrich: **But my reflexes are sharper.

**Yumi: **Ulrich, I-

**Ulrich: **I guess it did leave a lasting impression after all.

**Yumi: **I agree, but Ulrich-

**Ulrich: **I was hoping it would last though.

**Yumi: **Ulrich, we really need to take a break. I have to confess something.

_Ulrich stops. He stands up straight. _

**Ulrich: **What? What is it?

_Yumi rubs the back of her neck sheepishly. _

**Yumi: **Well, you see I might have made a slight change to our usual practice. The truth is-

_Gym doors are busted open. A lean Spaniard in loose but expensive exercise attire emerges. _

**César:** Sorry I'm late.

_Ulrich takes one look at César. Then he mechanically turns his head toward Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **'Sorry I'm late'? Late for what?

_Yumi shrugs. _

**Yumi: **Practice?

_A shadow of jealousy and annoyance crosses Ulrich's face. He taps his foot on the floor. Yumi groans. _

**Yumi: **Okay, so he's joining us tonight. He mentioned he's a little behind on self-defense classes and I offered to help.

_Ulrich grits his teeth. _

**Ulrich: **Oh….how selfless of you.

**Yumi: **Don't patronize me. This is a friendly offer, nothing more.

_César walks behind Yumi and places a hand on her shoulder. Yumi immediately cringes and blushes. _

**César: **¿_Podemos empezar ahora, profesora? _(Can we begin now teacher?) _He gives her a strange look. _You seem tense, are you okay?

_Yumi smiles politely and backs away from César. She quickly assumes a mask of seriousness. She looks at the prince with respect and buries anything else. _

**Yumi: **Of course. _She bows to him. He gives her an obnoxious bow back. _Let's begin.

**Ulrich: **Right. _Ulrich walks in between them. He gets into a defensive stance. _Your first lesson: Spar me.

_Yumi quickly becomes concerned. She leans forward and whispers loudly into his ear. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, what are you doing?!

_Ulrich gives her a condescending smirk. _

**Ulrich: **What's the matter? You wanted to teach him self-defense. I'm just helping him out. _He cracks his knuckles and exudes an evil grin. _Oh I'll help him out alright.

**Yumi: **Please…._She grimaces. _Don't cause an international incident. Beating the Crown Prince to a pulp would not go over well.

_César stands there impatiently. _

**César: **Are we going to spar or not? Your little love chit-chat is getting old.

_Ulrich lowers his eyebrows. He approaches the prince. The two face each other in the middle of the court, circling each other. Ulrich becomes smug with confidence. Upon seeing this reaction, César merely frowns. _

**Ulrich: **Okay, let's see what you're made of.

**César: **If you insist _amigo…_.

_Ulrich goes on the attack while Yumi watches nervously on the sidelines. Ulrich starts out with some right hooks and punches. César surprisingly dodges them easily. Ulrich's eyes widen with surprise, but he quickly covers it up and goes in with more intensity than before. He gets in close, trying to look for an opportunity to attack César. But the prince waits patiently, not even attempting to go on the offense. Ulrich takes a swing towards the left side of César's face. The Spaniard sees it coming and blocks it out of the way, then jabs Ulrich in the chest. Ulrich winces and backs up with surprise. The pain is not very intense, but the shock of actually being countered by his supposedly weak opponent stings his pride. Ulrich starts moving lightly on his feet and moves toward him again. César appears indifferent. _

**Ulrich: **You're pretty good for a beginner.

_Ulrich manages to grab César's shoulders and tries to take him down. But César slips through his fingers with a clever escape maneuver. Ulrich seethes with frustration when he sees his opponent facing him again. _

**César: **Who said I was a beginner?

_Ulrich lunges at him. César successfully grabs his wrist and disarms his attack. Ulrich grimaces. César shakes his head sadly. _

**César: **_No paciencia _(No patience). That's your problem. Overconfidence and anger. Also a problem.

_Ulrich tries to take out his feet, but César moves to the side. He still hesitates to attack. He frowns, watching Ulrich's growing frustration with sadness. _

**César: **Your strength isn't the problem. You are stronger than me. But I have an advantage that your strength cannot match.

**Ulrich: **Oh yeah?! What's that?!

_César blocks several punches to the chest. _

**César: **You wear yourself out too easily because you dislike me and you don't think. _Una combinación muy peligrosa. _(A very dangerous combination) Meanwhile I patiently wait for you to make mistakes and take advantage of your emotions.

_Ulrich breathes heavily, trying to not let César's words affect him. But his comments dig into the aggressive side of his brain. He begins holding nothing back. César begins to look positively downcast. Ulrich's punch misses the prince's temples. César then strikes him in the side. Ulrich's drop in concentration from the pain allows César to kick him in the stomach. Ulrich is now in pain, but he presses on. César shakes his head as he continues to gracefully dodge his attacks. An open palm blocks another punch from Ulrich. _

**César: **You are losing because your mind isn't clear. You're angry. _César solemnly observes Ulrich's growing exasperation. _You're angry because you feel jealous. You feel insecure because the Prince of Spain has befriended your girlfriend and you don't know how to deal with it. Moreover, you're angry because you realized the 'spoiled little prince' can actually fight and beat you.

**Ulrich: **Shut up and spar me!

**César: **Don't take it too personally. Most guys I meet end up despising me. And it's always because they're afraid I'll take their girls. _Ulrich launches a roundhouse kick. César catches it and holds Ulrich helplessly at his mercy. _They hate me because they know they can't compete with the 'Crown Prince'. No one can. That's why I never have guy friends for very long. Eventually they can't stand me. _He takes Ulrich down and pins him. Ulrich struggles to get up. César turns to Yumi, who watches the scene in astonishment. César smiles at her, but it is a condescending smile. _And you. You're different than many girls. You don't fawn over me. And you're beautiful. I can honestly say I'm jealous of this Ulrich fellow. _He sighs. _But I could tell very quickly that I had an effect on you. You just have the honor and dignity to hide it and even deny that it exists.

_Yumi opens her mouth, trying to think of a way to answer him. _

**Yumi: **César, you are really assuming a lot…

**César: **Don't take it too personally. Every girl I've met is affected by me in some way. _César gets off of Ulrich. Ulrich gets up slowly. His pride is severely wounded. _But tell me Yumi. What did you see when you first met me? Did you see a person? Or did you see a prince? _He looks absentmindedly at the ceiling. _Because all the girls I've met only see the latter. All the girls I could ever want, and not one of them knows me. So I just play the part, because that's what everyone expects. _He turns his back on Yumi and Ulrich. _Thank you for brushing me up on self-defense. It had been a while since I practiced.

_He walks out the door, leaving Ulrich and Yumi speechless. The door shuts behind him. Yumi approaches Ulrich from behind. She holds her hands out in an apologetic manner. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, I didn't mean to-_She rubs her forehead. _I'm sorry. I was a real fool.

_Ulrich looks behind his shoulder. _

**Ulrich: **Apparently so was I.

_The two silently part ways for the night. As darkness falls over the factory, Odd drifts into sleep. His dreams quickly become alive. Shining light pierces the air in a crisp mountain valley. Within that valley lies a quaint Swiss town. A fountain bubbles in the central plaza. Across the street, Odd sees a couple outside enjoying themselves at a café. Odd's spine immediately shakes at the sight. Moriarty is sitting at the table with Antea Hopper, laughing. And she is laughing too. _

**Antea: **I can't believe you personally rearranged the schedule of a Soviet parade!

_Moriarty smiles brightly with a high dose of arrogance. _

**Moriarty: **What can I say? Gaspard said he wanted information on the new Soviet missiles. He didn't tell me how to do it.

**Antea: **If I didn't know any better, I would say you enjoy pranking our communist neighbors more than actually outsmarting them.

**Moriarty: **Oh the real culprit of that is Schaeffer. He can't help himself sometimes. Knowing how to dismantle an entire empire's communications gives one irresistible temptations.

_Antea smiles and looks off to the side. _

**Antea: **He's a bit of an odd duck, isn't he?

**Moriarty: **Oh he is, but once you get to know him, you realize he's even crazier.

**Antea: **Oh stop it. You're simply awful to him. He has a sweet side, you know.

_Moriarty nods his head and rolls his shoulder, indicating that he is begrudgingly agreeing with her. _

**Moriarty: **I don't know if I would use the word sweet, but you're right. He can be normal at times. He's a…_Moriarty pauses, hesitating to give a compliment…_.he's a good friend.

_Antea winks at him. _

**Antea: **You're lucky to have such a friend.

**Moriarty: **Yes, but I'm even luckier to have you.

_Antea blushes. _

**Antea: **Oh André, you're too much.

_Moriarty leans forward, full of romantic confidence. _

**Moriarty: **I'm serious Antea. A woman like you is as rare as…._Moriarty thinks for a moment. The music of the café and approaching night fills the void_….well, as rare as your hair color!

_Antea chuckles and twirls her beautiful hair with her index finger. _

**Antea: **People always obsess over my hair. They've made remarks about it all the time, ever since I was little. _She sighs and rests her chin on her hand. _But that was honestly the sweetest comment regarding my hair that I've ever heard.

**Moriarty: **I wouldn't have it any other way. _He raises his glass. _Come on. A toast. To us.

_Antea raises her glass as well. _

**Antea: **And to Waldo Schaeffer.

**Moriarty: **Of course. Why not? If it wasn't for that idiot I wouldn't be here with you right now. To Schaeffer and us!

_Moriarty and Antea's glasses tap together. The night goes on. The village becomes bright with lights. Music fills the air. Moriarty and Antea walk hand in hand towards the fountain. Antea flips a coin into the pool. _

**Antea: **Come on, make a wish.

_Moriarty laughs. _

**Moriarty: **Antea dear, I am a scientist. Do you honestly expect me to participate in such a silly tradition?

_Antea makes a puppy dog face. _

**Antea: **Oh come on. Don't be so stodgy. _She leans closer to him. _Do it for me.

_Moriarty sighs with defeat. He pulls a coin out of his coat. _

**Moriarty: **Very well. I'll do it.

_A coin falls into the pool. The clear light of the full moon allows them to see the coin fall all the way to the bottom. The water is clear. Moriarty holds Antea close. _

**Antea: **What did you wish for?

**Moriarty: **If I tell you, it won't come true.

_Antea rubs his blonde hair playfully. _

**Antea: **That's for birthday wishes silly! What did you wish for?

**Moriarty: **Okay. _His face becomes distant and romantic. _I wished that I could dance with you right now.

_Moriarty and Antea hear music from a beer garden nearby. Musicians work up a nice folk tone. People are dancing and singing. Lovers hold each other closely. Moriarty holds Antea's hand tightly. _

**Antea: **You got your wish.

**Moriarty: **God is shining on us tonight. Come on!

_They move into the beer garden and dance to their hearts' content. At first the music is wild and everyone dances as such. But eventually the music slows down and the lovers draw closer together. As slow dances begin to take hold of the beer garden, Moriarty raises Antea's chin close to his mouth. The two kiss. The scene shifts to Moriarty and Schaeffer at the Carthage facility. Schaeffer is hard at work on the computer while Moriarty fantasizes. _

**Moriarty: **I'm telling you Schaeffer, she's the one for me!

_Schaeffer's business expression does not change. _

**Schaeffer: **That's great. Can you hand me the document for the X35 protocol?

**Moriarty: **I mean, she's everything I could ever want in a woman…

**Schaeffer: **Hmm….where did I put the Gulag files?

**Moriarty: **She's smart, funny, beautiful, and just remarkably lovely.

**Schaeffer: **Fantastic. _He types on the computer. He laughs. _Oh the Soviets have more holes in their security than our famous cheese!

**Moriarty: **I mean, how could I not fall for a girl like her?

**Schaeffer: **Now what could these codes mean? _He hums with thought. After a few moments, he seems to register that Moriarty asked him a question. He raises his head. _I'm sorry, did you say something?

_Moriarty rolls his eyes. _

**Moriarty: **I get the feeling you are completely uninterested in my romantic life.

**Schaeffer: **What?! That's nonsense! I am so happy for you and Maria.

**Moriarty: **Antea….

**Schaeffer: **Antea. Right. I knew that.

**Moriarty: **Schaeffer, the least you could do is pretend to be happy for me.

**Schaeffer: **I am happy for you! I've just been otherwise preoccupied. The communications war against the Soviets never sleeps.

**Moriarty: **You focus on work too much. Maybe you should get out. Who knows? You might find a girl for yourself.

_Schaeffer scoffs at the idea. _

**Schaeffer: **Please André, I am not the romantic type. I am not interested in romance. I am a man of science only. Everything else bores me. I don't need a woman to make me feel happy. I am perfectly content where I am.

_Moriarty shrugs and shakes his head sadly at his friend. _

**Moriarty: **Suit yourself. If you want to be alone, you want to be alone.

**Schaeffer: **Yes. _He turns back to the computer. _Now if you will excuse me, I am in the process of sending a Soviet division to the wrong location.

**Moriarty: **I'm sure they won't be happy about that.

**Schaeffer: **Nonsense. Their original orders were to go to Siberia. I'm sending them to the Caspian Sea. In a sense, I'm doing them a favor.

**Moriarty: **Maybe they should send you a thank you card.

**Schaeffer: **They really should.

_The scene changes again. Antea stares out a window to look at the Swiss countryside. She is in pajamas. Moriarty approaches her from behind and hugs her. Antea smiles, but it fades. _

**Antea: **So beautiful….

**Moriarty: **I know.

**Antea: **It's hard to believe that at any moment, all of that could be blown away. The human race…._Her voice shakes and her eyes water…_gone within an hour.

_Moriarty holds her closer. _

**Moriarty: **I won't let that happen.

_Antea turns to Moriarty, her face full of concern. She pleads with her eyes. _

**Moriarty: **André, promise me that you'll keep this world safe. ` `

_Moriarty holds her shoulders. She looks up. _

**Moriarty: **I promise you with every fiber of my being that I will protect this world. I'm not going to let this arms race tear our world to pieces.

**Antea: **You…..swear it?

_Moriarty closes his eyes. _

**Moriarty: **I swear it.

_The dream shifts to the Carthage facility. Moriarty is hard at work on the computer. He mumbles some codes to himself. He hears a knock on his door. He doesn't look back. _

**Moriarty: **Come in.

_Antea opens the door. Moriarty turns around. _

**Moriarty: **Ah, Antea. It's so nice to see you.

**Antea: **Just nice?

_She kisses him on the cheek. _

**Moriarty: **Of course not. There's nothing better than seeing the love of your life after being stuck in an office all day.

_Antea playfully takes his hand. _

**Antea: **Then why don't we leave a little early? We deserve a break. Let's go get dinner, get out of this place.

_Moriarty frowns and looks back at his monitor. _

**Moriarty: **Antea, I would love to, but I can't. I'm in charge of intercepting some high level communications from the Soviet Union right now. I can't leave.

_Antea pouts. _

**Antea: **Oh come on, can't you bend the rules?

**Moriarty: **No. If something were to happen while I was gone, Gaspard would have my head.

**Antea: **Has anything happened all day?

_Moriarty pauses, looking at his monitor again. He rubs his chin. _

**Moriarty: **Well no. Our rivals seem to be pretty silent right now.

**Antea: **And they're going to stay silent. Come on, what are the odds anything major will happen now?

_Moriarty bites his lip. _

**Moriarty: **Now that you mention it….

_Antea grabs his hand again. _

**Antea: **Nothing is going to happen. It's Christmas Eve for heaven's sake. They should be arrested for making you work at such a time.

_Moriarty sits frozen at his chair, unsure what to do. He then turns to Antea. Her smile is warm and inviting. Moriarty begins to melt. He gets up. _

**Moriarty: **You're right. Nothing will happen. Let's go have some fun.

_They run out of the office together. Quickly afterwards, darkness overtakes the vision. A sense of gloom and punishment lingers in the air. Moriarty stands in a dimly lit room in front of Gaspard and two generals. They are glaring at him. Moriarty has his head down. _

**General 1: **The Soviets have invaded Afghanistan. And we were left totally in the dark.

**General 2: **Intercepting Soviet communications was your job. You…..ABANDONED YOUR WORK! And now look at the consequences.

_Gaspard folds his hands together. His expression is full of pity, but also deep anger and betrayal. _

**Gaspard: **Do you have any idea what you have just done?

_Moriarty does not reply. _

**Gaspard: **Your little escapade with your girlfriend left us totally out of the loop! André, you have failed this project…..and your country.

_The words dig into Moriarty like a knife. He can't raise his head. His body shakes. _

**Gaspard: **Do you not realize that your actions have also put me in jeopardy? I brought you and Schaeffer here. You were supposed to be the best of the best. I put faith in you. And you let me down…._Gaspard looks down at the floor and shakes his head. _My superiors are demanding that you be removed immediately.

_Moriarty suddenly looks up. His eyes are full of horror. _

**Moriarty: **No please! I…_He lowers his head again. _It won't happen again…..It will never happen again. My work will always come first now. I…._He closes his eyes. _I won't let you down again. Just please, give me another chance.

_Moriarty looks up. The generals and Gaspard are hesitant. After what seems like an eternity of silence, Gaspard speaks. _

**Gaspard: **You are removed from the board and put on probation. We will be monitoring you closely. One more mistake, and I will personally remove you from this project.

_Moriarty exits the room. His face is sullen and full of defeat. He walks down the hall. Antea approaches her. _

**Antea: **How did it go?

_Moriarty does not reply. He keeps walking. _

**Antea: **André…

_He keeps walking. Antea grabs his arm. _

**Antea: **André, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you in trouble. I just wanted to spend time with you. If you I had known I would never….._Her voice trails off. _Please forgive me…

_Moriarty turns to her. A dark cloud of anger and pain radiates in her direction. She backs away from him. Her eyes swell up with tears. _

**Antea: **André…please...

_Moriarty's gaze remains unmoved. Tears fall down Antea's face. Moriarty watches without pity. _

**Antea: **André, please say something!

_Moriarty turns away. His back faces her. He starts to walk again. _

**Moriarty: **I need to focus on work now Antea. I can't allow this to happen again.

_Antea pauses for a moment. She wipes her eyes. _

**Antea: **But we….are still….

_Antea can't finish. Moriarty looks behind his shoulder and glances at her. He turns his head. _

**Moriarty: **For the time being, I can't have any distractions.

_He walks away. Antea slowly goes the opposite direction. She begins to weep bitterly. An hour later, she finds herself moping in the break room. She is completely alone. A few minutes later a rather spaced out Schaeffer enters the room. He totally does not notice her presence. He goes for the coffee, muttering to himself. As he pours out a cup, a large sob from her catches his attention. He sees the sad scene and pauses. His distraction causes him to pour coffee on his hand. He curses loudly. Antea lifts her head. Schaeffer rubs his palm in embarrassment. _

**Schaeffer: **Sorry…._He runs some cold water on his hand. He awkwardly avoids her gaze. While the water runs over his hand, he wonders what to do. His social limitations and preoccupation with work make him hesitant to comfort her. But as the crying continues, he finds that he cannot ignore it. He pours another cup of coffee. He turns around. _Coffee?

_Antea feebly looks up. She sees this scatterbrained but kind man of science offering her a cup. She sinks down again. _

**Antea: **Sure.

_He sets the cup down and sits down across from her. _

**Schaeffer: **Okay, what did André do this time?

_Antea looks away. _

**Antea: **I'd prefer not to talk about it.

_Schaeffer sits there for a moment, staring blankly at her. He then gets up. _

**Schaeffer: **Okay….

_Antea watches in amazement as he starts to leave. _

**Antea: **You're going to leave, just like that?

**Schaeffer: **You said you didn't want to talk about it.

_Antea's eyes widen. _

**Antea: **Don't you understand that when a woman says that…she doesn't really mean it?

_Schaeffer scratches his unshaven face. _

**Schaeffer: **I guess not…..

_Antea shakes her head. _

**Antea: **I forgot that the greatest minds on Earth sometimes miss the simple things. _She sighs. _I do need someone to talk to Waldo.

**Schaeffer: **If it's relationship drama, I'm not sure I can help. I mean…_He points to his odd and disheveled appeareance…_..look at me.

_Antea laughs despite her tears. _

**Antea: **A true man of science. Completely indifferent to the little things of life. It's a wonder you remembered to put clothes on.

**Schaeffer: **I've had to be reminded a few times.

_She laughs again. Her mood starts to improve. _

**Antea: **You and André are so much alike. I can see how you two became good friends.

**Schaeffer: **Well, not totally alike. _He folds his arms across his chest. _I know I would never hurt the feelings of a beautiful woman.

_Antea is instantly surprised by the remark. A little color comes to her cheeks. _

**Antea: **Beautiful?

_True to his man of science personality, Schaeffer is ignorant that his previous remark would usually cause embarrassment between both genders. He smiles proudly. _

**Schaeffer: **Of course. So what did he do?

_Before Antea can answer, Gaspard's voice comes over the intercom. _

**Gaspard: **Dr. Schaeffer, report to my office immediately.

_Schaeffer smacks his head in exasperation. _

**Schaeffer: **Oh perfect timing. _He looks apologetically at Antea. _Sorry, may we continue this another time?

_Antea nods. _

**Antea: **Sure. How about over dinner….in town tonight? I need to get out of this place.

**Schaeffer: **Dinner….splendid! I will find my least ridiculous outfit and you may discuss your emotional crisis to your heart's content. _He turns to leave and knocks his face into the wall. He stumbles back. _I knew the door wasn't there.

_She laughs again. Schaeffer leaves. Eventually Antea leaves too. Both are unaware that Moriarty has been listening from the back of the break room. He clutches his coffee cup in anger. The scene changes to three weeks later. Schaeffer and Antea walk towards the Carthage facility at night. Both seem in high spirits. _

**Antea: **You forgot your wallet in your office again?

**Schaeffer: **What can I say? If it's not attached to my body there's no guarantee that it will go with me.

**Antea: **You're so innocently forgetful at times.

_As they pass security, Antea wraps her arm around his. They walk together. But as they reach the office, they notice Moriarty standing in their way. The pair instantly stop. They can tell Moriarty is not happy. His hands are on his hips and his eyebrows are lowered, as if ready to attack. _

**Schaeffer: **André, what are you doing?

**Moriarty: **What am I doing? _He aims an index finger at him. _A better question is what are you doing? With her?

_A tense moment of silence follows. Antea scoots away from Schaeffer, trying to avoid any suspicion. _

**Schaeffer: **André, I know what you're thinking. I know this looks questionable, but I assure you-

**Moriarty: **Assure me what? That you're not seeing my girlfriend behind my back?

_Antea stands in front of Schaeffer_

**Antea: **André, it's not like that. We are just friends, colleagues that like to enjoy each other's company.

_Moriarty scoffs at the idea and scowls at her. _

**Moriarty: **Colleagues and friends that have been seeing each other regularly for the past three weeks?

_Schaeffer and Antea look at each other, not sure what to say. _

**Schaeffer: **Antea and I have done nothing wrong. We were just enjoying each other's company. That is all. Right Antea?

**Antea: **Right. I would never do anything to harm you André, you know that.

_Moriarty stands there quietly. At first, it appears that he might accept what they are saying. But eventually jealousy gets the best of him. _

**Moriarty: **Do you think I'm an idiot?! Do you think I really don't know what's going on here?!

_Ice sinks into Antea's chest at the accusation. _

**Antea: **André, how could you?!

**Moriarty: **How could you run off with my best friend?! And speaking of which…_He turns his ire toward Schaeffer _what a wonderful best friend you turned out to be.

_Schaeffer starts to become angry. _

**Schaeffer: **We did nothing wrong! She was distraught after your confrontation with her. She needed someone to talk to, and I happened to be that person. I ended up liking her as a good friend. We like to be with each other and talk. Is that so wrong?

_Moriarty seethes at his former friend. _

**Moriarty: **I always knew you thought I was so much dumber than you. You are the one who keeps getting the attention around here. You are Carthage's crown gem while I am barely better than its trash. But to think you tried to convince me that you two are innocent friends….._He tightens his fist. _It makes me sick.

**Antea: **André stop!

**Moriarty: **Shut up!

**Schaeffer: **Enough of this! I do think you're stupid, but it's not because I think I you're gullible. It's because you are a jealous idiot. A jealous idiot who is on a rampage of self-destruction. You and Antea had a great relationship, but you've singlehandedly torn it to pieces. You haven't forgiven her for an innocent mistake that cost you some prestige in the project, and look what it has done. If you had let it go and started to see her again, everything would have been fine. Instead you drove her away. What did you expect would happen? That she would wait until you had swallowed this blow to your pride? _He glares at Moriarty. _Maybe the problem isn't her. Maybe the problem is that you don't deserve her!

_Moriarty stares at Schaeffer with a blank look. Something snaps in his mind, like a spark about to ignite a forest fire. The veins on his forehead and hands begin to pop out. He growls in anger. His face contorts with uncontrolled rage. _

**Moriarty: **How….dare you. _A fist is cocked. It plows into Schaeffer's stomach and knocks him against the wall. Antea screams. _YOU SON OF A BITCH!

_Schaeffer groans. Antea rushes to his side. The sight of her caring for him is too much for Moriarty. His anger evaporates. Tears form in his eyes. _

**Moriarty: **Antea…..

_Antea faces away from him. _

**Antea: **Never…..speak to me again….

_Moriarty feels his heart torn in eight different places. His breath is slowed by the shock of his loss. After a few moments of trying to recover himself, he vents at Schaeffer. _

**Moriarty: **You….STOLE HER FROM ME!

_Schaeffer gives him a spiteful look. _

**Schaeffer: **You have done that yourself.

_Upon hearing this, Moriarty mechanically walks away from the scene. He breaks off into a run. Meanwhile Antea gets closer to him. She puts her arms around his head and holds him. The dream finally disappears. Odd wakes up. Kiwi stares at his master inquisitively. Odd sinks back into the pillow. _

**Odd: **No Kiwi, I am not telling Aelita what happened in that dream.

_Early in the morning, William walks through the park near campus. He hopes to have some time to himself and unwind. Unfortunately Xana did not have the same plan. _

**William: **For the last time, Xana, I said there is no deal.

**Xana: **Slave, your morality has exasperated me beyond the point of endurance. It is an offer you can't refuse.

**William: **Too bad. I'm refusing it. You'll just have to endure.

**Xana: **I wonder….will you continue to refuse, even if it means the freedom of the world itself?

**William: **Don't be so melodramatic.

**Xana: **Moriarty's disease is spreading quickly. Kill it here, or it will infect all of France. And eventually the planet.

**William: **We already stopped his plague.

**Xana: **I refer to a different disease. His Order. If it gets any stronger it will infect other schools, and then Moriarty's message will not be stopped. Kill the disease here before it does any more damage.

_William stops. _

**William: **Does that involve killing anyone who is involved with The Order?

**Xana: **Naturally…

**William: **Then shove your idea up your artificial ass. That's not happening.

_A metallic laughter pierces his mind. William cringes. _

**Xana: **Don't you see? They are your enemy now.

**William: **They're just brainwashed.

**Xana: **Say what you will. But there will come a time where you will beg me to let you kill them.

_William keeps walking to avoid that thought. Suddenly he stops. He notices Natalya sitting under a tree, reading. She doesn't notice him. _

**William: **I didn't know she would be up this early.

**Xana: **The Russian female. How revolting. I have to deal with your hormones again.

_A tree branch above Natalya quakes suspiciously. It creaks and groans. It sways in the wind more than the others. William suddenly becomes concerned. _

**William: **That branch seems really old and unstable. She shouldn't be sitting under there.

_Natalya pays it no attention. Without warning, a gust of wind rips through the trees. William immediately looks up. The gust has pushed the branch beyond its point of endurance. It starts to fall right above Natalya. His brain switches to auto pilot. He sprints faster than humanly possible toward the tree. He pushes her out of the way. The branch falls on him, but shockingly the branch fazes through his body. After his gray body fluctuates for a moment, it stabilizes. He looks up to see Natalya staring at him in utter shock. She can barely speak. She points at him. _

**Natalya: **Branch….you…..fast…..transparent…..what…what….not hurt….how….

_William avoids her gaze. He prays with all his being that this is just a dream, but he knows that it is not. Xana speaks to him internally. _

**Xana: **You're welcome.

**William: **We hadn't made the deal…you didn't have permission.

**Xana: **In that moment you were willing to do anything to save her. That was permission enough.

_Natalya remains in shock. She doesn't take her eyes off William for a second. William cautiously tries to approach. _

**William: **Natalya….

**Natalya: **WHO ARE YOU?!

**William: **Just calm down a second and….

**Natalya: **I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION!

**William: **Shh! _He covers her mouth. _The groundskeeper will hear you. Just stay calm.

**Natalya: **YOU JUST PASSED THROUGH A SOLID OBJECT LIKE A GHOST AND YOU WANT ME TO BE CALM?!

**William: **Shh! Just stop screaming and I will explain everything! _He says those words before he fully understands what he is doing. The reality soon hits him. But it is too late. Natalya's eyes are locked on with curiosity. A revulsion to the lies he has given her quickly returns. He grimaces. _I will…..explain everything.

_The two become silent. Birds start to chirp. Natalya leans forward. _

**Natalya: **Tell me the truth….please.

**William: **I will….but not here. I wouldn't even know what to start. _He helps Natalya up. _Let's meet at the front entrance tonight after dinner. We can go get an ice cream off campus. I will tell you everything.

**Natalya: **Finally….

**William: **But I must warn you once you know the truth, I can't guarantee your safety. It will be dangerous for you. Really dangerous. You can back out now and pretend like this never happened. It would be safer for you that way. Are you sure you want to know the truth?

_Natalya touches his shoulders. _

**Natalya: **More than anything.

**William: **Natalya, this is your last chance to walk away.

_She looks him in the eye. Her expression is resolute. _

**Natalya: **I've made up my mind.

_Deep concern for her pummels William's mind. But he nods. _

**William: **Okay, see you then.

_They part ways. Xana quickly returns. _

**Xana: **That went well. I wonder how you are going to explain that to your friends.

**William: **What they don't know won't hurt them.

**Xana: **My lips are sealed. But what if they find out? What will you do then?

**William: **They will have to get over it. I'm done lying.

_The day passes on. Moriarty lies in his bed. He is weak and sickly. His breathing is heavy. The room occasionally spins around him. The door opens. He turns to see Jeremie looking over him. Immediately Moriarty growls with loathing. Jeremie watches over him with unrestrained glee. He presents a full tray of food to him. He puts it on the bed. _

**Jeremie: **Dinner. Rosa sends you her deepest sympathies.

_Moriarty regards his rival with disgust. _

**Moriarty: **Jeremie…..did they make you do this?

**Jeremie: **No I volunteered.

**Moriarty: **How thoughtful. But I sense an ulterior motive.

_Jeremie pours hot tea for Moriarty and 'accidentally' spills it onto his leg. Moriarty howls and curses him. _

**Jeremie: **Now what would give you that idea?

_Jeremie leaves Moriarty to his dinner and leans against the wall. Moriarty glowers at him. _

**Moriarty: **This must be so amusing for you.

**Jeremie: **Considering I was in the same position not too long ago, a little bit.

**Moriarty: **Enjoy it while you can. This is just a minor setback. I still have this school under my finger.

**Jeremie: **Little good that does you if you have to abandon your human form.

_Reckless confidence is evident in Moriarty's ashen face. _

**Moriarty: **I will never do that.

**Jeremie: **Then you will die….

_Moriarty laughs. He becomes a little hysterical. _

**Moriarty: **So confident that I've met my end, are you?

**Jeremie: **The thought is getting more and more appealing.

**Moriarty: **Don't count me out just yet. I have unfinished business. I….cannot die.

**Jeremie: **Whatever.

_He reaches for the door. Moriarty smiles and looks at the ceiling. _

**Moriarty: **Have you told Aelita about her mother and me?

_Jeremie's fingers grow cold as they grasp the doorknob. _

**Jeremie: **No. It's best she doesn't know….if I can help it.

_Moriarty shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **It's not good to hide things from your girlfriend. What else have you not told her?

**Jeremie: **Nothing. Everything we learn about you is shared among the group. No exceptions.

**Moriarty: **Then I suppose you all know about Schaeffer and I….our history.

**Jeremie: **A little….

**Moriarty: **And I guess you know about my far right past, my father, and my Afghanistan fiasco.

_Jeremie opens the door. _

**Jeremie: **Yeah, what's your point?

_He turns to see a horribly evil smile on Moriarty's face. Jeremie pauses with alarm. _

**Moriarty: **Interesting….I don't remember telling you that. How did you know all those things about me? _Jeremie starts to sweat. He now sees how Moriarty has tricked him into revealing their secret link to his past. He curses his arrogance and foolishness. _Come to think of it, I've been wondering how your friends were able to piece through my memories so well when they tortured me. As if they already knew…_His grin becomes malicious. _Oh well, time for Odd to die.

_Jeremie fumes with outrage. He balls his fist. _

**Jeremie: **You….bast-

_An electric shock throws Jeremie against the wall. Moriarty withdraws into his sheets. _

**Moriarty: **Don't waste your time with me. The clock is already ticking.

_Back in Ulrich's dorm, a specter wraps around Odd's clone. The entity starts to shake. Ulrich is in his towel, perusing through the closet. _

**Ulrich: **Hey clone, have you seen my gray shorts?

_Odd's clone violently throws Ulrich against the wall and storms out. Shortly afterwards Yumi knocks on the door. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich…

_Ulrich turns crimson and tries to stop her. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi don't-

_Yumi opens the door to see a towel only partially covering Ulrich. She gasps and turns red. _

**Yumi: **ULRICH WHAT THE HELL?!

_Ulrich feebly raises his arm. _

**Ulrich: **Okay, first of all, I apologize if you saw anything that crossed the boundary of our relationship. Second, Odd's clone is possessed by Moriarty. _He struggles to his feet, making sure the towel is firmly on. _We need to move quickly. _He grimaces in pain. _Yumi, can you hand me my pants?

_The five run on the bridge toward the factory entrance. William's face is determined but full of regret. _

**William: **Just so you know, Natalya is going to kill me for ditching her.

_Electricity lights up the inside of the factory. Odd screams. _

**Odd: **HELP!

**Jeremie: **If we don't do something, Odd is going to be the one killed.

_They rush in to save him. They see Odd running away from a very aggressive clone. Lightning shoots out of his hands. Ulrich steps forward. _

**Ulrich: **I'll handle him. Deactivate the tower.

**Aelita: **Got it.

**Yumi: **Good luck.

_They swoop down and run to the elevator. Ulrich stays put and tackles the clone. Back on campus, Christophe enjoys a quiet evening with his IPod and his homework. He hums innocently without a care in the world. But that ends when Natalya bursts in the door. Christophe quickly sees that the Russian is seething with murderous anger. She slams her foot on the door. _

**Natalya: **WHERE IS HE?!

**Christophe: **Um….hello?

**Natalya: **WHERE IS THAT JERK?!

**Christophe: **Please be more specific…..

**Natalya: **Don't play dumb with me. Where's William?

**Christophe: **How should I know? He's not my responsibility.

_A bony index finger is pointed at him. _

**Natalya: **You live next to him. You have to know. I know you know where he is!

_Christophe rolls his eyes. _

**Christophe: **You've lost it. I have no idea where he is. Stop bothering me about it. You're so angry you're starting to sound crazy.

**Natalya: **Liar!

**Christophe: **I'm not lying. I honestly don't know where he is.

_He looks back at his book, expecting her to go away. But she doesn't. _

**Natalya: **No. You really are lying. I know it. Your eyes avoided mine for a split second. You moved uncomfortably. You lied. I know you know where he is.

**Christophe: **You're nuts.

**Natalya: **I'm not moving from this spot until you tell me!

_Christophe looks up. Natalya is shaking with anger. He can tell that she has her heart set on ripping William apart. For the time being though, that rage is focused on Christophe. Her killer eyes make him feel uneasy. He gives in and holds up his hands. _

**Christophe: **Okay okay. He's probably with his friends at their usual hangout.

**Natalya: **Show me.

**Christophe: **What?

**Natalya: **Show me….NOW.

_Ten minutes later, Christophe and Natalya are standing on the bridge to the factory. Natalya is suddenly hesitant. _

**Natalya: **An abandoned factory? This is where they hang out?

**Christophe: **Yeah. One night I came out of a CD store around this place and saw them cross the bridge.

**Natalya: **And you never asked them about it?

**Christophe: **Wasn't my business. Besides…_His face becomes red. _I don't think I want to know what a bunch of teenagers do in an abandoned factory.

_The thought makes Natalya turn red. Embarrassment transfers to rage. If smoke could come out of her ears, it would be happening right now. _

**Natalya: **THAT JERK!

_She runs into the factory. _

**Christophe: **Wait!

_A minute later, the two push the button for the elevator. _

**Christophe: **This place gives me the creeps.

**Natalya: **I bet he's down there. I'm going to tear his head off.

**Christophe: **Can't we just leave?

**Natalya: **You can leave if you want. Of course. _She stares at Christophe playfully. _A big strong man like you wouldn't abandon a girl in a dark scary factory would you?

_Christophe groans. _

**Christophe: **You're awful.

_The elevator takes them down to the scanner room. They walk in and are instantly blown away. None of them are able to move for a second. Eventually Christophe moves forward. _

**Christophe: **What is this place?

_Natalya follows. _

**Natalya: **Looks really high-tech. What is this doing under a crappy factory?

_Christophe looks at the scanners with great interest. Natalya seems to be awestruck by the room itself. None of them bother to think about the strange noises coming from upstairs. Christophe walks into the scanner. _

**Natalya: **Hey, that may not be safe!

**Christophe: **Oh chill out! Look! _He folds his arms across his chest in a frozen pose. _It's like one of those freeze capsules that preserve you until you wake up five hundred years into the future!

**Natalya: **You boys and your science-fiction.

_Christophe feels the walls of the scanner. _

**Christophe: **Hey, get into one of these. It's so cool!

**Natalya: **Pass.

**Christophe: **Oh… is the little girl afraid to get in the pod? I thought you weren't scared of this factory.

_Natalya grunts at him and quickly walks into a scanner. She looks at Christophe triumphantly. _

**Natalya: **There. Happy now?

_The scanner doors close. Natalya and Christophe freak out. _

**Christophe: **What the?!

**Natalya: **Hey, I can't get out! Help!

_Transfer…Scanner….Virtualization _

**Yay Cliffhanger! What will happen next? Note: Franco was the Dictator of Spain from 1939-1975. Just thought I'd let you know, that's who César was talking about. **


	15. Chapter 15

**It has come to my attention that my Spanish may not be quite as accurate as I thought. I had hoped that my limited use of it would prevent me from making mistakes, but I'm only human. If you know Spanish and see errors, I apologize. I am taking classes so hopefully that won't be a problem later on. Anyway, try not to let things like that ruin the story for you. I hope you enjoy this one. **

**Part 30 **

_The elevator doors to the lab room open. The locks creak and groan with their usual clockwork. Immediately the four warriors come out. William and Yumi are carrying Jeremie, who appears to be semi-conscious. His eyes flutter as they desperately try to understand his surroundings. Aelita walks behind them, her face full of worry. She bites her fingernails. _

**Aelita: **Gentle…gentle…..let him rest on Odd's bed.

_They gingerly set him down. Jeremie fades in and out of consciousness. _

**Jeremie: **What…..hap-happened?

**William: **Odd's clone blasted you with electricity right as we entered the elevator. Just rest for a little bit. You took a lot of volts.

**Jeremie: **Oh…_He becomes quiet and dazed again for a moment. _What happened?

_Yumi pats his head. _

**Yumi: **Don't worry about it Jeremie.

_Aelita takes his hand and squeezes it. _

**Aelita: **I'll handle everything Jeremie. We're going to save Odd. _Despite her obvious reluctance to leave him as he is, she gets up and heads for the computer. _I'm starting a virtualization countdown. Get down to the scanner room.

_William and Yumi nod. _

**Yumi: **Got it.

_They turn to go down the hatch, but they are stunned to see a small canine blocking the way. A small growl filters through his clenched jaws. William and Yumi give each other warning looks. _

**Yumi:** Kiwi….?

_The dog barks. The eye of Moriarty shines in his corneas. _

**William: **Crap.

_The small furry animal lunges for the two. William and Yumi dance away from him to prevent Kiwi from biting their ankles. _

**Yumi: **Be careful! Last time Kiwi was possessed he zombified the entire school!

**William: **….You'll have to tell me that story later. But for now…._He picks up a metal rod and points it at Kiwi. _BAD DOG!

_Kiwi jumps on Yumi. William wacks him off. Kiwi then proceeds to chew on several wires leading to the computer mainframe. William grips his metal rod. _

**William: **I hope animal rights advocates will forgive me for this…

_A single blow sends Kiwi hurtling backwards. But he gets up as quickly as he is knocked down. He then goes for Aelita. She jumps onto the command chair to avoid him. _

**Aelita: **Moriarty is doing everything in his power to make sure Odd ends up dead. We can't let him delay us!

_Kiwi snaps at Aelita's heels and then leaps onto her lap. Aelita quickly throws Kiwi off. He lands on the keyboard. Several error messages pop up. Kiwi growls again. William takes a glance at the elevator. He points to Yumi and Aelita. _

**William: **Get out of the way! I have an idea! _Yumi and Aelita obey, leaving a clear path between Kiwi and William. William mockingly waves the rod around. Kiwi leans back on his haunches, glaring directly at William. He hits the button for the elevator several times. For a few moments he does nothing but taunt the dog. Kiwi barks. William smiles. _What's the matter doggie? Want the stick? Come and get it…_Kiwi prepares to pounce. William looks expectantly for the elevator to open, but it doesn't. He swears. _What's taking the elevator so long?!

**Yumi: **William, look out!

_Kiwi leaps for him. William has no choice but to duck out of the way and run. He does his best to keep close to the elevator. After a hellish few seconds, the elevator finally opens. William successfully leads Kiwi in and closes the door. Kiwi barks and tries to turn around, but the door shuts just in time. William claps his hands together. _

**William: **Kiwi may be possessed, but he's still just as brainless as ever.

_Aelita rushes to the computer again. Her eyes glue onto the glowing red screen. She starts to sort through the mess. Her face scrunches up in frustration. _

**Aelita: **Kiwi screwed everything up! The materialization programs are all out of whack now.

**William: **Can you fix it?

_Aelita rubs her temple vigorously. She zones out for a moment. _

**Aelita: **With time yes. Time I'm afraid we don't have.

_Yumi pats Aelita's shoulder, trying to calm her. It doesn't help much. _

**Aelita: **There's no way I'd be able to fix the program in time.

**Yumi: **Then don't try. _Aelita turns and looks at her like she's crazy. Yumi radiates calm and determination. _Saving Odd is the priority. We need to do that no matter the risks.

**Aelita: **You want to go on a one-way trip to Lyoko? Absolutely not! I won't let you gamble with your lives!

**Yumi: **I'm not sitting here while Ulrich and Odd are risking their lives. You know I would never do that.

**Aelita: **No! _Aelita hands Yumi Jeremie's earpiece. Yumi stares at it and gives Aelita a confused look. _I'll go. Alone. You'll stay here and replace Jeremie for me. William can back up Ulrich.

_Yumi almost laughs at the idea. She shoves the earpiece back at her. _

**Yumi: **You're insane if you think I'm going to let you do that.

**Aelita: **I've done it before!

**Yumi: **Not in situations this dangerous!

**William: **Listen to her Aelita. She knows what she's talking about. Besides…_He firmly places a hand on her shoulder. _We're a team. And teams don't split up when things get tough.

_Aelita watches with frustration as her friends silently intimidate her into backing down from her idea. She avoids their piercing looks. _

**Aelita: **We've fought without materialization before…..but to decide to go into Lyoko when we already know the danger…_She shakes her head. _That's insane.

_William shrugs with indifference. He points to Yumi and himself. _

**William: **Do we look sane to you?

_Aelita smiles lightly at this comment, marveling at their bravery. She slowly turns to the computer. _

**Aelita: **Alright, I'll start another virtualization countdown, seeing as we missed the first one.

_Yumi elbows William in the ribs. _

**Yumi: **I'm not insane.

**William: **Hmm….that's debatable.

**Yumi: **You better watch it. I'm supposed to have your back in this crazy mission. I don't think messing with me is a good idea.

_While the two talk to help ease the anxiety of the mission, Aelita has become frozen with shock. She examines what she sees on the screen with complete disbelief. She checks to make sure it's correct. Then she does it again. And then again. And again. But the result is still the same. She backs away from the computer, her hands shaking. _

**Aelita: **Guys…..

**William: **Oh you wouldn't abandon me in Lyoko. Because then you wouldn't have anyone to hold your hand in Moriarty's class.

**Aelita: **Guys….

**Yumi: **Moriarty does not scare me in class!

**Aelita: **GUYS!

_Yumi and William turn their heads at the same time. _

**William & Yumi: **What?!

_Aelita turns to look at them. Her face is ashen. She twiddles her thumbs together and swallows. _

**Yumi: **Aelita?

**Aelita: **We…..have a big problem.

_When Aelita does not follow up, William walks closer to her. His eyes probe her for answers. _

**William: **What kind of a big problem?

_For some reason, Aelita is unable to look William in the eye. She steps in front of the screen, hiding it from his view. She swallows nervously. _

**Aelita: **It seems…..it seems that…

**Yumi: **Yes?

**Aelita: **It seems that the scanners weren't totally empty when the countdown ended.

_The room is quiet. William cautiously thinks over Aelita's words. _

**William: **What do you mean 'not totally empty'?

**Yumi: **We missed the countdown. Ulrich is busy. No one else could have possibly been virtualized.

_Two very scared voices interrupt the conversation. The surprise nearly makes Yumi and William have a heart attack. _

**Natalya: **Hello?! Is anyone there?

**Christophe: **Can anyone here this? Hello?! What is this place?

_Nothing but the sound of the warriors shaking with shock and fear can be heard in the room. William and the others can see two new virtualization cards on the screen. The pattern of their voice waves makes the reality undeniable. Two new Alices have stumbled into Wonderland. _

**Natalya: **HELLO?!

_Aelita mechanically reaches for the earpiece. Her fingers tremble. She puts it on. _

**Aelita: **H-hello?

**Natalya: **Aelita? _Natalya instantly sounds relieved. _Is that you?!

**Aelita: **Yes. It's me. _She pauses._ I am talking to you from the factory you entered before you got virtualized.

**Christophe: **Virtuawhat?...Oh God….WHAT AM I ON RIGHT NOW?! This ice place is freaking me out! Where the hell are we?!

_Aelita winces. _

**Aelita:** That is…..slighty complicated Christophe.

_Scene shifts to the Ice Sector. Two figures huddle behind a large ice block in the middle of a flat area. Both look terrified and confused. They press their bodies against the block, feeling some comfort by hiding in the insane world they have fallen into. Despite their fear, they can't help but notice their new outfits. The informal and relaxed clothing Christophe is used to wearing has been replaced by something else entirely. He is decked out in a bionic suit of armor that covers all of his body except for his head and neck. The suit is colored in standard army camouflage. On his pecs are two strange circles that look like speakers. Christophe has turned from music guru into an impressive modern warrior. Natalya has also made a complete change. She is clad in a short white dress that ends above the knees. A wool belt is tied around her waist. Her skin glows with incredibly radiance, to the point that Christophe has to shield his eyes at times. And to top it all of, she is carrying a bow in her hands. A quiver of arrows is strapped around her shoulder. They take a minute to take in their strange outfits. _

**Natalya: **What on Earth are you…..are we wearing?

**Christophe: **I don't know, but you look like Artemis or something. At least with the bow and all.

_Natalya decides to try out her weapon. She straps a white and blue arrow to her bow. She bends it back and lets it fly. It takes a nosedive and sticks into the ice a few feet away. Christophe laughs. _

**Christophe: **Without the aim apparently.

_Natalya shoots him a cold look. _

**Natalya: **At least I have a weapon here in this…..whatever the hell this is.

_Strange noises that sound like animal screeching enter their range of hearing. Christophe and Natalya become tense. _

**Christophe: **Why do I get the feeling that I may need one?

_Aelita's voice addresses them again. _

**Aelita:** RUN! Those monsters are heading straight for you. Get out of there now!

**Natalya: **Monsters?

_Sure enough, several tigers round the corner and approach Natalya and Christophe. They growl. Natalya and Christophe back up against the ice. _

**Aelita: **Did you hear me? GET OUT OF THERE!

_The tigers close in. Natalya and Christophe don't move. _

**Aelita: **Don't try to fight them! You won't stand a chance!

**Natalya: **Too late….We're trapped.

_Back on Earth, William grabs onto the earpiece and nearly blows out Aelita's ear drums with his sudden yelling. _

**William: **NATALYA!

**Natalya: **William?! _Her voice is mixed with relief and confusion. _You're here too?

**William: **Yes. Hold on, I'm coming!

_A laser blast hits Natalya's thigh. She goes down. She starts to yell. _

**Natalya:** Oh! That burns!

_Christophe step in front to protect her. _

**Christophe: **Back off!

_The moment Christophe steps toward the enemy, his right wrist begin to light up. To his great surprise, a plate of armor on his wrist elevates to form a small box near the back of his hand. A green trigger appears. Christophe looks at it with curiosity. When the tigers prepare for a second round, Christophe instinctively presses the trigger. A metal disc that looks strangely similar to a CD pops out of a slot in the box. It scrapes one of the tigers across the side. The creature growls in pain and annoyance. Christophe's curiosity turns to satisfaction. _

**Christophe: **I guess I'm not defenseless after all…

_A laser hits him directly in the chest. He falls on top of Natalya and moans in pain. Aelita scrambles into action on the keyboard. William and Yumi scurry downstairs. _

**Aelita: **Hold on a little longer! I just need to finish one thing!

_Christophe looks up. To his surprise, the tigers aren't firing. In fact, they are moving off to the side, creating a gap in the line. Something large in the distance moves forward to fill that gap. Christophe lowers his eyebrows in confusion. _

**Christophe: **Um Aelita, I'm seeing some girl…I think it's Yumi…..riding an elephant. Is that normal?

_Aelita finishes typing. The countdown begins. _

**Aelita: **That's not possible. Yumi's not there ye-_Aelita suddenly understands. She curses. _Not good…..We're coming Christophe!

_Christophe helps Natalya get up as the mastodon stops in front of them. The enormous creature makes the two shake in their virtual skins. But their attention is soon shifted to the female figure on top of the creature's head. The figure slides down the trunk to meet them. She slowly rises from landing in a squat position. The dark but undeniably familiar figure unnerves them. Natalya holds onto Christophe's shoulder nervously. _

**Natalya: **Y-Yumi?

_A cold tongue passes over Dark Yumi's gray lips. She opens her fans and glares at her prey. _

**Dark Yumi: **Yes…and no.

_Christophe senses the deception and attempts to fight back. He aims his newfound weapon and fires. Dark Yumi blocks the disc without batting an eye. She tilts her neck to the side with a hint of approval. _

**Dark Yumi: **Nice reflexes. You learn quickly. _She smiles. _But not quickly enough.

_Natalya, realizing that the flight response is not an option, raises her bow in an attempt to fight. Dark Yumi telekinetically knocks it out of her hands before she can even reach for an arrow. _

**Dark Yumi: **Oh don't even try. Someone might get hurt. _The tigers start to form a circle around them, never dropping their hunting gaze. Dark Yumi eyes them hungrily. _You two should have stayed at home. Moriarty is not fond of intruders.

**Christophe: **More of what?

_Dark Yumi turns her back to them. She waves the monsters to proceed. _

**Dark Yumi: **Kill them.

_The tigers open their mouths to finish the job. Natalya and Christophe close their eyes, helplessly waiting for the end. But a large broad sword blocks the onslaught. When Natalya notices that she hasn't been hit, she opens her eyes. In front of him is a tall warrior clad in a gold and black outfit. The warrior does not turn to look at her, but the angle of his sword tells her that she is defending him. His eyes are locked on her attacker. Natalya begins to stand. _

**Natalya: **William?

**William: **Natalya _His voice is stern and emotionless. _Stay behind me.

_Natalya and Christophe notice two figures behind them. One of the two frightens them at first because of her close resemblance to their attacker, but this new Yumi seems nobler and more human than the other. The pink hair of the other one quickly gives away her identity. William turns his head to Yumi. _

**William: **Yumi, Aelita and I will protect them from the monsters. Do you want to handle the tramp?

_Yumi's eyes glow with intense confidence and anger. _

**Yumi: **Is that even a question?

**Dark Yumi: **Are you sure you want to do that with the scanners offline? _She rubs her fans against her claws. _You know I won't show any mercy….

_Dark Yumi is telekinetically pushed backwards against the mastodon. She glares at Yumi, who cartwheels in her direction. Her opponent leaps in midair and throws a fan at her. _

**Yumi: **Neither will I!

_Dark Yumi manages to bat the fan out of the way. The tigers charge and meet head on with William's sword. Aelita puts a few dents in the mastodon's head. The mastodon responds by spraying fire at her. Natalya and Christophe watch with a combination of terror and wonder. Natalya turns to Christophe. _

**Natalya: **You just had to step into the pod…..

_The dim light of the moon filters through the upper floors of the factory. A few rats scurry along the beams near the ceiling. A cold mechanic chill hangs in the air. The darkness and stillness is enough to make one's stomach churn with uncertainty. Underneath an old desk, the timid shape of Odd can be seen hiding. He hugs his knees close to his chest. Feet tap nervously on the floor. When he realizes that the sound might give him away, he stops and shifts his nervous movement to his shoulders, which begin to shift in an irregular rhythm. His sweaty back pushes against the desk's wood. He quiets his breathing and listens for his attacker. After a few more moments of silence, he begins to lose himself in frightened thought. _

_Odd: He's here….I know he's here. He's just playing with me. He knows where I am. _

_He hugs his knees closer to his chest. _

_Odd: Dead. He wants me dead. Moriarty is going to kill me. Hide. I have to hide…..but where?! Where am I supposed to hide? _

_His back becomes even sweatier than before. His face is white. His stomach is swollen with icy fear. The feeling almost makes him sick. _

_Odd: I can't hide from him. Who can? That monster…..HE'S EVERYWHERE! If he wants to kill someone anywhere in the world, who can stop him? …No one. Where can I go that he won't be able to find me….Nowhere. _

_A clanging sound makes Odd choke with paralyzing terror. He turns his head and holds his breath. He hears nothing. _

_Odd: Damn it! Why doesn't he just end it already?! Haven't I suffered enough? _

_Odd curls into a ball. _

_Odd: No. There's no end to it. He always finds a way to put more pressure on. More pain. More fear. More torture….If only I hadn't accepted those powers. If only I hadn't gotten into that car. If only I hadn't come to Kadic….._

_Odd struggles to breathe. He gasps as his thoughts become darker. _

_Odd: But no. I am going to die here. I have to die here. In an old factory surrounded by rusty metal crap. Alone. He'll laugh once and then end me. End me…End me…_

_Odd can't take anymore. He leans over and heaves. Vomit spills onto the grey concrete floor. It goes on for several seconds. He wipes his mouth and looks it at in disgust. _

_Odd: God I'm pathetic. _

_Footsteps echo close to him. The sound makes him bolt from his hiding place into an old bathroom. The smell hits him quickly. It makes him even queasier than before. Odd closes the door and bolts it. He grimly remembers that such a precaution will do little to stop his intended killer. Above his head, a solitary lightbulb lights up his potential tomb. Odd tries to calm himself down in this temporary place of security. He washes his face with tap water. The knob of the sink comes off. Odd watches it clang to the floor with indifference. Water drips down his sunken face. He looks into the mirror. The glass is so dirty he can barely make out his blonde ungelled hair. But he can see the look of pathetic cowardice on his face. He lowers his head. _

_Odd: So this is how it ends. Executed like a pig in a factory bathroom. Perfect…_

_Odd sinks to the floor. He notices a glass shard next to him. He picks it up and points it to the door. He tries to harden his spirit. _

_Odd: I might as well give my handsome double some stomach pain before he kills me. _

_Shortly after settling down in the bathroom, someone starts to bang on the door. The blood in Odd's veins turns to ice. His bladder leaks a little from the terror. The banging comes again. Odd holds the shard close to him, his body shuddering with the cruel acknowledgement of approaching death. _

_Odd: No wife. No children. No. I die as a teenager in an old bathroom. I'm going to die like an animal. _

_The door is broken in half. Odd watches the pieces fall to the floor. The clone walks in. He gives Odd a simple yet vicious evil stare. The sight makes Odd begin to tear up. He holds his arms close to his chest as his killer approaches. Odd makes no attempt to escape. _

**Odd's Clone: **Hiding in a bathroom,huh? How fitting.

_Odd's clone walks up to Odd. The fake taps his fingers on Odd's hair. _

**Odd's Clone: **A shame you didn't keep your old hairstyle. _He points to his pointed hair. _This suits you so well, don't you think?

_Odd doesn't answer. He closes his eyes and waits for him to do what he came for. _

**Odd's Clone: **Of course, that was a different time.

**Odd: **….If you have an ounce of humanity left in your body, you will kill me now. I can't endure your talking. Your words…..YOU AND YOUR HORRIBLE WORDS!

_The clone pays no attention to Odd's ranting. He just keeps patting his head. _

**Odd's Clone: **There, there. It will all be over soon. _He watches the tears fall from Odd's face. He wipes one from his eye. _You've already gone through the hard part. It's all downhill from here. No more worries. No more fears. No more nightmares. Nothing. Doesn't that sound great?

_Odd's voice becomes painfully weak. _

**Odd: **I….hate you.

_Odd's clone squats down to meet Odd at eye level. _

**Odd's Clone: **I know. I know you do. But believe it or not, I don't hate you. In fact, I've never hated you….ever. You were the best puppet a sociopath could ask for. _He touches Odd's chill face. Odd recoils at the touch. _But still…you have to die.

_The words have no effect on Odd's already frightened state. He merely turns his head to the side and focuses on the sink, thinking that it will be the last thing he ever sees with his living eyes. He closes his eyes. _

**Odd: **Just shut up and do it.

**Odd's Clone: **Yes. _The clone lights up with yellow light. _A quick painless death. I owe you that much.

**Ulrich: **But I don't owe YOU that…..

_Two cords wrap around the clone's neck. He is pulled back away from his victim by a resolute but clearly injured Ulrich. Several burnt marks are seen on his green jacket. He tightens the grip with murderous intent. _

**Ulrich: **Odd, get out of here!

**Odd's Clone: **You idiot! _The specter fluctuates. _Are you trying to strangle something that doesn't need to breathe?!

_Ulrich uses his grip on Odd's clone to shove the enemy into the wall. _

**Ulrich: **If that doesn't work, I guess I can improvise. _He glances at Odd. _GO NOW!

_Odd looks up and sees a vent on the wall. He rips the old gate off and climbs in, scurrying away from danger. Meanwhile Odd's Clone breaks away from the cords. He fries a few of Ulrich's neurons, sending the youth hurtling into an old stall. Ulrich looks up to see the clone leap to pounce on him. Ulrich leans away against the wall of the stall. The clone lands headfirst onto the toilet. Ulrich jams his foot onto the clone's neck, attempting to stick his head in the bowl. At first it starts to succeed, but the clone is not so easily beaten. With a free hand he grabs Ulrich's ankle and tosses him out of the stall and onto the wall. Ulrich feebly tries to rise, holding his shoulder. The spectral entity springs out of the stall and goes straight for Ulrich. Ulrich manages to block the first punch, but his right arm explodes in pain from the impact. Ulrich blocks the second with his left arm only to get the same result. Afterwards Odd's clone begins to hit all of his targets. He furiously punches Ulrich in the ribs and chest. His opponent is too weak and injured to fight back. Blood trickles from Ulrich's lip. The last blow plows into Ulrich's stomach with electric force and makes his entire body go limp. He falls before the entity, completely beaten. The Moriarty controlled clone surveys his victory without emotion. Meanwhile Odd continues to crawl through the vent. As the sounds of fighting grow more and more distant, Odd's level of terror begins to subside a little. A sliver of light can be seen up ahead. He crawls over a gated opening below him. He can see one of the upper factory chambers below him. Before he continues to crawl away, something catches his eye. Odd notices his attacker dragging a broken Ulrich toward the middle of the floor. Odd's lip quivers with dread at the sight. The clone roughly tosses Ulrich to the floor and then looks up toward the ceiling. _

**Odd's Clone: **Odd, I know you're out here! I know that you can hear this! _He pauses. _So listen carefully to what I have to say.

_Odd's eyes press against the opening, watching his enemy from the safety of his concealment. _

**Odd's Clone: **I will give you ten minutes to give yourself up to me. Ten minutes. No more. And if you don't give yourself up by that time….._His hand sparks with electricity. He aims it at a motionless Ulrich…_..then Ulrich dies.

_The air in Odd's vent suddenly seems cold. A deep pit forms in his stomach. His fingers dig into his forehead as the cruel ultimatum begins to sink in. _

**Odd's Clone: **So…what's it going to be?

_The battle continues to rage on Lyoko. As Christophe and Natalya continue to hang back toward the ice block, the others are hard at work. William battles the tigers as they come, cutting several of them to pieces. When he seems to be surrounded by them, he turns into a black shadow and knocks them around like a wrecking ball. Yumi and Dark Yumi fight in a small sinkhole nearby. Their abilities are evenly matched and no clear victor can be seen in the struggle. At the same time the mastodon blows fire at Aelita. But after a heavy energy field barrage, the monster finally falls to the daughter of Schaeffer. As the massive creature sinks into the ground, Aelita flies to Christophe and Natalya. _

**Aelita: **You guys need to take off. It's too dangerous for you to stay here.

**Natalya: **Okay, but where?

_Aelita points off into the distance. _

**Aelita: **Do you see that glowing blue tower up there?

_The two nod at the same time. _

**Aelita: **Go there. It's a safe zone. Just go on up and walk in. The walls are transparent.

_A vulture flies overhead. It strikes Aelita on the shoulder. She winces and falls to her knees. As the creature descends for another blow, Aelita manages to take it out. But she is still in pain. Christophe bends down to examine her. His eyes are full of concern. _

**Christophe: **Are you okay?

**Aelita: **Fine just _She struggles to speak. _Not used to pain here.

**Christophe: **Aelita is-_His virtual body begins to feel cold_- is it possible to die in this place?

_Aelita rises to her feet. _

**Aelita: **Normally you would just return to the room that you came in from. But now that the scanners are offline, yes. You can disappear forever.

_Natalya and Christophe don't speak. What Aelita has just said is such a terrifying contrast to their normal lives that they can't speak. Their legs feel weak and numb. Aelita becomes annoyed. _

**Aelita: **That's why you have to get to the tower! You'll die if you don't leave now!

**Christophe: **But if we can die, doesn't that mean-

**Aelita: **We'll be fine. We've done this before. And we accepted the risks a long time ago. You didn't. _Her wings sprout from her back. _So do me a favor and leave the fighting to the professionals.

_She flies away to take care of more monsters. Christophe is left awestruck, watching the battle with terror and awe. He sees the others fight with a hint of regret and longing. Natalya tugs on his hand. _

**Natalya: **You heard Aelita. Come on! We can't stay here!

_Christophe reluctantly follows Natalya's prodding. The two walk away from the battle. They make their way up the ice ledge and out of danger's path. They don't look back. Aelita lands next to William in a crowd of cobras. She stands by his side. William glances in her direction. _

**William: **Natalya and Christophe?

**Aelita: **Safe.

_A weight is lifted from William's shoulders, knowing that both of them are safe. But he can't ignore the fact that most of his relief is for the safety of one in particular. _

**William: **Good to hear. Ready to fight?

_She shrugs. _

**Aelita: **And die, if necessary.

**William: **Let's just hope it doesn't come to that.

_Yumi is forced to do some serious acrobatic movements to avoid her opponent's fans. As the fans begin to return to her enemy, Yumi throws her own to knock them out of the way. Her action renders both of them unarmed. Dark Yumi improvises, thrusting a chunk of ice in her direction. Yumi responds with one of her own. The ice shatters in the middle. The two then rush each other, attacking with fists and feet. Dark Yumi's claws head for her double's face. Yumi blocks it with her wrist. Dark Yumi bears down on her. _

**Dark Yumi: **Scared yet?

_Yumi refuses to show fear. _

**Yumi: **No, just even more pissed than before.

**Dark Yumi: **You're not worried about dying…..painfully?

**Yumi: **I know the risks. You know that. And I fight anyway.

**Dark Yumi: **Not even a little bit? _Her claws get closer to Yumi. Yumi visibly begins to shake at the sight of the shiny metal. Dark Yumi's grin nearly reaches her ears. _That's better. Fear. A lot different when you can die, isn't it?

_The claws begin to scrape the skin of her cheek. Yumi bites her lip, refusing to give in to pain. _

**Dark Yumi: **So this is what you look like only seconds away from death. How brave. How stoic. _A malicious glint can be seen in her eye_. But I'm still going to make you squeal like a pig!

_Yumi kicks Dark Yumi in the thigh, buying her enough time to escape her deadly grasp. She recovers one of her fans and leaps into the fight again. Meanwhile Christophe and Natalya make it to the top of the ledge. It gives them a perfect view of the battle. For a moment they stare to see what's going on. It looks like the warriors can hold their own. Natalya starts to run towards the tower. But something catches Christophe's eye. _

**Christophe: **Wait!

_Natalya turns around in annoyance. _

**Natalya: **What?!

**Christophe: **Look down there! _He points to an ice bridge. Five scorpions are heading into the fray. William and Aelita are already busy enough as it is, and these new arrivals don't make their chances any better. Even for a Lyoko beginner the situation looks grim. Christophe watches with alarm. _Reinforcements.

_Natalya doesn't waste time looking. _

**Natalya: **They can handle themselves. Come on!

_Natalya tries to pull Christophe, but he resists. His eyes are locked on the battle. _

**Christophe: **Three against…..what….fifteen monsters and some harpy that looks like Yumi? _His eyes focus sharply on Natalya. _Are they really that good?

_Natalya groans. She understands Christophe's anxiety, but her sense of reason is strong. She grabs Christophe's shoulders. _

**Natalya: **Yes, I know it looks bad. But look at us. _She strings a bow and aims for a thin iceberg ten feet away. She fires and misses it by a mile. _We're pathetic. We don't know what we're doing here. We don't even know what HERE is! Face it Christophe, we can't help. _She turns away. _We would only get ourselves killed.

**Christophe: **So we're just going to leave them to die?

**Natalya: **Perhaps you didn't understand. _She speaks slowly and loudly. _WE….CAN'T…..HELP!

_Christophe shows her his wrist. The plate elevates and becomes primed for battle. _

**Christophe: **I'm armed. You're armed. That means we can do something.

_Natalya growls in exasperation. _

**Natalya: **Did you not see me fire a few seconds ago?! I'm terrible! See…_She takes her bow and aims again at the iceberg. But this time her anger has made her eyes view her target with cold focus. She lets loose her arrow. Shockingly the arrow hits the target, imbedding several centimeters into the ice. The two freeze, amazed that she was so accurate. For a while Natalya doesn't speak. She then tries to shrug it off. _Beginners' luck.

**Christophe: **Uh-huh. Sure.

**Natalya: **Look. I'm going to that tower. You can go with or without me, I don't care. If you want to march out there and get yourself killed, be my guest. But I know when I'm in over my head. So goodbye.

_She walks away again. Christophe turns again at the battle longingly. William has been struck by a laser. Aelita is getting increasingly overwhelmed, and the battle of the Yumis is not going in the good one's direction. Christophe hardens his fist. He looks over his shoulder. _

**Christophe: **Do you not care about them?

_Natalya stops, feeling the sting of his accusation. _

**Natalya: **Of course I do. They…_She rubs her left arm. _They've always been nice to me. Even when no one else was. How can you say that?

**Christophe: **They're taking a beating out there, Natalya. How can you stay here and do nothing?

**Natalya: **I…._Her face stiffens. _I'm not a hero okay. I'm not like them, even if I had their experience. _She sadfully watches Christophe examine his weapon. _Don't try to be the hero either.

_Christophe ignores her. He starts to walk the opposite way. _

**Natalya: **Twenty minutes ago you were just a music junkie at Kadic. What makes you think you can just waltz out there and fight?

_Christophe doesn't bat an eye to think over his reply. _

**Christophe: **And twenty minutes ago you were just a loudmouth screaming for the guy who is currently dying for you out there. _The mention of William in this fight has brought Natalya out of her cowardice. Her eyes widen with shame at the thought of abandoning him. She looks up at Christophe. He raises his arm. _So what do you say we become more than what we were twenty minutes ago….even if it's just for a minute?

_A scorpion leg pins William to the ice. Aelita is pinned in by the other two scorpions. She draws two more energy fields, preparing to go down fighting. Suddenly several discs cut at the legs of Aelita's attackers. The scorpion attacking William goes limp. It falls to the side. To his shock, he sees a white arrow gleaming from the black hulk. Both turn to see Natalya and Christophe defending them. _

**Natalya: **I….I got him. _Her face becomes ecstatic. _I GOT HIM!

_The surviving scorpions turn their attention to the new warriors. Christophe's left wrist lights up. A second plate elevates. Christophe pulsates with excitement. _

**Christophe: **Two is so much better than one.

_William and Aelita watch in horror. _

**William: **Natalya!

**Aelita: **What are you doing?! I TOLD YOU TO RUN!

_The scorpions open fire. At first it seems like the two are done for. But the attack triggers something within Natalya. Her eyes turn white and her body starts to glow. She steps in front of the beams, absorbing all of it. Then, after a few second interlude, the beams pour back out of her body at the scorpions. They are destroyed. Aelita and William's mouths drop open. _

**Aelita: **How…..she….didn't take any damage.

_Christophe grins at his newfound allies. _

**Christophe: **Still think you don't need our help?

_Jeremie slowly starts to regain consciousness. His legs begin to regain strength and he raises himself up. He clutches his arm and weakly moves to the computer. He plops himself down on the command chair, rubbing his head. He takes a moment to look at the computer. Immediately his mind is assaulted by confusion. He strains his neck toward the computer. _

**Jeremie: **What the…why am I counting five warriors?!

_The answering voice makes Jeremie's glasses fall into his lap. _

**Natalya: **Is that Jeremie? Jeremie is in this thing too?

_Jeremie's mouth hangs open. He adjusts his earpiece. _

**Jeremie: **…..Aelita? …..What's going on?

_Her voice wave quickly replies. _

**Aelita: **Long story Jeremie, and we don't have time. The materialization program is bugged up. You know what that means…

_Jeremie is now fully awake. He starts working furiously, ashamed that he wasn't able to help earlier. The red light of the program lights up his hardened face. _

**Jeremie: **Right. I'm on it.

_Several banging sounds from behind the elevator door catch his attention. Jeremie turns around. A small canine passes through the metal walls. Kiwi phases in and out of existence, barking at Jeremie the entire time. He starts to growl. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **I may be a little distracted Aelita. _He gets out of the chair as the dog approaches. _But don't panic. Every monster or possessed creature Moriarty sends against us only increases his power deficit in the Network. _Scene shifts to the Network. The black databases continue to explode. The core and the pyramids surrounding it appear red and swollen. Energy throbs from the sickly core._ Moriarty won't be able to keep this up forever. Just try to hold on. Just….

_Scene shifts to Odd watching Ulrich helpless before his clone. His body trembles. _

**Jeremie: **…Hold on…

_Odd's fingers dig into the bars. He wipes his forehead. His clone paces the room below him. _

**Odd's Clone: **Three minutes. You have three minutes left.

_Odd's head bangs against the metal. _

_Odd: What do I do? What do I do?...What do I do?!_

_Odd bites his tongue and tries to block out this situation. But it is doing no good. _

_Odd: If I don't do anything, Ulrich dies. But if I come out of hiding….I die. _

_His right hand clutches his damp chest. Cold sweat drips from his nose. He tries to regulate his breathing. For a good thirty seconds he lies completely still. _

**Odd's Clone: **Two minutes.

_Odd curses under his breath. The blood around his skin loses its warmth. He checks the blood pressure on his wrist. It is very high. He feels an attack coming on. _

_Odd: If I keep this up, I'm going to lose it. He'll know exactly where I am, and then he'll kill me. _

_More cold sweat comes down over his eyes. He shudders. _

_Odd: I don't want to die….._

_Seconds later his eyes scrunch together with frustration. _

_Odd: Oh what's the point?! Why should I care about dying? I have nothing to live for….No. I'm not afraid of dying. _

_He focuses on the clone below him. The clone turns around. He looks at his pupils, which glow with the Moriarty insignia. _

_Odd: I'm afraid of those eyes. And what they've done to me. _

_This statement brings him back to old memories. Or rather, he remembers experiences from his virtual reality treatment. Odd stands in front of Moriarty's smoky form, trying to hold his ground. Moriarty glares at him, his eyes full of hunger. _

**Moriarty: **Come to me.

_He recalls going through this experience again and again. Despite Odd's best efforts, he always ends up being consumed by Morairty. Every effort to eliminate his fear fails miserably. He falls to Moriarty every single time. Back in the vent, Odd's self-hatred continues. _

_Odd: Every time I've put on the helmet, I've gone nowhere. Why? Why?! _

_His fingers dig into his hair. _

_Odd: I can't face him…I can't face him. I always end up being his prey…..his little puppet. _

_He lowers his head. _

_Odd: I'm not strong enough to fight my fear. _

**Odd's Clone: **One minute left.

_Odd: And now Ulrich is going to pay the consequences. _

_He probes his mind for answers. He finds himself on the Mountain Sector again, cowering before his abuser. _

**Moriarty: **You will become a powerful ally.

_Smoky arms wrap around Odd. He is pulled toward the jaws of slavery. His mental self tries to fight back. _

_Odd: No fear…..No fear…NO FEAR!_

_He continues to give ground. Moriarty opens his mouth. Odd's will drains from his flesh. He sighs in despair. _

_Odd: I can't get rid of my fear. I can't. I am afraid of him….._

_He is dragged towards his enemy without resistance. _

_Odd: What can I do if I can't get overcome my fear of him? I'm….I'm helpless. _

**Moriarty: **You've come to me at last.

_Those words push Odd the wrong way. He has heard it so many times without end that he has had enough. Enough of backing down. Enough of cowering. Enough of being a slave to fear. Enough of being helpless in fear. Helpless. Fear. He thinks over those two words for a long time. Then something clicks. He opens his eyes, staring into the mouth of his enemy. _

_Odd: No. Eliminating fear is not the answer….I understand now. I've been going about this the wrong way. _

_Odd raises his wrist toward the open mouth. _

_Odd: Courage Odd…..Courage. Fight even when you're terrified. _

_He cocks his wrist right as he reaches the black jaws. _

_Odd: IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO FEAR ME!_

_Odd snaps out of his mental wandering. He looks down. Odd's clone is grinning in triumph. _

**Odd's Clone: **Time's up.

_He aims at Ulrich. Odd fumes at his evil counterpart. He wastes no time. With one forceful kick, he exits the vent and comes down on his unsuspecting opponent. Odd's clone looks up just in time to see a shoe plow into his face. The clone rolls across the floor. Odd picks up a long wrench nearby. He taps it against his hand while the clone watches in surprise. _

**Odd: **You want me dead Moriarty? Well…_He points the wrench at the clone. _I'm sorry. _His grip on the wrench tightens. _But you're not the one who's walking away from this fight alive.

_The clone, seeing that his victim is going to fight, stretches his neck to the side. He then runs at Odd at full speed. Odd remains motionless, holding his wrench in preparation for a counterstrike. _

_Back on Lyoko, William, Aelita, and Christophe crouch behind two icebergs. An ice bridge leading to the tower is blocked by four scorpions. They are firing in between the gap. Christophe peaks his head over the edge. _

**Christophe: **Okay, so what do we have to do?

**Aelita: **I have to get into that purple tower. Once I get inside, I can deactivate it and end Moriarty's attack.

**Christophe: **Right…but the problem is the monsters aren't complying.

**Aelita: **Exactly. We have to be super careful in this situation.

_Christophe eagerly leans toward her. _

**Christophe: **So what's the plan?

_Aelita thinks for a moment. _

**Aelita: **William will turn to smoke and distract them with a first strike. Then I will come in and finish them off. You will hang back in case we need help.

_Christophe shakes his head. _

**Christophe: **No way. You already tried that. And you know how well that ended.

**Aelita: **You were lucky last time! I'm not getting you killed on your first time in Lyoko!

**Christophe: **But-

_Aelita groans. _

**Aelita: **Natalya, please talk some sense into him.

_There is no answer. _

**Aelita: **Natalya?

_The three look around. She is nowhere to be seen. Christophe swears. _

**Christophe: **Great. She's run away.

**William: **I don't think so.

_The two look at William. He is staring at the path from which they came. _

**William: **I think she realized something we didn't.

**Aelita: **What are you talking about?

**William: **Yumi.

_Aelita grabs her head in a combination of shock and alarm. _

**Aelita: **OH MY GOD YUMI! I was so focused on the tower and protecting Natalya and Christophe, I completely forgot about her!

_William continues to stare at the path. _

**William: **I guess she didn't.

_Yumi is thrown against the lower wall of the sinkhole. She is tiring, and she has lost her fans. Dark Yumi tries to finish her with a close combat slice to the head. Yumi's hand reaches out to stop her, but Dark Yumi pushes to finish her off. Yumi grimaces. Dark Yumi's gray tongue slithers around her mouth. _

**Dark Yumi: **Die…you slut.

_Yumi closes her eyes. She hears a terrible howl and winces. She opens her eyes to see a white arrow in Dark Yumi's shoulder. Yumi notices Natalya behind her. She is not holding her bow. Dark Yumi turns around and glares at Natalya with hateful shock. _

**Dark Yumi: **You…you did-

_Natalya pulls another arrow from her quiver. She uses her hand and jams the arrow into Dark Yumi's chest. The witch disappears. After her disappearance, Yumi and Natalya look at each other. Neither of them says a word. Then Natalya rubs her neck. _

**Natalya: **When I remembered that you were still fighting, I stopped running toward the tower. I tried to get their attention, but they just kept running. So….here I am.

_Yumi remains quiet for a few more seconds. She slowly gets up. _

**Yumi: **No bow?

**Natalya: **I was afraid I would miss if I tried to shoot. Figured it was a risk I couldn't take.

_Yumi politely nods. _

**Yumi: **Thank you.

_Several vultures fly overhead. It immediately catches Yumi's attention. They fly toward the tower. _

**Natalya: **I don't suppose that's a good thing.

**Yumi: **No. Come on. The others are going to need all the help they can get.

_Back at the ice bridge, all hell has broken loose. The relentless smoke arm of William carves a swathe through the scorpions. He plunges upward into one of the scorpion's bellies and emerges from the top of his shell. He then engages the enemy directly with his sword. Aelita divebombs the rest. Christophe reluctantly hangs back by the icebergs, firing at the enemy. He is having trouble hitting the moving targets. He curses several times and tries to steady himself. The flap of wings soon hits his ears. He turns around to see the vulture attackers. His body tenses at the sight. _

**Christophe: **Uh guys…

_William and Aelita are too distracted to hear them. Christophe rolls to the side, doing his best to avoid the multiple lasers. After the initial barrage, the vultures ignore Christophe and head straight for Aelita and William. Christophe sits up on the ice. His eyes lock onto the unfolding disaster. _

**Christophe: **No….

_The vultures take out Aelita from behind. Her body stiffens from the blow and she falls to the ice bridge. William takes his attention away from the last scorpion. He knows that one more strike on Aelita will end her. He rushes after her as the vultures close in. _

**William: **NO! Get away from her!

_He kneels by her side and summons a dark wall of smoke that covers them both. The vultures take aim and fire. The shield holds, but it is unlikely that it will be able to take much more damage. Christophe stands up, watching as the two warriors' lives hang in the balance. The last scorpion raises its tail to finish them off. Christophe is suddenly struck by an uncontrollable rage. His chest speakers begin to light up. Without warning an enormous soundwave of deafening rock music pierces the air and hurtles toward the enemy. The scorpion is blown off the bridge and falls into the digital sea. Half of the vultures are destroyed. The other half are dazed. Christophe falls to his knees, stunned by the amount of power he has just unleashed. William's dark cloud disappears. He is still standing, but he is clearly weak. The dazed vultures recover and head for Christophe this time. Christophe weakly raises his wrist, knowing that it won't do him much good. Fortunately two fans and several arrows interrupt his early funeral. Christophe turns around to see the two girls coming to the rescue. His heart leaps as the two take over. The vultures quickly fall to Yumi's fans. Natalya misses a lot, but the arrows do a lot to scatter the vultures and corral them into Yumi's firing range. Pretty soon they are all eliminated. The fans return to Yumi's hands and she puts them away. Natalya's eyes widen when she sees William feebly trying to stand. She lets him lean on his shoulder. _

**Natalya: **Are you alright? Did those things really hurt you?!

_William gives her a smug grin. _

**William: **Well I'm still here, aren't I?

**Aelita: **We all are. _She slowly starts to rise. _Thank you, Yumi. We both would have died if you hadn't shown up.

_Yumi holds her hands up. _

**Yumi: **Hey. Don't look at me. Credit where credit's due. If Natalya hadn't shown up when she did I wouldn't be around to save you. And we wouldn't have made it in time if Christophe hadn't blown those other monsters to pieces.

_Natalya looks at Christophe in wonder. _

**Natalya: **What was that?! It was incredible!

_Christophe braces himself against the iceberg. He can't find the strength to get up. _

**Christophe: **Beats the hell out of me….._He groans. _Literally. It really does beat the hell out of me.

_Aelita smiles warmly at the two rookies. _

**Aelita: **Thank you. You have helped us more than you could possibly know. And I would stay to thank you more but…._She turns to the tower. _I don't think Odd has much time. _She takes a few steps and then stumbles. William and Natalya grab her. She winces. _I'm so low on lifepoints, and the wounds still hurt….

_Yumi comes up from behind and helps as well. _

**Yumi: **We'll help you get there. Come on.

**Christophe: **And I'll….._Christophe tries to get up. He falls back down on his butt. _Oh who am I kidding? I'm not going anywhere.

_Yumi and Natalya prop Aelita up and help her toward the tower. William hangs back with Christophe. He limps over in his direction. He looks down on him with a slight smile on his face. _

**William: **Congratulations. You've survived Lyoko. And you certainly did better than my first time.

**Christophe: **Great. _His head rests against the ice. _Is it always this insane?

**William: **No, sometimes it's worse.

_The attention of the boys is drawn away in response to several gasps from the girls. They turn to see a large wall of ice forcibly rising from the circular platform, cutting off their entrance. As the obstacle rises to tower height, the five don't say anything. A few seconds after the wall is complete, Yumi jams her foot in the ice and curses. _

**Yumi: **Moriarty I swear…!

**Aelita: **He's manipulated the landscape. A last ditched effort to stop us from preventing Odd's death.

**William: **Could you use your creativity against it?

_Aelita puts her hands together in a prayer pose. She starts to sing. The ice starts to recede, but soon after Aelita collapses onto the ice. The others rush to her side, and the ice comes back. _

**Aelita: **Too much energy. I'm sorry, but it's a waste of time.

_William picks up his sword. He painfully jogs toward the ice. _

**William: **Then we'll break it down!

_Cold metal clashes against the icy barrier. He strikes furiously at the obstacle several times. He manages to make several dents in the ice, but it's not nearly good enough. He turns to his comrades. _

**William: **Come on! HELP ME!

_Yumi picks up a loose chunk of ice with her telekinesis. _

**Yumi: **Hold on Odd!

_Natalya strings her bow and fires at the massive target. It creates several cracks surrounding the arrow's landing point. William and Yumi's pummeling combines with Natalya's random but sharp attack. The wall shows signs of stress, but it holds. Aelita finds the strength to summon an energy field. _

**Aelita: **Keep it up. Moriarty can't last forever. _Scene shifts to the swollen core. The pulsations and rumbling are getting louder. Databases explode by the dozens. Back in the dormitory, cold sweat goes down Moriarty's head. But his face is resolute, refusing to flinch as he body wastes away. _All that pressure has to bring him down eventually.

_Kiwi latches on to Jeremie's leg. Jeremie falls to the ground. His heel strikes at Kiwi's nose, desperately trying to remove him. A tremor of pain reverberates through Jeremie's face. But suddenly the ghost occupying Kiwi's body retreats out of the dog's body and into the ceiling. Kiwi stands there stupidly for a moment, then falls over onto the floor. Jeremie rubs his leg and adjusts his glasses. He stands up and examines Kiwi. _

**Jeremie: **I'm adding animal abuse to your list of crimes, Moriarty.

_He calmly walks back down and sits in his chair. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that everyone is alive and well. He leans toward the screen. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, I'm back.

_Christophe's voice vehemently replies. _

**Christophe: **Took you long enough man! Where were you?! I thought I was going to die!

**Jeremie: **Sorry…._Jeremie blinks several times. He is not used to hearing Christophe from Lyoko. _But Kiwi wanted to play and he wasn't taking no for an answer.

**Aelita: **And you're okay?

**Jeremie: **Yes. _Jeremie turns to look at the canine's sleeping body. _He freed Kiwi in a desperate attempt to save himself. As if that tiny amount of power is going to give him any more than a few minutes.

**Aelita: **But Odd….

**Jeremie: **Yes. Moriarty is still after Odd. I'm afraid I haven't heard anything from Ulrich. For all I know…well…

_Aelita's voice suddenly turns cold and firm. _

**Aelita: **Don't talk like that Jeremie…

**Jeremie: **Right. Ulrich will pull through. In the meantime I need to fix the materialization programs.

**Aelita: **Forget that Jeremie. We're okay. The monsters are gone. We just need to get through this stupid wall…You need to get Odd.

_Jeremie pauses. He looks down at the keyboard, considering his girlfriend's demand. _

**Jeremie: **You want me to abandon the computer when you can't return to Earth and monsters could return at any second?

**Aelita: **You said that Moriarty was stretched to his limit. I'm sure he wouldn't risk it.

**Jeremie: **Never doubt Moriarty when he's desperate Aelita. He can be even more dangerous than usual. I can't just walk away when five lives are on the line. Especially when two out of those five have never stepped foot in Lyoko before. That's completely unacceptable.

**Aelita: **What's unacceptable is allowing Moriarty to take Odd's life. Ulrich's probably injured and unable to help Odd. He's got to be scared out of his mind right now. Please Jeremie…go.

_Jeremie takes one last look at the computer and gets up. He heads for the elevator. _

**Jeremie: **I'm no Ulrich or William. _He presses the button. _But I'll do what I can. I promise you…

_Odd slams the wrench onto the side of the clone's temple. The clone shudders for a moment, but he recovers quickly. He then lunges for Odd's throat. Odd holds the wrench out in front to block the attack. The clone rips it out of his hands with very little effort. As the metal tool clatters to the floor, Odd backs up before his attacker. Yet he shows no signs of fear. In fact, he has become furious. In a blind adrenaline rush, he charges his stronger opponent. He slams against the clone with all of his might, but it does nothing but make him budge a few centimeters. Odd punches madly, but the blows pass through him. The clone then picks Odd up from the shirt collar. Odd responds with a kick to the face. This time the attack hurts his opponent. Odd wastes no time and strikes him again with the wrench. Then again. And again. He screams at his hated enemy, cursing him vehemently with each blow. Eventually his arms start to grow tired. At that point, the clone finally has time to solidify and counterattacks. A blast of electricity slams him against the wall. Odd does not get up. The clone rises and looks over him. Odd lifts his head, glowering at his enemy without any hint of fear. _

**Odd's Clone: **Your rage. I've never seen you feel that kind of anger before. Not even when you tried to face me alone.

_A trickle of blood escapes from Odd's lips. He wipes it without any visible emotional reaction. _

**Odd's Clone: **This is not the way I expected you to die.

_His hands light up with power. Odd spits at him. _

**Odd: **What did you expect? For me to grovel and cry?

**Odd's Clone: **Basically. _He arches his wrist back. _But no matter. I can't have you peeping in my head anymore.

_He strikes and Odd screams. Over time the voltage is enough to kill him, but suddenly Odd's clone stops and backs up. Several kilometers away, Moriarty sits up in bed, a deep pain pounding in his chest. In the Network, a crack forms in the core. Moriarty's face twists in horror. He becomes bathed in cold sweat. Odd's clone stands motionless, lost for orders. _

**Odd's Clone: **What….what is this?

_Moriarty looks at his hands. His right one begins to fade. A cold chill passes over him. Meanwhile Odd stands up with his legs wobbling. _

**Odd: **What's the matter? Don't have the guts to finish me off?!

_Odd's clone replies. But his eyes are staring off into space. _

**Odd's Clone: **Silence….

**Odd: **Why? Why should I?! _He picks up the wrench again. He threateningly limps toward him. _I've taken orders from you for too long!

_He takes another step and groans. His chest aches. At the same time, Odd's Clone becomes more distant. Moriarty clutches his chest again. _

**Odd's Clone: **What is wrong with me? Why can't I….No. It can't be.

**Odd: **Can't bear to do it after all your threats! You're pathetic! All this time I thought you were so terrifying, but you're even worse than me!

**Odd's Clone: **Silence.

**Odd: **I'm so sick of watching your sob story in my dreams! You disgust me….

**Odd's Clone: **….Silence

**Odd: **Are you trying to ruin everyone's lives just because Aelita's mom dumped you?!

_Odd's Clone turns to him. His gaze becomes enraged. _

**Odd's Clone: **Silence!

**Odd: **You were never good enough for her.

_The clone balls his fist. _

**Odd's Clone: **SILENCE!

**Odd: **Imagine what she would think of you now!

**Odd's Clone: **I SAID SILENCE!

_A torrent of electricity is fired back at Odd. He falls to the floor, almost knocked unconscious. The pain in Moriarty's chest becomes unbearable. He writhes in bed. Several more cracks form in the core. His limbs start to fluctuate. Moriarty tightens his grip on the sheets. Then, after a few agonizing seconds, his face suddenly becomes calm. _

**Moriarty: **I understand now.

_In the Network, the cracks start to heal. The swelling goes down. The databases begin to stop blowing up. The shade of royal purple begins to return to the area. Odd's clone laughs maniacally. At that time Jeremie emerges from the shadows, throwing a crowbar at the clone. _

**Jeremie: **Get the hell away from Odd Moriarty!

_Odd's clone catches the crowbar without flinching. He chuckles and looks up at Jeremie. _

**Odd's Clone: **Save your breath Jeremie. I'm not going to kill Odd. I get it now.

_Odd slowly raises his head. He pants. _

**Odd: **What the hell are you talking about?

**Odd's Clone: **I can't believe I didn't see it before. Even with all the research, I was surprised it went so smoothly.

_Jeremie aims a cold index finger at Moriarty. _

**Jeremie: **Would you stop speaking in code?! I hate it when you do that!

_The clone pats Jeremie's shoulder. _

**Odd's Clone: **Calm down Jeremie. I was surprised too. You see…..it seems I can't kill Odd.

_Odd's head tilts a little higher off the ground. _

**Odd: **Explain.

_The clone puts his hands in his pockets and leans against a column. _

**Odd's Clone: **When I first came to Earth in human form, I thought I had done it all on my own. But I was wrong. There was one critical piece of the puzzle that held it all together.

**Jeremie: **And what would that be?

_The clone points to Odd. _

**Odd's Clone: **Him.

_Jeremie's mouth drops open. Odd just stares, too shocked to speak. _

**Odd's Clone: **My connection to you has been supporting my human form all this time. I can research and work all I want, but without the connection to an actual human being, it all falls apart. Luckily, I have Odd to prevent that. _His face curls into a wicked smile. _As long as we have this psychological connection, I stay alive. Which unfortunately means that I can't kill him. But oh well. No big deal.

_Odd's face becomes glued to the floor. He is downcast, loathing the fact that more shame has been added to his person. He turns his head to the side and notices two old electrical cables running close to the floor. His eyes lock onto them. _

**Odd's Clone: **And now that I am aware of that fact, I can consciously access his mind to keep my human form intact. Thus taking care of my annoying structural problem.

_Odd grabs the wires and secretly begins playing with them. He grinds his teeth together in hidden anger. _

**Jeremie: **You always find new ways to make me despise you Moriarty.

**Odd's Clone: **Why thank you Jeremie, I do my best.

_Odd begins to cut at the cables with a small piece of sheet metal. _

**Jeremie: **And what happens to Odd if we kill you?

_Every blood vessel in Odd's body seethes with fury. The clone shrugs in typical Moriarty fashion. _

**Odd's Clone: **I don't know Jeremie. I guess you're just going to have to take that risk.

_The clone's smug sense of control is shattered when Odd comes charging at him with two wires brimming with electricity. He pins the clone against an old window and fries his entire body. The clone convulses and burns under the constant deluge of volts. Odd then kicks the clone in the chest, sending him sprawling out the window. Odd watches as the electrified clone falls all the way to the river. After another terrible electric blast in response to the water, the clone fades fades into nothingness. All is now quiet. The purple tower changes back to blue. Aelita holds up her hand. _

**Aelita: **Hold your fire!

_Natalya has an arrow drawn on her bowstring. _

**Natalya: **Why?

**Aelita: **Because….._She stares in confusion. _It's over.

_Jeremie walks up to Odd's side. He pats his shoulder while his friend continues to stare downward. _

**Jeremie: **That was….impressive.

**Odd: **Yep.

**Jeremie: **How do you feel?

**Odd: **Fine. I just need some air.

_Before Jeremie can ask him what he means, Odd jumps into the branches of a tall tree leaning against the factory. He then falls down and walks away from the building. He goes to the edge of the bank and sits there, watching the water flow by him. There is not an ounce of terror on his face as he indifferently sits outside the factory's protective walls. _

_An hour later, the group stands around the main computer, with Jeremie sitting in the command chair. The warriors stand looking at Christophe and Natalya, who stand facing them with their backs to the elevator. All attention is focused on them, except in the case of Yumi, who gingerly tends Ulrich's wounds. She touches his stomach. _

**Yumi: **Does it hurt there?

_Ulrich releases a silent gasp. _

**Ulrich: **Yes. Very much so.

**Yumi: **Sorry.

_He looks up at Odd, who is standing beside Jeremie with his arms crossed. _

**Ulrich: **You saved my butt out there man. Can't thank you enough.

_Odd smiles and lets the gratitude brighten his mood. _

**Odd: **You would've done the same for me.

**Ulrich: **That's what I was doing. But turns out that I ended up needing saving.

_Jeremie presses his hands together, his eyes on the two stowaways. _

**Jeremie: **So, do you understand now?

_Natalya scratches the back of her head. _

**Natalya: **It's…..a lot to swallow.

**Aelita: **It is a crazy story, we admit.

**Jeremie: **But it's a true story.

_Christophe rubs his forehead. His mind is still trying to process the Wonderland he has fallen into. But one thing Jeremie has said has lodged in his mind. And it is starting to make him very angry. _

**Christophe: **You're telling me Renard is really this evil mastermind…Moriarty?

_William nods gravely. _

**William: **We have been fighting him for several months now. Midway through the fight he decided to join us at school and mess everything up.

**Natalya: **The plague, the hostage crisis, the assassination attempt. All of that was Re- I mean Moriarty?

**Ulrich: **Yes. He's done all of it, and used it to gain power and popularity at Kadic and in France.

_Christophe suddenly explodes in outrage. His face becomes very animated. _

**Christophe: **We have to stop him! Drag him out of the school before he takes over the world!

_Odd shakes his head. _

**Odd: **If only it were that simple. But it isn't. We have to use other methods. We can fight him in Lyoko….

**Yumi: **But in the real world, he has the upper hand.

_Natalya grabs the sides of her head. She stares at the floor, doing her best to adjust to this terrifying reality. _

**Natalya: **This is awful….Just awful. And to think my biggest worry not too long ago was a guy ditching me. _She stares at William, her eyes pleading for forgiveness. _I'm so sorry. I….understand now.

_William closes his eyes and sighs. _

**William: **Lying to you was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I didn't have a choice. It would have been much better for you not to know the truth. But it's too late now.

_Natalya turns her head toward Christophe. She slams her hand against her forehead. _

**Natalya: **And I was so angry I dragged you into this as well. I….God what have I done?

_Christophe clenches his fist. _

**Christophe: **Don't apologize. I'm glad I know now. I knew there was something terribly wrong with Renard. _He looks around the room. _This isn't exactly what I had in mind, but I don't care. Now that I know, I want to help. Let me help you. _He leans toward the warriors. _Let me go to Lyoko and fight Moriarty with you!

_This request causes the warriors to look at each other, wondering how to respond to the request. Several look unsure, especially Yumi and William. Christophe immediately becomes frustrated at their hesitation. _

**Christophe: **Come on! It's obvious that you guys could use some not me and Natalya?

_Natalya holds her hands up. _

**Natalya: **Whoa. Hold on. When did I agree to that?

_Yumi looks at Jeremie. He gives her a nod of consent. She starts to speak up. _

**Yumi: **Christophe, last time we had someone join us, it didn't end so well.

**Natalya: **What didn't…? _She snaps her fingers. _Oh yeah, you said someone got possessed by that other guy for a while. What was his name? Xantax?

**Aelita: **Xana…

**Natalya: **Right. So who was it?

_There is a pause. The eyes of the veterans inadvertently focus on William. Natalya and Christophe end up looking at him as well. He sighs. _

**William: **Me. I was the new guy. The new guy who was way in over his head. And I'm still dealing with the consequences. Xana now lives inside of me, as a prisoner of my own subconscious.

_Natalya raises her eyebrow. She walks up to William and blatantly points at his skull. _

**Natalya: **You mean you have an undead evil thing living inside your brain?

_William winces from a sudden headache. _

**Xana: **THING! You Siberian witch! I am an ingenious work of artificial intelligence!

**Natalya: **William?

**William: **Ow….he says hi.

**Natalya: **And the tree branch-

_William motions for her not to talk about it. He nods and ends the exchange before any of them get too suspicious. He is saved by Jeremie, who is tired of being off topic. _

**Jeremie: **The point is that William paid the price for being a new recruit, and we would rather you not do the same.

_The others nod in agreement. Christophe peers at the faces that seem unified in agreement. He is taken aback by this refusal. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and avoids looking at them. He rubs the back of his neck, trying to hide how angry he is. _

**Christophe: **So that's it? Seriously? _His foot taps against the floor. _My history teacher wants to take over the world and you want me to do nothing?! Is this some kind of joke?!

_Yumi holds up her hand to signal for him to calm down. _

**Yumi: **Hold on. We never said you couldn't help.

**Ulrich: **We do need you two.

_Natalya scratches her head. _

**Natalya: **But you said-

**Jeremie: **We would rather you not go to Lyoko. However, we are in need of help at the school. What you have been doing so far in class has been very helpful and we appreciate it, but now that you know the truth, you can help us even more.

_Christophe is still very much annoyed and disappointed. _

**Christophe: **How?

**Jeremie: **For starters, you could join the group Jim is forming to oppose The Order.

**Natalya: **Jim's forming a group to oppose The Order?!

_Aelita smiles and nods. _

**Aelita: **Yes. We've been told to spread the word to anyone who refuses to wear The Order patch.

**Christophe: **Okay, so we join your little club. Wonderful. Anything more exciting?

**Ulrich: **Sometimes it's hard to take care of Moriarty attacks during school. We could tell you when one was happening and let you cover for us. Maybe even let you try to stop the attack on Earth, although that can be very dangerous.

_This is not improving Christophe's mood. _

**Christophe: **Okay, so we're club members AND your personal distractions.

**Jeremie: **We would keep you up to date on all the new developments happening in the fight against Moriarty. You would get the real story. We will never hide the truth from you. To be honest, it's too late to do that anyway. Even if our return to the past program was up and running, you have already been scanned.

**William: **And…._William takes a moment to pause. _In case of emergencies, and only the gravest of emergencies, you can be our backup on Lyoko. If something goes wrong and we absolutely need reinforcements, we'll let you know. But don't expect us to do that too often.

**Aelita: **More importantly, now that you are Lyoko Warriors…..or at least Honorary Lyoko Warriors…..you need to keep our secret. Even if you know people who hate Renard, you can't tell them the truth. If people knew, it could backfire very quickly. Those students would be at risk, and there's no telling what Morairty would do if his cover was completely blown. So you must keep our secret safe. _She levels her eyes at them. _Do you promise to keep everything you've seen here a secret?

_Christophe and Natalya look at each other. They turn back at the warriors. _

**Christophe & Natalya: **Yes.

**Yumi: **Do you promise to help your fellow Lyoko Warriors, and put their needs above your own?

**Christophe & Natalya: **I promise.

_Jeremie cranes his neck forward. _

**Jeremie: **And most importantly, do you swear to fight Moriarty in any way possible? Do you swear to oppose him, even when it seems impossible? Do you swear to do whatever it takes to stop him, even if it means putting your life on the line? Do you swear to do all of this?

_Natalya swallows nervously. Christophe, however, is firm and does not hesitate to reply. _

**Natalya & Christophe: **I swear.

_Jeremie smiles. He gets up out of his chair and shakes both of their hands. _

**Jeremie: **Congratulations. You are now Lyoko Warriors.

_The older warriors clap. Christophe frowns, feeling only a hollow victory. William notices this and begins to speak up. _

**William: **Please don't take this decision personally. We are insanely impressed by what you did today. But we also care about you. _His eyes wander toward Natalya. _We…uh…we really care about you. And we don't want to see you hurt. So don't misunderstand me. I was a rookie too. And I paid a terrible price. This fight is terribly dangerous. And now that Moriarty knows you are with us, you now have to share our danger. So please understand that we are doing our best to protect you from a terrible reality that we can no longer hide you from.

_Christophe remains quiet. Natalya, however, decides to speak. _

**Natalya: **That's fine. Really it is. I….I'm not much of a fighter. I mean, I will if I have to, but Lyoko is a dangerous place. Personally, I'd like things to return to normal. _She sighs sadly. _But that's no longer possible. And I have no one but myself to blame.

**Jeremie: **I know it's overwhelming. I won't try to downplay that. But remember that you're not alone. And thanks to you, we are no longer alone either. _He leans back in the chair. _Just try to return to your normal lives as much as possible. Whatever you do, you must pretend that everything is business as usual. Moriarty knows that you know his secret, but let's try not to let his posse know that.

_The now eight warriors walk across the bridge. Odd walks in front of Jeremie, carrying a few things with him. Kiwi is by his side. Jeremie and Ulrich freeze in place when they see this. _

**Jeremie: **Odd?

_Odd turns back around. His face is completely calm. _

**Odd: **Something wrong?

**Ulrich: **No but you….you well

**Odd: **Ulrich I'm insulted.

_Ulrich's eyes widen. _

**Ulrich: **What? Why?!

**Odd: **You didn't notice something new about me.

_Jeremie and Ulrich look at Odd's face. Their eyes then move up to his hair. His pointed, gelled hair. _

**Jeremie: **Your hair!

**Ulrich: **Lyoko style is back!

**Odd: **No. _Odd points to himself. _Odd the Magnificent is back! _He turns around and walks away. _See you back at the room.

_The warriors' hearts warm to see Odd finally walk away from the factory. But then Ulrich notices Christophe sulking away. It temporarily dampens Ulrich's mood. _

**Ulrich: **Are you sure you want to do this? At this point, we could use all the help we can get.

**Jeremie: **I'm not risking any more lives unless I have to. And besides-_His face darkens_- I fear that it's only a matter of time before those terrible emergencies come and force us to let them fight.

_Natalya walks up behind William. She stuffs her hands in her pockets and acts bored. She then slyly walks up to William's side. William glances in her direction. _

**William: **Hey.

**Natalya: **Hey.

_Awkward pause. As the two near the sewer entrance back to Kadic, Natalya coughs. _

**Natalya: **Aren't you forgetting something?

_William gives her a strange look. He scratches the back of his neck. _

**William: **Uh…..I am?

**Natalya: **Yeah…._Her eyes narrow in their gaze towards him. _Our date, remember?

_William turns a little red and stutters. _

**William: **Date? But I never-

**Natalya: **You said you would take me out for ice cream.

_William's face lights up with recognition. _

**William: **Right. I knew that. I did. But…

**Natalya: **But what?

**William: **Well…._He shrugs his shoulders. _That was to explain everything to you. And now everything has been explained to you.

_Natalya looks at the ground. _

**Natalya: **Yeah but-

**William: **But what? There's no need to do that now.

_Natalya blushes and avoids his gaze. _

**Natalya: **Couldn't we just….you know….do it anyway?

_William looks at her strangely, clearly not understanding her emotional subtext. _

**William: **But it's pretty late. Why would you want to go get ice cream with me right now?

_Natalya stares at William, her eyes welling up with hurt. After a second of confusion, the message hits him like a tidal wave. He curses his stupidity. All of the warriors excluding them have gone down the sewers, except for Ulrich, who is just about to close the hatch. He gives him a look that says "You are the biggest idiot on the face of the planet" right before he disappears. William grimaces. _

**William: **Natalya, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way, I-

**Natalya: **Forget it.

_She turns her back to him. William touches her shoulder. _

**William: **We can go get ice cream. Come on, I don't mind.

_Natalya bites her lip. _

**Natalya: **You don't…..mind?

**William: **I mean….I'd love to! Really!

**Natalya: **I don't feel like it anymore.

_William feels stung by her words, but he keeps up the effort at redemption. _

**William: **I'm sorry Natalya. Please forgive me. I just didn't understand what you meant at first.

**Natalya: **What's hard to understand about a girl wanting to hang out with a guy she finally understands completely? Especially when that girl….._She struggles with words_...admires him.

_William feels heat rise to his cheeks. He instinctively takes her hand. He loves the touch of her soft skin. He takes in her beautiful features and is entranced once again. A feeling of lightness wraps around him. He deeply enjoys the feeling. But his conscience strikes him, and he painfully releases his grasp. _

**William: **Natalya, I can't.

_Natalya develops a pained look on her face. _

**Natalya: **You can't…..or you won't?

**William: **I can't. I want to, but I can't.

_Her voice trembles. _

**Natalya: **Why not? You can't protect me from Moriarty anymore.

**William: **It's not Moriarty. It's Xana. I like you a lot Natalya. Too much in fact. And I won't see you get hurt. I have a darkness inside me. He is cruel, evil, and violent. I have control of him most of the time, but I can never escape him. I don't know what would happen if I got very close to a girl with him living inside my mind. So I can't. Once again, I want to protect you.

_Natalya thinks this through. After a ten second silence, she turns to face him. _

**Natalya: **So you have some baggage. Big deal. Everyone does.

**William: **I think this is a little more serious than ex-boyfriend problems, Natalya.

**Natalya: **You'd be surprised…

**William: **Natalya, I won't allow Xana to ruin your life like he did mine. If we go out, you are going to see a side of me you won't like. There's a lot of repressed pain that it would be better for you not to deal with.

_Natalya puts her hands on her hips. _

**Natalya: **And my life's been perfect?

**William: **No offense Natalya, but you don't have an evil being living in your brain. You haven't been enslaved by him. Your problems couldn't have been near as bad.

_Natalya's skin grows cold. She turns his back to him. She starts to walk away. _

**Natalya: **Oh yeah….? Does being orphaned by the Russian government and suffering from anorexia sound easy to you?!

_William's mouth drops, stunned by what he has heard. Before he can form words, Natalya takes off toward Kadic. William stands there, unable to move. He balls his fists and looks up at the sky. _

**William: **IDIOT!

_William retreats toward his dorm. He slowly walks down the hallway and leans against the wall. His head is lowered. He tugs at his jet black hair in frustration. He ignores everyone who passes him. After the silent pity party goes on for a few minutes, he is interrupted by a proud and prominent voice. _

**César: **_Hasta luego cariña. Desayunaré contigo mañana. _(See you later dear. I will eat breakfast with you tomorrow)

_Isabel peaks her head out the door. _

**Isabel: **_De igual. _(Whatever)

_César waves an index finger at her. _

**César: **_Si el estadounidense te molesta, llámame. _(If the American annoys you, call me)

**Isabel: **_Buenas noches mujeriego. _(Good night womanizer)

_César acts hurt by this remark. _

**César: **_¡Mentiras! Soy fiel. _(Lies! I am faithful.)

_Isabel laughs and shuts the door. César laughs and keeps walking. He is quickly struck by how down William is. He stops for a moment to casually look in his direction. _

**César: **Hey, something wrong?

**William: **Please leave me alone.

**César: **If you're trying to convince me nothing's wrong, that's not the way to do it.

**William: **I am not trying to convince you nothing's wrong. I just want to be left alone.

_César observes his grief closely. _

**César: **Is it a girl?

**William: **Stop prying.

**César: **You didn't answer my question. It is a girl, isn't it?

_William nods in an effort to make him leave. _

**William: **Yes. You guessed right. Congratulations.

**César: **The sexy Russian?

_William's eyes widen. _

**William: **You have heard rumors about us?

_César taps his chin. _

**César: **I can't remember if it was my second or third date today who told me, but yes, I have heard. What did you do to her?

_William glances off to the side. _

**William: **I uh…..sort of turned her down and now I regret it.

_César immediately shakes his head. _

**William: **I did have good reason, but I still wonder-

**César: **You're William, correct?

**William: **Yeah.

**César: **William, the good Lord gives us very little time on Earth. And the time of youth is even shorter. Life and love are too valuable to be passed up, good reasons or no. So unless you truly believe that it would harm her, I would ask you to reconsider.

_William rolls his eyes. _

**William: **It's not that simple.

**César: **Maybe not. But when is stuff like this ever simple?

_William tilts his head to the side, seeing the prince's point. _

**William: **Maybe you're right. I just don't know how to apologize. You see, she has a lot of baggage and-

_César becomes alarmed. He points to the end of the hallway. _

**César: **Run. Run away as fast as you can.

**William: **But I have baggage too, so-

_César's opinion suddenly changes. _

**César: **On the other hand…

**William: **It's just really complicated. How do I tell you that I truly care for her but I still need time to think?

_César scratches his chin. Then he snaps his fingers. _

**César: **Serenade her.

_William blinks at him several times. His mouth hangs open. _

**William: **No.

**César: **Come on. What happened to the guy who put love poems all over his old school?

_William abruptly turns his neck toward him. _

**William: **What?! Who-

**César: **Yumi.

**William: **Of course.

**César: **So….serenade her.

_William shakes his head. _

**William: **No.

**César: **I will even play the violin for you.

_William turns away from him. _

**William: **Absolutely not.

**César: **I even have the song picked out for you.

**William: **I said no….._He pauses and turns around. _You have a song already?

_César nods his head slowly. _

**César: **You asked how you could tell her that you care for her but need more time. I have just the thing. And it goes well with the violin.

_William stares at the prince, entertaining his bold romantic move. He is still hesitant. _

**William: **No way. It wouldn't work.

**César: **Not expressing your feelings to her is what won't work.

_William bites his lip, seeing the wisdom in César's advice. César gives him a serious look. _

**César: **You may think it's embarrassing, but if you really want her, you'd swallow your pride and be a man.

_Aelita tries to work on homework at this late hour, but it's not working. She is starting to fall asleep on her desk. Natalya lays on her bed, wallowing in deep melancholy. A rock hits the window. At first, both ignore it. But the second rock is loud and jolts Aelita out of her half-awake state. Aelita angrily whips the window open. _

**Aelita: **Whoever is throwing rocks better stop or I'll-!

_She pauses. Natalya lifts her head up. _

**Natalya: **What is it?

_Aelita turns around with a big smile on her face. There is a big romantic inflection in her voice. _

**Aelita: **It's for you.

_Natalya gets up and walks to the window. _

**Natalya: **What's for me? What are you talking abou-?

_Natalya gazes out the window in silent wonder as she sees William and César looking up at her. César nods to William and begins to play. An enchanting violin tune that harkens back to the Europe of old filters through the air. William nervously begins to sing a little song by Alexander Rybak. _

**William: **_Now I'm home, but I cannot stay_

_I dream of you, every day_

_Got to know every inch of you_

_Will you make my dream come true? _

_There's no place like home they say_

_You're my home so hear me pray. _

_I don't know you but I need more time_

_Promise me, You'll be mine_

_Birds are flying over Europe's Skies_

_Tell me please, Why can't I? _

_Times have changed but so have I_

_I view my life, through your eyes_

_On the go in a tourist's shoes_

_But I'll stay, truthful to you_

_Cause there's no place like home they say_

_You're my home, So I guess I'll stay_

_William dives back into the chorus and gains more confidence. César pours his heart out during the instrumental. Aelita hangs back, smiling and laughing at the sight. Natalya just stands there, her eyes locked on William. William's eyes meet hers and stay there. Adrenaline pours into his body and a surprisingly beautiful voice comes out of his mouth. César taps his foot to encourage him. The serenade reaches an emotional pitch as William sings his heart out. Unfortunately Jim has heard them and is not happy. He comes out of his pajamas and begins yelling. _

**Jim: **What is the meaning of this?! You know the rules! No serenading during quiet hours!

_César turns to William. _

**César: **_¡Corre amigo, corre! _(Run buddy run!)

_They take off. A heavyset Jim runs behind them. _

**Jim: **Get back here!

_Aelita and Natalya laugh their heads off as the two lunatics try to escape Jim's clutches. The next day, William and Natalya sit on a bench under the same tree. William's arm is around her shoulder, and Natalya rests on his. Milly and Tamiya walk up to them. Their reporter annoyance aura is in full swing. _

**Milly: **Would you mind answering a question for the _Kadic Herald_?

_Tamiya focuses the camera on them, much to their annoyance. _

**Tamiya: **Who do you plan to ask for the Fall Formal Dance this weekend?

_William raises an eyebrow at them. He points to Natalya. _

**William: **Who does it look like?

_Tamiya and Milly walk away after this curt reply. Natalya laughs as they leave. _

**Natalya: **Bye bye witches. _She then turns her head to William. _That reminds me, you haven't asked me to the dance yet.

**William: **I have now.

**Natalya: **Hmmn….good point. I assume we will be going with the usual couples?

**William: **Yep. _William leans back against the bench. _We'll be able to relax for a while.

_Natalya walks her fingers up his shoulder. _

**Natalya: **Just relax?

_William gives her a sly look. _

**William: **Well, perhaps not just relaxing….

_Xana's voice breaks through his peaceful mind. _

**Xana: **Our enemy is becoming more and more powerful every day and all you can think about is mating?!

_William smiles and ignores him. _

**Natalya: **You know you can't protect me from Moriarty anymore. I know you're secret, and he knows we're together.

_William brushes the thought aside. _

**William: **If he even tries to touch you, I'll break him myself.

_Natalya and William share an embrace. As they hold each other, the clock suddenly begins to strike. After the usual rings to signal the hour, the chimes suddenly change. The chimes become more erratic. The rhythm changes, as if it was forming a song. William and Natalya perk their heads up. Their ears hone in on the sound. The chime of "A World Without Danger" enters their ears. The students in the courtyard start to listen. Some have no idea what it means. But some do. William turns to face Natalya. _

**William: **It's time.

**Note: The song William sang was "Europe's Skies" by Alexander Rybak, in case you want to look him up. He's an accomplished violinist, so I thought one of his songs would be perfect for C****é****sar to play. **


	16. Apology

Dear Readers,

I apologize for the delay in submitting the next part. I'm afraid it has been a combination of laziness and having a busy schedule. Keep in mind that my chapters are very long so even though I haven't submitted yet that does not mean that I haven't been working on it. Rest assured that I will keep working on this story. I have not quit, I have just been otherwise preoccupied. The next part will come soon, I promise you. Thank you for your patience.


	17. Chapter 17

**Your patience will now be rewarded. And I hope that you are impressed. Things are really starting to pick up now. So read, but first, a random rant moment. **

**Random rant: People need to write better. And I'm not talking about stories or fan fiction. I'm talking about having the capability to write like an adult. We went over our essays in my religious/literary text analysis class in college, and I nearly lost faith in humanity. In some cases, I'm convinced a monkey with a typewriter could have done better. Moreover, my professor is Argentinian. His first language is not English. In fact, I'm pretty sure his second language isn't English (I think he learned Italian first). Do you have any idea how embarrassing and insulting it is for someone from another country to lecture us on how to write our own native language?! It's bad enough that I still struggle to write in Spanish…now I have to endure this nonsense due to people who simply don't know how to write. Oh well, I'm done ranting now. Enjoy. **

**Part 31**

_Some students and faculty slowly filter into the gymnasium. Metal seats have been set up in front of a small podium. There are far more chairs than people. Natalya, William, Yumi, and Jeremie enter and take their seats in the left section three rows from the front. Jeremie leaves a seat open for Aelita, and Yumi does the same for Ulrich. The warriors look around to see who has come. They see Delmas and Sissi sitting together on the front row of the right section. Nicole sits next to her boss, holding her purse in her lap. Suzanne Hertz walks past the warriors and sits in front of them on the first row, right next to the podium. Aside from them and the groundskeeper, Michael Reilley, no other faculty is present. Jeremie can't help but be disappointed by this. A couple of rows behind them, Claire Girard, Azra Urgup, and Bastien Roux sit together. Behind them towards the back row, Theo, Romain, and Jean-Baptiste lackadaisicaly wait for this thing to start. Several other random students from the 8__th__, 9__th__, and 10__th__ grades sit all around them. They recognize some of them, but not all. Directly to their right across the aisle, the three foreign exchange students sit. Jeremie leans over to whisper in their direction. _

**Jeremie: **Hey, Isabel….

_She turns her head to look at him. _

**Jeremie: **Is César coming?

_The look on her face quickly goes south. _

**Isabel: **No. I tried to convince him, but he's not taking this seriously at all.

_Jeremie sighs. _

**Jeremie: **That's a surprise.

**Isabel: **He can't be helped. He just thinks it's a big game.

**Jeremie: **I was afraid he would.

_Jeremie leans back in disappointment. Yumi cranes her neck in his direction. _

**Yumi: **Speaking of no shows, where's Aelita?

_Jeremie's eyes focus on the empty seat next to her. _

**Jeremie: **Good question. One that I don't have the answer to.

**Yumi: **It's not like her to be late.

**Jeremie: **No…it isn't. But what about Ulrich? What's holding him up?

_Yumi looks away for a second. She runs her fingers through the side of her hair. _

**Yumi: **He's uh…on his way.

_Jeremie pushes his glasses up his nose. _

**Jeremie: **It's Odd, isn't it?

**Yumi: **He's…..having some trouble.

_Scene shifts to the bathroom near the gymnasium. Odd is looking in the mirror. His eyes focus intently on the glass. The lack of color in his face reveals his acute anxiety. He shudders and turns the sink on. Water splashes onto his face. Ulrich stands a few feet behind him, watching with concern. Odd sputters some of the water out of his mouth. He watches the water drip down his face. Still not satisfied, he turns the sink on full blast. He splashes more water onto his soaked face. Ulrich takes a few steps toward him. _

**Ulrich: **Why don't you use warm water? I don't see how soaking your face in cold water is going to help.

_Odd perks his head up. He immediately shakes his head. _

**Odd: **Not warm water. No.

**Ulrich: **Why not?

_Odd rests his forehead on his fist with his elbow on the bathroom counter. _

**Odd: **The water in the factory is always cold. Always. Sometimes it was terrible. But when I was really out of whack, sometimes the cold water would jolt me out of an attack. I guess I got used to it. So it must be cold. Always cold.

**Ulrich: **Odd, maybe you should just sit this one out.

_Odd groans. _

**Odd: **I've done enough sitting to last a lifetime.

**Ulrich: **Going to this meeting may be too much for you. Too many people. You wouldn't be comfortable at all. Why don't you just go back to the ro-

_Odd slams his palm on the counter. _

**Odd: **No! I just need a little more time. That's all.

**Ulrich: **But it's about to start, and you don't seem ready at all.

**Odd: **A few more minutes…

**Ulrich: **You said that a few minutes ago.

**Odd: **Why…._His fists clench. _Why is this so hard? Why haven't my symptoms gone away?

**Ulrich: **Something like that isn't going to be fixed overnight.

**Odd: **When I left the factory last night, I didn't look back. I didn't give my brain time to think about it. I had a burst of confidence last night and I took advantage of it while it lasted. _He pauses and looks at the mirror again. _No. It wasn't confidence. It was hate. When I killed my clone….that's what I was feeling. My fear was gone. I just wanted to cause him pain. A lot of pain. _He lowers his eyebrows. _I guess if I'm going to get used to this, I'm just going to have to hate him even more.

**Ulrich: **You have every right to hate him. But don't expect hate to help you all the time.

_Odd doesn't answer. He stares down at the counter, completely frozen with fear and frustration. _

**Ulrich: **Look, I'm going to go to the meeting. Why don't you go back to the room and work things out? You need some more time.

**Odd: **Yeah. _He closes his eyes in defeat. _Go ahead. I think I'll stay here a while.

_Ulrich opens the door. _

**Ulrich: **Alright, come out when you're ready.

_He walks out of the bathroom and into the hallway. He inserts his hands in his pockets and calmly walks toward the gym. He whistles to himself, trying not to worry about Odd. As he rounds the corner, he sees a girl heading the opposite direction. At first, Ulrich only gives her a glance, but his eyes are quickly dragged in her direction. Ulrich finds himself staring at a raven haired beauty. Ulrich's eyes take in her supple and elegant body, which is clothed in a black tank top and tight black jeans. Sparkling red shoes mark her footsteps. She walks with a definite feminine gait, the kind that easily draws a man's attention. As Ulrich finds himself slowing down to look at her, the girl looks up at him. The sight of her face takes the air out of his chest. Her albino white skin works beautifully with two brilliant blue eyes. Their eyes meet. She smiles at him. Ulrich's throat becomes dry._

**Angeline: **Hello.

_Ulrich clears his throat. _

**Ulrich: **He-hello.

_She passes by him. Ulrich watches her leave his presence. When he turns back around, he shakes his head as if coming out of a dream. His cheeks turn red. He quickly hustles into the gymnasium. He sits next to Yumi without a word. He doesn't look at her. Yumi turns to face him. _

**Yumi: **Odd's not coming?

_Ulrich is quick to answer. _

**Ulrich: **No. Too much for him.

_She raises an eyebrow. _

**Yumi: **Are you okay?

**Ulrich: **What? Me? Fine. Never better.

_Yumi raises an eyebrow, but her attention is soon drawn to the podium. Everyone hushes as Jim approaches the podium. He carries an easel covered in several layers of paper and sets it by the podium. He stands up straight to face his audience. After a brief pause, Jim reaches into his jacket pocket. He unveils a soldier's cap and places it on his head. A few chuckles filter into the room, but a sharp glare from him silences them. After nearly thirty seconds of awkward silence, Jim clears his throat. _

**Jim: **Thank you for coming. I greatly appreciate you all being here….._He looks down_...although I was hoping more would attend. _He lifts his head again. _But no matter. As you all know, we are here for a very important purpose. _He starts to pace back and forth across the podium. He raises his right index finger to illustrate his point. _This school is going through some changes, changes that we don't like. Classes have been changed, students have been acting strange, and our board has done nothing to stop it. _He stops. _And all these things are the result of-_He rips the first paper off the easel to reveal a hilariously poor drawing of Moriarty _– this man!

_Students and faculty immediately start laughing. The lab coat is greatly exaggerated and his hair is all over the place. His 'evil' hands are also obnoxiously large and clawish. Jim looks at his drawing in embarrassment. Even the Lyoko Warriors can't help but chuckle at the sight. Jim puts his foot on the ground. _

**Jim: **Okay, okay I get it! It's not exactly my best work. I'll have you know that I used to be an artist, although I'd rather not talk about it. But answer me this…._He points to the image. _Is there anything funny about the man I uh…attempted to draw?!

_Jim's question silences the room. Immediately the atmosphere becomes serious. Jim nods at their reactions. _

**Jim: **That's what I thought. There is nothing funny about the real thing. _He puts his right fist into his left hand. _Let me remind you what this man has done. He has singlehandedly manipulated the board and most of the student body and faculty into doing what he wants. His classroom experiments have given rise to a strange student group 'The Order'. And so far that Order has been recruiting student and faculty alike and intimidated those who have refused to join. They are starting to act almost like a cult, and they are ruining the good name of Kadic. Moreover, Renard has set himself up as "The Hero of France" and gained even more popularity with his appearances on talk shows. So to put it bluntly, Dr. Sébastien Renard has infected both Kadic and France alike with his little game. And so far no one has stepped in to oppose him-_He slams his fist against the podium_-until now.

_Mrs. Hertz raises her hand. _

**Mrs. Hertz: **Jim, just what exactly are you suggesting we do?

**Jim: **Excellent question Suzanne, and the answer is actually quite simple. _He addresses the audience. _Dr. Renard has relied on organization and strength of numbers to get his way around here. Those who have disagreed with him have been divided, but no more. I propose that we form a group to oppose The Order! Strength in numbers! Fight fire with fire!

_Jim's highly animated state is lost on the audience, who seems hesitant at the idea. Mrs. Hertz immediately stands up. _

**Mrs. Hertz: **Jim, I don't like The Order any more than you do. But if they are really as dangerous as you say, wouldn't forming a group to challenge them only provoke them? _Mrs. Hertz motions to the students around her. _Look around you Jim. There aren't many of us. _She focuses her eyes on Delmas. _Mr. Delmas, you of all people must know that this is a bad idea. Our duty first and foremost in emergency situations is the safety of the students. What Jim is suggesting is tantamount to causing a civil war on campus. That's unacceptable. How would we be able to protect them?

_Delmas gravely turns to Mrs. Hertz. _

**Delmas: **With all due respect Mrs. Hertz, our ability to do that may already have been compromised.

_Mrs. Hertz's eyes widen from Delmas' response. She tries to speak, but she is lost for words. She sits down, but Delmas stands up. He turns around and adjusts his tie. _

**Delmas: **Students and faculty alike, please understand that what Jim is suggesting is the last thing that I wanted. I had hoped that I would be able to avoid this, but I can't. I can not sit idly by while students are intimidated and brainwashed. If I could fire him, I would. But the board is firmly in the palm of his hand.

**Mrs. Hertz: **Has no one tried to talk sense to them? Tried to reason with them? Our school is going to fall apart!

_Delmas groans. _

**Delmas: **Believe me. I've tried. But all they do is start violently defending him and pointing out the improvement in test scores.

_Yumi turns her head to Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **Explanation?

_Jeremie nods but seems unsure. _

**Jeremie: **I'm working on it. I have an idea, but-

**Yumi: **Still not positive?

**Jeremie: **No. _He turns his head toward the empty chair. He looks toward the back doors. His face curls in frustration. _Come on Aelita, you need to be here for this!

**Yumi: **I know, this is starting to worry me.

**Delmas: **That's why I'm afraid the best way to keep the students who don't support Renard safe is to unite them. Divided we don't stand a chance against his organization. But if we get together, we might have a chance of restoring sanity.

_Jim raises his arm. _

**Jim: **And that will be our objective. We must restore sanity to this school, by any means necessary! _He thinks over his words for a moment. _Well, maybe not every means. I mean, we can't actually fight them physically.

_Tobias raises his hand. Jim calls on him. He stands up. _

**Tobias: **You mean we're going to be non-violent and stuff?

**Jim: **Exactly. We have to be better than them.

_Ulrich clears his throat and stands up. _

**Ulrich: **That's great and all, but what if they are violent?

**Azra: **Yeah, we'd have to defend ourselves, wouldn't we?

_While Jim struggles to answer, Jean-Baptiste and Theo smile maliciously. _

**Theo: **We could help with the muscle.

**Jean-Baptiste: **Yeah, if you need any dirty work done, we can help.

_The two give each other high fives. Delmas however, reacts violently to their suggestion. _

**Delmas: **No! I will not sanction violence at this school! We are to peacefully speak out against them. Nothing more!

**Nicole: **But sir…._Delmas turns her head to look at his secretary. She gives him a questioning look. _What if The Order does physically intimidate students? What then?

**Delmas: **Then I will punish them. I am still the principal at this school.

_The questioning look intensifies. _

**Nicole: **Are you sir? Are you?

_Delmas bites his lip and runs his fingers through his mustache. He shakes his head. _

**Delmas: **No. I'm not. But I will not allow students to get hurt.

_Sissi touches her father's arm. _

**Sissi: **Daddy, you can't control that anymore. If a student does get hurt, it will be Renard's fault, not yours.

**Delmas: **That doesn't make it any easier to accept Sissi.

_Jim coughs to remind everyone he's still on the podium. _

**Jim: **If I could make a suggestion sir, why not make a rule that violence is only acceptable in the case of self-defense?

**Tobias: **That seems fair. If they punch, we should have the right to punch 'em back.

**Claire: **Yes, but we shouldn't provoke them to punch us first.

**Bastien: **What if they deserve it?

_Claire and Azra give him condescending looks. He throws his hands up in the air. _

**Bastien: **Alright, alright. No provoking.

_Jim aims his index finger at the audience. _

**Jim: **Alright. I want all of you to swear to me that you will never physically attack a member of The Order. You will respond in self-defense only and never provoke them. Our mission is to speak out against them in the school and, if necessary, the public at large. Anything else is unacceptable. Do you understand?

_People nod and say yes. _

**Jim: **Swear that you will follow our group's code of behavior!

**All: **We swear!

**Jim: **Good. _He smiles and puts his hands on his hips. _Now that we have our group's mission down, any questions?

_Jeremie stands up. _

**Jeremie: **Yeah, I have one.

**Jim: **Fire away.

**Jeremie: **What exactly are we going to call 'our group'? And furthermore, who is going to lead us?

_Jim gets a blank look on his face, unable to answer. _

**Jeremie: **Someone's going to have to direct us. A group like this needs organization, discipline.

_Jean-Baptiste shoots Jeremie a cold look. _

**Jean-Baptiste: **Discipline, huh? Are you sure you're in the right group?

_Jeremie lowers his eyebrows. The other warriors also look at Jean-Baptiste sternly. _

**Jeremie: **I don't mean discipline taken to that extreme. I mean we can't just go out there without any sense of structure or leadership. That won't work against Renard's well-oiled machine.

**Jim: **Belpois is quite right. I'm not sure about the name, but we do need a leader.

**Mrs. Hertz: **And who did you have in mind Jim?

_Jim laughs and gets a stupid grin on his face. _

**Jim: **Why me of course!

_Mrs. Hertz's glasses nearly shatter. _

**Mrs. Hertz: **Please tell me you're joking…..

_Jim stutters for a moment. _

**Jim: **I-I'm not.

**Mrs. Hertz: **Mr. Delmas, you can't be serious. Jim…._She struggles not to insult him_ is not fit for a position like that.

**Mr. Delmas: **And why not, Suzanne?

**Mrs. Hertz: **Why not?! Mr. Delmas, the leader of a resistance group to The Order would have to be intelligent, crafty, and organized. I'm not saying that Jim is…..totally incapable of doing that. _Jim frowns from the stinging remarks. _But don't you think you or I would be more suited for that?

_Delmas adjusts his glasses. _

**Delmas: **You're right Suzanne. And that's exactly what Renard will think as well. _Mrs. Hertz pauses at this. Delmas continues. _I don't think we want to broadcast who is heading our organization. That person would be put at extreme risk, and since doing that to a student is unacceptable, we have only a few adult candidates to choose from. You and I would easily become major suspects. It has to be someone they least expect, someone believed to be so utterly incompetent that they wouldn't dream of him being our leader. _Jim has become paralyzed on stage by embarrassment. _In light of that, I think we can all agree that Jim Morales is the perfect candidate for leader.

_Several students nod their assent. They seem to like the idea of Jim being a leader. However, Yumi is not so convinced. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, are you comfortable with this?

**Jeremie: **Well, they're not going to let a student put himself in harm's way, and Jim has proven himself before. Don't forget how he helped us out when Xana was still alive.

**Yumi: **But Jim is just…just….

**Jeremie: **Stupid and naïve? Yes, very true. But he is no coward. Delmas wouldn't have the spine to fully stand up to Renard. Mrs. Hertz does have the spine and is very intelligent, but I honestly don't see her being the leader type. And Delmas does have a point. It's better to have someone Moriarty would least suspect.

_Yumi aims her glance at Jim, who is nervously adjusting his soldier's cap. He fakes a broad smile. Yumi raises an eyebrow. _

**Yumi: **Yeah, that should be enough to fool even Moriarty.

**Delmas: **So is anyone opposed to Jim being our leader?

_No one speaks up, but William's temple gets an unwelcome throbbing. _

**Xana: **FOOL! Do not let that obese Neanderthal take my rightful place as leader! I am the only one fit to rule and conquer Moriarty!

**William: **Not happening….

_Natalya turns to William. William smiles in embarrassment. _

**Natalya: **Xanadu again?

**William: **Xana…..and yes. Don't worry, it's nothing.

**Xana: **And your idiotic mate still doesn't know my name!

**William: **Shut up….

**Delmas: **Well, if no one objects, then it's unanimous. Congratulations Jim.

_Jim quickly forgets his embarrassment and assumes his typical bravado. _

**Jim: **Yes! You have made an excellent decision and I won't let you down! And as my first order of business- _He points to the groundskeeper Reilley_- you are now my second in command!

_Reilley points to himself in confusion. _

**Reilley: **What?! Me?! But why?

**Jim: **Simple. Because you're the only other faculty member they would never suspect.

_Some of the people at the meeting give each other looks following this strange decision. Mrs. Hertz raises an eyebrow at Delmas. Delmas smiles uncomfortably and shrugs. _

**Jim: **And second, we must remove anyone who is not fully committed to our cause. Understand that by joining us, you are risking a lot. _At this time, Herb is walking past the doors to the gym. _You will quickly become a target of hate by The Order. _He perks up when he hears this. He sticks his head near the door and listens in. _This is your last chance to back out. After this, I can't guarantee that your life at Kadic will ever be the same. If Renard continues to further his influence at this school, then you will become outcasts.

_Tobias turns his attention to Lucas, who is staring at the ground. The Texas youth can tell that he is shaking. He quickly concludes that Lucas is having second thoughts, and only the greater fear of being stared at by everyone in the room is holding him back from walking out of the room. He puts a hand on his shoulder. Lucas immediately relaxes and turns his head to him. Tobias stands up. _

**Tobias: **Then so be it. We'll become outcasts.

_Theo nods his head in approval. _

**Theo: **The Outcasts will never surrender!

**Bastien: **Long live the Outcasts!

_People begin talking in response to this new name. The majority seems to approve of it. _

**Jim: **That's it! We will be the Outcasts! Perfect! _He imagines the scenario in his head. _The Outcasts versus The Order…..I like it! _Herb's eyes widen as he continues to watch. _Alright then, you are dismissed for now. I will pass on more specific instructions later on. Keep quiet about our movement for the time being. _Herb slinks away. _We don't want Dr. Renard suspecting anything just yet.

_The warriors get up and start to leave. Jeremie is sulking. He immediately reaches for his phone. _

**Jeremie: **I can't believe Aelita missed the entire meeting!

**Ulrich: **What's up with her?

_The five walk outside. Jeremie puts the phone to his ear. _

**Jeremie: **I haven't the slightest clue. But she has a lot of explaining to do.

**Yumi: **When was the last time you saw her?

**Jeremie: **At lunch. She said she was going to the factory to check on the progress of the Return to the Past program. Then when the signal went out I sent her a text telling her to come back immediately. Haven't heard from her since.

**William: **Maybe she got caught up on something…

_The phone is still ringing. _

**Jeremie: **Like what?

**William: **How should I know? I'm just guessing.

_Pause in the group. A thought suddenly crosses Natalya's mind. _

**Natalya: **Now that I think about it, Christophe wasn't in the meeting either….

_Jeremie's face suddenly becomes blank. He listens to Aelita's voicemail as the realization kicks in. _

**Jeremie: **They didn't…..

**Yumi: **Didn't what? What did they do?

_Ulrich scratches his head. _

**Ulrich: **Christophe and Aelita gone at the same time? What does that mean?

**Jeremie: **I'll tell you what it means. _Jeremie hangs up his phone. An angry look takes shape on his brow. _It means that someone convinced my girlfriend to pull a Lyoko stunt with him.

_Scene shifts to Desert Sector. Aelita and Christophe are walking through a path between two rock faces. Christophe is clearly ecstatic. He primes his wrist. _

**Christophe: **Alright, so where are the monsters?

_Aelita gives him a look. _

**Aelita: **Don't be so eager. Fighting Moriarty is a serious business. So take it seriously. Besides, the monsters don't work according to your schedule.

**Christophe: **I know, I know. I just want some action.

_Aelita shakes her head. _

**Aelita: **You know, I was in this same situation with William not too long ago. He told me the same thing. Do I need to remind you how that one ended?

_Christophe pauses. He looks at Aelita, who is staring at him coldly. He holds his hands up. _

**Christophe: **Alright alright I get it. Don't bite off more than you can chew. I won't repeat William's mistake.

**Aelita: **I should hope so. I'm probably going to get in enough trouble with Jeremie for letting you come to Lyoko against his orders. I don't want to explain losing you to Moriarty.

**Christophe: **Who says he has to know?

_Aelita glares at him. _

**Christophe: **You won't have to. I'll be careful. And I know I'm inexperienced. That's why I'm here. So I can train and be experienced.

_Aelita points at him. _

**Aelita: **And that's the only reason I'm letting you do this. When the 'emergency' Jeremie talked about comes, I don't want you to be caught off guard like William.

_Christophe points to himself and smiles. _

**Christophe: **You won't lose me like Odd and William. I promise.

_Sounds of growling enter their hearing range. Christophe turns around. _

**Christophe: **Growling combined with a screeching noise. Probably means tigers. Several of them.

_An energy field materializes in Aelita's palm. _

**Aelita: **Good Christophe. You've done your homework. Recognizing the monster sounds before they arrive can give you time to prepare.

_Two tigers appear around the bend. Christophe and Aelita aim. _

**Aelita: **Alright, this is relatively simple. I aim for the one on the left, you take out the one on the right. Got it?

**Christophe: **No problem. Consider him dead.

_The tigers charge. _

**Aelita: **Now!

_Aelita quickly dispatches the left tiger. Christophe fires a disc, but misses. The tiger keeps coming and lunges at Christophe. For a split second, Christophe doesn't know what to do. But he successfully sidesteps the lunge and fires into the side of the tiger's head. The disc comes out the other side and nearly hits Aelita. The tiger disappears. Christophe looks at Aelita apologetically. _

**Christophe: **Sorry.

**Aelita: **Not bad for your first time. But your aim needs improvement. And you need to keep in mind that your discs are powerful enough to cut straight through a monster at close range. Friendly fire must be avoided.

_They hear more growling. They assume defensive positions. _

**Aelita: **Here they come again.

**Christophe: **Bring it on!

_Four more tigers round the bend. This time the duo makes quick work of them. Christophe charges forward and takes out two of them before Aelita even fires. But his overenthusiasm makes him receive several lasers to the leg. His leg sparkles from the strike, but Aelita kills the other two before they can devirtualize him. Christophe gets back on his feet. _

**Christophe: **I took a little damage, but I got them.

**Aelita: **In a real battle you don't charge out like that and risk precious lifepoints. Your life may not be on the line in Lyoko but other lives might be counting on you.

**Christophe: **Right. I understand. So….._Christophe looks off in the distance. _What now?

_Aelita sighs. _

**Aelita: **I don't know…let's just call it quits for to-

_The earth trembles. The two fall off their feet. Christophe looks up. _

**Christophe: **What was that?

_The trembling is followed by a terrible screech that makes them cover their ears. The desert shakes to the rhythm of footsteps. Aelita's face locks on toward the direction of the noise. _

**Aelita: **Christophe?

**Christophe: **Yeah?

**Aelita: **Did you read my notes on the Leviathan?

**Christophe: **I don't think I got to that part, why?

_Two massive snake heads stare at them from the top of the gorge. A huge shadow is cast over them. The two back up. _

**Aelita: **Because he's here!

_The monster roars. The shockwave is so strong that Christophe and Aelita are pushed back several feet. _

**Christophe: **This went downhill fast….

_An angry voice seems to speak to them from above. _

**Jeremie: **AELITA! CHRISTOPHE! What do you think you're doing?!

**Aelita: **Really downhill…

_The monster lunges for them. Aelita sprouts wings and avoids the left head. Christophe, however, is cornered against the rock face. He squeezes into a small crack. Both heads snap at him. He fires at the heads, but of course it does no good. Aelita's energy fields try to draw away the behemoth's attention, but the Leviathan remains firmly focused on Christophe. The Leviathan manages to scratch away enough space to put his mouth in. He opens it to reveal a growing purple light. But at the same time, an emergency response kicks in from Christophe. His chest lights up. This time Christophe understands what it means. He lets the pressure build up. Then right before the Leviathan fires, an enormous shockwave of heavy metal punctures through the gorge. The Leviathan removes one of its heads from the rock. The head quickly falls apart and sags onto the desert floor. The beast roars in anger. Christophe disorientedly walks out of the crack and falls to the ground. The Leviathan raises its massive foot. Aelita swoops in to defend but is cut apart by the purple blast from its mouth. The monster then quickly steps on Christophe. Back on Earth two scanners open up, and the rebellious duo walk out to see stern faces greeting them. Aelita and Christophe look at each other awkwardly. Jeremie emerges at the front of the group, his eyes locked onto Aelita. Aelita immediately looks down. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, let me explain.

_Jeremie holds his hands out. _

**Jeremie: **Oh no. I don't want to hear it. Not now at least. _He adjusts his glasses. _You two broke my rules. _He thinks over his words. _Scratch that, you broke OUR rules.

**Yumi: **What were you thinking?

**William: **Did you know you missed Jim's meeting because of this?

**Ulrich: **We needed you to be there, not on Lyoko.

**Jeremie: **…..Without our permission…

_Christophe clears his throat. _

**Christophe: **Jeremie, this is my fault. I was the one who convinced-

**Jeremie: **I said I don't want to hear it! Not until dinner. I'm too mad to listen right now. _He turns his back on them. _Both of you will show up at the usual table. We'll discuss what you did there. 

_Aelita hangs her head while Christophe puts his hands in his pockets and avoids everyone's stares. Both can tell that this is not going to end well. _

_Later that afternoon, Herb rushes to Moriarty's classroom door. He hears the voice of consent to enter and does so. Upon entering, Herb immediately crosses his arms to salute Renard. _

**Herb: **Commandant, I have something urgent to tell you! Jim-

_Herb stops when he notices Moriarty is facing away from him. His eyes are focused on a figure in the corner. A dark and sexy figure. The girl is standing between two windows in the room. The intense sunlight streaming into the windows casts a strange shadow around her. She looks up at Herb with her deep blue eyes. Herb immediately turns red and finds it difficult not to stare. He shifts uncomfortably. Fortunately, Renard helps break his frozen embarrassment. _

**Moriarty: **I'm sorry, what is that you said Pinchon?

_Herb looks at him and stammers, trying to regain his focus. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, where are my manners? Herb, this is Angeline Maillard. She's just transferred from Lincoln.

**Herb: **Ma-Maillard?

**Moriarty: **Yes, she's Emmanuel's twin sister. What a coincidence.

_Herb coughs. _

**Herb: **Nice to uh…meet you. I'm Herb Pinchon.

_Angeline slightly nods. _

**Angeline: **Hello Herb.

**Moriarty: **So what is it you wanted to say Herb?

**Herb: **Commandant, I think it would be better to do this in priv-

**Moriarty: **Oh don't worry about that. Angeline can hear every word of this conversation.

_Herb focuses on Angeline. She gives him a curt smile and then crosses her arms in the salute of The Order. Later that evening, William and Natalya go through the lunch line. Natalya gets a small salad and continues past the baked fish. William raises an eyebrow. _

**William: **A salad? That's it?

**Natalya: **Oh, I'm not really that hungry…

**William: **Natalya….

_Natalya looks at him. William sternly meets her gaze and motions to the fish. She slowly nods her head. _

**Natalya: **Uh actually, may I have some fish?

**Rosa: **Sure honey. Don't be shy with the food. There's plenty of it. At least until Della Robbia comes for seconds…

_Natalya forces a smile and continues through the line. They start to walk toward the table. Natalya coughs. _

**Natalya: **Thank you.

**William: **No problem.

_They sit down. Everyone else is already there. Aelita and Christophe are on one side with the others facing them. Natalya and William sit with the two to make it feel less awkward. Jeremie taps his fingers together. For a moment the table is silent. The only sound that can be heard is Odd chewing at the far end of the table. He keeps his eyes away from the large number of people in the cafeteria and focuses on the food. Jeremie drinks some water and clears his throat. _

**Jeremie: **Alright, let's get started. To be fair, I'm going to let you tell your side of the story. So, what happened?

**Aelita: **I was just going to the factory to check on the progress of the return to the past program. I was only going to be gone for twenty minutes at most. But…._She looks at Christophe_ he showed up.

**Jeremie: **Mhmm, and why did you show up?

_Christophe rubs the back of his neck. _

**Christophe: **I just wanted to see what was going on at the factory, that's all.

_Jeremie gives him a glare that demonstrates that he can see through Christophe's lies. Christophe holds his hands up. _

**Christophe: **Okay, okay. I went to the factory to see if I could be virtualized again. I admit it.

**Aelita: **He showed up and….convinced me that he needed more training. He said that waiting until a real emergency was not a smart move because he would be unprepared. It….was a convincing argument.

**Jeremie: **And you didn't run it by me.

**Yumi: **Or any of us.

**Aelita: **I knew you would say no. And Christophe knew it too.

**Ulrich: **That's not an ex-

_Jeremie stops him. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, not now. Continue Aelita.

**Aelita: **We went to Lyoko and trained. That was all. Then the Leviathan showed up, and you know the rest.

_Jeremie nods his head, but something in his expression indicates that he is not quite done yet. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, one more question. _He turns to Christophe. _You were pretty lucky catching Aelita alone like that. Why did you go at the same time she was over there?

**Christophe: **I...it was a coincidence.

_Jeremie raises an eyebrow. _

**Jeremie: **Really? You went over to the factory on a whim, not knowing for sure if anyone was even over there?

**Christophe: **Well….y-

**Jeremie: **Have you somehow learned how to virtualize yourself?

**Christophe: **No.

**Jeremie: **So you went over there just hoping you would find either me or Aelita there?

**Christophe: **I figured one of you had to be over there.

**Jeremie: **In the middle of a schoolday? _Jeremie's probing questions are making Christophe uncomfortable. The others also look at Christophe funny. _That was a pretty lucky guess don't you think?

_Amidst the building pressure, Christophe raises his hands. _

**Christophe: **Okay I admit it. I was spying on you two to see if Aelita would go to the factory alone. I thought I had a better chance convincing her than you.

_Aelita frowns. _

**Aelita: **And he was right.

_Jeremie folds his arms and leans back in his chair. Yumi glances at the two with a passionless judgment. Odd munches his food quietly in the corner, waiting to see what happens. The rest of the table is silent. Jeremie finally focuses on Christophe. _

**Jeremie: **Christophe, you broke our rules. We explicitly told you not to go to Lyoko unless it was an emergency. You purposely waited for an opportunity to convince one of us to bend the rules for you. What do you have to say for yourself?

_Christophe stares blankly at the table. _

**Christophe: ** Nothing. I don't have an excuse. I just wanted to go back….to be a warrior again.

**Jeremie: **You are a warrior Christophe. Your job is to fight Moriarty, just not in the same way we do. But because of what you did, you have made us question the faith we put in you. Do you know what that means?

_A terrible thought passes through Christophe's mind. His voice quakes. _

**Christophe: **You're kicking me out of the group?!

**Jeremie: **No. But I'm putting you on probation. One more stunt like that and you are out. You will follow what we say without question. Even if what we say isn't as exciting as beating up Moriarty's monsters. Until you regain our trust, we are going to keep an eye on you.

**Christophe: **Okay _He looks somewhat relieved. _I can live with that. I won't let you down again, I promise.

**Aelita: **What about me? Aren't you going to punish me too?

_Jeremie frowns and looks off to the side. His pensive gaze indicates that he has thought of this and hasn't been able to come up with an answer. He shrugs. _

**Jeremie: **Someone else decide. I'm too biased toward her.

**William: **Aelita is technically our second-in-command. She is our battlefield commander on Lyoko. You could take that away from her.

**Ulrich: **A suspension from being second-in-command. That could work.

**Yumi: **You're right. I'm sorry Aelita, but you risked a lot by sending Christophe to Lyoko without our permission. What if the Leviathan had knocked him into the digital sea?

_Odd starts to speak through a mouthful of food. _

**Odd: **One thing I don't get. Why on earth would Moriarty send the Leviathan against them? He was just training.

**Natalya: **He's right. Wouldn't that be a great waste of power?

**Jeremie: **Yes. _Jeremie takes a sip of water. _But I have a theory.

**William: **What's that?

**Jeremie: **Intimidation. Moriarty knows or at least assumes that Christophe has joined us. He already has had a problem with Christophe in the classroom, and I don't think he was too happy about having an extra warrior like him to deal with. So he sent the Leviathan to see if he could scare Christophe away from fighting.

_Christophe balls a fist. _

**Christophe: **I'm not intimidated. I'll take on Moriarty. I want to make sure he regrets me joining you guys. I'll-

_Jeremie gives him a condescending stare. _

**Christophe: **I mean…he knows I'll do whatever you ask me to do to help stop him.

**Jeremie: **That's better. But we are getting off topic. Aelita, what William has said seems fair. Though I can trust you as a girlfriend, you still need to accept the consequences as a member of our team. For the time being, Yumi, I want you to be my new confidant.

_Yumi slowly nods. _

**Yumi: **I can do that.

**Jeremie: **And this time I'm putting a password lock on the supercomputer. We're not having this happen again.

**Ulrich: **You don't trust us?

**Jeremie: **No offense Ulrich, but haven't we all had our own individual mess-ups in the past? _Ulrich doesn't have a defense for this. _Besides, what if Moriarty found a way to override the inhibitor program and possess you? Having access to virtualization would not be ideal. _Jeremie smacks himself in the head. _Oh! I can't believe I forgot! _He looks at Christophe and Natalya. _I need to expose you to the inhibitor program. It will make you immune to Moriarty possessions.

_Natalya nervously grasps her fork. _

**Natalya: **Possessions?! You mean like in 'The Exorcist'?!

**Jeremie: **Uh…..not quite that horrifying and dramatic, but that is always a risk.

**Christophe: **Has that ever happened before?

**Ulrich: **Plenty of times. It was a routine problem with Xana.

**Christophe: **Even with the return to the past thing, I find that a little hard to believe. After all, you said you didn't always use it. I think I would have noticed.

**Yumi: **You'd be surprised. You've actually been possessed before.

_Christophe pauses. His eyes widen. He shakes his head in disbelief. _

**Christophe: **I was what?!

**Yumi: **Yeah. By Xana. You and the entire 9th grade class plus Jim and Mrs. Hertz tried to kill me.

_Christophe glares at William. _

**Christophe: **Remind me to smack you in the head so I can teach Xana some manners for doing that.

_William's conscious mind receives a message. _

**Xana: **If I had what you humans call a 'sense of humor', I would not be able to stop laughing from such a pathetic threat.

_Jeremie picks up his tray. _

**Jeremie: **I'm going to turn in. I have some homework to finish…..and maybe a little Moriarty research to do.

_Aelita lifts her head up. She's been silent for a while and has avoided everyone's gaze. _

**Aelita: **Research? What kind of Moriarty research?

**Jeremie: **Finances. Moriarty lives and acts like a human now. I'm going to do some snooping around to see what his money situation is.

**Ulrich: **Wow, I never thought of that. But he must be earning a salary now.

**Yumi: **And maybe earning more than just as a teacher.

**Jeremie: **Exactly. I have no doubt that Moriarty won't make it easy, but I'm going to try and make it work. See you tomorrow.

_Jeremie leaves. Quickly afterward everyone picks up their trays and heads out. Odd finishes his dinner. He is no longer hungry, but the sight of an empty tray following his meal gives him a small feeling of normalcy. He gets up and starts to walk away. He passes by Magali. She gives him a cold look. _

**Magali: **Freak….

_Odd pauses, trying to not let the stinging remark get to him. He puts his tray down and hurries back to his room. _

_Theo and Romain sit together on a bench late at night. Theo chews a toothpick. He looks bored. _

**Romain: **Where is he?

**Theo: **Taking his time as usual. Wouldn't be surprised if he shows up empty handed.

_Romain hears footsteps. He turns to the right. _

**Romain: **There he is.

_Theo turns around to see Jean-Baptiste carrying a plastic bag. He has a mischievous look on his face. He presents the bag to Theo. _

**Jean-Baptiste: **Sorry I'm late.

**Romain: **It's okay.

**Theo: **We never doubted you for a second.

_They walk over to the back wall of the small building with the vending machines. In front of them is a large purple mural of The Order's fleur-de-lis insignia. A side note reads: 'Better Kadic, Brighter Tomorrow: Join The Order now'. All three stare at the mural with loathing. Theo pulls out a can of spray paint. He shakes it up and gives it to the others. _

**Theo: **Gentleman, prepare your spray paint.

_The next day, a crowd gathers around the mural. Moriarty sees the scene and pushes through the crowd. Herb is right behind him. When they get to the front, Moriarty stops. In front of him is a massive green letter O that is defiling his mural. It is surrounded by a bunch of other Os. He cranes his neck up at the sight and appears to be very calm. Herb, however is fuming at the sight. Moriarty chuckles to himself. _

**Moriarty: **Okay, Jeremie. If you really want to start a war at this school, you know I'll be all to willing to oblige….

_Jeremie slams the door to his room open. He stares at the opposing wall for a moment and runs a finger through his blonde hair. He opens his mouth for a few seconds and then closes it. His right hand then pulls on a chunk of his hair. He closes his eyes, mind locked on frustrated thought. He shakes his head and starts to walk away from the room. César rounds the corner with a soda in hand. _

**César: **Hey _compañero. _How's it going?

**Jeremie: **Not now César.

_The prince rolls his eyes at his roommates' typical rigidity. _

**César:** Are you ok? Do you want me to get Felipe to get you something?

**Jeremie: **No.

_He breaks off into a brisk walk, heading directly to Odd and Ulrich's room. Without delay he knocks loudly and impatiently. Kiwi starts barking, and he can hear someone in the room jolt up from surprise. Jeremie continues to knock. The door is thrown open before him. A clearly agitated Odd stands before him. _

**Odd: **God, Jeremie where's the fire? You nearly gave me a panic attack, and I'm trying to avoid those!

**Jeremie: **Where's Ulrich?

**Odd: **I don't know, the library maybe. Why?

_Jeremie turns his head and walks away. Odd raises his hands in angry confusion. _

**Odd: **Oh that's right. No explanation. Just walk away. Great. Just great.

_Jeremie continues down the hall with more pep in his step. Without even looking where he is going, he rounds the corner and runs into a girl. He accidentally falls on her. Both shout in confusion. Jeremie groans and reaches for his glasses. The first thing to enter his vision is a rather ample bosom right underneath him. Jeremie blushes and scrambles away. He stands up to see a very attractive girl in a lovely black outfit lying on the floor. She rubs her head. Jeremie stammers and turns red. _

**Jeremie: **I'm….s-s-so sorry. I d-didn't see y-

**Angeline: **It's fine. _She examines her outfit. She pulls up on her tank a little to make sure she's covered, and Jeremie can't help but notice. She sits up and gracefully reaches her hand out. _A little help please? 

_Jeremie nods his head several times and pulls her up. Jeremie takes note of her hand's lovely softness but is also surprised by the coldness of her touch. Once Angeline stands up, she bends down again to get her backpack. Jeremie looks off to the side to save himself the temptation of staring. She swings her pack around one shoulder and waves Jeremie goodbye with her fingers. _

**Angeline: **See you later, and watch where you're going next time.

_Jeremie watches her leave. _

**Jeremie: **Yeah. I…will.

_Once Angeline disappears from sight, Jeremie turns around and immediately feels a pang of guilt. He swings the doors to the stairwell open to help himself get over his trance. As he slowly walks down the stairs, he tries to remove the recent event from his mind. He eagerly looks for anything to take his mind off it. Fortunately that distraction is provided in the form of Ulrich walking up the stairs. Jeremie immediately stops and remembers his initial purpose. He gives Ulrich a stony look. Ulrich looks up. _

**Ulrich: **Hey Jeremie.

**Jeremie: **Hey….

_Ulrich stops walking. He cranes his neck to the side to make sure he isn't imagining Jeremie's growing contempt. _

**Ulrich: **Something wrong?

**Jeremie: **You tell me….

_Ulrich is taken aback by the harshness of Jeremie's reply. He forces himself to chuckle a little bit. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, I've never been good at guessing why people are angry at me. Just ask Yumi. I'm really bad. So tell me, what did I do wrong? Because I can't think of anything.

_Jeremie looks away and taps his fingers on the guardrail. He turns back to face Ulrich. _

**Jeremie: **Your father. What's his name again?

_Ulrich shifts a little uncomfortably at the mention of his father but shakes it off. _

**Ulrich: **Ingolf Stern. Why?

_Jeremie lowers his eyebrows and crosses his arms. _

**Jeremie: **Then you have a lot of explaining to do….

_After lunch the warriors gather in Jeremie's room. Jeremie sits in his chair with his back to the computer. He swivels the seat from side to side ever so slightly. Aelita stands next to him with her hand over her mouth. She avoids looking at Ulrich, who is sitting on Jeremie's bed. His head is lowered. Yumi sits next to him with her arm on his shoulder. Odd leans against Jeremie's wardrobe, staring at his roommate with a combination of disbelief and confusion. Christophe sits on the floor dumbfounded. He looks around at everyone to see how they are reacting. William and Natalya sit opposite of Yumi and Ulrich on César's bed. William gives off a slight air of disapproval, but he attempts to mask it. He tries to break the silence. _

**William: **Jeremie, are you sure César is okay with us sitting on his bed?

_Jeremie doesn't even look in William's direction. _

**Jeremie: **Yeah it's fine. Don't worry about it.

_Ulrich slaps his hands on his knees, unable to tolerate the elephant in the room any longer. _

**Ulrich: **Well that's it. That's who my father really is.

_The disquiet in the room suddenly deepens. Ulrich bites his lip, wishing he hadn't spoken. Jeremie swivels back in his chair away from Ulrich. He faces his computer. _

**Jeremie: **And you never thought something like this was worth mentioning to us…

**Ulrich: **It's a…..sensitive topic, if you didn't get the memo.

_Jeremie thinks about his reply for a moment. _

**Jeremie: **Sensitive enough that you didn't mention his connection to Moriarty?

_Ulrich vehemently shakes his head. _

**Ulrich: **I had no idea that he was paying Moriarty. This was just as surprising for me as it was for everyone else here.

**William: **How long has your father been doing this?

**Ulrich: **With Moriarty? I don't know. But without him?…..A long time.

_Odd appears to be hurt. He struggles to form words. _

**Odd: **And after all we've been through…..Xana, Moriarty….you never told us this? You never trusted us?

**Ulrich: **Some things are too sensitive to talk about…even to close friends.

**Aelita: **So leaving us in the dark was just easier for you…even with Moriarty.

**Ulrich: **Up until this point, his business had never been a factor in our mission.

**Jeremie: **And you never thought it would become one? _Ulrich is silenced at this retort. Jeremie continues with his back turned. _Obviously Moriarty figured out about it. How long did you think it would take Moriarty to find out about your family past?

_Yumi comes to his defense. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich thought Moriarty would just use it as emotional baggage. He could never have predicted Moriarty using his dad for money.

_Natalya stares at Yumi with interest. _

**Natalya: **You knew, didn't you?

_Yumi hesitates, feeling the weight of the room's stares upon her. _

**Yumi: **Yes, he told me.

**Jeremie: **Let me guess…..a girlfriend's promise?

_Yumi disdainfully repeats Jeremie's words. _

**Yumi: **Yes Jeremie, a girlfriend's promise.

_Yumi's strong reaction discourages further criticism. Silence takes over again. Odd starts to speak. His voice quivers. _

**Odd: **What you said…..about him and the police…..did that have anything to do with me getting off the hook a long time ago?

_Ulrich feels a terrible weight in his stomach. He shuts his eyes. _

**Ulrich: **Yes Odd. I'm sorry. It….was the only way.

_Odd suddenly feels lightheaded. He rests his forehead on his palm. He turns around to face the wardrobe. He shakes a little and starts to walk out of the room. _

**Odd: **I need some water. And I need to lie down.

_He exits. No one tries to stop him. A few seconds later, Jeremie bangs his hand on the desk in frustration. _

**Jeremie: **That's it! No more secrets! We can't afford them anymore, no matter how painful they are to us. Understand? If you are hiding something important about yourself, tell us now!

_William becomes slightly nervous at this demand. The familiar cold voice enters his thoughts. _

**Xana: **You heard Jeremie, slave. Reveal your true potential to them. Then they would defer to you…..and me.

_William feels a slight tingling in his right hand. He looks down and notices to his horror that his hand is sparking with electricity ever so slightly. Natalya looks down and gives him a questioning look. William shakes his head and clenches his fist, making the electricity die. William lectures Xana in his thoughts. _

**William: **I didn't give you permission to do that! What if someone else had noticed?

**Xana: **Oh if only they had…..

_William grits his teeth and tries to shut Xana out. Meanwhile, Jeremie just throws his hands up and tries to relax. _

**Jeremie: **I'm sorry, I just lost my cool there. I'm tired of these surprises.

**Christophe: **I…..uh don't mean to interrupt, but I think we've discussed this long enough. Shouldn't we be more focused on how to prevent Moriarty from getting Mr. Stern's money?

_His statement puts the group back in focus. Jeremie turns back around with a regained sense of composure. _

**Jeremie: **Christophe's right. We can't have Moriarty sucking millions out of a wealthy benefactor. I'm scared to think of how he would use that money. Ulrich, any ideas?

_Ulrich replies with a firm mask devoid of emotion. _

**Ulrich: **I'm guessing Moriarty somehow is helping my dad with his transports. There's no way my dad would give Moriarty that kind of money without a really good reason.

**Jeremie: **I figured as much, but how do we stop these transactions?

**Ulrich: **If my dad could somehow learn more about Moriarty, he would cut off ties with him. I assume Moriarty has kept his identity secret from him. We need to make sure he sees Moriarty for who he is.

**William: **And how do we do that without blowing our cover and telling your dad the entire truth about him?

_Ulrich pauses. _

**Ulrich: **That…I don't know.

_A few seconds later, Jeremie's computer begins to beep. Jeremie perks up and immediately throws his chair back around to the computer. He goes to work without explanation. _

**Yumi: **Uh….Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **It's about time…

_Ulrich stands up and peers over his shoulder. _

**Ulrich: **What do you mean? What did you do?

**Jeremie: **What was necessary- _Jeremie adds a tone of harshness in his response_- I took over a tower and imbedded a specter in your dad's phone.

**Ulrich: **So…..in case Moriarty called…

**Jeremie: **Exactly…

**William: **And you didn't send anyone to defend that tower?

**Jeremie: **For a small thing like a cellphone when it was most likely that Moriarty wanted us to know about his connection to Ulrich's dad? No. Besides, I wasn't going to send anyone without letting Ulrich personally inform us of his…..uh…issue.

_Ulrich's face twitches slightly from Jeremie's tone, but it quickly goes away. Meanwhile, Jeremie opens up two audio files. One represents Moriarty's voice with a purple-colored wavelength. The second one is blue and represents Mr. Stern's voice. The warriors crowd around the computer screen to listen in. For a few seconds, the only sound in the room is the phone ringing. Mr. Stern picks up. _

**Mr. Stern: **Hello?

**Moriarty: **Ingolf….._Ulrich shudders at the recognition of Moriarty's voice addressing his father_... so nice to speak to you again.

_Mr. Stern's tone becomes curt. _

**Mr. Stern: **I don't think we are on a first-name basis.

**Moriarty: **Why not?

**Mr. Stern: **Well for starters, I don't even know your name.

_Moriarty laughs a little. _

**Moriarty: **Ingolf, you seem upset. Did your last shipment not go so well?

**Mr. Stern: **No, quite the opposite.

**Moriarty: **Then as long as you keep getting money, why do you care? Is that a problem?

**Mr. Stern: **Actually, it is.

_Silence on both ends of the line. Jeremie leans back and muses on what has progressed so far. Ulrich gives a slight smile. _

**Ulrich: **Yeah, Dad can be pretty demanding.

**Jeremie: **Except 'Dad' doesn't know who he's dealing with.

**Ulrich: **….Neither does Moriarty.

_The conversation resumes. _

**Mr. Stern: **You must understand that in my line of work, you need to know who you're dealing with. Knowledge is key. It determines whether you become the dominant partner, or the victim.

**Moriarty: **Dominant partner? Why not equal partners?

_Mr. Stern doesn't skip a beat with his response. _

**Mr. Stern: **Sorry, I don't work that way. In my line of work, you learn quickly that equal partnerships never work for very long.

**Moriarty: **I see- _There is a slight trace of annoyance in Moriarty's voice._- So what exactly are you saying? That you must know my name?

**Mr. Stern: **More than that. I want to meet you in person.

_Moriarty hesitates at this. _

**Moriarty: **Why is that so important to you?

**Mr. Stern: **Because a hacker working behind the scenes sounds more like my puppetmaster than my partner….

**Moriarty: **Is that so?

_Mr. Stern becomes steadfastly resolute in his voice. _

**Mr. Stern: **I know all of my partners personally. No exceptions.

**Moriarty: **And if I refuse?

**Mr. Stern: **Then you can consider our agreement cancelled, regardless of the extra profits I'm making.

**Moriarty: **You…..strike a hard bargain Ingolf.

**Mr. Stern: **It's what has made me successful. So what's it going to be?

_Moriarty pauses for about three seconds. _

**Moriarty: **How about this...we agree to meet each other this Saturday around 22:00?

_The sound of Mr. Stern going through some papers is heard. _

**Mr. Stern: **I'm afraid that won't work. I have a trustee party at my son's school that I have to go to.

_Moriarty smirks with a subtlety of undeniable maliciousness. _

**Moriarty: **Oh don't worry. I'll be there too.

_Moriarty hangs up. _

**Mr. Stern: **Wait, WHAT?! What do you mean? …..Hello? Hello?! Answer me!

_Jeremie closes the audio files as the call ends. He wheels the chair around and looks at the rest of the warriors, looking for a response. Natalya stands up. _

**Natalya: **The trustee party, that's…..

**Christophe: **Happening at the same time as the Fall Formal…

**William: **While everyone is dancing downstairs, those two will be laying the foundations to increase Moriarty's financial power in France.

_Ulrich looks at the floor with disgust. He kicks the bottom of Jeremie's bed in anger. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich…

**Ulrich: **Just when I thought he couldn't get any worse! _He tugs on his hair. _He's probably going to meet Moriarty and blindly ignore what's happening at this school.

**Jeremie: **Or worse…

**Ulrich: **Worse how?!

**Jeremie: **Delmas told me that after a certain trustee meeting, the trustees started acting 'possessed'.

**Christophe: **That's not a coincidence, is it?

**Jeremie: **No. He must be using some sort of indirect possession on them, otherwise it would require a tower and we could stop him. Anyway, it's obvious Mr. Stern was not at that meeting, otherwise he would be fawning over Moriarty like all the rest. But now Moriarty is going to get him in the same room with the trustees….

_Aelita's face darkens as she comes to understand Jeremie's point. _

**Aelita: **And make sure that all the trustees are on board with him.

**Jeremie: **Precisely.

_Despite Ulrich's deep cloud of anger, his face softens slightly with concern. _

**Ulrich: **Someone in control of my dad would have access to more than just money. There would be political connections as well.

_Jeremie straightens his glasses. He stands up and addresses the warriors with an emotional firmness. _

**Jeremie: **Mr. Stern cannot be possessed by Moriarty. End of story.

**William: **So how are we going to stop it?

**Jeremie: **Give me some time to think. If we are going to avoid disaster, we're going to need a well-developed plan of attack. _The warriors begin to file out. _And Ulrich?

**Ulrich: **Yes?

**Jeremie: **Fill in Odd on the situation. We're going to need everyone on board.

_Ulrich clearly dreads the idea of confronting him. He groans. _

**Ulrich: **Right. Sure thing.

_Yumi starts to leave right behind Ulrich. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi, wait.

**Yumi: **Huh, why?

**Jeremie: **As my second-in-command, I think you should be here for this. I want to run some ideas by you.

_As the two discuss, Theo exits the science building. He breaks away from the crowd and assumes a devil-may-care demeanor. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Emmanuel, Henri, and Paul Gilliard talking in a tight-knit circle. He notices that they are wearing the same outfit: a black button-down shirt with blue jeans. In addition, they show off their Order patch proudly. Before Theo turns away to scoff, Emmanuel meets his gaze. His rival looks onto him like a bird of prey. The other two quickly join in with their stares. _

**Theo: **Trouble….

_Sure enough, the three start to approach him. Theo eyes the path in front of him as a possible escape. The three haven't cut him off, but he hesitates to appear weak in front of them. He decides to let them come and turns to face them. Emmanuel gets up in his face with the other two right behind him. Theo quickly becomes smug. _

**Theo: **What's with the outfits? Going to a funeral?

**Emmanuel: **It's part of our new uniform.

**Theo: **Wasn't the patch enough?

**Emmanuel: **The patch was just a small symbol. This makes our allegiance clear to everyone.

**Theo: **Super. Now I can spot pricks a kilometer away.

_Henri puts an index finger in Theo's face. _

**Henri: **Hey, watch your mouth.

_Theo ducks away from the invasive pointing. _

**Theo: **And you watch your finger. I don't know where it's been.

**Emmanuel: **Alright, cut the crap Theo.

**Paul: **We know you're the one who spray-painted over our mural.

**Theo: **And so what if I did?

_The tension escalates significantly. _

**Paul: **Do you have any idea how much work that took?!

**Theo: **Uh….a big chunk of your life that you're not going to get back?

_Emmanuel grasps Theo's shirt collar. Theo is unfazed, or at least appears to be so. _

**Theo: **Testy...testy…

**Emmanuel: **I should teach you some manners like I did before…outcast…

_Theo raises his eyebrows at those words. _

**Emmanuel: **Yes. I know about your little group. Don't think The Order isn't aware of what you're doing.

**Theo: **Good, that's the way I like it.

_Emmanuel grasps his collar tighter. Theo gasps in response. _

**Theo: **Let….go….of me.

**Emmanuel: **You…._He leans in closer to Theo's face. _And what army?

_Just as Emmanuel says this, Theo notices Tobias walking out of the science building. He immediately sees what's going on and threateningly eyes the three. He pulls his cap tighter on his head and approaches. Christophe also happens to round the corner behind the group. The grip on his backpack shoulder strap tightens and he glares at Emmanuel. The Order trio become slightly wary. _

**Emmanuel: **Friends of yours?

_Theo smiles, glad that the tables have turned in his favor. _

**Theo: **Of….convenience…

_Tobias and Christophe comes up to the group. Emmanuel reluctantly lets go of Theo. The two new arrivals position themselves at Theo's side. _

**Christophe: **Is there a problem here, Emmanuel?

**Emmanuel: **Yes. I'm looking at them.

**Christophe: **That wasn't the right answer.

**Tobais: **Y'all better back off. Theo is with us.

**Emmanuel: **And if we don't?

_Christophe takes a threatening step toward Emmanuel. _

**Christophe:** Use your imagination.

_The two groups stare each other down. Henri an and Paul wait for their ringleader's response. Emmanuel looks at his opponents, weighing his options. Finally he backs up, indicating for his comrades to do the same. He turns around and looks over his shoulder at them. _

**Emmanuel: **This isn't over.

**Theo: **I wouldn't dream of it.

**Paul: **We know about you guys now. We're spreading the word. The entire Order is going to come down on you.

**Henri: **You're in for it now.

_As The Order trio retreats, Theo beams with a vindictive grin of victory. He smugly turns around to face his comrades but is surprised that they are not as pleased as he is. They fold their arms and lecture him with their stern eyes. _

**Theo: **Is there a problem?

**Christophe: **What did Jim say about provoking them?

_Theo rolls his eyes. _

**Theo: **Blah, blah, blah punch them in the face if you have to. What else do I need to know? _When the other two don't respond, he starts to walk away. _Whatever. Thanks for the backup guys. I didn't need it.

**Christophe: **Hey, wait a minute! What about the mural? What were you thinking?!

_Theo ignores him and disappears from sight. Christophe groans in frustration. _

**Christophe: **That moron is going to be the death of us…

**Tobias: **He is bad news. But at least he's our bad news…

**Christophe: **I think it would be better if he wasn't.

_Transition back to Yumi and Jeremie. Yumi leans against Jeremie's desk as the two discuss the situation. _

**Yumi: **A pendant?

**Jeremie: **Either a pendant, or some other object very similar to the pendant Aelita wore. Something that could control a person without a specter.

**Yumi: **And all of the trustees are wearing it?

**Jeremie: **Yes. Moriarty has semi-control over them, and has for some time.

**Yumi: **Wouldn't their wives or families notice them becoming possessed for so long?

**Jeremie: **Moriarty can probably switch it on and off when he needs to to avoid suspicion. My guess is that at all times the trustees are subjected to a subconscious avoidance of taking their pendant off.

**Yumi: **And Ulrich's dad is next.

**Jeremie: **As long as the pendant stays away from Mr. Stern, Moriarty will stay out of his power. But if not….

**Yumi: **Then he's lost, and there won't be a tower to free him.

_Jeremie's face is gravely serious. _

**Jeremie: **All it takes is for Mr. Stern to be convinced to put some stupid trinket on and he's Moriarty's puppet.

**Yumi: **And how could we possibly avoid that? Moriarty could make the trustees turn on him and put it on by force if he refuses.

**Jeremie: **That he could…._Jeremie despondently looks at his blank computer screen. _Oh what a mess. What are we going to do?

_The two stop talking to think for a moment. Yumi shrugs. _

**Yumi: **If only we could give him the inhibitor program. Make him immune…

_Jeremie perks up instantly. His face screams that he is having a eureka moment. _

**Jeremie: **Maybe we can!

_Yumi stares at Jeremie in surprise. _

**Yumi: **We…can? How?! We can't just bring him to the factory! How could we give Mr. Stern inhibitors without him finding out?

_Jeremie pulls out a piece of paper and diagrams his plan for Yumi to understand. _

**Jeremie: **If I can take over a tower and send a specter into Mr. Stern, I could download the program directly into him. He wouldn't even know it.

**Yumi: **Wouldn't he be able to tell if a specter was in him?

**Jeremie: **If he doesn't understand what it is, he'll probably just assume he's feeling a little under the weather.

**Yumi: **And the pendant?

**Jeremie: **Rendered useless once I can get the inhibitors into him. Moriarty would watch helplessly as the pendant does absolutely nothing to him. Unfortunately I don't think I have enough power to send a specter outside the factory's vicinity. We'll have to wait until Mr. Stern comes to Kadic and time it just right.

_Yumi holds her hands up to make Jeremie back up. _

**Yumi: **Hold on. This sounds too good to be true. Moriarty is going to figure out what you're up to. That tower will immediately be attacked.

_Jeremie nods. _

**Jeremie: **Which is why we'll have to skip the dance and focus on this mission.

_Yumi's face sours with barely concealed disappointment. _

**Yumi: **Skip….the dance? Do we have to do that?

**Jeremie: **Sorry Yumi. Mission before pleasure. You know that.

**Yumi: **Okay yes, I admit I want to go to the dance. I won't lie. But Mr. Stern and Moriarty's meeting is just upstairs. Shouldn't we be close to keep an eye on them?

**Jeremie: **I pulled some strings with Delmas. Christophe will be serving punch for the trustees. He will keep an eye on them and be in constant communication with me.

**Yumi: **And you're just going to send Christophe in there without any backup if something goes wrong?

_Jeremie's confident face disappears as he thinks over this. Yumi suddenly pulls a paper out of her backpack. _

**Yumi: **Besides, we have our reputations at this school to think about.

**Jeremie: **What are you talking about?

_Yumi hands him the paper. _

**Yumi: **Read what Milly and Tamiya wrote.

**Jeremie: **'Rumors of anti-Order group developing…..ringleaders believed to be anti-social gang here at Kadic. General opinion that they will skip dance for subversive activities...Possible secret meeting during dance…' _Jeremie sneers at the article. _This is complete nonsense! Why should we care about Moriarty propaganda?

**Yumi: **Because people read the _Kadic Herald _Jeremie. And if we skip the dance, it will give them further evidence to alienate us and the Outcasts.

_Jeremie's tone becomes cynical. _

**Jeremie: **More than half the school has already turned on us. We can't change them.

_Yumi folds her arms across her chest. _

**Yumi: **An attitude like that will not convince students to stop supporting The Order. If we are going to speak out against them, we must show Moriarty's lies for what they are: lies.

_Jeremie reluctantly starts to see reason in this. _

**Yumi: **The inhibitor program shouldn't take that long. A minute maybe?

**Jeremie: **Probably less than that, but things can go wrong. We can't leave the tower abandoned.

**Yumi: **Then keep Odd there just in case. And if anything goes really wrong, we rush to the factory.

_Jeremie's rotating eyes show signs of wavering. _

**Yumi: **Come on Jeremie. We need a break. The mission is important, but it won't take that long at all. The inhibitors will be loaded in a minute or so, and everything will be fine. Odd will be enough for a few minutes. We can stay and enjoy Moriarty's cursing from upstairs.

**Jeremie: **Okay. I wasn't looking forward to giving Aelita bad news anyway. We'll go to the dance to back Christophe up. But if something goes wrong, you and Ulrich will be the first responders on Lyoko. This is his mess and your idea. Got it?

**Yumi: **Jeremie-_She speaks slowly and warmly to calm his nerves_- you have my word.

_Several days later, Moriarty enters the auditorium. The Order members, both student and faculty, are waiting for him. They sit up straight and don't say a word. All of them are in black shirts and jeans. Their straight posture and matching attire creates a beautiful but twisted picture of uniformity. Moriarty comes onto the stage and nonchalantly adjusts his collar. Klotz sits in a chair by the podium. Moriarty comes to the podium and stares at the audience. He then clears his throat. Everyone's heads perk up. Moriarty does the salute. Everyone responds in kind. _

**Moriarty: **Thank you for coming. _He looks up. _Perfect attendance as always. And I see you've taken my community ideals to your clothing as well. Well done. _He adjusts the microphone. _I'll try to make this short. I know you have a dance to go to. But before I begin, let me introduce our newest member, Angeline Maillard. Welcome to The Order.

_Moriarty signals for them to clap. Angeline sits on the front row next to her brother. She smiles and stands up, saluting her new allies. Then she quickly sits back down to let the attention refocus on Moriarty. Their leader holds up a pamphlet. There is a large O on the front of it. _

**Moriarty: **Do you know what this is?

_For a second or so no one answers. Finally Herb stands up and salutes. _

**Herb: **Commandant, progaganda from a group opposing The Order.

**Moriarty: **Correct. _Agitated whispers fill the room. _Yes, the rumors are true. I'm afraid a small group of individuals on this campus has set themselves up to constantly thwart our mission of strength through discipline and community. This pamphlet here is not the only thing they have done. You probably have already seen what they have done to our mural. If that little stunt was designed to get our attention, it certainly has worked. There is a group determined to extinguish us.

_Angry murmurings manifest themselves in the crowd. Emily LeDuc stands up. _

**Emily: **Commandant, who are these people?

**Moriarty: **Though I have my suspicions, I do not know for certain.

_Mrs. Meyer stands up. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **Dr. Ren-…I mean Commandant, it's only been a few days and this group has proven to be a nuisance. They have desecrated school property!

**Chardin: **And a piece of art commemorating the reforms of this school!

**Mrs. Meyer: **Commandant, you have worked hard to improve this school. The changes have brought grades up tremendously and the school's finances have never been better. You can't allow a small group of troublemakers ruin your work.

**Moriarty: **And what Mrs. Meyer, would you suggest we do about it?

**Mrs. Meyer: **Surely Mr. Delmas is behind this. He's trying to rewind the clock back to when things were chaotic and unjust at this school. _She pauses and looks at the other faculty to make sure her message is heard. _He should be removed.

_The room explodes with talk. Students are stunned that even as fellow Order members, a faculty member would publicly denounce their principal. Moriarty's stare silences them again. _

**Moriarty: **While you do have a point, I'm afraid the board and I are not in agreement. We want to reform the current administration, not throw it out completely. That would do more harm than good and isolate his supporters.

**Emmanuel: **They have already isolated themselves. _All eyes turn to him. _After all, they call themselves "The Outcasts". Their name is enough to show what they really are about.

**Moriarty: **That being said, I think it's best not to turn on our own students and faculty. We should give them time to see the error of their ways.

**Chardin: **Commandant, how long will you wait while they hurt our students' creative development?

_The crowd becomes more vocal. Moriarty raises his hands, and discipline is quickly restored. _

**Moriarty: **Friends, The Order is not in danger. Far from it. The emergence of this group is just proof that the remnants of the former powers at this school are getting desperate. That does not mean that we are in danger. It means we are close to fulfilling our mission at this school. _He motions to the group. _Look at us. So well organized and developed. Do you really think a small group of discontented antisocial bullies is going to win in a confrontation against us? I think not. _Scene shifts to Jeremie and Odd in the factory. Jeremie is already dressed up. He puts a Bluetooth in his ear and enters something on the computer. After he is done, he and Odd share a special handshake. Jeremie leaves, with Odd waiting in the command chair for the action to begin. _These are the kinds of people I warned you about. The kind of people that won't settle until they restore their former hegemony of superiority over you. _Scene shifts to Ulrich and William getting ready. They adjust their sleeves in their separate rooms and check themselves in the mirror, mentally getting ready for the night ahead. _In the end, people like that will not win. _Scene shifts to Yumi, Aelita, and Natalya getting ready at Yumi's house. They stare at the mirror as well. Though they seem to be checking their appearance, they also are prepping themselves for whatever Moriarty is going to throw at them. _Just because the troublemakers at this school have united against us, does not mean that they are suddenly more powerful. _Jeremie, Ulrich, and William meet outside Kadic and start walking to Yumi's house. Their faces radiate intensity. _It just means they will make one big target. Members of The Order, I do not advocate violence against our newfound opponents. _Christophe opens the door to the luxurious meeting room of the Trustee meeting. He assumes his post at the refreshment stand and waits impatiently for the action to commence. _But our mission at this school is worthy of defense. Do not provoke this group, but you have earned the right to defend your ideals and resist the twisted notions of a small minority at this school that wishes to control and manipulate you. Without the strength of community and discipline like we have, they will quickly fall apart. Their leadership will fall apart. _Jim leaves his room clad in his only nice suit and walks over to the gymnasium to chaperone. _Stick to your ideals and remember what discipline has accomplished at this school. If we stick together, no one, no matter how powerful they think they are as individuals…_Theo looks in the mirror as he ties his tie. There is a look of reckless confidence on his face…_.they will be rolled over like a tidal wave.

_The Order stands up as one and applauds Moriarty's speech. Moriarty politely accepts their praise and exits the stage. _

_William, Jeremie, and Ulrich walk within visual distance of Yumi's house. William walks ahead of the other two. As Ulrich straightens his green tie, Jeremie begins to speak. _

**Jeremie: **I hope we don't regret this.

**Ulrich: **It's simple isn't it? Locate my dad and upload the inhibitors. No problem.

**Jeremie: **How can you be so calm about this? After all, you have the most to lose.

_Ulrich looks off to the side and exhales. _

**Ulrich: **Knowing what could happen if Moriarty succeeds, I can't afford to not be calm.

**Jeremie: **Okay….sorry. I'll drop the subject. We should just focus on the mission first…and our girlfriends. That too. _He turns red and rubs his forehead at the thought. A wave of shame takes shape on his face. _I feel so embarrassed. I ran into this really…..REALLY attractive girl in tight black clothes and I couldn't think straight or stop staring.

_Ulrich stops in his tracks. _

**Jeremie: **I don't want to think about what would have happened if Aelita was there…

**Ulrich: **You mean…you ran into her too?!

**Jeremie: **Yes I…_Jeremie stops. _Wait, you ran into her?

_Ulrich nods his head. _

**Ulrich: **Yeah. She was really hard to miss.

**Jeremie: **Oh no…..we already have enough problems. The last thing thing we need is another Brynga to distract us and cause trouble in the group.

**Ulrich: **Let's not panic. _The two start walking again. _Nothing has happened. We just had a slight slipup. No big deal. As long as Yumi and Aelita don't know, nothing changes. This girl isn't going to be a problem.

**Jeremie: **And if she joins Moriarty's side?

**Ulrich: **Then….we might need to be careful.

_William opens the gate for them. _

**William: **What's the hold up?

**Jeremie: **Nothing…

_Jeremie walks ahead of them and comes to the front door. He rings the doorbell. Footsteps from inside indicate that it will soon be answered. Mrs. Ishiyama opens the door. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Oh you're here. You all look so handsome.

**Ulrich: **Thank you Mrs. Ishiyama. Are the girls still getting ready?

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **They shouldn't be too much longer. Why don't you all come inside? I have some snacks if you want.

_The three walk inside and settle in the living room. While Mrs. Ishiyama disappears into the kitchen, Jeremie takes the opportunity to speak to them privately. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, I know this is a dance, but we have to put our romance to the side for now. The mission comes first. This thing tonight is strictly business, got it?

_William and Ulrich reluctantly nod in agreement. _

**Jeremie: **Good.

**Aelita: **I'm ready Jeremie.

_As soon as Jeremie turns his head, his jaw drops. Aelita descends down the stairs, wearing a magnificent pink dress with small aqua blue earrings. Her short pink hair has been arranged perfectly, and her makeup looks beautiful and natural. She smiles at the three. Jeremie's knees turn to butter. _

**Aelita: **How do I look, Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **Uh..eh..duh…..great.

_William and Ulrich share a look of understanding. _

**William: **Right. Strictly business….

_Upstairs in Yumi's room, Yumi examines herself in the mirror one last time. She checks her elegant red and black dress, making sure it looks perfect. She lightly touches her dark red lipstick. Then she takes a step back. She tilts her head with uncertainty. _

**Yumi: **I've never been comfortable in makeup.

_Natalya, who is wearing a snow white dress, puts a silver necklace on. She then puts some extra powder on. _

**Natalya: **You're on your own on that one.

**Yumi: **We should get going. The boys are going to get impatient, especially Jeremie.

**Natalya:** I think Aelita will keep him busy for now.

_Yumi ignores that remark and notices that she is missing something. She starts looking around the room. _

**Natalya: **Something wrong?

**Yumi: **Yes, where's my purse?

**Natalya: ** I didn't even know you had one.

**Yumi: **I hardly ever use it. Only for dances. In fact, I dug my old one out this morning and realized it was so out of style that I sent my grandfather to get me a new one. I'll ask him where it is.

_Yumi walks into the hallway. _

**Yumi: **Grandpa? _No answer. _Grandpa where did you put my purse?

_As she passes the bathroom, the toilet flushes. The eldest Ishiyama of the family walks out. He holds a newspaper in his hand. _

**Grandpa: **Ah….finished all of the Tokyo Shimbum…

**Yumi: **That's…..fantastic. Where did you put my new purse?

**Grandpa: **In your room of course…

**Yumi: **It's not in my room. You must have misplaced it.

**Grandpa: **Impossible! I came straight home and went immediately up the stairs and put it in the first room on the right.

**Yumi: **But that's…..Hiroki's room.

_Grandpa gives a blank stare. _

**Grandpa: **I really need to talk to my doctor about those side effects…

_Yumi rolls her eyes and knocks on her brother's door. When he doesn't answer, Yumi merely comes in. Sure enough, the purse is lying on the bedroom floor. Yumi quickly picks it up and throws it over her shoulder. But before she leaves, something disturbing catches her eye. She turns around and looks at the front of Hiroki's bed. Lying on top of the covers is a small black shirt neatly folded on his bed. On that shirt is The Order patch, half-sewn onto the fabric. Yumi takes a step back, leaning against the walls of her brother's room. Her stomach sickens. Her throat becomes dry. She stares at the shirt again and again, desperately hoping that she didn't see what she actually saw. Yumi holds the back of her head with her left hand. _

**Hiroki: **Something wrong?

_Yumi nearly jumps out of her skin. She turns to face her brother, who is wearing a normal blue shirt. But his crossed arms and attitude show that the shirt is not the only thing that has changed. Yumi finds herself unable to speak. _

**Hiroki: **Well?

_Yumi tightens her grip on the purse strap. Feeling a surge of painful emotions rising to the surface, she looks away from her brother and walks past him out the door. She comes downstairs to see everyone talking. Natalya is now already down there with them. All eyes turn on her. Yumi, still stunned and horrified from the incident, merely lowers her head and walks down to meet them. She dreads the thought of them reading her face, but luckily her mom comes in with a camera and provides a much needed distraction. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Alright, time for pictures.

_Yumi's mind desperately screams for them to avoid that and leave the house immediately, but she knows that her mom will not be deterred. The next few minutes are hell for her, as she is propped against the front of the house with Ulrich and the rest of the group and forced to smile. Every smile and fake gesture of enjoyment makes her sick. Every flash increases her feelings of anger, disgust, and betrayal. Yet she manages to hold on, and the group finally walks away from the house toward the school. She walks in the back next to Ulrich and lets a few tears loose. _

_Evening falls over Paris. Their section of the city is mostly quiet, but once they near the auditorium, music and lights from inside the building light up the dark and silent night. The couples wait in line, passing Jim as they go inside. _

**Jim: **Go on, come in. _A couple passes by. _Have a good time, but no funny business, because I guarantee at the end of it….eh….you won't think it was funny.

_Emily LeDuc walks in holding the arm of Emmanuel. Both have found a way to put their Order patches on their nice clothes. A tense glare is shared between Emmanuel and Jim. _

**Emmanuel: **Hello.

**Jim: **Go on inside…

_The couple disappears inside. Farther back in line, William and Natalya share an idle chat. Out of the corner of William's eye, he notices César wearing the nicest suit money has to offer. It is a flawless pitch black coat with pinstripes and a tie that displays the colors of Spain's flag. Isabel walks behind in a glittering green dress. _

**Natalya: **That dress is beautiful.

**Isabel: **Thank you.

**William: **I see you picked a good date for the dance.

_César leans in to tell William something secretly, but his voice is a bit too loud. _

**César: **_Por el momento, sí. _(For the moment, yes.)

_César is slapped in the back of the head. _

**Isabel: **Don't think I didn't hear that!

**César: **Ow, don't make me call Felipe.

**Isabel: **Oh you're hopeless!

_She drags him to the back of the line. _

**William: **I have a feeling he's not going to be with the same girl when this night is over.

**Natalya: **A feeling? It was written all over his face.

_The line moves up. Yumi and Ulrich, who are behind Jeremie and Aelita, share a conversation in confidence. _

**Ulrich: **What?! Are you sure?

_Yumi nods, looking off to the side. Ulrich, knowing that his comforting words will do little to help her, merely holds her hand tighter. She gives him a quick smile in gratitude for his support. Some time later the warriors pass behind Jim and enter the auditorium. The area has been cleared of chairs. The space is dark, with some multi-colored lights adding atmosphere. A hired band hangs in the corner, playing a mild jazzy song to start off the dance. Other couples have already entered, but the dance hasn't picked up yet. Most people idly wander and talk on the open floor. Once they are concealed in darkness, Jeremie reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Bluetooth and sticks it in his ear. Jeremie turns to Aelita and appears to talk to her, but in reality he is communication with someone else. _

**Jeremie: **Okay Christophe, we're in. How's it going on your end?

_Scene shift to Christophe, who pours some punch for a trustee. The trustee passes by. Christophe touches his ear. _

**Christophe: **Nothing to speak of. Moriarty isn't even here yet. Just some old and boring trustees.

**Jeremie: **Do you see anything that might resemble a pendant that Aelita wore? Something that might be controlling them?

**Christophe: **No.

**Jeremie: **It has to be there. My guess is it's something that they are all wearing. Keep an eye out for it.

_A lean bearded man approaches Christophe. _

**Girard: **No punch. Some ginger ale please.

_As Christophe reaches for it, he notices a strange metal bracelet hidden under his sleeve. He pours the ginger ale, keeping a conspicuous eye on the bracelet. Once Girard leaves, Christophe looks at the other trustees. He sees one wearing the same bracelet. Then another. And another. A chill passes through Christophe's body. He examines the trustees closely. At first they seem to be normal, but their moments suddenly appear robotic. They walk around the room aimlessly. They exchange conversation and greetings, but nothing that lasts for very long. They stiffly amble about the room and assume an overly dramatic professional air. At first Christophe thought they were just naturally stiff, but he now realizes that is not the case. He swallows, feeling the anxiety of being in the room with all these possessed people. He nervously contacts Jeremie. _

**Christophe: **Bracelet….metal bracelet. They all seem to be wearing a metal bracelet.

_Back at the dance, Jeremie's eyebrows furrow with concern. _

**Jeremie: **If you're right Christophe, then whatever you do, do not let Moriarty put one on Mr. Stern.

**Christophe: **I'll do my best.

_They end the call. Jeremie conceals the Bluetooth in his coat pocket for the moment. _

**Aelita: **Trouble?

**Jeremie: **Not yet.

**Aelita: **Is Christophe alright?

**Jeremie: **For the time being, yes.

**Aelita: **Are you sure he can handle this?

**Jeremie: **I hope so. Right now he's my eyes and ears to everything that is going on in there.

_William and Natalya stand near the stage, idly talking together. The flashing lights amidst the dark atmosphere make Natalya look beautiful and exotic in the eyes of William. William leans against the stage and fights back a feeling of nervousness. Natalya senses his unease and stirs up conversation. She looks over and sees Yumi and Ulrich speaking in the opposite corner. _

**Natalya: **What are those two up to? Why are they hanging out in the corner like that?

_William looks up. _

**William: **Just want some space I guess. I mean we're doing the same thing. They could be asking themselves the same question about us.

**Natalya: **No I don't think that's it. Yumi is looking really down right now. Something's wrong.

**William: **Maybe it's the mission. It's a little personal for them, don't you think?

**Natalya: **Then why is Yumi the one who seems upset?

_William shrugs. Claire and Bastien pass by as a couple. William gives them a friendly wave. He turns back to Natalya. _

**William: **I don't know. Yumi likes to solve things herself, so I wouldn't worry too much.

_Realizing that this point of conversation has ended, Natalya looks off to the side to think of something else. She finds it surprising that she is lost for words. Usually talking to boys has been as easy as breathing for her, but with William she is slowly discovering a major difference. A different, more upbeat song starts to play. Natalya sees her chance and grabs William's wrist. _

**Natalya: **Oh I love this song! Come on, let's dance!

**William: **D-dance? _William's eyes widen in horror. He swallows. _Natalya, I forgot to mention I'm terrible at dancing.

**Natalya: **Oh come on, everyone can dance. Let's go.

_Natalya pulls William against his will. William struggles in vain. _

**William: **No wait! I'm not joking. I really can't dance!

_Jeremie and Aelita move towards the edge of a growing cluster of couples in the middle of the dance floor. The two casually sway to the music to make it look like their dancing. But Jeremie's focus remains on the Bluetooth. _

**Jeremie: **No Odd. Not yet. _Five second pause. _Not until we have confirmation that Mr. Stern is here. I will let you know the minute he's arrived.

_Aelita tries to draw his focus away from the mission and onto the dance, but Jeremie presses more earnestly into the conversation. _

**Jeremie: **You remember my instructions don't you? ….Okay good. And no attacks?... haven't touched the controls since I've gone haven't you? _Jeremie listens and then becomes slightly annoyed. _Alright I get it. No need for sarcasm.

_Aelita rolls her eyes at Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **Just sit tight for now. It shouldn't be much longer. _He turns it off. At first Aelita smiles, but then Jeremie starts to talk again. _What's that Christophe? Moriarty has arrived?! What's he up to? _Aelita's smile sours. _Nothing out of the ordinary?...A lot of trustees have approached him, huh? I guess it makes sense that they would respond that way….I see. Okay. I'm glad you're up to this. But remember, you're alone in the same room with Moriarty. Don't underestimate him. Mr. Stern is the main target, but that doesn't mean that you are completely safe from him. Don't forget you're not in the classroom anymore. The trustees are already under his influence, he has no reason to be cautious.

_Aelita tries to speak to Jeremie, but he cuts her off. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, what did you say?...He looked you in the eye? Was it a threatening look, or just one of his subtle acknowledgements of our presence? You can't tell? _Jeremie groans. _You have to pay attention Christophe. Always pay attention to Moriarty. I know you're feeling confident, and that's exactly why I'm worried. It's a recipe for disaster.

**Aelita: **Jeremie…

**Jeremie: **What? He's coming closer with two of the trustees? Okay, I should probably hang up and let you work.

_Aelita breathes a small sigh of relief, but her hopes are quickly dashed. _

**Jeremie: **What? He just asked for punch? Did he do anything strange? You said he looked arrogant and in control…..that's typical.

**Aelita: **Jeremie…

**Jeremie: **What do you mean you need me to hang up? _Jeremie lowers his eyebrows and points his index finger at an invisible Christophe. _Of course I need to tell you how to do your job. How am I supposed to know that it's done right?

**Aelita: **Jeremie…

**Jeremie: **You're probably right. I need to let you work.

**Aelita: **He's right Jeremie, you need to-

**Jeremie: **Wait! What flavor punch did he ask for?!

**Aelita: **Jeremie!

_Jeremie reluctantly gives Aelita his attention. _

**Jeremie: **Not now Aelita, this is important.

_Aelita takes the device out of his ear. _

**Jeremie: **Hey!

**Aelita: **Jeremie, you need to calm down. Constantly checking on the situation is not going to speed things along.

**Jeremie: **But what if something goes wrong?

_Aelita comes closer to him and touches his shoulder. _

**Aelita: **Relax. We have everything in place. All of us are here ready to move in a moment's notice. What could go wrong?

_Jeremie pessimistically looks at the ground. _

**Jeremie: **Famous last words.

**Aelita: **Can't you just forget about the mission for now? Can't you focus on this dance for once, please? Can you do that for me?

_Jeremie's harsh face softens. _

**Jeremie: **You're right. Regardless of our mission, sometimes I need to be a normal teenager. A little fun won't-_He sees something and raises an eyebrow_-Is….that a desperate cry for help, or is that William dancing?

_Aelita turns around and immediately covers her mouth in a fit of laughter. _

**Aelita: **I don't know. But either Natalya is having an asthma attack, or she is dying from laughing her head off.

**Jeremie: **He probably should have told her he was bad at dancing BEFORE he asked her to the dance.

_The two laugh together and move closer into the circle. They begin to enjoy themselves. A jovial Natalya and a deeply embarrassed William soon enter the cluster as well. But in the back corner, Yumi and Ulrich continue to separate themselves from the main group. They stay a comfortable distance away from each other. Yumi wipes her right eye. _

**Yumi: **I'm sorry Ulrich. This was supposed to be something fun. But I'm ruining it for you.

**Ulrich: **You have every reason to be upset. I don't blame you.

_Yumi tightens her fist and stamps her foot. _

**Yumi: **Hiroki, you idiot!

**Ulrich: **He's fallen in with everyone else…

**Yumi: **Why can't he see how terrible Moriarty is?

**Ulrich: **Well….for one thing he doesn't know he's really a sociopathic virtual entity bent on world domination.

_Yumi looks down at the floor in response to Ulrich's obvious answer. _

**Yumi: **Well I guess there's that.

_Ulrich takes Yumi's hand. She looks up. _

**Ulrich: **Look, I know Hiroki. He may be annoying and a little too obsessed about video games, but his heart's in the right place. Moriarty won't be able to hide his true nature from him forever.

**Yumi: **One would hope. I just wish I was able to enjoy myself without thinking about it. I wanted to be here and dance with you and not worry about our problems with…

_Ulrich's head suddenly perks up. _

**Ulrich: **Dad.

**Yumi: **Well, I was going to say Moriarty, but I guess your dad can also be a problem for us…

**Ulrich: **No. I mean my dad is here. Look!

_Ulrich and Yumi look out a nearby window and see Mr. Stern approaching the building. He is wearing a fine brown leather suit and walks casually towards the entrance. Yumi quickly forgets about her present circumstances and moves into action. She pulls Ulrich toward the main dance group that is now of considerable size. A loud song begins to reverberate in the auditorium. Yumi and Ulrich see Jeremie. They try to signal his attention, but he is preoccupied with Aelita at the moment. The music intensifies. Yumi taps his shoulder. He turns around. Yumi motions outside. Jeremie frowns. He yells at them in a loud voice so he can be heard. _

**Jeremie: **What?! You want to leave already?!

_Ulrich facepalms. Yumi points to Ulrich and then points outside to make the message a tad bit clearer. Jeremie's eyes widen. He quickly fumbles for the Bluetooth and walks outside the group toward the exit. He glances outside the room to see Mr. Stern pass Jim and exchange a few meaningless words of greeting with him. Jeremie calls Odd. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, he's here. Do it.

_Odd suddenly awakens from his stupor of boredom and starts typing. _

**Odd: **Right, right. No problem Einstein.

**Jeremie: **Be sure to follow my instructions on the Target protocol explicitly. If you're not careful, you could accidentally possess Jim. And I think we can all agree that the poor guy has had to go through that too many times already.

_The screen on the computer zooms in on the outlines of Mr. Stern and Jim. Mr. Stern's yellow form on screen starts to walk up the stairs. Once he is out of sight from everyone else, Odd starts up the process. He types in the protocol, checking Jeremie's notes several times to make sure he got it right. Putting the paper down, he looks at the screen and takes a deep breath. He presses the Enter key. Several loading bars pop up as the specter is created. In the Mountain Sector, a tower turns green. It is situated on a raised circular platform that is connected to a descending path leading to a main platform. Back in Kadic, Mr. Stern comes up to the top of the stairs. He passes by an electrical outlet. A specter crawls out and takes him from behind. Mr. Stern clutches his stomach and pauses with shocked alarm. He holds onto the wall. After a few gasps, the gray shadiness of his body recedes onto a small point on his back and then disappears completely. Mr. Stern takes a few recovery breaths and gradually stands up. He wipes his brow and adjusts his suit. Mr. Stern still looks alarmed, but recognizing that the terrible feeling has passed, he walks closer to the meeting room. Meanwhile, Odd sets up a self-virtualization countdown. He pushes the chair away from the keyboard. _

**Odd: **All good on this side Einstein. I'm going in.

**Jeremie: **Good work. What's the estimated time of uploading the inhibitors?

_Odd hits the elevator button and steps in. _

**Odd: **Three minutes and fifty seconds and counting…

_The elevator closes on Odd._

**Jeremie: **Good. Moriarty shouldn't be able to stop us. _He switches to Christophe. _Three minutes and fifty seconds Christophe.

**Christophe: **Not a problem. Mr. Stern hasn't even come inside yet. Piece of cake.

_At the dance, Jeremie rejoins Aelita on the dance floor. He is smiling confidently and Aelita quickly takes it as a good sign. _

**Aelita: **Everything okay?

**Jeremie: **As long as Moriarty doesn't put the bracelet on him within the next three minutes, we should be fine.

**Aelita: **Good.

_She takes the Bluetooth out of his ear. _

**Jeremie: **Hey!

**Aelita: **You won't be needing this. No way Moriarty can smoothtalk Mr. Stern that quickly.

**Jeremie: **And if he tries force?

**Aelita: **Christophe will see it coming. He won't let it happen. You know that.

_Sensing that Aelita has already put the mission out of her thoughts and judging that the odds are already heavily in their favor, Jeremie decides to relax. He pulls Aelita onto the dance floor. He gives a thumbs up to the two other couples, signaling that it is okay to enjoy themselves now. They join everyone else on the dance floor as the dance now swells to full capacity. _

_Upstairs, a somewhat disoriented Mr. Stern comes in to the lavish room. Christophe immediately reaches for his ear. _

**Christophe: **Jeremie, Mr. Stern is here….._No response. _Jeremie?

_Moriarty withdraws from a circle of trustees and approaches Mr. Stern. He reaches out his hand and shakes it before Mr. Stern understands what is happening. _

**Moriarty: **Hello Ingolf, glad you could make it.

_Mr. Stern looks up and stares at his greeter. Though the voice is much different than the disguised one over the phone, Mr. Stern recognizes the tone and personal address immediately. He double takes as he quickly recognizes the man in front of him as both his partner and a national figure. His normally forceful voice shakes with surprise. _

**Mr. Stern: **You….you're him? You?!

_Moriarty perceives a slight metallic inflection in his voice that he quickly identifies as a foreign specter. His charm sours just a little. He glances over in Christophe's direction, who returns his look with a barely concealed stare of contempt. Moriarty readjusts his focus to Mr. Stern. _

**Moriarty: **That's right. Dr. Sébastien Renard, at your service.

_Mr. Stern withdraws his hand. He overcomes his uneasiness and assumes his usual cold professional demeanor. _

**Mr. Stern: **This is….a bit of a shock. To say the least…

_Moriarty shrugs. He lowers his voice so no one can hear, especially Christophe. _

**Moriarty: **You wanted to see me. Here I am.

_The two are silent for a moment. The only major noises in the room are the idle conversations of the trustees. Moriarty breaks the silence. _

**Moriarty: **A pleasant surprise, knowing that your partner is also a major figure in France, is it not?

_Mr. Stern's look does not soften. His stare of obvious disapproval makes Moriarty's carefree smile difficult to maintain. _

**Mr. Stern: **To be honest, no it is not.

**Moriarty: **And why is that?

_Mr. Stern pulls Moriarty farther away from the main group. Christophe watches them with interest. He checks his watch. Two minutes have passed. _

**Mr. Stern: **Having a national hero be my secret partner?! Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea how devastating it could be to both of us if anyone discovered our operation? Do you think I want someone who is keeping the opposite of a low profile? I thought you were just some brilliant but unknown hacker. Not someone who appears on talk shows every other week! You are the last person I would want to help me!

_Moriarty holds up his hands in an attempt to calm him down. _

**Moriarty: **I suggested against having a meeting. But you insisted, so here we are.

**Mr. Stern: **That still doesn't change the fact that you are not someone I want to do business with. _He paces the floor back and forth in front of Moriarty. _You do realize I have significant blackmail on you now. Now that you have involved yourself with me…

**Moriarty: **As I do with you.

_Mr. Stern gives him a smug look, though it is quickly followed by a sudden chill. He brushes it off. _

**Mr. Stern: **No you don't. I have enough connections to get out of anything. But you are France's modern hero. I have information to make that image of you shatter.

_Moriarty is unfazed. _

**Moriarty: **So then we don't have a problem. No that you have the upper hand you so desperately wanted, we can go back to business as usual.

**Mr. Stern: **Not quite…

_An uneasy silence ensues between them again. Christophe stares at his watch. An additional forty seconds have passed. _

**Christophe: **Come on, just a little bit longer...

**Mr. Stern: **I don't know how comfortable I am with you at my son's school, now that I know who you really are. You have to understand, corruption is a lot more personal when it comes to a son's education. I don't like you teaching here. _Mr. Stern looks around the room. He notices that the trustees are acting a bit odd. He raises an eyebrow. _And come to think of it, I don't remember the board agreeing to make you an active member…

**Moriarty: **You have missed…._Moriarty grins…_too many meetings, Ingolf.

**Mr. Stern: **Maybe, but it does raise an important question. What are you doing here at Kadic?

_Moriarty hesitates to answer. The tension mounts as Christophe desperately waits for any sign from Jeremie. Another thirty seconds Mr. Stern starts to feel dizzy. He leans on the back of a chair, holding his head. _

**Moriarty: **Are you alright?

**Mr. Stern: **Fine, just a little light-headed. Uhh….I need a drink.

_Mr. Stern starts to approach Christophe's table. Christophe becomes elated, believing he can stall Mr. Stern until time runs out. But Moriarty lightly grabs Ulrich's father by the shoulder. _

**Moriarty: **Ingolf, you can't expect a student to serve you alcohol. _He pulls him off to the corner of the room. _Come on, we have a cooler, I'll get you something.

_Christophe follows them with his eyes. _

**Christophe: **Cooler?

**Mr. Stern: **No, I'll get it myself.

_Moriarty pulls a lavish chair out of the corner that had been hiding a blue cooler. Realization suddenly hits Christophe like a freight chain. He opens his mouth to stop them, but no words come out in time. Mr. Stern reaches in and suddenly grunts sharply in pain. He pulls his arm out and clutches his wrist. Moriarty looks on with fake concern. _

**Moriarty: **Is something wrong?

_Mr. Stern looks at his dripping hand. Attached to his wrist is a metal bracelet. It shines in the ceiling light. Mr. Stern's eyes began to dilate and constrict rapidly. He backs up and becomes weak-kneed. He stumbles into a chair, feebly looking around the room. Girard walks by him mechanically. _

**Mr. Stern: **Francois, give me some water, please…

_Girard stares at him blankly and keeps walking. Through Mr. Stern's blurry vision, he sees an intimidating Moriarty hovering over him. His mind sinks deeper into confusion. Back in the lab, the loading screen of the inhibitor program stops at 96%. The countdown pauses at ten seconds. In Lyoko, the tower Odd is guarding fluctuates between green and purple. Odd looks up at it with unease. _

**Odd: **That is….not supposed to happen.

_Monster sounds catch his ear. He turns to see three cobras and a scorpion heading up the steep hill to the tower. _

**Odd: **Uh…Jeremie, something's not right here.

_Shift back to Christophe. He backs away from his table and reaches for his ear. _

**Christophe: **Jeremie…we have a problem. Mr. Stern has the bracelet. Moriarty is taking control…..Jeremie?..._Cut back to Jeremie and the others dancing. The mission has now drifted far from their minds. Everyone dances with their respective partner. _JEREMIE?!

_Moriarty hands Mr. Stern a glass of water. He circles behind the ailing billionaire, keeping a close eye on him. Mr. Stern groans. _

**Mr. Stern: **I'm really not feeling well.

**Moriarty: **Don't worry about it. You'll feel better sooner than you think…


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry for the long wait. Exams and other end of the year stuff made things difficult. Enjoy. **

**Part 32**

_Back at the trustee parlor, Mr. Stern continues to sweat in his chair. The rest of the trustees look at him, fascinated the same way a passing driver looks at a roadside accident. None of them make a move to help. Moriarty patiently pulls up a chair beside him, pretending to attend to him. He feels his clammy palm. Mr. Stern makes little to no response. He is withdrawing into a catatonic state. Moriarty grumbles. _

**Moriarty: **Curse you Jeremie. This specter won't give in. _He examines him more closely. _Looks like the tower is going to have to fall first.

_Christophe ducks behind the punch table. He whispers loudly into the earpiece. _

**Christophe: **Jeremie….Jeremie please answer me!

_He gets no response. Christophe looks over his shoulder to see Moriarty calmly relaxing in a nearby chair. Christophe's blood boils. He tosses the Bluetooth out of his ear. _

**Christophe: **Screw it! _In a leap of boldness, Christophe jumps on top of the table, causing the trustees some alarm. He glares at Moriarty with vindictiveness. _I can't let you win!

_He jumps and rushes toward Mr. Stern. Moriarty lackadaisically looks over his shoulder and fires an electric shock through his hand. The attack launches Christophe back onto the table. The punch bowl spills on him and begins dripping on the floor. Christophe painfully groans and tries to move. Moriarty stands up. _

**Moriarty: **If you really want to be a "Lyoko Warrior", then it's only fair that I treat you like one. In other words, you're going to get electrocuted a lot. You might as well get used to it.

_Christophe stares at the ceiling, unable to respond. _

**Moriarty: **But I would recommend you stay right there. Unless of course you want more. _His hands sparkle with power. _And believe me, you little nuisance, I'd be only too happy to oblige.

_Christophe rolls over with some difficulty and falls onto the floor in front of his enemy. He holds his side and struggles to rise. Eventually he falls completely flat on the ground. Moriarty raises an eyebrow. _

**Moriarty: **No? Okay, have it your way. Pity, I was really hoping to find an excuse to zap you a few more times.

_A fat trustee approaches him. _

**Bessette: **What do you want us to do with him, sir?

**Moriarty: **Just make sure he doesn't leave the room. We need the lovebirds to continue to think that everything is okay.

**Bessette: **Of course.

_As Moriarty gets up to walk around, Christophe reaches for his foot in a fit of desperate rage. Moriarty steps on his hand in annoyance. _

**Moriarty: **God you're stubborn. Bessette, make him quiet for a while, if you know what I mean.

**Bessette: **As you wish sir.

_Bessette picks up Christophe and begins to put him in a sleeper hold. Christophe threatens Moriarty through strangled breath. _

**Christophe: **Jeremie….will find out…others will….stop you.

_Christophe begins to go limp under the increased pressure. Moriarty smiles at him. _

**Moriarty: **Will Jeremie figure out things have gone wrong? Probably. But acting on it may prove a little more difficult than they think.

_Downstairs, Emmanuel takes a break from the dance to go to the refreshment stand. He pours himself a glass of water. César walks by and wipes his forehead. _

**César: **_Dios _(God), she's a handful. What was I thinking?

**Emmanuel: **Girl problems again?

**César: **_Pues….sí y no _(Well, yes and no). I'm not really a guy with girl problems. I'm a guy with a girl who has problems. Those are two different things. If a man is successful with girls, then should we say he has problems with them? Should a man be judged by the quality of his girl? If feminists believe that it is not the man that makes the woman, then it follows that the reverse should be true. Isn't that fair?

_Emmanuel takes a sip. _

**Emmanuel: **That sounds pretty philosophical. Do you always look at things so deeply?

**César: **_La vida es un misterio _(Life is a mystery). Do you agree with that statement?

**Emmanuel: **If my basic understanding of Spanish is correct, then yes I do believe it. Of course-_He begins tapping his glass_-I've always thought action was better than constantly thinking about things…._He eyes César intensely…_.if you know what I mean.

_A brief look of understanding takes form on the prince's face. He turns his back on Emmanuel. _

**César: **Maybe I do. Maybe I don't.

**Emmanuel: **Have you thought about our offer like I asked?

_The prince turns around and gives him a dramatic look of exhaustion. _

**César: **Hard not to. You people won't give me a moment's rest.

**Emmanuel: **And….what do you think?

_César gives him a fake look of pained indecision to annoy Emmanuel. _

**Emmanuel: **The Commandant would be honored to have you. People in The Order would respect you, treat you as a superior. Sounds good, doesn't it?

_César thinks for a second. He then spontaneously claps his hands. _

**César: **Felipe!

_In an instant, Felipe and several bodyguards emerge from behind curtains and various dark places and rush to their prince's side. _

**Felipe: **_¿Mi Señor? _(My lord?)

**César: **_Tengo hambre. Váyase a un restaurante chino y cómpreme arroz frito. _(I'm hungry. Go to a Chinese restaurant and buy me fried rice.)

**Felipe: **_Yo regresaré muy pronto. _(I will return very shortly)

_Felipe and the bodyguards disappear. César's face becomes smug. _

**César: **Do you really think I need more people to treat me as their superior? I would pick a better bargaining chip if I were you. _Emmanuel appears frustrated, unable to think of a way to keep the ball rolling. César walks over to the punch bowl. _But…_Emmanuel looks up. _I would be lying if I told you that your little project doesn't….interest me. A good distraction from the normal. And I hate normal.

_As César pours the punch, Emmanuel grins. _

**Emmanuel: **Stick with us, and I guarantee that you won't have to deal with normal ever again. _César starts to lift the glass to his mouth. _And as an expression of our good faith… _He reaches out to grab César's arm. The prince stares at him in alarm. _I'm going to let you in a little secret. _He leans closer. _Drinking that punch may not be the best idea.

_Odd jumps onto a boulder and fires from the high ground. His nearly impeccable aim takes out the three cobras approaching him. The scorpion keeps coming. The black stinger points at him like a tank gun and fires. A red laser passes centimeters away from Odd's head. Odd sprints down to face the monster. The scorpion stops midway up the rise to pummel Odd with his stinger, but misses. Odd goes underneath the scorpion and claws one of his legs out from under him. The monster rolls over on its side. Odd leaps onto the shell to finish him off, but he looses track of the scorpion's tail. From the corner of his eye, Odd sees a white light coming from the stinger. He turns around just in time to witness his right leg become frozen. He struggles to free himself. _

**Odd: **Not good.

_The stinger rises again to finish the job with a physical blow. _

**Odd: **Really not good…

_The stinger comes down. Odd manages to pivot his free leg and position his body away from the attack. The stinger pierces straight through the monster's own eye. A small beam of light comes through the shell. Odd smiles. _

**Odd: **Idiot…

_The monster explodes, freeing Odd from the ice. He lands on a nearby rock. Expecting a respite from fighting, he starts to get up. But his cat eyes open to see two mastodons plowing up the path towards him. Two jets of fire stream toward him. Odd nearly freezes in place from shock, but instinct finally forces him to flee the line of fire. He retreats higher up to the tower platform. He looks down to see the massive beasts slowly moving up the steep incline. Odd looks at his wrist and groans. _

**Odd: **These guys certainly aren't going to make it easy for me. What are you doing Jeremie? I can't do this on my own.

_The dance reaches its peak. Students enjoy themselves with a series of contemporary popular songs coming from the band. The joy of the moment makes both Outcast and Order members forget their hostility, although a few occasional angry stares are thrown about now and again. Jeremie gives Aelita a deep kiss. When he pulls away, he wipes his forehead and takes off his glasses. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, I really need to talk to Christophe now.

**Aelita: **Yeah, you're probably right. Just make it quick.

_Jeremie walks with Aelita to find a somewhat quiet place to talk. He goes over to the refreshment stand. He leans over on the table and talks while Aelita begins eyeing the punch. _

**Jeremie: **Christophe, is everything okay? Is Mr. Stern safe?

_No answer. Aelita pours herself some punch. Jeremie clears his throat. _

**Jeremie: **Christophe, are you okay? Christophe, answer me!

_Shift to Christope lying on a rug unconscious upstairs. Bessette looks over him. He hears the sound of Jeremie's voice yelling. Intrigued, Bessette reaches toward Christophe's ear. He pulls the earpiece out and holds it up to his face. He stares at it like a naïve child. After a few seconds, Bessette's fist closes and crushes it. He drops the pieces on the floor. Back downstairs, Jeremie becomes worried. Aelita sips the punch and looks over at Jeremie. She quickly matches his concern after one look at his face. _

**Aelita: **No…it can't be. Impossible. We had everything in place.

_Jeremie's fist hits the table. _

**Jeremie: **Three minutes Christophe! You couldn't hold Moriarty off for three minutes!

**Aelita: **Wait Jeremie. We don't know anything. Should we automatically assume the worst?

**Jeremie: **Of course not. This is Moriarty we are talking about….._He grimaces_…We assume beyond the worst.

**Aelita: **We still have time. The specter couldn't have yielded to Moriarty's influence just yet.

**Jeremie: **You're right. Round up the others. We need to move now.

_Right before the two spring into action, Theo stumbles in their direction. Without warning he falls on Jeremie's shoulder. Jeremie nearly falls over from the surprise. _

**Jeremie: **What the..? Theo what the hell's wrong with you?!

_An empty cup falls from Theo's left hand. Jeremie's eyes widen. A weak Theo looks up at him. Jeremie hears the clattering of plastic hit the floor. He turns over to see several people lower themselves down onto the floor. They begin to fall asleep. Bastien leans against the wall. _

**Bastien: **So….tired.

_He falls asleep. A cup of punch falls out of his hands and rolls onto the floor. The air is taken out of Jeremie's lungs as he begins to put the pieces together. He turns around to Aelita. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, stop! Don't drink the punch!

_Aelita, realizing Jeremie's meaning, tosses the drink onto the floor without hesitation. Jeremie looks back at the dance floor. At least a quarter of the dancers are starting to pass out. Theo grumbles, catching Jeremie's attention. _

**Theo: **Those Order pricks….they poisoned us.

_He lowers his head and plunges into a deep sleep. Jeremie gently lowers him onto the floor to let him sleep. He grabs Aelita's hand. _

**Jeremie: **Come on! We have to find the others before they-

**Aelita: **Oh! _She grabs her forehead. _Jeremie…I think it's starting to hit me.

**Jeremie: **No! Not now! I need you to stay awake!

**Aelita: **Feel…so weak.

**Jeremie: **Snap out of it! Come on!

_The two push through the disoriented crowd. Jeremie desperately looks around for familiar faces. After a few terrifying seconds, he manages to locate Ulrich and Yumi standing near the stage. Yumi has a glass of punch that is slowly rising to her lips. Jeremie tries to scream for her to stop, but the words don't come out. Luckily though, a hand grabs Yumi's wrist. Yumi looks to her left to see Ulrich stopping her. The stern look on Ulrich's face as he looks around the room indicates that he figured out the problem just in time to stop her. Jeremie and Aelita push forward to reach them. _

**Jeremie: **That was too close. Thank you Ulrich.

**Ulrich: **No problem. I'm guessing Moriarty wanted to make sure we wouldn't leave this dance.

**Jeremie: **Yes, we need to find William and Natalya quickly or-

_Aelita sleepily leans on Jeremie's shoulder. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie…I can't…stay awake.

**Jeremie: **Yes you can, just hold on a little longer!

_Aelita goes to her knees and falls down on the hardwood floor. She instantly falls asleep. Jeremie shakes her. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita! Wake up!

_His attempts elicit no response. Aelita remains completely passed out on the floor. Jeremie reluctantly accepts reality. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty, I'll have your head for this!

_Yumi bites her fingers in alarm. _

**Yumi: **Please tell me this drug only makes people fall asleep….

**Jeremie: **I don't think Moriarty wants to start randomly killing students yet. _He lightly touches Aelita's hair as she sleeps. _Anyway-_The confidence in his voice falters just a little bit_-that thought is too horrifying for me to think about right now. _He slowly gets up. _Okay, now where are William and Natalya?

**Ulrich: **Found them…_The tone of Ulrich's voice immediately discourages Yumi and Jeremie. _Over there…near the door.

_The two follow Ulrich as he moves past the speakers and leads them near the exit. William sits against the wall with Natalya resting her head on his lap. Several cups of punch surround the two. The warriors' hearts sink. William musters the strength to raise his head. _

**William: **Dancing….makes me really thirsty.

_Natalya manages a laugh. _

**Natalya: **You…call that….dancing?

_Her voice trails off as she falls asleep. William can barely keep his eyes open. _

**William: **Thought it tasted funny. I'm sorry….can't even move. I-

_William's eyes close and do not open again. He falls into a state of deep breathing. Jeremie clenches his fist until the veins in his hand become visible. _

**Jeremie: **Great. Now what do we do?

**Ulrich: **My dad's probably in trouble now….but we can't just leave them!

_Jim enters the room as conspicuously as possible. He thunders past the warriors onto the dance floor. _

**Jim: **Alright, what is the meaning of this?! Why are you all falling asleep?! I know the music in here is lousy but it can't be that bad!

_Yumi motions to the door. _

**Yumi: **They're in good hands. Let's go. Sticking around is not going to solve anything.

_The three slip out the door as Jim tries to sort out the mess. Emmanuel watches them go and slinks away to a corner to avoid Jim's suspicion. When the trio reaches the main door of the building, Ulrich looks back at the stairs leading up to the trustee party. A look of hesitation is on his face. Yumi grabs his wrist. _

**Yumi: **Come on, we can't stay here!

**Ulrich: **I can't just leave. Let me help him.

**Yumi: **No way.

**Jeremie: **Do you think Moriarty is just going to let you waltz in there and free your dad in front of an army of mindless trustees?

_Ulrich bites his lip. _

**Ulrich: **But…I can't just let Moriarty take my dad. No matter what he's done I can't leave. And not to mention Christophe is at his mercy as well.

**Jeremie: **We can't do anything here. The best thing you can do for him is fight with Odd on Lyoko. And the same goes for Christophe.

_Yumi places a hand on his shoulder. _

**Yumi: **Besides, it's not Moriarty's style to just kill a Lyoko warrior outright. Jeremie's right. We need to go.

_Ulrich stares up the stairs a little bit longer. He takes a deep breath and then points his index finger up the stairs. _

**Ulrich: **Don't give in to him! Do you understand me?! You always lectured me on being tough, so don't go weak on me now!

_He puts his hands in his pockets and turns around, passing in front of Yumi and Jeremie. _

**Ulrich: **Let's go.

_Moriarty sits in a chair next to the catatonic Mr. Stern, appearing to be very relaxed. He talks with Ulrich's father as if he were an old friend. _

**Moriarty: **So anyway, once I had Klotz under my control, the rest actually weren't that hard. Teachers are funny that way. You'd be surprised how easily they can be duped. Once grades and school camaraderie significantly improved, no one seemed to oppose. And then when I got Chardin and Meyer in my pocket, they gradually helped me procure the rest.

_Mr. Stern barely blinks. His eyes focus on the ceiling. _

**Moriarty: **But it still required some work. Not like the students. They were much easier.

_Mr. Stern lets out a deep sigh. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, you don't find this interesting. Okay, how about a different topic? International politics, perhaps? I always thought the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be a lot calmer if Egypt just annexed Gaza. Israel doesn't want it, so why not give it to them? What do you think?

_Mr. Stern mutters something incoherent. Moriarty leans closer, putting his hand behind his ear to listen. _

**Moriarty: **I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you.

_Girard approaches Moriarty. _

**Girard: **Sir, Mr. Delmas is coming up to visit the party.

_Moriarty's grip on the chair arm suddenly tightens. He looks over at the pitiful Mr. Stern. _

**Moriarty: **Rats. We can't have Delmas seeing him in this condition.

**Girard: **What would you have us do?

_Moriarty's eyes wander around the room. He points to the corner. _

**Moriarty: **Put him in the closet for now. I'll figure something out.

_The trustees pick up Mr. Stern and obey his orders. Meanwhile Christophe begins to stir. Moriarty looks down with disgust. _

**Moriarty: **Oh yes, I almost forgot about you. _Moriarty picks him up by the collar. The semi-conscious Christophe stares blankly into his face. _Now you listen to me very carefully. Delmas is coming up to the party. When he does, you are going to get up and smile like a good little idiot, okay? As far as you know, nothing is wrong. Understand?

**Christophe: **And if I don't?

**Moriarty: **I would prefer not to kill Delmas. At least not yet. _Christophe's face becomes pale at this. _But I will not hesitate if you force my hand.

**Christophe: **You're bluffing! You wouldn't kill our principal! No one could get away with that!

**Moriarty: **Maybe. But do you really want to take that chance?

_Moriarty's calm, murderous look unnerves Christophe. Seeing that he has won, Moriarty lets go of Christophe's collar. He pats his head and walks away. Christophe remains transfixed in an expression of horror. _

**Moriarty: **That's what I thought.

_The door opens, revealing Mr. Delmas. Christophe, noticing his presence, quickly gets to his usual post. Moriarty holds out his hand to greet the principal. _

**Moriarty: **Jean-Pierre, how nice to see you. I wasn't sure if you were going to join us.

_Delmas blatantly walks past him without shaking his hand. _

**Delmas: **I thought I'd just drop by for a little bit.

**Moriarty: **Of course. It's always a pleasure to have you.

**Delmas: **Glad to know I'm always…_A slight hostility emerges in his voice_….welcome.

**Moriarty: **Yes, so how are things going downstairs? Are the students having fun?

_Delmas sits down. _

**Delmas: **Funny you should mention that.

**Moriarty: **And why is that?

_Delmas scratches his beard at the question, as if he has been waiting to be asked this. _

**Delmas: **I'm afraid it has gone quite badly. Appears someone had the nerve to drug the punch bowl. A sleeping drug. A quarter of the students are passed out because of it.

_Moriarty fakes alarm. _

**Moriarty: **My God! That's terrible! But….shouldn't you be down there helping them?

**Delmas: **Oh they aren't in real danger. Jim has a hold of the situation. But I figured I should let you know as soon as possible.

_Moriarty rubs his forehead. _

**Moriarty: **Well….thank you for that. Anyway, definitely a student. And he or she will be punished.

**Delmas: **Oh punishment is a given. But it's curious….

_Moriarty looks at Delmas warily. _

**Moriarty: **How so?

_Delmas taps the armrest and looks through his glasses somewhat threateningly. _

**Delmas: **In all my years of student pranks, this by far is the most elaborate. This student must have done his homework. Getting hold of a drug that puts people into deep sleep, finding one that is tasteless in liquids, and knowing just the right amount to put in the punch….that requires some serious research. That's some pretty thorough planning for one student….don't you think?

_Moriarty, acknowledging the hidden accusation, pretends to be lost in thought. _

**Moriarty: **True. I guess it couldn't have been just any student…

_Delmas looks around the room. _

**Delmas: **Well, that's strange. Where's Mr. Stern? Jim told me that he had arrived. Where is he?

_Moriarty loses no time with an answer. _

**Moriarty: **Oh, he went to the bathroom. Something he ate didn't agree with him. He should be back soon. But why don't you go check on those students? I'd be more comfortable knowing for sure that they were in no real danger.

**Delmas: **Oh, I'd prefer to wait here for Mr. Stern. But if you really feel concerned about the students…._Delmas indifferently leans back in his chair…_then feel free to check on them yourself.

_A twitch of frustration passes through Moriarty's face. The polite refusal sends a clear challenge to him. Delmas sits in front of him, quietly enjoying his predicament. Meanwhile Moriarty, like a professional chess player, contemplates his next move. _

_Ulrich and Yumi appear in the scanner room. Jeremie's voice can be heard from up above. _

**Jeremie: **Looks like Odd managed to keep the tower safe, but hurry up. He's taking a beating out there.

_Yumi kicks her heels off as she walks to the scanner. _

**Yumi: **Ahh….I've been waiting for an excuse to throw these off. They kill me every time.

**Ulrich: **Then why do women wear them?

_Yumi enters the scanner. _

**Yumi:** I don't know. Ask every fashion-obsessed woman that forces us to conform. I don't make the rules. I'm just forced to follow them.

**Jeremie: **Ahem…focus please.

**Ulrich: **Right. We're on it.

_Yumi exhales in anger. A pained expression takes shape on her face. _

**Yumi: **I'll make sure he gets an extra special beating this time.

_The scanners start to close. _

**Ulrich: **Don't worry Yumi, we'll get him back.

_The two are virtualized onto the mountain platform. They quickly draw their weapons. _

**Ulrich: **Alright Odd, we're here.

_Odd runs on all fours past them. _

**Odd: **Great but get down!

**Yumi: **Get down? _She looks up. _Ahh…get down!

_Ulrich and Yumi leap out of the way just before a stream of fire cooks them to a crisp. The shocked warriors slowly rise. _

**Odd:** Mastodons.

**Yumi: **We noticed….

_The two monsters roar with ferocity. They come up onto the high platform and slowly edge toward the warriors. Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich back up. _

**Yumi: **So much for the high ground.

**Odd: **Sorry. I tried to hit them from above, but they wouldn't give me a moment's rest to attack.

_The two trunks aim toward them and begin to glow red hot. _

**Odd: **Ideas?

**Yumi: **They're big and stupid. We're going to have to use our brains to gain an advantage.

**Ulrich: **…Speak for yourself. Super sprint!

**Yumi: **Ulrich!

_Ulrich charges straight up the middle. The mastodon on the left of him aims his trunk to finish him off. Ulrich runs up the side of the right mastodon and launches off of him right before a ring of fire slams into the mastodon. The right mastodon trumpets in annoyance. At the same time Ulrich hurtles toward the left mastodon and cuts off his golden trunk. It falls to the mountain floor and disintegrates. The massive beast looks down at his disappearing appendage with confusion. Disorganized flames come out of what's left of his trunk. Ulrich rolls on the ground and looks up to admire his handiwork. _

**Odd: **Nice job! You disarmed him!

_A trumpet quickly reminds Odd that the other mastodon wasn't alone. He ducks right before a stream of fire cooks his pointy hair. He gets up and fires laser arrows. They hit the monster's head but miss the Moriarty eyes. The monster moves toward Odd. _

**Odd: **Uh…I think I just made him mad!

**Yumi: **Good. _She gets her fans at the ready. _Then distract him for me.

_Odd continues to back up before the angry beast. _

**Odd: **Somehow I feel like that's not going to be a problem…

_He leads the monster around the tower, making sure that the dumb beast doesn't remember its original mission. A few laser arrows graze the eye on the monster's ears, but don't do enough damage to kill him. Fire pummels straight toward him. Odd summons his shield and defends himself as the fire bears down on him. He grimaces from the struggle. A tremor of fear is evident in his face. _

**Odd: **Y-yumi, now may be a good time!

_Yumi emerges from inside the tower and takes the monster by surprise. She leaps off the wheel of the steamroller and throws her fans. They cut the monster's ears off. The mastodon howls and rolls over onto his side, sending a shockwave onto the platform. The monster disappears. _

**Yumi: **Okay. One down. Hopefully Ulrich's taken care off-

**Ulrich: **Ahh!

_Yumi and Odd turn to see Ulrich hanging on to one of the mastodon's tusks. It flails him around like a rag doll. Ulrich has dropped one of his sabers, and is struggling to strike the eye on the tusk. Fire spews out of the stump and spreads around the platform like ripples in a pond. Yumi and Odd jump up to avoid the flames. _

**Odd: **Hang on Ulrich-_He goes on all fours. _I'm coming!

_He runs and jumps off a rock, attempting to land on the monster's tusks and then jump onto its head. But a spastic head jerk by the monster makes Odd lose his balance. He falls and lands on the ground right in front of the steamroller wheels. Odd looks up just in time to see his legs get flattened. He devirtualizes. Ulrich grunts. _

**Ulrich: **Stay still and die!

_Yumi throws one of her fans at the monster, aiming for its left ear. But she misses and the fan turns around to return to her. But Ulrich, seeing the fan come into his path, uses his saber to bat the fan toward the monster's other tusk. The tusk is cut clean off and the mastodon is finally put out of commission. Ulrich lands on the ground and stretches. _

**Ulrich: **That thing tries to throw you like a bull.

**Yumi: **Are you okay?

**Ulrich: **I'll be alright.

**Yumi: **Jeremie, we've defeated the monsters, but more are bound to come. Whatever you need to do, do it quickly.

**Jeremie: **Noted. _Scene shifts to the lab room. _I'm doing what I can on my end. _He enlarges the inhibitor program screen. _Only 4% left?! Are you kidding me?! Ugh…..no matter.

_Jeremie goes to work. A rotating green figure representing Mr. Stern's body appears on screen. The bracelet around his wrist glows red. Several red lines spread out from the bracelet and encompass his body. Jeremie zooms in on those red lines to reveal letters of code that are constantly shifting. Jeremie scratches his chin. _

**Jeremie: **This should do the trick.

_He attempts to remove several critical pieces of code, but the invasive program resists. Jeremie tries several different times, looking for a weak point. Each time he is greeted with failure. Jeremie's face becomes strained. _

**Jeremie: **Well I didn't exactly expect this to be easy…

**Yumi: **Jeremie, any progress?

**Ulrich: **The scorpions are coming back.

**Jeremie: **I know, I know. Just do what you have to do for now. Moriarty is not going to let me remove this parasite without a fight. _He reverses his steps and begins to try again. _Let's try another configuration. _Jeremie attempts to split up the parasite and remove it from Mr. Stern's body, but the result is the same. A red exclamation point appears. Jeremie digs his fingernails into his palm. _God I hate that sign! Fine. _Jeremie cracks his knuckles. _If you won't go quietly, I'll force you out!

_Jeremie starts to take the reserve power from the supercomputer and transfer it to the inhibitor program. Odd starts to walk out of the elevator. _

**Odd: **Hey Einstein, you ever been bulldozed before?...Because it's not fun.

**Jeremie: **Not now Odd. I'm trying to get us out of this mess.

_In Lyoko, the wires around the tower begin to glow, feeding it with strong pulses of energy. Three scorpions attack Yumi and Ulrich. One strikes its tail at Ulrich, but a quick dodge and a swipe of the blade cuts the stinger off. He sprints underneath the monster and cuts it in half from below. Yumi telekinetically throws a rock at one of the scorpions, knocking it off the edge. Yumi manages to take out two of the other scorpion's legs, but the crippled monster manages to freeze one of Yumi's legs. As Yumi tries to free herself, the monster changes weapons and fires a laser. It hits Yumi in the lower abdomen. The scorpion attempts to fire again, but Ulrich throws his saber from several feet away and skewers the monster. He then frees Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **Are you alright?

**Yumi: **Not really. _She looks up. _One more hit like that and I'm done for.

**Ulrich: **Jeremie!

**Jeremie: **Hold on! _His eyes are glued to the loading screen. It starts to move at a snail's pace. Jeremie smiles. _I'll download that program even if I can't remove Moriarty's parasite.

_In the trustee parlor, Delmas impatiently looks at his watch and then looks up at Moriarty. Moriarty keeps up the impression of normalcy in spite of the difficult situation. Suddenly his gaze becomes a little distant. His fingers start to tighten. But Moriarty quickly grabs a hold of himself. _

**Moriarty: **Okay Jeremie, if that's how you want to play.

_In the Network, a tremor of power is emitted from the core and spreads through the void. The power of the parasite suddenly increases. Jeremie's progress stops. _

**Jeremie: **What?! No!

_Shift back to Kadic. A slight groaning sound is heard in the direction of the closet Moriarty hid Mr. Stern in. Delmas looks up suspiciously. Christophe musters a glare in Moriarty's direction. Moriarty coughs a little. _

**Moriarty: **Uh…sorry. Throat is a little dry. _He smiles at Christophe. _Could you get me some water please?

**Christophe: **Sure…_as he pours the glass he lowers his voice so no one can hear. _I hope you choke on it…

_Jeremie glares at the screen in frustration. _

**Jeremie: **Fine. I'll take more power.

**Odd: **Uh Jeremie, isn't taking more power a little risky?

**Jeremie: **This is an emergency Odd. Moriarty can't win this round.

_Another pulse of energy slams into the tower. Ulrich and Yumi look up. _

**Ulrich: **Please tell me that was a good sign.

_The loading screen starts to move again. Jeremie crosses his fingers and Odd moves in to watch. _

**Jeremie: **Come on…just a little more.

_Moriarty's hand begins to twitch. Delmas pushes his glasses up. _

**Delmas: **Something wrong?

_Moriarty grabs the twitching hand to make it stop. He shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **Oh nothing…._He looks away and makes a mental note that Delmas has to go. He takes a drink of water and whispers to himself. _Jeremie, do you honestly think you can overpower me?

_He snaps his fingers and another pulse spreads from the core. The loading screen stops again. Jeremie curses Moriarty in several different ways. _

**Jeremie: **We need more! More!

**Odd: **We don't have any more. You used up the reserves.

**Jeremie: **I'll go outside the reserves if I have to. _Jeremie furiously types and tries to do the process all over again. Another red exclamation point appears. Jeremie fumes. _I hate that sign!

**Odd: **What happened?

**Jeremie: **The tower is overloading. It can't take any more. We've reached our limit.

**Odd: **Meaning?

**Jeremie: **….We are going to stay stuck at 98%. And there's nothing I can do to make it load any more.

_Moriarty settles back in his chair. _

**Moriarty: **Victory…

_Delmas checks his watch again. _

**Delmas: **Mr. Stern has been gone an awfully long time. Is he okay?

_Moriarty restrains the urge to zap Delmas' smirk off his face. Before he can come up with a calm reply, Delmas' phone rings. Delmas looks down at his phone and reluctantly answers it. _

**Delmas: **Hello?

_Scene shifts to the hallway outside the nurse's office. Klotz is on the phone with several adults standing behind him. They don't seem to be pleased. Klotz paces the floor as he talks. _

**Klotz: **Mr. Delmas, you need to come to the nurse's office right away.

**Delmas: **What? Why?

**Klotz: **It seems some students had a bad reaction to whatever was in that punch…._A sly grin takes shape on Klotz's face. _And some parents are here too.

_The color drains from Delmas' face. _

**Delmas: **What?! Parents are here?!

**Klotz: **Yes. And they're demanding to speak with you.

_Delmas' grip on his phone tightens. _

**Delmas: **Hans, we agreed not to inform the parents until we got the situation under-

**Klotz: **With all due respect Mr. Delmas- _Klotz's confidently raises his voice to silence him._-the situation has changed. Students were in trouble. I had to act.

_Delmas seethes with a mixture of fear and rage as the message sinks in. Moriarty's look of undoubtedly evil glee makes him even more upset. He remains quiet for a moment. _

**Klotz: **I couldn't leave the parents in the dark about this. That would be an enormous breach of responsibility.

**Delmas: **Y-yes. You're right.

**Klotz: **The parents are wondering why the principal isn't here in person to explain what's going on.

**Delmas: **I-I understand, I'll be-

_Klotz cuts off Delmas again. _

**Klotz: **Oh and one more thing. _Klotz speaks slowly so the news will dig into him like a knife. _Your daughter was one of the ones who had the reaction.

_Delmas stands up. He immediately heads for the door. _

**Delmas: **I'm coming right now.

_The door shuts behind him. Moriarty watches him leave. Bessette walks up next to him. Moriarty looks at his minion for a moment. _

**Moriarty: **Well, don't just sit there like a possessed entrepreneur. Get him out of the closet!

_Jeremie sits back in his chair, completely lost for solutions. He remains transfixed in a position of defeat. Odd frowns at the sight of Jeremie being so unresponsive. He timidly tries to talk to him._

**Odd: **J-Jeremie….what do we do?

_Jeremie doesn't move a muscle. _

**Odd: **Jeremie? Jeremie?!

_Ulrich and Yumi's voices join in. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, more monsters are coming!

**Yumi: **We can't hold them off forever!

_No response. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie!

**Ulrich: **Are you working on saving my dad or not?!

_Still nothing. Jeremie seems to be withdrawing into himself. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie we need a response! What is the situation?!

**Ulrich: **Come on, what are you doing?!

_Odd grabs his shoulder and lightly shakes him. _

**Odd: **Jeremie SAY SOMETHING!

_Jeremie's face tightens. Odd gets up in his face. _

**Odd: **We are counting on you. DO SOMETHING!

**Yumi: **Before it's too late!

**Ulrich: **My dad's screwed if you don't act!

_Jeremie shuts his eyes and slowly starts to speak. _

**Jeremie: **Don't you think….I KNOW THAT?!

_Everyone is silent. Jeremie hyperventilates with rage and despair. _

**Jeremie: **I don't have an answer, okay? I don't! Moriarty has made this impossible. There's no way to upload the program with that parasite, and there's no way to remove the parasite. In other words…we…are…screwed. Moriarty's won.

_The silence deepens. Only the hum of the factory can be heard in the room. After ten seconds or so, Ulrich's voice breaks the silence. _

**Ulrich: **There's…nothing we can do?

**Jeremie: **None that I can see.

_Yumi finishes off a few humanoids. She looks over at Ulrich. He is still fighting, but the way he holds his sword and the look on his face tells her that Ulrich is becoming emotionally burdened. She can see him desperately trying to bury the emotions and maintain his tough composure. The sight pains her. _

**Yumi: **There has to be a way. Think outside the box Jeremie. There must be something you overlooked.

**Jeremie: **I don't see how this parasite is leaving unless Moriarty wants it to leave.

**Odd: **Well, maybe we do something to make it want to leave.

_Jeremie gives Odd a condescending look. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, there is nothing Moriarty wants more than to have Mr. Stern under his thumb. There's nothing I can do to…_Jeremie suddenly freezes in thought_…to…wait a second. We could…_Jeremie shakes his head. _No...I couldn't! What am I thinking?! _He pauses in disgust. But after a few seconds, his mind starts to reconsider._ But…then again…we are running out of options.

_Odd suddenly becomes eager. _

**Odd: **What? What?! What can we do?!

_Jeremie bites his lip. _

**Jeremie: **No. It's crazy.

**Odd: **Tell me!

_After some reluctance, Jeremie turns to face Odd. He takes out his earpiece to prevent Yumi and Jeremie from hearing. His conflicted look demonstrates that his mind is working over something forbidden. But eventually the look softens. _

**Jeremie: **Well, there is one advantage we haven't really explored. You see…_His face becomes grave…_Moriarty does want Mr. Stern alive.

_Odd pauses as an unnerving chill works its way through his insides. He backs up and shakes his head, looking at Jeremie in disbelief. _

**Odd: **Jeremie…are you seriously suggesting that we-?!

**Jeremie: **Moriarty needs to be coerced to back down. The only way to do that would be to threaten Mr. Stern's life.

_Odd opens his mouth but no words come out. He looks at Jeremie, incredulous that these words are coming out of his friend's mouth. _

**Odd: **Jeremie, please tell me this is a sick jo-

**Jeremie: **A specter is predominantly made up of electricity. Its amorphous body contains an electric current. Normally 40 milliamperes flow through a spectrified host. _He turns to look at the image of Mr. Stern on his computer screen. He gazes at it as if it were a scientific specimen. _But if one were to increase the current….the host body could be put at risk.

_Odd holds out his hands and starts to become very agitated. _

**Odd: **Jeremie, listen to yourself! You're talking about putting a human being in danger. And not just any human….Ulrich's dad! _Jeremie slowly lifts his eyes up to look at Odd as he continues to plead with him. _Jeremie, you can't do that.

_Jeremie's face becomes deadly serious. _

**Jeremie: **Putting Mr. Stern in danger would force Moriarty to remove his parasite and allow me to finish uploading the program. It could work.

_Odd shakes his head in disgust. _

**Odd: **That sounds like you want to play an insane game of chicken with Moriarty. If Moriarty doesn't back down you'll kill him!

**Jeremie: **We've run out of options Odd…What would you have me do?

**Odd: **Something other than that!

_Ulrich's voice comes through the earpiece that is sitting on Jeremie's lap. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, what's going on?

**Yumi: **What are you planning?

_Jeremie closes his hand around the earpiece to prevent himself from hearing them. He grits his teeth in anger. He inhales deeply. _

**Jeremie: **What am I supposed to tell them? That we're doomed? Or that I have a way to fix this?

_Odd rubs his forehead with his fingers and walks around in a circle. The elevated tension is making his hands shake. He slowly starts to speak again. _

**Odd: **I don't know Jeremie. But there has to be another way. No matter what happens, I can't let you do that. You have to understand. _He pauses. _I have enough to live with already. I couldn't live with myself if I let you do it. So please! _The look on his face becomes desperate. _Don't do it.

_The two face each other, carefully observing one other's reactions. Odd appears emotional but determined. Jeremie's face is unreadable. He looks off to the side for a moment to consider Odd's words. His eyes drift toward Odd's direction again. His friend's resolution hasn't dropped at all. Realizing that Odd can't be convinced, Jeremie exhales slowly._

**Jeremie: **Alright. I won't.

_A huge weight is lifted off Odd's shoulders. _

**Odd: **Thank you.

**Jeremie: **There may be another way though. If I were to divert power from the factory itself, I might be able to boost the supercomputer's reserve energy.

**Odd: **Will it be enough to stop Moriarty?

**Jeremie: **Most likely not. But it's the only thing we can do.

**Odd: **What about the tower's risk of overloading?

_Jeremie hesitates. _

**Jeremie: **I'll….find a way. I have to. _Jeremie quickly goes from indecisive to firm in his demeanor. _We have no time to waste. Go to the assembly room. I need you to find the circuit breaker and start turning on the power. I'll tell you what to do from there.

_Odd still seems confused, but Jeremie's expression prevents him from having any doubts. He nods. _

**Odd: **You can count on me.

_Odd heads for the elevator and presses the button to go up. The doors slowly close. Odd impatiently taps his foot as the elevator begins to rise. He gets ready to make a break for the assembly room as soon as the doors open. But the elevator unexpectedly stops. Odd looks around in confusion. The lights in the elevator turn off. _

**Odd: **What the-? _Odd places his hand on the door expecting it to open. It doesn't. Odd tries to force it open. It doesn't budge. He stops to catch his breath. _Jeremie the elevator's busted.

_No response. _

**Odd: **Jeremie….what's going on? I can't help you if I'm stuck-_Odd abruptly stops speaking. His eyes widen. The blood in his veins runs cold. He gasps with sudden understanding. He begins shouting. _No…NO! JEREMIE DON'T DO IT! DON'T!

_Jeremie sits in his command chair with his fingers folded together. Odd's yelling comes through the walls, but he remains unfazed. His eyes become cold and unyielding. He takes a moment to wipe his glasses with his shirt. _

**Jeremie: **I'm sorry Odd. _He puts his glasses on. _I only wish that the plan I told you was a possible solution. But you didn't give me a choice. _Odd continues to shout for him to stop. He ignores him. _If you can't live with yourself, then it's only fair that you share no blame for what I'm about to do.

_He puts on his earpiece again. He speaks to Ulrich and Yumi like a general in command. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi. Ulrich. We have a solution. Odd and I are working on it right now. It shouldn't take us that long.

**Yumi: **What are you going to do?

**Jeremie: **It's too complicated to explain. The important thing is that you two hold on a little longer.

_Ulrich receives a laser to the leg. _

**Ulrich: **Some things never change.

_Yumi's fan flies in a wide arc, cutting down the rest of the humanoids. It gracefully returns to her hand. _

**Yumi: **We'll do what we can Jeremie, but hurry up.

**Jeremie: **Don't worry…..I won't let you down.

_Jeremie refocuses on the data on Mr. Stern. He opens the bar representing the current in Mr. Stern's body. He looks at it….and hesitates. His finger hovers over the key. He swallows and a drop of sweat runs down his forehead and onto his cheek. His stomach becomes cold. For several tense moments, he does nothing. But finally, as if against his will, his finger presses it. The milliamperes rises to 50. _

**Jeremie: **Need to make sure it's not flowing near his heart. _After adjusting the program, Jeremie sits back. _Okay, Moriarty. Let's see if you want to play ball.

_Back at the trustee parlor, Mr. Stern, who is now sitting back in his original chair, gasps for breath. Moriarty turns around in surprise. The sound gains Christophe's attention as well. _

**Christophe: **I'm guessing that wasn't supposed to happen.

**Moriarty: **No.

_Moriarty feels Mr. Stern's wrist. As usual the billionaire doesn't respond. Moriarty's grip tightens after a few seconds. There is a combination of anger and admiration in his face. _

**Moriarty: **My, my Jeremie. You're taking that route? How deliciously…._Moriarty grins from ear to ear…_evil of you.

_Christophe leans forward on the table. _

**Christophe: **What route? What are you talking about?!

_Moriarty shocks Christophe into unconsciousness without a second thought. _

**Moriarty: **Quiet! You'll just get in the way again. _The trustees watch Christophe's body fall to the floor without a single visible reaction. Meanwhile Moriarty kneels by Mr. Stern's side. He monitors him with a mixture of determination and intrigue. _So that's the way you want to go? Fine. Let's see how far you're willing to push your luck.

_Scene shifts back to the factory. Odd's yelling continues to be heard through the wall. _

**Odd: **Jeremie it's not too late! STOP RIGHT NOW BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING YOU REGRET FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!

**Yumi: **Jeremie, what is that I'm hearing in the background?

**Jeremie: **Oh nothing, it's probably just some rats in the ceiling. Just keep doing your job.

**Ulrich: **No monsters for now Jeremie. I'd suggest you work fast before the tower becomes endangered again.

_Jeremie clasps his hands together and rests them under his nose. He loses himself in a moment of thought. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich's right. Better move now. _He cracks his knuckles and places his index finger over the key again. _Didn't think Moriarty would go for 50 milliamperes. _He presses it. _So let's try 60 milliamperes!

_Moriarty feels a slight jolt go through Mr. Stern's limp body. Moriarty shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **Stern is mine Jeremie. Do you really think I'm going to give him up to you that easily?

_Jeremie watches in disappointment as the red lines in Mr. Stern's virtual representation fail to disappear. He bites his fingernails in frustration. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, whatever you're doing, is it working?

**Jeremie: **It's….getting there.

**Ulrich: **Is my dad okay?

_The question hits Jeremie like a brick. His lip quivers as he musters the nerve to answer. _

**Jeremie: **He's going to be fine, Ulrich. Just give me some more time. I'll get him out of this. _He lowers his voice. _That's a promise. _He adjusts the current again. _Okay, 70 milliamperes.

_This time, Mr. Stern's body jumps from the dangerous increase in current. A strained gasp comes out of his mouth. Moriarty becomes very nervous at first, but eventually settles down once he realizes that Mr. Stern's heart didn't give out. Jeremie frantically adjusts the specter. _

**Jeremie: **Oh no…please please please. _Mr. Stern's body stabilizes. Jeremie wipes his forehead. _Whew, that nearly damaged some vital organs….Okay any second now….

_Jeremie waits for the parasite to be removed. He sits on the edge of his seat, hoping Moriarty will cave. But after fifteen seconds of waiting, his hopes are dashed. His fist tightens. _

**Jeremie: **No…._He looks at the screen. _He's going to make me keep going.

_He leans back in his chair uncomfortably, considering his options. Meanwhile Odd's protests continue to dig into his mind like nails on a chalkboard. His palms become clammy, and his forehead becomes damp with cold sweat. Yet the look in his eyes doesn't change. He goes back to the keyboard and increases it another 10 milliamperes. _

**Jeremie: **I'm not playing around Moriarty. I'll keep raising this current until you crack.

_Mr. Stern's groan becomes animal like and full of pain. This time Moriarty is not smiling. His eyes drift toward the metal bracelet, but he quickly brushes the thought aside. _

**Moriarty: **No. I'm not buying it Jeremie. You don't have the guts to pull through.

_Back at the lab, warning exclamation marks appear on screen. Several parts of Mr. Stern's virtual body glow red, indicating imminent damage to those areas of the body. Jeremie covers his ears. His fist slams on the armrest. _

**Jeremie: **SHUT UP! I don't need reminders!

_Another warning screen appears. _

**Jeremie: **NOW WHAT?! _He examines it. _A large amount of power drained from the core…._Jeremie's body tenses. _That can only mean one thing.

_Yumi and Ulrich's attention is suddenly called to something in the distance. A shadow is looming forth in the mountains. The ground below them begins to shake. Yumi looks off to the side. She sees several pebbles shake up and down with each passing thud. The grip on her fans tightens. As the pounding gets closer, Yumi and Ulrich see two armored snake heads peak out above the mountain peaks. The whole monster appears from behind a series of mountains as it thunders toward them. The scaly hands hold tightly to the narrow path as the massive beast maneuvers toward them. Yumi and Ulrich back up as the monster's invisible eyes catch sight of its two puny opponents. _

**Yumi: **J-Ja-Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **The Leviathan?

**Ulrich: **What was your first guess?

_Jeremie bites his fingernails. His other hand clutches so tightly to the armrest that his knuckles turn white. After a few seconds pause, he begins to calmly give orders. _

**Jeremie: **That tower cannot fall, do you understand? It cannot. Do whatever you can to stop him, and I'll try to help you out the best I can. Tell me exactly what you need to face him.

_Yumi warily watches the heads as they threateningly gaze at her. _

**Yumi: **We're going to need vehicles….and God himself.

_The monster unleashes a dreadful high-pitched roar. Ulrich and Yumi duck for cover, fearing instant annihilation. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie!

**Jeremie: **Coming up!

_The Overwing and Overbike appear under the shadow of the approaching beast. The two get on their vehicles, expecting the Leviathan to physically smash them at any moment. Fortunately the steep ridge leading to the tower proves problematic for the beast. After only one step onto the ridge, the rocks begin to give. The bridge leading to the tower collapses. The slow monster looks at the inconvenience with annoyance. It stretches its long necks toward the tower and snaps at it, but it proves to be just out of reach. Ulrich turns to Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **That was convenient.

_The left head opens its mouth and begins to charge a purple blast. Yumi points at it. _

**Yumi: **That's still not going to stop it from blowing it to bits. Our best move is going to be distraction. You attack the left head and I'll attack the right. We'll keep him occupied until Jeremie finishes up. Let's go.

**Ulrich: **Wait!

**Yumi: **What?!

**Ulrich: **….You mean his left and right, or ours?

_Yumi groans and rolls her eyes. _

**Yumi: **Just attack!

**Ulrich: **Got it…

_The two fly off the platform and head toward the monster. They circle around the heads, gaining the Leviathan's attention. Yumi throws her fans and Ulrich attempts to cut the neck, but it does negligible damage. The two pull back to avoid devirtualization. The two fly around the monster with expert attention, leading the long necks in a tangling chase for their opponents. As the left head goes under and then above the right neck, Yumi gives Ulrich an excited look. _

**Yumi: **You thinking what I'm thinking?

**Ulrich: **A little game of Leviathan Twister? Absolutely…

_The two go at the monster a second time, this time with the intention of tangling the monster into a knot. At the same time, Jeremie watches from his computer screen. His anxiety triples and more drops of sweat reach his shirt collar. He pulls on his stifling collar to prevent himself from feeling strangled. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich and Yumi could never last against that thing. I don't have much time. Minutes no…..Seconds with that thing! I need to act now. _His index finger hovers over the key again. _So why am I hesitating? I….I can't afford to. I need to act now! _His fingers drum on the armrest. _If I go any higher, I risk killing him. At the very least, this increase will do permanent damage to him. I…CAN'T DO THAT!

_He is quiet for a moment. The only sounds are the computer humming. Odd's screaming from within the walls has finally begun to cease. Jeremie lowers his head. _

**Jeremie: **Maybe Moriarty will run out of power. After all, he is diverting all of it to defending his parasite and the Leviathan in addition to keeping up his mortal form, which is a pain on all its own. _Jeremie then shakes his head. _No. I almost forgot. He can access Odd's mind now to keep his core intact.

_Scene shifts to Odd, who is panting inside the elevator. His fists feebly rest on the metal wall. He appears exhausted. After a few deep breaths, Odd slips onto the floor. His body goes limp and he slips into a deep sleep. _

**Jeremie: **Which makes me wonder what kind of impact Moriarty could have on Odd…..But more importantly, it means power shortage isn't a problem for him right now. So testing the parasite again would be useless. _Jeremie clutches his hands against his temples, coming apart from this seemingly insurmountable obstacle. He kicks the bottom of his chair, essentially resigning himself to the defeat. But then, a glimmer of hope passes through his mind. He slowly removes his hands from his head. _But now that I think about it, Moriarty sent the Leviathan in just after I raised the specter's current to 80 milliamperes. _Jeremie drums his fingers on the keyboard. _That monster is Moriarty's trump card. And what do you do with a trump card? _He smiles eerily. _You send it in when you get desperate. When everything else has gone wrong and you're in trouble. That's it! Moriarty's desperate. He sent in the Leviathan because he wanted to get rid of the tower quickly. Which means he's afraid to go up another rung on the ladder with me. _Jeremie's face expresses reckless confidence. _And I will exploit that weakness. Let's go to 90!

_The current goes up again. Mr. Stern screams bloody murder this time. Moriarty covers up his mouth. He frantically turns to his trustee puppets. _

**Moriarty: **Check downstairs! Make sure everyone is cleared out and no one heard that! We have to keep the attention on Delmas and away from here!

_A few of them shuffle out. Moriarty wipes his benefactor's forehead. Moriarty's right hand shakes. He tries to make it stop, but it doesn't do so easily. He sighs. _

**Moriarty: **Sometimes I feel I made myself TOO human for my own good. _Mr. Stern's body quakes, and Moriarty can tell Mr. Stern is reaching dangerous levels. _One more stunt like that and….no…._Moriarty's stare hardens and becomes unrelenting. _Jeremie knows that the next one is more than likely going to kill him. Jeremie is terrified of stooping to that level again. He won't do it….he can't do it. _He gazes out the window towards the factory. _I'm calling your bluff Jeremie.

_Back in Lyoko, the Leviathan has managed to tie himself into a double knot. The monster heads scream and glare at each other, as if they were blaming the other for the mess they're in. Ulrich and Yumi hover at a safe distance, admiring their handiwork for a moment. _

**Ulrich: **The price of enormous size is stupidity I suppose.

_The right head lurches forward and charges up a blast. _

**Yumi: **We've put him in a jam but he can still fire at us and the tower.

**Ulrich: **You're right. Let's take out its eyes.

_They fly towards the enraged monster, who appears to be eagerly wanting to get a second shot at them. The two large eyes come within attack range. Ulrich sheaths one of his sabers and flings the other into his right hand, ready for a single stab. _

**Ulrich: **You're mine. _Right before he strikes, a thought occurs to him. He remembers hitting the Leviathan in the eye and it not working. He veers off right before one of the heads swallows him. _YUMI!

**Yumi: **What?!

**Ulrich: **This monster will only die if we hit both eyes. Let's try to hit them at the same time!

_Yumi nods, barely able to pay attention to Ulrich at all in the face of this restricted but still incredibly powerful monster. _

**Yumi: **Okay let's do it.

_Yumi and Ulrich split up. Ulrich spins his Overbike and divebombs the awaiting monster. As he gets closer, he looks at Yumi for the go ahead. She nods. Ulrich maintains a firm grip on his single blade. _

**Ulrich: **Just a little closer…

_The left head opens its mouth and charges up a blast. _

**Ulrich: **Now!

_He leaps off his Overbike and comes crashing down onto the monster's head barely avoiding its teeth. He rolls on top of the white dome head. When he rolls over the eye, Ulrich digs his sword into it to hang on and destroy the monster at the same time. The Leviathan roars in pain as cracks form on its left head. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi now!

_Yumi tosses her fans at the monster. But the right head flails around, causing the fans to ricochet at the last moment. Yumi stares in humiliated disbelief. _

**Yumi: **I missed…I can't believe I could miss something so hu-

_Yumi is knocked off her Overwing by the right head. The Overwing bounces off the edge and Yumi lands hard on the mountain platform. Ulrich watches the scene crestfallen as the monster head below him begins to disintegrate. _

**Ulrich: **That… didn't exactly go according to plan.

_The second head turns its attention away from Yumi and refocuses on Ulrich. Its mouth opens, revealing its vicious teeth. Ulrich somberly braces himself. _

**Ulrich: **Not again…

_The head swallows Ulrich whole. The rest of the left neck disintegrates, finally freeing the right neck of its previous imprisonment. Yumi struggles to her knees. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, Ulrich's eliminated. The Leviathan is about to-

_A purple blast slams into the tower. The shockwave knocks Yumi off her feet again. Jeremie stares at the screen in horror. His mouth is agape. _

**Jeremie: **No. NO! A few more hits and it's all over!

_Yumi, seeing disaster unfold before her very eyes, stumbles to her feet. She picks up her fans. The monster remains transfixed on the tower. _

**Yumi: **Hey! Stay away from the tower! _She throws one of her fans. It lands against its back leg. The monster doesn't react. _I'm the one you need to pay attention to!

_She angrily arcs her second fan at the monster's neck. This time the fan hits a sensitive spot, and the Leviathan notices. It curves its neck back toward the tiny warrior. Yumi becomes uneasy. _

**Yumi: **Well, I got his attention…

_Back at the factory, Jeremie begins to feel the pressure build to its breaking point. His face and hands have become clammy and damp. His breathing is labored and tense. His eyes focus on the computer screen in a sort of otherworldly fixation, as if he is not really there. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty…. hasn't caved…._Those words take its toll as the full brunt of reality sets in. A human life is hanging by a thread, and he is the one holding the scissors. _What do I do? Yumi….she won't last very long. But…the next step is….almost certainly death! I promised to save Ulrich's dad….not kill him!

_Yumi cartwheels out of the way just before the beast blasts her to oblivion. She comes back up and gazes at the head, praying to God for a lucky shot. Jeremie still remains in his catatonic struggle. _

**Jeremie: **Options….OPTIONS! _He tightens the muscles in his face until his veins begin to appear. _I NEED OPTIONS! _He then shakes his head. _BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY!

_Yumi runs under the Leviathan's legs, causing some much needed annoyance for the massive beast. _

**Jeremie: **If I do it…Mr. Stern will probably die. _An icy chill settles in the pit of his stomach. _But if I don't….millions of euros…maybe more will go to fund a campaign of terror and conquest! Can I allow the world to suffer that for the sake of one life?! _He gasps. _What am I saying?! I sound like my old self again!

_One of the Leviathan's back legs tries to crush her. Yumi jumps out of the way, but she trips in the process. The shadow of the monster looms over her. _

**Jeremie: **Doing nothing would be catastrophic. I must act…._As desperation sinks in, Jeremie begins to rationalize. _If I go up another level, Moriarty will certainly cave. No doubt about it. But another 10 milliamperes is unacceptable. Maybe 5. Wait no! That will show Moriarty that I'm giving in too! Then he'll continue to goad me! The chance of Mr. Stern living is higher if I keep increasing the current by 10. _But soon doubt works its way in. _But the chances are still slim at best.

_Yumi tries to crawl away from the monster. Jeremie is beside himself. _

**Jeremie: **Franz Hopper, Aelita,….God someone tell me! WHAT DO I DO?!

_A tail comes down on Yumi. The satisfied monster quickly turns his attention back to the tower. Jeremie opens his eyes to see the large Moriarty dot about to open fire. Panic sets in, to the point that Jeremie doesn't bother to check if Yumi has been devirtualized or not. _

**Jeremie: **No…NO! He's going to end it here and now!

_The Leviathan prepares to fire. With the precious luxury of time stripped away from him, Jeremie becomes undone. In a moment of rash split-second decision making, Jeremie raises the current again. Several kilometers away, Mr. Stern's body undergoes a horrendous bout of tremors. Moriarty yells in alarm. _

**Moriarty: **DAMN YOU JEREMIE!

_He rips the metal bracelet off of him. Jeremie immediately notices and rushes to curb the current and upload the program. The inhibitors are successfully uploaded, but Jeremie hardly reacts. His mind has been sapped, unable to process the magnitude of what he has just done. Mr. Stern's body collapses to the floor. Moriarty suddenly regresses into a rage, kicking over some nearby chairs. The trustee puppets avoid his wrathful presence. Moriarty glowers in the direction of the factory. _

**Moriarty: **You desperate, crazy fool. You have complicated things for both of us. I will kill you earlier than I wanted to if you keep this up, if your teammates don't beat me to it. _He points to the trustees. _Go get help now! Call an ambulance! _He electrocutes a power outlet, causing the area around it to turn black and burnt. _A short circuit has just critically injured Mr. Stern!

_Jeremie remains frozen in the command chair. He does not speak or move. He just stares at the computer while the myriad of exclamation marks warning of critical damage to Mr. Stern's body bombard the screen. The deluge digs into Jeremie's mind, making him unable to function or even think. Ulrich opens the hatch to the scanner room. Yumi follows close behind. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, the elevator's busted! What is going on?!

**Yumi: **Were we too late?!

_They rush up right next to him. _

**Yumi: **Did your thing to free Mr. Stern work?

_No answer. Just more staring. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie….stop staring off into space and answer us!

_Ulrich quickly loses patience. He angrily grabs Jeremie's shirt collar and hoists him up. His desperate and aggressive eyes hone in on Jeremie's face. _

**Ulrich: **I have no time for this crap! ANSWER ME! DID YOU DO IT OR NOT?!

_Jeremie looks at Ulrich blankly. Slowly his expressionless countenance turns into one of indescribable pain. It causes Ulrich to pause. Jeremie begins to speak softly. _

**Jeremie: **We…..won…

**Yumi: **That…THAT'S FANTASTIC! Jeremie you did it!

_Ulrich's grip loosens, but his conflicted reaction indicates that he doesn't want to give in to hope. _

**Ulrich: **You….you saved my father?

_Jeremie opens his mouth to answer, but no words come out. His eyes start to plead with Ulrich, causing some more confusion for his friend. _

**Jeremie: **We…beat Moriarty.

**Ulrich: **I know that. You already said it. But did you save my father?!

**Jeremie: **I…I…

**Odd: **Just the opposite…

_Ulrich and Yumi look up with surprise to see Odd standing above them on the upper beams of the computer interface. He stares down at Jeremie, his fists tightened. His terrible eyes bury into Jeremie's soul like a righteous god passing judgment. _

**Yumi: **Odd?

**Odd: **Jeremie….do you mind explaining to Ulrich what happened? Or do I have to do it for you?

**Ulrich: **Explain what to me?

_Odd doesn't answer. His silence unnerves Ulrich. He begins to grow fearful. He turns around to the computer screen. A chorus of red exclamation marks surrounding a digital representation of his father greets his visage. Ulrich's hands grow cold. He turns to Jeremie, his eyes full of unimaginable horror. _

**Ulrich: **What…did you do?

_The warriors run back to Kadic. As they reach the main building, they see an ambulance and a large crowd gathered around. Ulrich's heart sinks at the sight. _

**Ulrich: **No….

_They reach the edge of the crowd. William, Natalya, and Aelita quickly greet them. They seem a bit groggy, but the effects of the drug appear to have worn off. The three warriors simultaneously look at Ulrich. They are not smiling. Ulrich stiffens. Aelita reaches forward and touches his shoulder. _

**Aelita: **Ulrich, we-

_Ulrich withdraws from Aelita's touch. He looks around at his friends. They all silently take pity on him, and it only makes Ulrich feel worse. He lifts his head. _

**Ulrich: **Is….is he gone?

_Brief silence. _

**William: **We don't know.

_The crowd's attention is drawn to the front entrance. Paramedics wheel a stretcher toward the ambulance. Ulrich tenses, afraid of what he might see. But eventually, against his comrades' advice, he looks. The lifeless form of his father with an oxygen mask attached to his face is dragged to the ambulance. Right behind them, Moriarty and Delmas follow. _

**Moriarty: **Be careful. These stairs can be a little dicey.

**Delmas: **Dr. Renard, remind me again how this happened?

**Moriarty: **Now is not the time to discuss Kadic's faulty wiring, Mr. Delmas.

_Ulrich exhales in hot anger. Part of him burns to attack Moriarty directly, but he doesn't move. He just stands and fumes helplessly as his father is put into the ambulance. Other people around Ulrich see him and quickly make the connection. Ulrich is greeted with another wave of terrible pity. He sinks to his knees and covers his face in the grass. Yumi kneels down next to him. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich…

_Ulrich sniffs. _

**Ulrich: **You bastard. You couldn't even do this one thing for me. This …one…thing. Even now you have to make me suffer. You selfish monster…

**Yumi: **Ulrich, the paramedics want to know if you want to ride with him.

_Ulrich responds violently but remains in the same position. _

**Ulrich: **NO! I can't look at him! I won't! He doesn't deserve to have me at his side! He'll just give me that look again. I can hear him now. _His voice deepens in an imitation. _'Son, you messed up again. You idiot, you couldn't even save your own father'.

_Yumi touches his back shoulder. A tear runs down her face at the sight of him suffering so much. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, don't think like tha-

**Ulrich: **I can't go with him. I can't go with him because he's right. He's right, don't you understand?!

_Jeremie, who has hung in the back of the group this entire time, tries to come forward. His voice shakes with shame. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, there are no words to tell you how sorry I-

_Ulrich's tone becomes wrathful. _

**Ulrich: **You….

_He stands up and decks Jeremie without a second thought. Aelita quietly gasps as he falls to the ground. He rubs his cheek and helplessly looks up at Ulrich. _

**Jeremie: **I deserved that.

_The ambulance pulls away and the crowd watches them leave. Ulrich stares at Jeremie for a few seconds and then turns his back on him. He walks away. Yumi watches with concern. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, where are you going?

_She follows him. Slowly the crowd disperses, and the warriors join them. But Jeremie remains on the ground. He rolls over onto his side and stares at the dirt. He cups it in his hand and then lets it fall again. His eyes radiate pain and guilt. He feels the dirt again. _

**Jeremie: **We aren't very different, are we?

_He rolls back onto his back and stares at the sky. The world around him becomes quiet. He breathes in the night air. A minute later rain begins to fall onto his face. He doesn't pay it any mind. Instead he begins to mutter to himself. _

**Jeremie: **Murderer…._The rain comes down harder, soaking his face and suit. He goes back onto his side again and pulls his knees into his chest. He stares off into nothing. _I did it again.

_The air becomes colder. Jeremie hugs himself tighter. He takes off his glasses and lets them sink into the mud. _

**Jeremie: **I crossed that line again. I blew my second chance. There are no third chances. _He closes his eyes. When he opens them, they are full of tears. _That's it…..I'm finished.

**Aelita: **No you're not.

_Jeremie looks up with surprise to see Aelita staring over him. Jeremie quickly expects a vindictive look, but none comes. He speaks to her cautiously. _

**Jeremie: **What are you still doing here?

_Aelita gazes down at him mercifully. Rain drips off her beautiful pink hair. _

**Aelita: **Getting my boyfriend to come out of the rain.

**Jeremie: **You're still calling me that? _Jeremie's face darkens. _Hasn't Odd told you what I have done?

**Aelita: **He has.

_Jeremie's mind stops in disbelief. _

**Jeremie: **Then, why are you-?

**Aelita: **You didn't fail Ulrich. We all did. The moment we decided to lower our guard and leave everything to Christophe, we failed Ulrich. And I was the one who pushed for it the most. _More tears well up in Jeremie's eyes. _And then as usual we made you do the impossible.

_Jeremie's heart swells with gratitude, but a pang of self-criticism makes him spiral down again. _

**Jeremie: **Don't try to ignore the simple facts, Aelita. Just leave me.

_Aelita grabs his shoulder and forces him to sit up. Jeremie rises and looks at Aelita in wonder. She puts his glasses on him and smiles. _

**Aelita: **I am not abandoning you Jeremie. Not again. I will not let Moriarty tear you apart again. We still need you. _She embraces him, giving him a feeling of warmth amidst the cold rain. _And I still need you even more.

_Jeremie's eyes turn out steady streams of tears. He finally breaks down and cries openly in Aelita's arms. She holds him close. _

**Aelita: **Come on. Let's get you inside.

_In the infirmary, Christophe begins to open his eyes. He sees the blurry image of Yolanda patting a wet rag on his head. Once his memory returns to him, he bolts up and grabs Yolanda's arm, causing her to yelp in surprise. _

**Christophe: **Where am I?!

**Yolanda: **The infirmary, Christophe. Please calm down.

_He looks around. Several students lie in beds next to him. Several parents are with their kids as well, although they are currently staring at Christophe due to his outburst. He then refocuses on his own body. He is shirtless, with his suit folded on the table next to him. _

**Christophe: **What happened?

**Yolanda: **You were knocked out by the short circuit in the trustee parlor. But don't worry, no permanent damage was done.

**Christophe: **Short circuit? _Christophe's face becomes grim. _Wait. Mr. Stern. What happened to Mr. Stern?!

_Yolanda, not expecting this question, freezes up. Her sad look tells Christophe all he needs to know. He lies back down. _

**Christophe: **I failed them.

_Later on, Ulrich emerges from inside a hospital door. He briefly stands in the hallway, listening to the sound of crying inside. A tear comes down his own face, but he quickly wipes it away. He puts his hands in his pockets and walks toward the vending machine. As he inserts a euro, he notices a familiar girl in a chair next to him. He is taken by surprise. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi?

**Yumi: **Figured you would come by this way eventually.

**Ulrich: **What are you doing here? It's very late, shouldn't you be asleep?

_She turns her head and looks him in the eye. _

**Yumi: **How can I sleep?

_Ulrich doesn't have an answer for this. He sits down next to her. _

**Ulrich: **Thank you for coming anyway.

**Yumi: **I wasn't going to sit by while you deal with this. You've never done that to me.

_Ulrich sighs and leans his head back. _

**Ulrich: **Very true.

_An awkward pause ensues. Ulrich looks over at Yumi's face. She is biting her lip, signaling to Ulrich that she is conflicted about something. _

**Ulrich: **It's okay. I know you're dying to ask.

_Yumi blushes, slightly embarrassed that Ulrich could see right through her. _

**Yumi: **Did…he make it?

_Ulrich rubs his forehead. His eyes gaze at the white, polished floor. _

**Ulrich: **Yes and no. He's alive, but he's in a coma. Not dead…but not far off either.

**Yumi: **When do they say he will wake up?

_Ulrich rests his hands on his knees. He runs his fingers through the fabric. He closes his eyes and speaks in an emotionally strained voice. _

**Ulrich: **To tell the truth, the doctors say it's doubtful he will… ever wake up.

_Yumi lets the full weight of the truth sink in for a moment. _

**Yumi: **So it's permanent…

**Ulrich: **Very likely so.

_Yumi lowers her head. _

**Yumi: **How is your mom taking this?

**Ulrich: **Not well. She may not have liked him, in fact part of her still wants to murder him, but he's her husband all the same.

**Yumi: **Both of your relationships with him were….complicated at best.

**Ulrich: **Yeah…and now to make things worse…those vultures from my dad's business are already calling my mom. Seems a coma puts one's finances and estate in major limbo.

_Yumi starts to think over this. She reaches an inevitable realization. _

**Yumi: **So, if that's the case, what does that mean for you? I mean, you are his heir…

_Ulrich clasps his hands together and rests them on his forehead. A look of disgust takes shape on his face. _

**Ulrich: **I don't know. And I don't care.

_Back in Kadic, Odd starts to dream again. He too wanders in a hospital, but in a different place and a different time. The dream leads him to a single room at the end of the hall. He sees a blonde-haired man staring at the door, clearly hesitating to go in. The lab coat makes Odd think that he is a doctor, but another look makes him realize that it is Moriarty again. He is slightly older than he was last time. Odd walks up behind him, knowing full well that Moriarty can't see him. _

**Moriarty: **I can't just…go in unannounced like this. _He looks up. _And it still pains me but…I can't just not see them. It wouldn't be right.

_He takes a deep breath. He reaches for the door. _

**Moriarty: **Here goes nothing.

_Immediately upon opening the door, Odd is greeted with Schaeffer's voice. He seems to be talking childishly to someone. _

**Schaeffer: **Well aren't you a little cutie. So small and pretty. It's a good thing you mostly got your mother's genes.

_Odd's eyes become as wide as saucers. _

**Odd: **Mother's genes? Wait….My God, is this what I think it is?!

_Odd follows Moriarty into the room. _

**Schaeffer: **Oh you are just so precious! Let's see if she can follow moving objects. Here's my finger…_Pause…_Oh dear it appears she is biting my finger.

**Antea: **Honey, please stop smothering her. She's still adjusting…

**Schaeffer: **Oh right, sorry I guess I got carried aw-

_Schaeffer stops when he notices Moriarty in the room. Both turn to stare at him, caught off guard by his presence. _

**Schaeffer: **André.

**Moriarty: **I know this isn't exactly expected. _He rubs his hands together. _But I believe I once promised an old friend to be there for the birth of his child.

_Odd turns his attention to Antea, staring in wonder at the small bundle in her arms. _

**Odd: **Yes…no doubt about it.

_Antea and Schaeffer look at each other, waiting for the other to take the lead in this situation. Finally Antea speaks up. _

**Antea: **Yes. Of course. I don't see why not.

**Schaeffer: **I suppose it's only fair we let you keep your promise.

_Antea adjusts her hold on the bundle. The bundle responds by turning over in its blankets. A small infant face peaks out of the fabric. An infant face with a tuft of light pink hair. Odd stares dumbstruck at the sight. Moriarty draws closer to get a better look. Antea looks at the pink bundle with the warm affection of a mother. _

**Antea: **André, I want you to meet our daughter Aelita.


	19. Chapter 19

**Consider this an early New Year and late Christmas present. Things are really starting to heat up now….**

**Part 33 **

_The digital void turns from blue to purple as the Skid enters the periphery of the core. The Skid cuts quickly in between different pathways, trying to confuse the turrets. Finally the Skid enters a major conduit to the core and maintains pursuit. The Skid crosses into the danger zone, but no turrets open up. For a moment the Network is quiet. But the tranquility is soon shattered by the approach of the Black Skid from behind. The dark counterpart follows the Skid closely. Within the black cockpit, the harpy Dark Aelita clutches the controls. She adjusts her sights and locks on to her prey. The malevolent glint of her master shines in her eyes. _

**Dark Aelita: **Rather persistent, aren't they?

_A few responses come from the Nav Skids. _

**Dark William: **The fifth time this week I believe.

**Dark Ulrich: **That cyberbridge of theirs is annoying. I wish Master would let us take it out.

**Dark William: **They clearly insist on being continuously destroyed…

**Dark Yumi: **….I don't see a down side to that…

**Dark Aelita: **Quiet! I can't kill and listen to your drivel at the same time!

_She charges her weapons and focuses. She hesitates for only a moment. _

**Dark Aelita: **Fire!

_A torpedo swims through the void toward the Skid. The Skid dodges to the side just in time. Dark Aelita is not amused. _

**Dark Aelita: **You're not going anywhere…

_Three more torpedoes stream towards the Skid. This time they hit their target and explode in a flurry of bright light. Dark Aelita sits back in the cockpit. _

**Dark Aelita: **Easy as usual.

_The Skid starts to come apart, but instead of exploding, the Skid merely fades out of existence. Dark Aelita regards this with suspicion. She leans forward. _

**Dark Aelita: **What is this? No explosion? That's not normal.

**Dark Ulrich: **Did you hit them or not?!

**Dark Aelita: **Of course I hit them! I blew them into oblivion. But something isn't right…

_The Dark Skid continues quietly through the void. Dark Aelita scans the area, trying to assure herself that her prey didn't escape. _

**Dark William: **Come to think of it, don't we usually see a blue light when they-?

_Dark Aelita suddenly becomes agitated. _

**Dark Aelita: **Wait! My radar is pick-

_The rest is cut off when the Dark Skid undergoes a sudden collision. The Dark Warriors reel from the impact. Red warning alarms go off. _

**Dark Ulrich: **What was that?!

_A shadow passes through the corner of Dark Yumi's eye. She points. _

**Dark Yumi: **Over there! There they are!

_Dark Ulrich suddenly turns his head. _

**Dark Ulrich: **No! Over there!

_Dark William notices something below. _

**Dark William: **No! They're down there!

_Dark Aelita growls in frustration. _

**Dark Aelita: **They can't be in three places at once! Where are they?!

_A sudden second collision leaves the entire Dark Skid spinning in circles. Dark Aelita lands headfirst on the controls. She slowly looks up. Greeting her sight is the image of the Skid quickly bearing down on them. A torpedo slams into their shields. The perspective switches to Aelita, who has turned the hunter into the hunted. _

**Aelita: **The projection decoy worked like a charm, Jeremie. They are at our mercy.

_Scene shifts to the lab. A somber but deeply focused Jeremie gives out orders. At his side are Christophe and Natalya, who eagerly watch the battle. Christophe's eyes are glued to the screen, chafing from the desire to be in the battle with them. _

**Jeremie: **Okay…now's our chance. _He looks up. _We finish this today.

_Aelita doesn't waste any time. She releases the Nav Skids. _

**Aelita: **Tear them apart! Finish them before they have time to release as well!

_Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi separate and go straight for their target. _

**Odd: **I'm hungry. Who's up for 'sitting duck'?

**Yumi: **I am. But we should probably roast it first.

**Ulrich: **Agreed.

_A torrent of torpedoes slams into the Dark Skid, eliminating its shields. The Dark Skid fires back, but the attacks are disorganized and the three easily avoid them. They come back into formation. _

**Yumi: **Alright, altogether now…

_Ulrich stares down his opponent, hungry for destruction. _

**Ulrich: **Fire!

_The second wave blows the Dark Skid to pieces within seconds. Shortly afterwards, the turrets open up. Aelita begins retreating. _

**Aelita: **Fall back. We've done our part. _The Nav Skids follow her out of the core zone. _Now let's hope we gave William enough time.

_Several passages away, William closes in on the core. He remains intensely focused, not letting any detail of the passage before him escape him. The core comes within his sights. _

**William: **100 meters. Come on…Just give me a little more time…

_The turrets finally start to appear. They quickly hone in on him. _

**William: **No. I've come too far to let you stop me.

_His Nav Skid spins in circles as the turrets open fire. Experience has crafted his reflexes enough to allow him to glide through the hail of fire. He takes no damage and keeps going. The end of the passage is within sight. Jeremie watches, stunned that their likelihood of success has skyrocketed. He quakes with disbelief and excitement. _

**Jeremie: **He….he's going to make it! HE'S GOING TO MAKE IT!

_Natalya leans in, nearly knocking Jeremie out of the way. _

**Natalya: **Keep going William! Blow him to hell!

_Right as William reaches the exit of the passage, a large turret stands in his way. William doesn't flinch. One torpedo blows it out of commission before the turret can even fire. William passes into the large circular space. The massive core greets its sight. Its pyramid structures continue to rotate around the glass sphere. For a brief moment, William allows himself to take in the sheer wonder and size of the structure. But that moment lasts only a split second. The feeling is quickly replaced by hatred and an absolute longing to see Moriarty destroyed. The feeling becomes so strong that William almost forgets how to target the core. He lines his sights, boiling with anticipation and incredulity that this is actually happening. William wastes no time. _

**William: **Moriarty, I imagined you dying in many different, horrible ways. _He places his finger over the trigger. _But right now, I don't think I could ask for a better end than finishing you off myself while my girlfriend cheers me on. So that being said- _He fires his torpedo_- ROT IN HELL!

_The torpedo hits its target perfectly. A small explosion from the impact is soon followed by a large one. A beam of light streams from the core. William reacts quickly and ducks out of the way right before the blast blows him away. The blast continues through the surrounding area and unexpectedly comes out of the infected zone and destroys the Skid and the other Nav Skids before they can even react. The blue light of the cyberbridge recovers them. Back at the core, the blinding light subsides. William looks up, expecting the whole thing to be gone. But to his horror, the sphere is still there. There is only a large hole in it, brimming with electricity. William's hopes sink into oblivion. _

**William: **WHAT?! IT'S STILL THERE?!

_Jeremie quickly becomes alarmed. _

**Jeremie: **Still there? What do you mean it's still there?!

**William: **The core isn't destroyed. It's just damaged!

**Christophe: **What?!

**Jeremie: **Well then fire again!

_William desperately charges up a final torpedo. At the same time, the electricity spreads from the core into the pyramids. The pyramids begin randomly redirecting it at William. William barely avoids it. _

**William: **WHOA! That was too close…_He lines his sights again. _I'm not letting you drag this on Moriarty. YOU DIE TODAY!

_William fires again, and the torpedo hits its target. Another beam of light, larger than the one before, nearly wipes William's Nav Skid out. The light then gradually clears like before. William looks….and is then crushed to see nothing more than a larger hole in the core. _

**William: **No…

**Jeremie: **William?! William what happened?!

_A terrifying three second pause ensues. _

**William: **It's still there….

_Natalya gasps and Christophe's jaw drops. Jeremie's voice shakes with desperation and rage. _

**Jeremie: **THEN FIRE AGAIN!

**William: **I can't. I'm out of torpedoes!

_This news suddenly reminds Jeremie of Odd's vision. The mental imagery of a Nav Skid ramming into the core invades his mind. His brow becomes damp with sweat. _

**Jeremie: **Okay William, d-don't do anything drastic. Just hold on a second. I'll think of something.

_More electricity comes out of the core. _

**William: **Too late….

_The pyramids cut loose with a large volley of attacks. William and his Nav Skid are extinguished. He stumbles out of the scanner and immediately loses feeling in his legs. He goes down hard. The other warriors come to his side. _

**Aelita: **William?

**William: **So close…._He slams his fist on the floor. _I WAS SO CLOSE!

_No one says anything. The promise of victory has been viciously robbed from them, and they aren't taking it well. Jeremie, Christophe, and Natalya emerge from the elevator. Jeremie's face looks haggard and dejected. He walks into the scanner room with the pace and vigor of an old man. He grimly looks at his comrades. _

**Jeremie: **Our offensive strategy may need some adjustment…

_Later that morning, Jeremie, Aelita, Odd, and Ulrich sit in Mrs. Meyer's class. They sit at their seats, listening to the steady tone of Mrs. Meyer's lecture. At first glance, the warriors seem bored, but a simple look at the students' clothing reveals a different emotional state in the room. There is a mix in the classroom between those wearing the black shirts and blue jeans of The Order, and those who are wearing more individual attire. It is not an equal mix. Those wearing the uniform of The Order hold the majority in the classroom. Occasional looks of contempt pass around the classroom. The most obvious look of hatred comes from Herb, who takes time to look back and glare at Jeremie every now and then. Odd nervously taps his fingers on the table, trying to not make eye contact with anyone. Aelita looks up at the clock, praying for the class period to end soon. Ulrich shows no visible reaction. He merely takes notes and acts normal, as if purposely sending a message to enemies in the classroom that he will not intimidated. Jeremie sits back, calmly observing the situation and keeping his cool. Fearful of drawing too much attention to himself, Jeremie withdraws into his own thoughts. _

_Jeremie: If only William had pulled it off today. We might not have had to deal with this…..Everyday it just gets worse and worse. What has it been….almost two weeks since the dance? __He looks around the room. __The atmosphere just keeps getting more hostile. _

_Mrs. Meyer writes on the chalkboard. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **And if we remember that sin 2x is also the same as 2 sin x cos x, then the problem is easily solved. _She pauses. _And that's that. That wasn't too hard was it? _She smiles, giving most of its pleasantness toward those wearing black shirts in the classroom. _Once you break a problem like this down, it's nothing more than a large assortment of simple steps.

_She lays the chalk down. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **It's important that you memorize these trigonometric identities. Knowing them could mean the difference between solving a complex problem like this and staring at it in utter confusion. Oftentimes students are stumped because they simply forget that these identities can work in their favor. So keep these in mind, okay?

_The Order members quickly respond together. _

**The Order members: **Yes, Lieutenant Meyer.

_Mrs. Meyer's smile broadens as she erases the chalkboard. It is clear that she is still enjoying her new title. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **Without these identities, problems at this level seem impossible. They are confusing and difficult at best. One might call it organized chaos…._She turns to address the students. She walks around the desk, revealing a black skirt hanging just below her blue top. The Order insignia is conspicuously attached to her shirt. _It's comforting to know that we have these identities to solve this mess. To bring…order into chaos.

_Her kind stare evaportates as her eyes move toward the more rebellious students. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **Yes, that's right students. With these identities you can bring even the most difficult problems into line.

_Aelita leans closer to Jeremie. _

**Aelita: **She's stopped talking about math, hasn't she?

**Jeremie: **Yes. She stopped a long time ago.

**Mrs. Meyer: **Needless to say, I expect you all to know these identities perfectly for the upcoming quiz.

**The Order members: **Understood, Lieutenant Meyer.

**Mrs. Meyer: **Very good. So in the last few minutes of class, let's take a look at a few more example prob-_She stops speaking when she sees César leaning back lazily in his chair. She coughs. _César, would you be so kind as to assume the ...proper posture in class?

_He doesn't answer her. He just continues to sit back pretending to be asleep. Judgmental eyes begin to focus on him. Mrs. Meyer becomes visibly irritated. Sissi, who is sitting next to him, nudges for him to stop, but César doesn't budge. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **César, that wasn't a suggestion. When you are in my class, you will sit properly. Do you understand me?

_He starts snoring. A couple of students stifle their laughter. Mrs. Meyer turns red with rage. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **This is the fourth time you have challenged me this week, César. I am not amused. This is dreadfully unbecoming of you. _She stands up. _Do you think that just because you are a prince you can ignore everything I say?

**César: **No. Being a prince has nothing to do with it.

**Mrs. Meyer: **Then why do you do it?

_César remains quiet for a moment. Sissi, seeing her chance, tries to talk some sense into him. _

**Sissi: **Please just sit up. Don't do this, you're causing a scene.

_César glances over at Sissi with a mischievous smile on his face. He then turns back to Mrs. Meyer. _

**César: **I give teachers the same amount of respect that they give themselves. If they have no self-respect, then why should I treat them any differently?

_A pen can be heard dropping in the room. Mrs. Meyer's eyes widen and her face turns a deeper shade of crimson. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **How dare…

**César: **_Usted es la mascota de Renard _(You are Renard's pet). You go along with this silly game just as much as him. Sometimes I feel like you take it more seriously than him. You suck up to him as if this little charade at school meant the difference between life and death. And that, Lieutenant Meyer, is why I don't respect you.

_Mrs. Meyer explodes. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **YOU! TO THE PRINCIPAL NOW!

**César: **That brings up another problem….I don't know which man to go to. I'm at a loss. Do I go to Renard or Delmas? _Debe ser uno de los dos _(It has to be one of the two).

_Paul Gilliard stands up, cocking his fist and spitefully glaring at the prince. _

**Paul: **You Outcast piece of-

**Mrs. Meyer: **Paul! We will not say that word in this classroom! Do you understand me?!

**Paul: **But he-

**Mrs. Meyer: **Sit down! _Paul reluctantly obeys. _And you, César, leave this classroom immediately!

_César gets up to leave. As he reaches the door, he turns back around. _

**César: **One more thing….don't assume too much Paul. I don't represent anyone other than myself. I'm on nobody's side in this game of yours.

_He exits the classroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. Mrs. Meyer slams it shut. Several seconds later the bell rings. Mrs. Meyer burns in anger, realizing that César wasted her last few minutes of class. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **Well, I guess that's it then. I guess we need to end class.

_She moves in front of her desk. Everyone in class stands up. The Order members stand at attention. Aelita reaches over and squeezes Jeremie's hand. Jeremie doesn't react. _

**Jeremie: **Here we go again…

_Mrs. Meyer leads the classroom in a salute to The Order. They do it flawlessly together without thinking. It has become second nature to them. But the warriors, Sissi, Claire, Theo, Azra, and a few others abstain. Immediately hostile stares are directed at them. Mrs. Meyer is no exception. Their response doesn't seem to surprise her, but it is clear that she considers it just as disrespectful as César's earlier stunt. She lowers her arms, prompting The Order students to follow her example. She sighs. _

**Mrs. Meyer: **I'm sad to see that some of you still won't embrace the new way of things here at Kadic. I'm truly disappointed. I hope that one day you see the good of what we are doing. Foregoing a culture of discipline and community…it's a wonder some of you still get good grades.

_She signals for the class to leave. They do so. Jeremie is the last to exit. As he reaches the door, he looks over his shoulder. _

**Jeremie: **Maybe we still get good grades because it's impossible in math to grade on personal preference…

_He walks out of the room without leaving Mrs. Meyer a chance to respond. _

_The clock strikes noon at Kadic. Students mill about, either going to classes or lunch. Faculty walk around normally, indicating business as usual. But the separation between those with black shirts and Order patches and those without is still very much apparent. In the middle of the courtyard, Milly and Tamiya let their voices be heard. _

**Milly: **Come get the latest issue of _The Kadic Herald_!

**Tamiya: **Brand new issue! "Should Kadic be worried about its wiring and infrastructure?"

**Milly: **Also, "Rumors of subversion intensify. Who are 'The Outcasts'?"

**Tamiya: **And a special interview with Dr. Renard regarding his opinion of France's place in the European Union!

**Milly: **Grab them while you can! Stay in the know with _The Kadic Herald_!

_A small crowd gathers around the top journalists of Kadic. Meanwhile all of the warriors walk past them and cross in front of the cafeteria. Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, and Christophe walk ahead of Jeremie, Aelita, William, and Natalya so as to avoid too much suspicion. As the last four warriors cross in front of the cafeteria door, they see an eighth grader being thrown out. He falls to the ground. Paul Gilliard walks out the door, followed by Hiroki and Johnny. All of them are wearing black shirts and Order patches. The eighth grader fearfully looks up at them. _

**Paul: **And if I see you intimidating younger students into giving up their dessert portions again, I will personally see to it that you eat your own fist. Got it?!

_The student gets up and starts to hurry away from his attackers. _

**Xavier: **Y-yes! No problem! It won't happen again!

_He takes off. Hiroki and Johnny give each other high-fives. _

**Johnny: **Too cool!

**Hiroki: **I enjoyed that way too much!

_Aelita grabs Jeremie's hand. She moves closer to him. Jeremie looks at William. William nods and starts to pick up the pace. Jeremie turns to Aelita. _

**Jeremie: **Just keep walking…

**Aelita: **I'm really glad Yumi didn't see that.

**Jeremie: **I know. I know.

_They pass the cafeteria and start walking towards the science building. Jeremie looks up and sees the first group of warriors walk into the building. He motions to William. _

**Jeremie: **Let's go around and take the other entrance.

**William: **Are you sure? Seems a bit unnecessary.

_Jeremie shakes his head. He looks from side to side, eyeing the black shirts around him. Several of them give him uninviting looks. He walks in front of William. _

**Jeremie: **We're taking the other entrance…

_The three other warriors follow. They pass by the front of the science building, shrouded by the shadows of the trees in the courtyard. Jeremie continues to keep a watchful eye for a trouble. This watchful eye of his notices Moriarty walking with a woman he has never seen before. Though they seem to be having a pleasant conversation, Moriarty appears to be struggling with a painful are within hearing range. _

**Moriarty: **You'll have to excuse my limp today Ms. Durand. I'm afraid I had a bad spill this morning. My ankle is a little messed up.

_The well-dressed Ms. Durand smiles, ignoring a groan of pain from Moriarty. _

**Ms. Durand: **Oh it's perfectly alright. Not your fault anyway. I've always want to meet with France's new hero. Although you might want to get a cast for your ankle.

_Moriarty politely brushes that idea aside. _

**Moriarty: **Oh it's nothing. It will be better in no time. So how do you like your visit to Kadic so far?

_Jeremie raises an eyebrow. Aelita looks questioningly at him. _

**Aelita: **Visit?

_Jeremie motions for Aelita to be quiet. The four slow down their pace so they can hear. The cluster of trees partially hides them from sight. _

**Ms. Durand: **I'll be honest with you Dr. Renard. I was a little creeped out at first by this new Kadic. What with your Order thing and all. I was worried you were creating a cult here!

**Moriarty: **A cult?! Why that seems a little ridiculous don't you think? Did you think we were brainwashing them?

_Ms. Durand laughs. _

**Ms. Durand: **Oh I know it's silly. But your approach is so unusual. _She looks off to the side. She sees a student drop her books. At first the student appears upset, but within a moment's notice three Order members show up and offer her aid. Ms. Durand marvels at this display of academic brotherhood. _But now that I've seen it for myself, your way of doing things here may be just what Lincoln needs. We've had discipline and favoritism issues for years, yet we still scored higher than Kadic for the longest time. But now you're trouncing us! _She notices a biology class outside. The teacher shows them the fruits of several bushes. The students observe him with complete focus. _If your little roleplaying can do this much good for Kadic, then who's to say that it can't work for Lincoln as well? Why-_Her face lights up_- forget Lincoln! All of France could follow your example!

**Moriarty: **Well….let's not get crazy here. I'm not sure how that would even be possible.

**Ms. Durand: **I suppose you're right. But do you think we could apply your policies to Lincoln?

_Moriarty scratches his chin and appears conflicted, pretending to not be comfortable with the idea. _

**Moriarty: **Hmmn…I suppose so. Once Ms. Kensington leaves for your school, I'm sure we could work….something out.

_They walk away. William, Natalya, and Aelita watch them leave, utterly speechless from what they have just heard. But Jeremie merely shakes his head in disappointment and keeps walking. The other three head after him. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie wait!

**William: **Hold up! _William catches up to him and grabs him by the shoulder. Jeremie reluctantly turns around. _Moriarty's trying to expand The Order, isn't he?

**Jeremie: **Of course. Did you honestly think he would stop at Kadic?

_William and Natalya's mouths drop, shocked that Jeremie is not surprised by this at all. _

**Aelita: **You knew that this would happen?

**Jeremie: **Didn't I tell you that Moriarty wants to make a dangerous political movement? How can he do that if he doesn't expand to other schools?

_Aelita quickly understands. She gets a sickening feeling in her stomach. _

**Aelita: **So being the hero of France and getting Kadic to turn on us is only the beginning…Why stop at one school in France...

**Natalya: **When you can have….all of them.

_Aelita smacks her forehead. _

**Aelita: **Idiot! Why didn't I see it before?!

_William, blown away by the magnitude of what he has just heard, leans against the trunk of the tree. _

**William: **Dear God….I was so blind.

**Jeremie: **I guess I should have made my suspicions a bit clearer. Of course, I wasn't totally sure that would be his method of approach until just now. But I thought you were all thinking the same thing I was. _He awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. _I suppose I didn't want to pressure you too much with what you already knew.

_The four silently linger next to the science building for a few moments. _

**Natalya: **So what do we do now?

**Jeremie: **Now…we go to the meeting. _He turns around. _We're already late.

_The four descend down to the basement of the science building. The walls around them are solid stone. Dim fluorescent lights brighten the windowless space. The four walk together in silence. As they approach one large metal door, they are greeted by the other four warriors. _

**Yumi: **Why'd you take so long getting here?

**Jeremie: **We could ask you the same question.

**Yumi: **We caught Emmanuel snooping around the hallway. We had to disperse. Didn't want to compromise our location. And you?

_Jeremie approaches the door. _

**Jeremie: **I'll tell you later.

_He knocks on the door three times. A metal slot revealing two suspicious eyes watch them. _

**Léon: **Password?

_Yumi clears her throat. _

**Yumi: **The only order at Kadic is the one that maintains multiculturalism, tolerance, and moderation.

_The gatekeeper rolls his eyes. He is clearly annoyed. _

**Léon: **That was last week's password.

**Yumi: **Oh for the love of…why did you change it?

**Léon: **What do you think? It was too long! I need the new password.

_Yumi groans. She turns back to the others. _

**Yumi: **Anyone hear know it?

_For a moment no one says anything. Then Odd pipes up. _

**Odd: **Uh…Renard sucks?

_Léon thinks this over for a moment. He then closes the metal slot and starts to open the door. _

**Léon: **Close enough…

_The door opens. The figure of a spry and scrawny brown-haired ninth grader motions them down another small hall. He goes to a second metal door and opens it. _

**Léon: **Head on in. We've already started.

_The warriors pass by Léon and walk into a crowded and dank room. Pipes run above them on the ceiling. A boiler in the corner keeps the room relatively warm. The warriors take a seat in the back. Immediately after they sit, they realize that the chairs they are sitting on are old and squeaky. Odd tries to move around to test just how old and squeaky his chair really is, but a sharp look from Aelita stops him. They turn their attention to Jim, who speaks to the small crowd without a podium. Michael Reilley stands next to him, awkwardly watching him pace around. _

**Jim: **…Despite Renard's claims, there is nothing wrong with the administrative building's wiring. I checked it myself. Why it was only replaced a few years ago. It doesn't make logical sense to blame old wiring when the wires aren't old to begin with. The facts don't add up. So we must campaign to reveal another of Renard's clever lies. I would recommend anonymously writing opinion pieces for _The Kadic Herald. _

_Mrs. Hertz stands up. _

**Mrs. Hertz: **Jim, what exactly is preventing them from not printing our opinions?

**Jim: **Absolutely nothing. Luckily I anticipated that and came up with a backup plan. _He smiles ridiculously, obviously proud that he had the wits to conjure up a "backup plan". _If they refuse to print the truth, then we'll create our own newspaper. We'll compete with _The Kadic Herald _for the school's attention!

_Some Outcast members clap at this. But Delmas speaks up before the applause gets too loud. _

**Delmas: **But what is stopping Renard from outlawing other newspapers on campus?

**Jim: **Absolutely nothing. _He points into the crowd. _Which is why I came up with a backup plan to my backup plan! Show them Reilley!

_Michael Reilley holds up flyers. Then, after receiving a nod of approval from Jim, he throws them into the air, causing them to land everywhere in the room. Some students and faculty react negatively to this unnecessary mess. But Jim is enthusiastic. _

**Jim: **You now see my point. Newspapers can be stopped. But individual flyers cannot. We can act individually, handing out the truth whether they want it or not. They can't stop all of us. And if they are really determined to stop us- _He clenches his fist and confidently shakes it in the air_-then we'll throw them out of our windows, spreading them around the school. Truth will rain down on Kadic!

_Michael Reilley throws some more flyers, but Jim waves for him to stop. _

**Jim: **Um, Reilley they get the point.

**Reilley: **Oh…sorry.

**Jim: **But just in case…..I have a backup plan to my backup plan to my backup plan. _Some more intelligent students and faculty roll their eyes at this. _If paper does not work, then…we have technology! We'll send out mass emails and make it so that they don't know who it came from. _Jim stops pacing. _I'm going to be honest. I have no idea how to do that. But I'm sure Jeremie does. So we'll rely on him for that.

_Jeremie, who zoned out when Jim said 'backup' too many times, suddenly wakes back up. _

**Jeremie: **Wait….I'm doing what now?

**Jim: **The point is…we are going to find ways to get around the propaganda here at Kadic. And the other point that is just as important as the first point because it is…._He freezes up on his own thoughts_…it is….has no less value than…oh never mind. The other point is that Renard's story about the wiring is a lot of nonsense. Which of course raises the question of why we had the terrible accident during the…._Jim stops in midsentence when he realizes Ulrich is in the crowd_….uh you know what I'm talking about. We don't know why it happened, but we certainly can't blame it on the wiring.

_Jim remains silent for a few seconds. The look on his face demonstrates his regret for mentioning the incident in front of Ulrich. During that interlude, the Outcast members remain silent. Yumi wraps her arm around Ulrich's shoulder. Ulrich remains stoic amidst the silence. _

**Jim: **Yes….moving on. There is one more thing I need to mention before I go. You know that our last meeting place, the giant study room above the library, was compromised by The Order. It appears that they have done quite a bit of spying, and we now know who to blame. It turns out one of our new students, Angeline Maillard, has been using her…how shall I say….feminine prowess to get information on us. One of our male members was apparently seduced into giving away information. I'm not going to mention who…_He coughs_…Bastien…._Several girls scowl at Bastien, who sinks lower in his chair_…but I'm warning male Outcasts to beware her female charms and more importantly…. keep it in your pants!

_Some of the more immature Outcasts chuckle at this. Mrs. Hertz glares at Jim, and Delmas lowers his head in shame. _

**Delmas: **Please tell me he didn't just say that.

**Nicole: **He did sir…

**Jim: **That about wraps up today's meeting. We will reconvene tomorrow night at 8. Be here…or else. _People start to stand up and walk out. _I'm also going to need help picking up these flyers before you go. _They keep exiting at the same pace. _Or not…

_Ulrich stuffs his hands in his pockets and walks behind Yumi toward the exit. He suddenly feels his arm grabbed from behind. He turns around to see the large figure of Jim standing next to him. The look Jim is giving Ulrich is full of pained empathy. Ulrich quickly tries to pull away, sensing what is to come, but Jim holds him back. _

**Jim: **Hey, hold on now. I just want to talk.

**Ulrich: **No need. I don't need your apology…you didn't do anything wrong.

_Yumi stops and turns around. She observes the situation cautiously, praying that Jim isn't too forceful with him. _

**Jim: **I'm not here to apologize. I just wanted to let you know that I am terribly sorry about what happened. And that I'm here for you in case you want to talk.

_Jim carefully watches Ulrich's face, expecting either tears or an angry outburst. He gets neither. Instead, Ulrich just stares blankly at Jim. His face is as cold as stone. _

**Ulrich: **Thank you Jim. But you don't need to bother. I'll be fine.

**Jim: **If that's how you feel, then I'm not going to push you anymore. I just wanted to let you know.

_He lets go of Ulrich's arm. Ulrich quickly retreats back to Yumi, avoiding Jim's gaze. The two start walking. _

**Jim: **If you change your mind, I'm still ready to listen. _He sighs. _I remember how I felt when my father died…

_Yumi and Ulrich stop walking. Yumi looks over her shoulder, completely stunned at this unexpected news. _

**Yumi: **Jim, you never told us-

**Jim: **It's at the top of the list of things….I'd rather not talk about.

_The warriors eat lunch in the cafeteria. Instead of their usual table near the windows, the warriors have moved into the far back corner of the dining area. The place is packed with loud students, which allows for their presence to mostly go unnoticed. The group of eight sits quietly together, their minds only partly on their meal. All eyes are on Jeremie, who folds his hands together in thought. Ulrich occasionally gives Jeremie stinging looks, which Jeremie tries his best to ignore. William proceeds to interrogate Jeremie. _

**William: **So enlighten me. Why on Earth would you keep Jim in the dark about this? He's the leader of the resistance here. Shouldn't he know Moriarty wants to expand?

**Jeremie: **It's not that simple William…

**Natalya: **Why not? We need to warn the rest of the Outcasts of what Moriarty plans to do, right?

**Jeremie: **Do we? Is that really a good idea?

_Christophe becomes confused. _

**Christophe: **What do you mean? Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

**Jeremie: **I can think of several reasons. First, telling Jim and the rest of the Outcasts that Moriarty plans on expanding The Order could inadvertently bring our allies at school too close to our secret and the magnitude of Moriarty's actual plan.

**Christophe: **I…don't follow.

_Jeremie scratches his head, trying to think of a way to explain this easily. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty wants to take over the world. We know that. The rest of the Outcasts don't. They believe Moriarty's plan involves taking over the school and achieving some permanent hero fame in France. We are both working toward the same goal, to stop Moriarty, but our goal is on a much larger scale. Our involvement with the Outcasts allows us to maintain a delicate balance between fighting Moriarty in the real and virtual world. But…if we tell Jim that Moriarty is spreading The Order elsewhere, then we reveal that Moriarty's plans are political as well. If Jim and the rest of the Outcasts know that Moriarty's plans don't stop at Kadic, their reactions could work against us. For instance, it may prompt the Outcasts to do something desperate to stop him…

**Aelita: **Or intimidate the group into giving up…once they realize that they are dealing with something far out of their league.

_Yumi nods with understanding. _

**Yumi: **And it could cause Jim and Delmas to question how we know all these things about Renard. Then things could really get dicey…

**William: **Nevertheless, Delmas and some of the other faculty in the Outcasts must have some suspicion that Moriarty wants to turn himself into some kind of national demagogue. Or at the very least they will soon enough…

**Ulrich: **William's right…I mean…._He idly stabs his fork into his food. _The Outcasts are going to find out sooner or later what Moriarty is going to do. _He gives Jeremie a cold look. _Why should we keep them in the dark?

**Odd: **Yeah…._Odd sips some water and wipes his mouth. _Why not tell them so we can prevent Moriarty from expanding? We can react quickly.

_Jeremie nods in agreement with Odd, but his obvious lack of enthusiasm with the idea reveals his disapproval. _

**Jeremie: **Reacting quickly is exactly what I'm afraid of. If we are not careful, we could react too quickly, and give Moriarty a distinct advantage over us.

_Yumi looks quizzically at Jeremie. _

**Yumi: **Now I don't follow. How could we react too quickly?

_Jeremie doesn't immediately reply. Instead, he looks at his companions, who are eager for answers. He looks doubtfully at them, wondering to himself if they will be able to understand. He looks down at the table and takes note of the saltshakers, napkins, sugar packs, and other lunch-related things around him. He suddenly smiles and snaps his fingers. He grabs those things and begins to arrange them in a certain way. The warriors stare at Jeremie, caught off guard by his strange behavior. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, what in the world are you-?

**Jeremie: **Just bear with me for a moment….

_Jeremie reaches across the table and takes a bottle of hot sauce out of his hand. Not surprisingly, Odd is not pleased. _

**Odd: **Hey! I was using that!

**Jeremie: **Sorry Odd. I need to borrow it for a moment to explain something important.

**Odd: **More important than hot sauce?!

**Yumi: **Odd, be quiet.

_Jeremie holds the hot sauce up. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, pretend this hot sauce is Moriarty.

**Odd: **I'd rather pretend it was on my food….

**Ulrich: **Shut up Odd.

**Jeremie: **As the head of The Order, he is in the center of a highly disciplined network, one that involves control through hierarchy. _He assembles large sugar packs in a circle around the hot sauce. _A head needs subordinates, so pretend these packs are Klotz, Emmanuel, Meyer, and the other top dogs in The Order. _He puts smaller packs around the large packs. _And of course you have the regular members. _He stops the demonstration for a second. _Now imagine what happens when Moriarty expands. _He puts a knife and fork at different end points of the sugar pack ring. He then puts a ketchup and mustard bottle at the other ends of the knife and fork respectively. _Each of these points jutting off of the main circle would be other schools. And the bottles would be local head of The Order, controlling that district. _He lays sugar packs around the bottles. _And of course you would have subordinates under them in the same fashion. My diagram only shows you two schools, but imagine this on a massive scale.

_Christophe's eyes widen. _

**Christophe: **A huge invisible network, stretched all over France….

**Jeremie: **With Moriarty maintaining control over all of them. Local heads would have some authority-_He puts the hot sauce bottle on top of a metal box of napkins_-but ultimately Moriarty remains in command. _Jeremie leans back in his chair for a moment. _The Order's rigorous discipline and organization combined with his hero status makes his plan very feasible. The utensils I've laid down represent lines of communication back to Kadic, where Moriarty controls all the strings. Communication between schools is the key for Moriarty to maintain power.

**Odd: **That's fantastic Einstein, but what does this have to do with not telling Jim about Moriarty's plans?

**Jeremie: **Patience Odd. I'm getting there. I set up this diagram to show you how easy it would be for Moriarty to spread The Order from school to school. People like Ms. Durand will spread the word, and before you know it schools in Paris will all look like Kadic. France will easily follow. My point is that I don't think it is possible to prevent Moriarty from expanding. He has too many resources at his disposal. We could try to warn other schools before it's too late, but The Order could easily use their test scores and manipulative powers to make us look like the bad guys. And they will succeed.

_Christophe suddenly becomes agitated. _

**Christophe: **So you're saying we should admit defeat?!

**Jeremie: **No Christophe. That's not what I meant. I'm just admitting that preventing Moriarty's expansion is impossible. It's important for us to accept that fact, because it determines our next move.

_Yumi scratches the side of her head. _

**Yumi: **Okay so stopping the spread of The Order to the other school is futile…I got that part. But how does that determine our next move?

_Jeremie smiles and adjusts his glasses. He is clearly enjoying having the rest of the warriors in such rapt attention. He clears off his Order diagram. _

**Jeremie: **Alright, let's look at the issue from our angle. _He holds up a salt shaker and places it back on the table. _This is Jim. And this…_He puts some sugar packs haphazardly around the salt shaker…_.is the rest of the Outcasts.

_Ulrich raises his eyebrow. _

**Ulrich: **How come we aren't in a circle?

**Jeremie: **Because we honestly don't have the kind of organization and discipline The Order has. We value freedom of thought and individualism. Those are great values, but they come at the price of being outmatched in organizational strength. _He taps the top of the salt shaker. _If we tell Jim now, it's not hard to think what his response will be. He will try to match Moriarty and expand the Outcasts to other schools as well.

_Natalya shrugs. _

**Natalya: **Well, isn't that a good thing? Don't we want to do that? That could give us a major edge.

_Jeremie bites his lip. The look on his face speaks to the doubt creeping into his mind. _

**Jeremie: **Yes and no. If Jim goes ahead with his plan, I foresee two possible scenarios that will come of it. And both are not good.

_Aelita's face becomes grim. _

**Aelita: **What are they?

**Jeremie: **The most likely one is this…_Jeremie puts two forks next to the salt shaker. He places the ketchup and mustard bottle at the other end of the utensils. _Jim will try to warn other schools and set up our influence before The Order does. This may seem like a good idea, but once The Order does move in, it could prove disastrous. Moriarty will come in showing off all the great things about The Order, and he will manipulate the other schools into thinking our warnings were complete lies. And those schools will believe him. They will turn on Jim…_He takes the forks away_…and our own expansion effort would fail. We would be left isolated, and at the mercy of a massively growing organization.

_Some of the warriors shudder at the thought. They can see the truth in Jeremie's prediction. _

**William: **Okay, what's the other one?

**Jeremie: **The second scenario is slightly better. In this scenario, Jim does set up the Outcast influence successfully. The Order comes in, but they are unable to get rid of us. We succeed in matching Moriarty's level of expansion.

**Christophe: **Sounds good so far. Where does this go wrong?

**Jeremie: **The problem is that we don't have the rigorous organizational structure Moriarty has. And if we spread-_He sits up a pepper shaker and parmesan shaker some distance away from the salt Jim._-eventually our chain of command falls apart. Local leaders will pop up, and they will pursue their own policies to deal with The Order. Notice I didn't put utensils connecting Jim to the other leaders. They won't respect Jim as the head like The Order would to Moriarty. Our goals and efforts would be confused and misguided. In this scenario, Moriarty uses his superior organization_-He uses the hot sauce to knock the salt shaker over. Grains of salt spill onto the table._-to divide and conquer.

_Ulrich growls in frustration and bangs his fist against the table. A pair of murderous eyes look down at Jeremie_

**Ulrich: **So you're saying we're screwed?! That the Outcasts can't fight back?!

_Yumi lightly touches his shoulder. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, please….calm down.

_Ulrich keeps his mouth shut, but his body remains tense. Yumi, seeing that Ulrich can't be comforted right now, sadly looks away from him. Jeremie continues, putting out of his mind that frightening stare Ulrich was giving him. _

**Jeremie: **I never said that Ulrich. I just said this would happen if we tell Jim now.

_The wheels in Aelita's head begin to turn. _

**Aelita: **So…you're saying-

_Jeremie nods. _

**Jeremie: **Yes. It's all a matter of timing. _He sets the salt shaker back up. _If we wait until The Order has already expanded, then the game changes. I don't think it's possible for Moriarty to manipulate an entire school, so wherever The Order spreads, there will be those who will oppose it. Students and faculty will see firsthand how corrupt and twisted The Order really is. But, like in Kadic, they will be the oppressed minority. They will become desperate looking for something to oppose this madness. _He taps salt Jim again. _That…is when we come in. By the time the rest of the Outcasts catch wind of this, schools will already be infected and those desperate minorities will come looking for someone to lead them. _He puts forks on the table, connecting salt Jim with the pepper and parmesan shaker. _Having no other choice, they will follow the Kadic Outcasts' lead, and division can be avoided. _He clears off the shakers and utensils and leans back in his chair, reveling in his own genius. _And that's how we match Moriarty on the national scale. We need our enemy to clear a path for us before we move in. Not the other way around.

_The entire table is quiet as the warriors try to absorb all of what Jeremie has spoken about. Most of the warriors gradually warm up to Jeremie's reasoning. But Odd doesn't look so confident. He taps his spoon against his glass. His nervous look tells the other warriors that this extended talk about Moriarty spreading his power has made him feel uncomfortable. William finally breaks the silence. _

**William: **I get it. It's all part of your strategy. You want Moriarty to make the first move.

**Jeremie: **Exactly. It's like a game of chess. _He looks down at his food. _And France is the chessboard.

_Aelita makes a face. She then shakes her head in disapproval. _

**Aelita: **I don't know Jeremie. You are assuming a lot. You can't be sure the schools will respond that way.

**Jeremie: **I admit it's a gamble. But I'm sure that if we try to spread now, Moriarty will overshadow us. If there's one thing I don't doubt, it's his power to manipulate. I think my plan is the safest bet.

_Aelita doesn't seem to be satisfied. She looks down at the table. _

**Aelita: **You are probably right Jeremie. Your plan could very well work. But even so…think of the consequences.

**Jeremie: **Consequences? What are you referring to?

**Aelita: **Jeremie…think about it. Two opposing groups spread throughout all the schools in France…it's a perfect recipe for all out violence!

_The conversation is interrupted by the sounds of people in the cafeteria getting up and crowding around the window. Outside, they can hear the sounds of cheering and fighting. Sissi pushes her way through the crowd. She looks outside and frowns. _

**Sissi: **Oh no….not again!

**Ulrich: **Sissi, what's going on?

_Sissi turns around. _

**Sissi: **Henri and Jean-Baptiste. They're at it again.

_Scene shifts outside. The Order member Henri faces off with Jean-Baptiste. Henri rolls up the sleeves of his black shirt. Behind him, some Order members cheer him on. Mathias is at the head of them all. _

**Mathias: **Do it Henri! _He passionately gives him The Order salute. _Crush this outcast!

_Jean-Baptiste spits on the ground. His companions Theo and Romain cheer him on. _

**Theo: **He's nothing Pujol! Waste this loser!

_Henri makes the first move. Jean-Baptiste stays on his toes, inviting his approach. Henri starts off with a right hook aimed for his forehead. But Jean-Baptiste ducks and punches Henri in the chest. Henri doubles back, but doesn't let the pain hold him for long. He kicks Jean-Baptiste in the stomach, sending him to the ground. But Jean-Baptiste grabs his foot and brings him down with him. The fight turns into a dirty struggle on the ground. Both sides continue to cheer their guy on. Jim then appears on the scene, shouting for everyone to break it up. He picks Henri and Jean-Baptiste by the collar. He glares at both of them. _

**Jim: **You two again?! If you keep this up both of you are going to be expelled!

_Jean-Baptiste wipes some blood from his cheek. He whispers to himself. _

**Jean-Baptiste: **Some leader you are…

_The group crowded around the window starts to disperse. Aelita, seeing that the fight is over, restarts the conversation. _

**Aelita: **Fights like that are getting more and more common Jeremie. Imagine that on a national scale. If the tension gets any worse, expansion could turn this whole thing into a bloodbath.

_Yumi stops eating, having suddenly lost her appetite. She looks up at Jeremie. _

**Yumi: **Aelita does have a point. Do we really want to start something like that?

_Odd shudders. _

**Odd: **Fights would break out all the time….it could get out of hand quickly.

**Jeremie: **Very true Odd. But the situation is already 'out of hand'. Would you prefer the alternative…not fighting back?

_The warriors vehemently deny Jeremie's claim, William chief among them. _

**William: **Never…Jeremie's plan is tough to swallow, but it is necessary. _He looks around the table, making sure all the warriors hear. _If Moriarty wants to expand, we have no choice but to match him.

**Yumi: **That's true but…

**Jeremie: **But what?

**Yumi: **It's just that-_She pauses and takes a deep breath._-so far your plans have only been combatting Moriarty here on Earth. So far you have mentioned nothing about Lyoko. Everything you have talked about can work, but don't forget that we can't permanently beat Moriarty that way. We need a Lyoko victory, and you have not said a word about how to do that. William hit that core twice and it only made Moriarty suffer a limp. Destroying that core was our strategy….how are we supposed to eliminate Moriarty if the core has such strong defenses?

_Everyone's eyes turn to Jeremie. He quickly feels uncomfortable. He hesitates for a moment. Then he looks down at the table and groans. _

**Jeremie: **Have I ever told you how much I hate it when you stare at me like that?

**Aelita: **But she does bring up a good point. What's our next course of action?

_Jeremie empties his glass in one final sip. _

**Jeremie: **Do you want to know the real truth?

**Ulrich: **It would be helpful…

**Jeremie: **The truth is-_The group leans in with anticipation._-I haven't the slightest clue.

_The table becomes silent for about three seconds. _

**Odd: **Thanks for filling us with confidence, Jeremie.

_Jeremie holds his hands up in defense. _

**Jeremie: **Hey, I'm sorry. Moriarty has me stumped right now. Multi-agent research has gone nowhere with him, and he has shown us that the core approach is not that easy. The only thing I can say is that blowing up the core is not off the table...it will just take far more hits then we thought.

**Natalya: **Can't you think of an easier way?

**Jeremie: **For the moment, no. But I may in the near future.

**Yumi: **What makes you say that?

_Jeremie stands up and picks up his tray. _

**Jeremie: **Whenever I've been stumped, the Hermitage has always offered something to help me. Maybe Franz Hopper has something in there that might help me, and I have just overlooked it.

_Odd becomes apprehensive at the idea. _

**Odd: **You want to go back there?

**Jeremie: **Yep. Anyone want to come with me to help?

_Odd forms an X by crossing his forearms. _

**Odd: **No thank you! That is a PTSD attack just waiting to happen. Count me out.

**Aelita: **I…don't really feel like going back there right now.

**Yumi: **I'm way behind on schoolwork.

_Ulrich picks up his tray and leaves the table, avoiding eye contact with Jeremie. _

**Ulrich: **I've got class.

_Jeremie looks hopefully at William and Natalya. _

**Jeremie: **What about you two? I know that afternoon classes happened to be cancelled for you today. Do you have an excuse?

_William turns a little red. Natalya smiles mischievously and leans her head on his shoulder. _

**William: **Actually Jeremie, we were hoping to spend some time at the mall….alone.

**Natalya: **We've wanted to do this for a while…and we finally get the chance. If you think we're not taking this opportunity, you're crazy.

**William: **R-right. Sorry Jeremie, I don't usually ask for a rain check on Lyoko business, but I'm doing it now.

_The warriors start to leave the table. Jeremie shrugs with indifference. _

**Jeremie: **Fine. I guess I'll do it myself.

**Christophe: **Wait! _Christophe stands up. _I haven't been to this place. I want to check it out for myself. Let me help you.

**Jeremie: **Oh…well I guess I didn't think about you-

**Christophe: **Oh come on….let me do something! Are you going to keep me on probation forever?! If it means finding a way to beat Moriarty, I want to help!

_Jeremie holds out his hands to signal for Christophe to calm down. _

**Jeremie: **Okay okay! You can come with me. I warn you that it's not going to be very exciting, but if you insist, I'll bring you along.

_Christophe's face brightens with excitement. _

**Christophe: **Alright! When do we go?

_Jeremie walks past the table and puts his tray away. Christophe follows him. _

**Jeremie: **Meet me at the beginning of the path into the forest in ten minutes. I'll show you the way from there.

**Christophe: **No problem. I'll see you then!

_Christophe runs out the door. Jeremie watches him leave and shakes his head. _

**Jeremie: **Ugh….he's still acting like a rookie. But I guess if I didn't allow him to do this he would go crazy…

_Ulrich sits in music class in the midst of an extremely boring lecture. Ulrich sits in the back, and quickly becomes so bored that he barely notices the music teacher begin a movie for the class to watch. The lights turn off and the movie begins to play. The program has something to do with the history of music, and within five minutes half the class is asleep. The room has been made very warm due to the approach of winter, and that combined with the darkness makes it difficult for Ulrich to stay awake. Before he even realizes it, he finds himself dozing off. As he falls asleep, his mind drifts into a dream. He finds himself in the hospital at his father's bedside. Ulrich solemnly listens as the heart monitor adds some sound to the silent room. His mother sits on the other side of his father. Her face has been twisted with despair beyond the point of tears. Ulrich can't bear to look at his mother, but the sight of his peaceful but comatose father is not much better. He eventually ends up looking at the floor. His mother stands up. _

**Mrs. Stern: **I'm going to the bathroom. Will you be okay…alone with him?

_Ulrich keeps his gaze on the floor. _

**Ulrich: **Why not? He's not going anywhere.

_Mrs. Stern considers a response to this, but decides against it. She walks out of the room and the door closes behind her. Once she leaves, Ulrich lets out a deep sigh. A few seconds pass. _

**Mr. Stern: **You have the nerve to come and see me…?

_Ulrich gasps as a few years are taken off his life. He stares at his father. His eyes are open, and they are staring murderously at Ulrich. He speaks to his son through his oxygen mask. His voice sounds more metallic than before. _

**Mr. Stern: **You failed me….

_Ulrich stands up and backs away from his father. _

**Ulrich: **No…you…you can't. How can you-?

**Mr. Stern: **Why am I stuck to this bed for the rest of my life?

_Cold sweat drips down Ulrich's face. _

**Ulrich: **I…I…

**Mr. Stern: **ANSWER ME SON!

**Ulrich: **I don't know why!

**Mr. Stern: **LIAR!

_Ulrich loses the ability to stand. He lowers himself onto the floor and sits against the wall. _

**Mr. Stern: **You allowed your friends and enemies to play with my body…LIKE IT WAS A TOY! DO YOU HAVE ANY REMORSE?!

**Ulrich: **It's not my fault! If you weren't so greedy, you wouldn't have put yourself in this mess!

**Mr. Stern: **And if you weren't so weak, I might still be walking today…

_Ulrich sits there, speechless in front of his father. His cold eyes of judgment remain transfixed on Ulrich. _

**Mr. Stern: **Fine. If you couldn't save me, the least you could do is avenge me.

**Ulrich: **Moriarty will pay for this, I swear it!

**Mr. Stern: **Not him you idiot! My murderer…kill him.

_Ulrich becomes desperately confused. His body starts to shake. _

**Ulrich: **Your murderer…what are you-_The air is suddenly sucked out of his lungs. He presses his back harder against the wall. _Jeremie?!

**Mrs. Stern: **Yes. _An image of Jeremie appears next to Mr. Stern's bed. _KILL HIM!

**Ulrich: **NO! I would never…I COULD NEVER DO THAT!

_Mr. Stern chuckles. _

**Mr. Stern: **That's not what I see…

_Ulrich suddenly feels something in his hand. He looks down and sees that he is wielding a knife. Ulrich starts to feel sick. _

**Ulrich: **No….No!

**Mr. Stern: **Go ahead son…._The image of Jeremie walks toward Jeremie. Ulrich tries to let go of the knife, but his hand is glued to it. His hand involuntarily starts to stretch toward Jeremie. He tries to resist, but there is no stopping that blade. His father laughs hysterically. _DO IT!

_Ulrich wakes up in an alarmed state. He looks around. The movie is still going on, and half the class is still asleep. Ulrich tries to take a few calming breaths. His heart is still pounding, and his body is covered in sweat. Ulrich looks down at his desk, completely overwhelmed by what has just happened. _

_Several kilometers away, Jeremie and Christophe look through Mr. Schaeffer's small library. Jeremie sits in an old chair, studying a book closely. Another stack lies next to Jeremie, ready for him to read. Christophe taps the books on a shelf sitting at eye level. He tries to seem interested, but his disappointed look tells Jeremie that this is not the Lyoko mission he wanted. Christophe pulls a book off the shelf. It releases a cloud of dust. Christophe coughs and starts to go into a sneezing fit. Jeremie looks up. _

**Jeremie: **Are you allergic to dust?

_Christophe coughs again. _

**Christophe: **Just a little.

**Jeremie: **Then I'm afraid The Hermitage may not be the right place for you.

**Christophe: **Ah man…_Christophe wipes his nose. _Did Aelita seriously used to live here?

**Jeremie: **That's right. _Jeremie flips a page. _She was trapped in Lyoko for almost ten years. The place kinda fell apart during that time.

**Christophe: **Those men from the government…you said that was the reason Aelita and her father had to hide. Do we know anything about them?

_Jeremie keeps his eyes on his book but answers Christophe's question. _

**Jeremie: **We know a little. We know that they know a little about Moriarty, ever since Moriarty killed two of their agents…

_Christophe drops a book to the ground. _

**Christophe: **He did WHAT?!

**Jeremie: **Christophe, don't drop those books. They're fragile! _He pauses. _Yes. He did. And I hate to sound cruel, but I didn't lose a whole lot of sleep on it….not after what they did to Aelita's mother…

_Christophe stops asking questions, sensing that he has hit an emotional chord with Jeremie. He sits down to read the book he dropped. He groans. _

**Christophe: **I hate to complain, but I'm not understanding a word this guy is saying. I won't be able to help you much.

**Jeremie: **I didn't think you would. Just do what you can. Keep an eye out for important things.

**Christophe: **Such as?

**Jeremie: **If there's any mention of virtual molecular theory or weaponized protocols for dynamic and malicious programs, let me know.

_Christophe's face becomes blank. _

**Christophe: **I haven't the slightest clue what you just said.

**Jeremie: **Oh, and if there's any mention of anything to do with the Romans or the Punic Wars, tell me. It might be a hidden code for something important.

**Christophe: **Romans…right-_Christophe scratches the back of his head._-at least I know who those are…or were.

_He looks through the book. He studies it intensely, but Jeremie looks up and discerns that Christophe is still very much confused. Jeremie goes back to his work. A silent ten minutes passes. As Jeremie expected, Christophe soon grows tired of his current book and looks in another one. Another silent minute passes. Suddenly Christophe perks up. _

**Christophe: **Hey, I might have something here.

_Jeremie looks up, expecting it to be nothing. _

**Jeremie: **What?

**Christophe: **This page says something about Cannae. Cannae had something to do with the Romans, right?

_Jeremie, now a lot more interested than before, gets up from his chair and takes a look. _

**Jeremie: **The Cannae Initiative... _Jeremie takes the book from Christophe and gives it a closer look. _Interesting. _Jeremie sits down. _You're right Christophe. Cannae has to do with the Romans. In fact, it has to do with a major battle in the Second Punic War.

**Christophe: **I thought I had heard it from somewhere. So what do you think it is?

**Jeremie: **I think this page is an encrypted launch code for a special program.

**Christophe: **What kind of program?

**Jeremie: **Well, I'm not exactly sure but-

**Christophe: **But what?

_Jeremie pauses, taking some time to read before replying. _

**Jeremie: **Hopper…or should I say Schaeffer…liked to hide his programs behind the historical meaning of the things he named. For instance, Scipio conquered Carthage. Scipio used to be the password to enter Carthage in Lyoko.

**Christophe: **Okay that's great. But what does that have to do with this Cannae Initiative?

_Jeremie's eyes remained glued to the page. Christophe starts to notice that Jeremie is not moving…..or blinking. Christophe then realizes that Jeremie's hands are trembling on the worn pages. Jeremie pushes his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. Christophe approaches Jeremie, now slightly concerned for his comrade. _

**Christophe: **Jeremie…what is the importance of the Battle of Cannae in Roman history?

_Jeremie swallows and doesn't answer right away. _

**Jeremie: **It was…the worst defeat of the Romans in the Second Punic War. Hannibal of the Carthaginians utterly annihilated the Romans. The Roman legions were absolutely crushed and the Roman Republic was brought to its knees. Even after they won the war and defeated Carthage, the legacy of the battle continued to haunt the Roman imagination for centuries.

_Christophe slowly begins to understand why Jeremie is so nervous. A slight chill passes through his body. _

**Christophe: **So if the Battle of Cannae was that horrific…then this Initiative…

**Jeremie: **…May have something to do with annihilating a virtual entity.

**Christophe: **But that's a good thing, right? Don't we need something like that to fight Moriarty?

**Jeremie: **Or it could be designed with annihilating something else. I don't know. Every good thing Schaeffer's knowledge has given us has been named after something positive for the Romans during the wars. I'm nervous as to why he decided to name something after a terrible defeat.

_Jeremie gets up from his chair and paces around. He turns his back to Christophe and walks to a window to get better light. While he does so, a specter crawls out of the wall behind Christophe. Neither of them notice it. _

**Jeremie: **Problem is, once I decode this mess, I'm worried about what will happen if I start it up. Either it's very good or very…very bad.

_The specter attacks Christophe. Christophe silently chokes and goes to his knees. His hands latch onto his throat as his body turns grey. Jeremie is too absorbed in his reading to notice. _

**Jeremie: **Hey, and there's something here on the bottom too. I don't think this is part of the Cannae Initiative. Hmm…interesting. _Jeremie then starts to notice that Christophe has been oddly quiet. Jeremie turns around. _Christophe?

_The figure of Christophe rises from the floor. He opens his eyes. Jeremie's body freezes when he sees the eyes of Moriarty staring back at him. But he doesn't have the luxury to freeze for long. Christophe grabs a nearby lamp and hurls it at Jeremie. Jeremie ducks out of the way and flees into the hall, bringing the book with him. Christophe is close behind him. Red electricity shoots from his fingers, making a hole in a front window. Jeremie busts out the front door. Christophe charges behind him. Jeremie hugs the book close to his chest. _

**Jeremie: **So that's how it is, huh? _He manages a smile. _Moriarty your timing just gave yourself away. I'm not letting you get to this book!

_Christophe answers Jeremie's defiance with a blast that nearly takes Jeremie's head off. Instead, it punctures a hole in a tree. Jeremie gets off the path and runs into the woods, hoping to lose Christophe. He reaches for his phone, trying to dial and run at the same time. _

**Jeremie: **Come on…come on! I can't afford to be alone in the woods with him…

_Aelita and Odd hang out near the vending machine. Odd stares at his hot chocolate. Aelita reaches to press the button to get some hot chocolate herself, but Odd's disgusted reaction convinces her otherwise. Odd spits it out. _

**Odd: **Ugh! That was terrible! Even Kiwi would have cringed at this!

_Aelita gets a phone call. She answers it. _

**Aelita: **Hello? _She listens for a moment. Then she gasps. Her cup falls out of her hands. _Where are you?!

**Odd: **Trouble?

_She doesn't answer him. Her attention is on her conversation. _

**Aelita: **Okay, I'll try to get everyone. But Natalya and William are still at the mall…

_Meanwhile Natalya drags William into a women's clothing store in the mall. William appears reluctant but he gets little choice in the matter. Natalya looks through some expensive clothes while William just enjoys her presence. Natalya picks up a small and somewhat revealing outfit and holds it in front of her body. _

**Natalya: **What do you think of this one?

_William turns several shades of red. _

**William: **It….um…it's very nice.

_Natalya gives him a playful look as she puts it back. _

**Natalya: **You just wanted me to put it on, didn't you?

_William gets defensive. _

**William: **I…I never said that!

**Natalya: **You didn't have to. _Natalya looks off to the side. She becomes excited. _Oh look! Clothes on clearance! Let's go!

_She takes off without him. _

**William: **Hey, wait up!

_He runs after her. He enters another department and finds her staring in the mirror while wearing a white winter jacket. She quietly looks herself over, taking in her looks. William stops and lets her continue. She looks at herself from several angles. While she does so, William can't help but notice how beautifully the white jacket goes with her light blonde Russian hair. It makes him almost feel nervous. Natalya glances over at William and shakes her head. _

**Natalya: **I know. I'm very vain, aren't I?

**William: **You take pride in your appearance. There's nothing wrong with that. It's important to remember how amazing you are.

_Natalya smiles. _

**Natalya: **Most girls would say you're being corny. _She walks over to him and gives him a light kiss. _But I know you are telling the truth.

_Warmth rises to William's face. The look in Natalya's eyes is making his insides melt. He's not really sure what to say. _

**William: **Well, you do say I'm a terrible liar.

**Natalya: **No doubt about that. _She picks up another outfit. _I'm going to try this on. Wait here for me, okay?

**William: **No problem. _She leaves. William awkwardly stands in place. He rubs his forehead and sighs. _Man, what is wrong with me? I can hardly even talk to her.

_He drifts through the department, pretending to look at clothes. _

**William: **Talking to girls didn't use to be this hard. But she's just so incredible…I can't think straight when I'm around her. It's almost too much. _He pauses. _I need to stop being so awkward around her. After all, she's my girlfriend now. What's my problem?

_The familiar metallic voice returns. _

**Xana: **Your pathetic issue makes me long for the human capacity to vomit.

**William: **Shut up! No one asked you.

_His phone rings. William picks it up. _

**William: **Hello? _William's eyes widen. _What?! Christophe?!

_Natalya walks up to him, holding the outfit she just tried on. _

**Natalya: **Okay it's decided. I have to get this. It's just too cute for me to-_Natalya notices that William isn't paying attention to her._-William?

**William: **Hang on Jeremie. I'm coming! _He hangs up. _I have to go. Moriarty possessed Christophe and he's after Jeremie.

_Natalya gasps. _

**Natalya: **Oh no! Christophe could really hurt him!

**William: **I know. That's why I have to go.

_Natalya folds her arms across her chest. _

**Natalya: **You mean we have to go.

**William: **You're insane if you think I'm going to let you-

**Natalya: **I'm not helpless you know! I am a Lyoko Warrior too!

_William's expression becomes deadly serious. _

**William: **Natalya, you haven't seen what a possessed human being can do. I have. Believe me when I say this is out of your league. You could get hurt badly.

**Natalya: **And so can you! Which is why I'm going with you.

**William: **Natalya please-

**Natalya: **Your arguing is pointless. I'm following you whether you like it or not. _She stomps her foot on the ground to make her point clear. _So are we going or not?

_William growls with frustration, recognizing that Natalya is not going to be moved. _

**William: **God you're stubborn! Fine... I know that it's impossible for me to convince you otherwise. But you will follow my lead. Got it?

**Natalya: **Deal!

**William: **Alright let's go. The entrance to the forest is not that far away.

_Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi virtualize onto the Ice Sector. They check the area. It seems to be clear of monsters. _

**Odd: **Anyone see anything?

**Ulrich: **No.

**Yumi: **Pretty clear from where I'm standing. But it's not like Moriarty to attack us right away.

_Aelita virtualizes onto the ice in front of them. She stands up and points to a nearby cave. _

**Aelita: **The tower is in that cave, and from what I could tell it's pretty deep in there.

**Yumi: **Then we better get started.

**Odd: **Fighting Moriarty underground in close quarters…_He grimaces as the other three make their way into the cave_…I can hardly wait.

_The four enter the cave. Aelita takes the lead. The passage starts out wide, but begins to narrow as the warriors press on. Eventually it gets to the point that they have to walk single file. As the distance between them and the light from the surface increases, the passage darkens. The warriors can still see, but they keep their hands on the walls of the passage as an added precaution. Odd breaks the silence. _

**Odd: **I think it goes without saying that I don't like this.

**Yumi: **I didn't know there were towers this deep in the ice….or that it gets this dark down here.

**Aelita: **Quiet. The monsters could hear you.

**Yumi: **I don't think any monsters could fit in here…

**Aelita: **Keep on your guard nonetheless.

_They continue deeper into the cave. After two minutes of silence, Aelita reaches the end of the narrow passage. They enter into a medium-sized cavern. A small waterfall falls into a pool at the center of the cavern. Light from the surface streams into the cavern due to the space in the ceiling created by the waterfall. It helps illuminate the room. _

**Yumi: **Do you know where to go from here?

**Aelita: **The passage straight ahead. That should be it.

_She starts to walk forward, but Odd suddenly tenses. He tackles Aelita right before a saber pierces her. Instead the weapon pierces the ice. Aelita looks up to see what she just avoided. _

**Aelita: **Thank you Odd.

**Odd: **I knew I sensed something wrong.

**Yumi: **That saber. It can only mean one thing….

_They look toward the dark passage where the sword came from. Sure enough, Dark Ulrich emerges, accompanied by a group of tigers. Ulrich pulls out his sabers. _

**Ulrich: **Him…

_Yumi stands by Ulrich, blocking the way to Aelita and Odd. _

**Yumi: **We'll handle them. You two get to the tower.

**Aelita: **Alright. We're counting on you.

_Aelita and Odd start to run toward the other passage. Dark Ulrich snaps his fingers. The five tigers charge, attempting to follow the two. Yumi and Ulrich stand their ground. _

**Yumi: **Oh no you don't!

_The five tigers come into contact with the warriors. After a flurry of saber swings and fan strikes, three tigers are destroyed. The other two make it past Yumi and Ulrich and continue on their way. Ulrich goes to his knees, his shoulder sparkling with electricity. Yumi looks over. _

**Yumi: **Are you okay?

_Ulrich's expression is cold. _

**Ulrich: **Two got away…

**Yumi: **Yes. But he didn't.

_Both stare at Dark Ulrich, who appears malevolently calm. He pulls out his one saber. _

**Dark Ulrich: **This is a bit unfair, don't you think?

**Yumi: **Shouldn't have thrown your saber away.

_Dark Ulrich brings the saber up to his mouth. He takes a moment to enjoy its sharp beauty. He likes the blade. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Looks like I'll have to make do with one…

_Jeremie continues running through the forest. He is panting and sweating, with the book still tightly clutched to his chest. Jeremie looks over his shoulder, keeping a constant lookout for Christophe. _

**Jeremie: **If I can just circle back to the Hermitage without him noticing, I should be able to sneak into the sewers and get to the factory.

_Jeremie sees something out of the corner of his eye. He instinctively stops and hides behind a large tree, hoping that Christophe didn't see him. He holds his breath and stays deathly still. A drop of sweat quietly runs down his cheek. He peeks his head out to air is quiet. Jeremie stays still for a little while longer. When he still fails to hear any noise, he decides to make a break for it. As he runs through the woods, he begins to see the outline of a white house in the distance. A wave of relief passes over Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **I'm almost there…

_Out of nowhere, Christophe leaps in front of his path. Jeremie stops in his tracks. He takes several steps back. Christophe steadily approaches him, not seeming to be in any hurry. Jeremie holds the book close. Christophe begins to speak in his regular voice. _

**Christophe: **Come on Jeremie, don't be shy. Hand over the book and we can peacefully go our separate ways.

**Jeremie: **You know I can't do that Moriarty. I'm not going to let yout take what may be our only hope to defeat you.

_Christophe laughs. _

**Christophe: **Your only hope? What makes you so confident that that's the case?

_Jeremie takes a few extra cautionary steps away from Christophe. _

**Jeremie: **Why else would you possess Christophe and desperately try to get this book away from me? I knew this information would be helpful the minute you decided to attack me. _Jeremie smirks. _You would have been better off letting me have it and doubt whether it could actually help us.

_Jeremie confidently stares down Moriarty, thinking he has won. But the Moriarty-possessed Christophe seems completely unfazed. Moriarty's lack of a reaction quickly makes Jeremie start to lose that confidence. _

**Christophe: **Who says that my actions justify your hypothesis? It could be that the program you possess is truly terrible and I only want it for myself. Have you ever considered that?

_Jeremie starts to experience a creeping feeling of doubt. He looks down at the book, wondering if his attempts are truly futile. But he shakes the doubt off. _

**Jeremie: **Even if that's true, then it still doesn't change the fact that I can't let you have it.

**Christophe: **Be reasonable Jeremie- _A red ball of electricity materializes in his hand._-I really don't want to kill you just yet, but I will if I have to.

_Jeremie interprets the threatening presence of Moriarty's lightning to mean that the conversation is over. He turns and runs. Behind him he hears an explosion. He quickly assumes that it was Christophe throwing that lightning ball, but he doesn't stick around to find out. He breaks off into a sprint, but he doesn't get far. A painful kick from behind forces Jeremie to the ground. He keeps hold of the book. Christophe approaches him. _

**Christophe: **We both know I'm leaving here with this book. Whether you live through it is up to you.

_Jeremie glares at Moriarty with obvious hate. _

**Jeremie: **…You can't have it…

**Christophe: **You can be so stubborn sometimes.

**Jeremie: **Christophe, don't let Moriarty do this. Fight him off!

**Christophe: **Do you honestly think two trips to Lyoko are enough for him to resist me? All that talk of him fighting me…he couldn't even fight me for more than a few seconds. You really should have given him more experience.

_Jeremie frowns. _

**Jeremie: **Maybe I should have.

**Moriarty: **Now if you would be so kind….I'm taking that book!

**William: **I don't think so…

_Before Christophe can respond, William appears from the shadows and punches Christophe in the jaw, temporarily stunning Moriarty. William gets in front of Jeremie. _

**William: **Jeremie, go now! I'll handle it from here.

**Jeremie: **Right!

_He starts to run. Christophe watches Jeremie like an enraged predator seeing his prey escape. _

**Christophe: **You're not getting away from me that easily!

_Christophe tries to take after him. William moves to intercept him. _

**Christophe: **Out of my way! _His hand sparkles with electricity again. _Or I'll kill you!

**Natalya: **NO YOU WON'T!

_Christophe looks up in surprise to see Natalya leap from a tree branch wielding a large stick. The stick connects with Christophe's head and knocks him out of commission for a few seconds. _

**Natalya: **William, are you okay?

**William: **I'm fine. Looks like our plan worked.

_A deeply annoyed Christophe raises his head. He sees that Jeremie has disappeared from sight. He curses in anger. _

**William: **It's over Moriarty. Jeremie's made it to the sewers by now. He'll make sure to hide that book from you in a place you'll never find it.

_Christophe stands up, wiping the dirt of his pants. He starts to chuckle to himself. That chuckle turns into a laugh. A deep, hysterical and evil laugh. Natalya shudders and withdraws closer to William. _

**Natalya: **Watching Moriarty make Christophe look so evil…it's just terrifying…

**Moriarty: **William, do you honestly think Jeremie can hide that book from me forever? I will rip apart all of Paris to find it if necessary. But in the meantime- _The Moriarty eyes burn in Christophe's pupils with murderous intent. _I might as well eliminate two pupils for the inconvenience…

_Back in the ice cavern, Ulrich makes the first move. Despite lacking one of his sabers, Dark Ulrich is able to guard his quick attacks. Ulrich's two sabers and Dark Ulrich's single saber push against each other. Ulrich looks back to Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, now!

_She throws her fans. They move in an arc, heading straight for Dark Ulrich's back. But the Moriarty warrior sees it coming and is able to jump out of the way, leaving Ulrich to deal with the fans. Ulrich knocks one of the fans out of the way, but the other cuts across his side. The fans return to Yumi's hands. _

**Yumi: **Sorry…

**Ulrich: **Forget it.

_Dark Ulrich now goes on the attack. He goes into super sprint, attempting to devirtualize Ulrich. Ulrich sidesteps just in time and swipes at Dark Ulrich's leg. Dark Ulrich falls and rolls onto the ice, landing right in front of Yumi. Yumi raises her fan, attempting to finish him off. But Dark Ulrich kicks upward and knocks her off her feet. He then takes advantage of their confusion and pulls his other saber out of the ice. Ulrich and Dark Ulrich begin another duel. Ulrich fights aggressively, but Dark Ulrich seems to be patiently waiting for Ulrich to make a mistake. When Ulrich takes a swing at Dark Ulrich's head, the dark shade ducks and sees an opening. He adjusts his hold on one of his sabers and prepares to stab. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Gotcha.

_Ulrich is pulled away from Dark Ulrich's counterattack just in time. Dark Ulrich angrily turns around to see Yumi just finish using her telekinesis. Dark Ulrich charges her and strikes at her. Yumi cartwheels out of the way. Dark Ulrich growls. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Triplicate…

_Two extra Dark Ulrichs appear and surround Yumi in a triangular formation. Ulrich tries to stop them, but one of the clones breaks formation long enough to hit him with the blunt edge of his saber with the full force of a super sprint. Ulrich goes down hard. Yumi holds her fans at the ready, preparing for the worst. Dark Ulrich spares some time to boast. _

**Dark Ulrich: **It's a good thing I can only devirtualize her. After all, we both know your track record when it comes to…._Dark Ulrich's look becomes sadistic…_.saving loved ones.

_Ulrich opens his eyes, feeling the sting of his words. They hit him harder than his opponent's saber. _

**Yumi: **Shut up you scum!

**Dark Ulrich: **Tell me Ulrich, do you feel devastated now that your father is now a vegetable? Or are you just sad that you weren't able to do it yourself?

**Yumi: **I said shut up!

_Dark Ulrich ignores her. Ulrich is still lying on the ground, staring at the ceiling. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Such a pitiful fate. Your father wouldn't have wanted it to end that way.

_Ulrich suddenly grips one of his sabers tightly. _

**Dark Ulrich: **You know, if you ask nicely, maybe Moriarty could enter his life support system. He could put the wretch out of his misery!

**Yumi: **You monster!

_Dark Ulrich continues to gloat. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Oh you should have seen it! You should have seen how pathetically he writhed….when Jeremie burned him from the inside out.

_Ulrich snaps. In less than a second, two of the clones are eliminated in a burst of yellow light. He viciously attacks the third one, striking without mercy or forethought. The look in Ulrich's eyes is pained and murderous, and Dark Ulrich enjoys every second of it. Yumi watches painfully as her boyfriend attacks madly like a demon. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, PLEASE STOP!

_Ulrich doesn't stop. He attempts to pin his opponent against the wall of ice. At first it appears to be working, but the moment Ulrich tries to finish him off, Dark Ulrich somersaults over him and lands behind him. Dark Ulrich gives Ulrich a roundhouse kick to the face. He falls down next to Yumi, who kneels to check on him. Dark Ulrich does not attack, but rather leaves them be so he can gloat some more. _

**Dark Ulrich: **All the anger in the world is not going to change the facts Ulrich, you know that as well as I.

_Yumi still kneeling next to Ulrich, opens one of her fans. _

**Yumi: **You sick freak….You're just like your master!

_She throws her fan. Dark Ulrich blocks it without even blinking. _

**Dark Ulrich: **So many conflicted emotions: anger, despair, regret…possibly even some happiness. Problem is you have no idea how to deal with any of them.

_Ulrich steams with rage. His hand reaches for his sabers a second time. _

**Dark Ulrich: **I don't know what's worse for you. The pain of losing your father…or the knowledge that you will soon have to deal with the disgusting mess he left behind.

_Ulrich stands up, preparing to shut his mouth up for good. Dark Ulrich walks toward him. His smile becomes a wicked grin. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Or perhaps it's because you're horrified by your own passionate desire to make Jeremie pay for what he did!

_Ulrich's sabers fall to the ground. The anger evaportates from his face and transforms into a paralytic despair. The fire drains from his eyes. He goes to his knees and stares blankly at the ground. He pays no attention to his weapons. Yumi looks down at him. She can hardly recognize him with the look of indescribable pain on his face. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich?

_He doesn't respond. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich?!

_Still nothing. He doesn't even move. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich come on! Stand up and fight! I need you right now! Don't just sit there! _She becomes desperate. _DO SOMETHING!

_Ulrich remains motionless. Dark Ulrich revels in the moment, taking in the blessed sight of Ulrich's inner torment. Back on the outside, Christophe attacks the couple. William and Natalya duck out of the way just in time to avoid a devastating punch. Instead the punch slams into a tree, causing the entire trunk to shake. William arms himself with a large stick. Christophe attacks him and grabs the stick with his hand. His hand sparkles with electricity, but nothing happens to the wood. William smiles. _

**William: **Nice try. Xana already tried to pull that one on me. You know wood doesn't conduct electricity.

_Speaking of the devil, Xana takes this moment to interrupt. _

**Xana: **Now's your chance! Use my power to kill him!

_William pushes the thought aside, but he loses focus as a result. Christophe notices his lapse in attention and drives his fist into his stomach. William heaves from the blow and goes to the ground. _

**Natalya: **William!

_Christophe reaches his hands down, attempting to touch William's forehead. William senses the danger and desperately reaches for the stick. He manages enough force to knock Christophe off his feet. William stands up and swings the stick at Christophe's head. But Christophe grabs the stick before it reaches his temple. He tightens his grip and shatters the stick like a twig. William steps back. Christophe stands up. Natalya grabs a stick, thinking of following William's example, but William warns her away. _

**William: **Stay back Natalya. Getting in close range with him is suicide.

**Natalya: **I have to do something! I mean, I don't want to hurt Christophe but-

**William: **Believe me-_He maintains a constant watch over Christophe, looking for any sudden movements._-that is the least of your concern.

_Christophe watches William, waiting for him to make a move. He can tell that William is being very cautious. Christophe relaxes. Without warning, he turns and aims his left hand at Natalya. William's body goes on full alert. He runs straight for Christophe. _

**William: **NO! Don't you touch her!

_Christophe, seeing his chance, lifts his right hand and smacks William with a palmful of electricity. William collapses to the ground. Natalya lets go of her stick in shock. _

**Natalya: **You…..sick…

**Christophe: **So predictable. Now that I've got the strong one out of the way-_He turns to Natalya_- I guess it's your turn!

_In a flash, Christophe runs to Natalya's side and sends her hurtling onto the ground. The wind is taken out of her lungs. She spends a few moments on the ground, gasping for air. The shadow of Christophe's figure soon overshadows her. She looks up. Christophe's hand sparks. _

**Christophe: **What do you say I add another gravestone to the Dikau family line?

_The look in Natalya's eyes turn from fearful to furious. She grabs a fistful of dirt and flings it into Christophe's eyes. She takes advantage of his momentary confusion and takes out his legs. Natalya then prepares to stomp on him, but Christophe grabs her heel. He pauses, staring up at the sky. _

**Christophe: **How annoying…

_Christophe electrocutes Natalya. Her scream stirs William awake. He looks up to see Christophe about to place all of his fingers on Natalya's forehead. Natalya looks over at William. Her eyes scream for help. William immediately realizes that Natalya is completely at Moriarty's mercy, and he has no time to run over and save her. _

_In the cavern, Ulrich remains catatonic. Yumi's pleas go on deaf ears. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, what's wrong with you?!

**Dark Ulrich: **You might as well give up. He's a bit out of commission right now.

_Yumi tries to shake him, but once again it does no good. She lowers her head in despair. A second later, she feels herself knocked down. She looks up to see Ulrich devirtualizing before her eyes. Dark Ulrich looks over her. He holds up her fans. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Missing something?

_Yumi searches the ground around her. Sure enough, her fans are nowhere to be found. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Speed has its advantages.

_Yumi crawls away from Dark Ulrich. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Seeing that you're unarmed, I might as well catch up to your friends.

_Yumi probes her brain for ideas. Her eyes wander to the ceiling of the cavern. She notices that it is covered with ice stalactites. An idea crosses her mind. She smiles and closes her eyes. Dark Ulrich's confidence wanes. _

**Dark Ulrich: **W-what are you doing?

**Yumi: **You're not going anywhere…

_Yumi's telekinesis shakes the stalactites. The stalactites begin falling from the ceiling. Dark Ulrich tries to make a run for it, but it is too late. The whole arsenal of stalactites falls, destroying them both. The sound of the cave-in carries into the passage that Aelita and Odd are following. Aelita turns around. _

**Aelita: **What was that?

_Odd runs backwards, firing at the tigers chasing them. _

**Odd: **Your guess is as good as mine, but we have no time.

**Aelita: **Right. _She looks forward. _We're almost there. I can see the tower!

_In the forest, Christophe prepares to finish Natalya off. But he is interrupted by a sudden blast of electricity. The specter within Christophe howls in pain. He goes down, incredulous of his sudden circumstances. _

**Christophe: **What….WHAT WAS THAT?! _He searches around until his eyes rest on William. He notices that his prostrate opponent's hand is sparkling. Christophe stares in disbelief. _Ya….YOU?! YOU DID THIS?! THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE! _Christophe pauses. _Unless…

_William stands up. The energy in his hand increases. William can feel Xana's pleasure emerge from his subconscious. _

**Xana: **I guess your secret's out…and all to protect the Russian female.

**William: **I had no choice…

_Christophe suddenly breaks out into laughter. _

**Christophe: **Oh…Xana! Will you ever cease to be a nuisance?! Oh William, why have you hidden this from me for so long?! Don't you know what this means?

_William sprints with the speed of a specter and pins Christophe to a tree. His hand latches onto his neck. _

**William: **No. And I don't want to find out.

**Christophe: **Oh you're no fun…._Christophe's head leans back against the bark. _Anyway I guess it's too late to catch up to Jeremie. No point in sticking around. _Christophe looks off into space. _And it seems like I don't have a choice. The tower is deactivating. Oh well….this little game of ours was still worth it.

_The Moriarty eye fades from Christophe's pupil. He goes limp and falls into William's arms. Natalya gets up and walks to William. _

**Natalya: **Is he alright?

**William: **He's fine. He's just passed out. Let's get him back to Kadic.

_William puts Christophe on his shoulders, and the two walk together back to the school. _

**Natalya: **Are you alright?

**William: **A little banged up, but nothing serious. You?

**Natalya: **Same. _The two are silent for a moment. Natalya's face darkens with concern. _William, what's going to happen now that….Moriarty knows?

_William shrugs in an attempt to not look worried. _

**William: **I have no idea.

_In the auditorium, a meeting of The Order commences. Moriarty walks onto the stage, this time without a limp. Everyone stands up at attention, student and faculty alike. Moriarty gets up to the podium. He gives them the salute. The Order members respond likewise. _

**Moriarty: **Strength through discipline. Strength through community.

**All: **Strength through discipline! Strength through community!

**Moriarty: **Thank you. You may sit.

_The Order members obey. Moriarty goes straight to business. _

**Moriarty: **First things first. It has come to my attention that fights between us and the Outcasts have increased. I am disappointed to hear this. _Moriarty calmly adjusts the microphone. _At first I thought it was just an unfortunate result of misunderstanding between our two groups. I also feared that we had been a little too aggressive. I thought they would eventually see reason. But now I see that that is not the case. _Moriarty looks at his followers, his face full of noble resolve. _The Outcasts are fundamentally hostile to The Order. Though it breaks my heart to admit it, I fear there is nothing we can do to change their minds. I believe our school psychologist could explain this better than I can. Hans, if you please.

_Klotz gets up and joins Moriarty at the front. _

**Klotz: **The students we believe to be involved in the Outcasts for the most part have had a history of discipline issues. They also have had a bad history of working with others. In my opinion, some of the more extreme ones could even be diagnosed with an anti-social personality disorder. At best, they have the false notion that the school is against them. At worst, they can be sociopaths. I'm afraid that such problems are hard for one to correct.

_Moriarty takes over. _

**Moriarty: **Though we can feel sorry for their inability to join us, we cannot condone their unwarranted hostility towards us. We are The Order. This is not just a class experiment anymore. _Moriarty pauses, letting the full weight of his words hit home. _This is a revolution in French education! We have the potential to change years of corruption and inefficiency. We have already come so far. _He points to the crowd, using his powers as a demagogue to its fullest extent. _Shall we allow the Outcasts to stop what we have worked so far to achieve?!

_A resounding and angry no echoes through the auditorium. _

**Moriarty: **That is what I thought. That is why I am ordering you to resist the Outcasts' efforts to subvert us. Do what you must to make them stop. It should go without saying that violence should be a last resort. We are not savages after all. We want a peaceful movement. But that does not mean that we bow down to them and don't stand up for what we believe in! Do I make myself clear?

**All: **YES COMMANDANT!

**Moriarty: **Good. Then can move on. Ms. Kensington, will you join us on stage? _The drama teacher comes up and stands next to Moriarty. _It saddens me to say that our dear comrade Ms. Kensington is moving to Lincoln next week. We are going to miss her, but I am confident that she will do her part to spread The Order to other schools. Which reminds me…Ms. Durand, you can come up here too. _Ms. Durand walks up on stage with them. She is wearing a black dress. The Order patch is pinned to her chest. _Ms. Kensington will not be alone. Ms. Durand has grown tired of the lack of discipline and poor scores at Lincoln. She has embraced our ideology. _The Order members quake with excitement, wondering what this means. _Fellow Order members, this is our future. No longer will we be limited to the gates of Kadic. This is the start of a new beginning! _Moriarty becomes very animated. He holds his hands out to demonstrate the magnitude of what he is saying. _A glorious change in which France rises out of stagnation! Where it is respected once again! A change that strengthens the power of the dutiful citizen and drives society's leeches into the dark! My friends, this is when The Order ceases to be a school project-_A large flag of The Order falls down from the ceiling behind Renard.-_and becomes a movement…FOREVER ETCHED IN HISTORY!

_The Order breaks out into glorious applause. They stand up, chanting, "COMMANDANT! COMMANDANT! COMMANDANT!". Moriarty stands there, smiling widely and soaking in the wild euphoria of the moment. _

_Video entry # 590_

_I had hoped that Franz Hopper would have something in his old house that might help me, and sure enough he didn't disappoint. These notes on something called the Cannae Initiative….they might be promising. After Moriarty's possession of Christophe, I knew that I had come across something very important. I also knew that Moriarty wasn't going to stop until he got a hold of that book. So I uploaded everything I deemed important from that book into a secure file. Moriarty is going to have to go through quite the obstacle course just to touch it. I then destroyed the book, just in case there was anything in the book Moriarty might want. I'm proud to say that we have won this round. I might be on to something here. I truly hope that this Cannae Initiative will work out for us. At the rate things are going at school and in France, we need a miracle, and fast. _

_Anyway, it's a good thing that no one was seriously harmed in the attack. Christophe is still passed out in his room. Aelita is taking care of him…..and by the sound of that angry shouting down the hall, I would guess that he's just woken up. I didn't think he would be too happy about being possessed. Well, lesson learned; don't put off uploading the inhibitor program into our new recruits. I am considering adjusting my policy with them. After all, we can't protect them from Moriarty any longer. Right now I'm still against it, but the more I think about it, the more I realize we need all the help we can get. But I'm not willing to change anything right now. _

…_..And César's just come in with three girls. Which is probably my cue to stop this recording. I will continue this tomorrow. _

_Ulrich and Yumi sit in Ulrich's room. Yumi sits on Odd's bed, looking at Ulrich. Ulrich lies on his bed, clearly moping. Kiwi walks over and tries to lick Ulrich's hand, but he shoos him away. Yumi sighs. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, what happened back there?

**Ulrich: **Nothing.

**Yumi: **Ulrich…

**Ulrich: **We're not talking about this any more.

_Ulrich rolls on his side away from Yumi. Yumi closes her eyes. She exhales in frustration. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich you need to…

**Ulrich: **No.

**Yumi: **Ulrich, you're acting like a child. Face the facts. You froze in there. You couldn't fight. You lost your nerve.

_Ulrich grunts. _

**Ulrich: **Thanks for reminding me.

**Yumi: **You let your guard down. Your dark half was able to defeat you.

**Ulrich: **Don't you think I know that?!

**Yumi: **He got into your head.

**Ulrich: **I know…

**Yumi: **It could have cost us the mission.

**Ulrich: **Enough…

**Yumi: **You let your emotions get the better of you.

_Ulrich turns around and sits up in bed. He glares at Yumi with desperate eyes. _

**Ulrich: **ENOUGH! WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!

_Kiwi yelps and hides behind the dresser. Ulrich hyperventilates, still glaring at Yumi. Yumi doesn't react at all. Instead she silently gets up and walks over to Ulrich. She places a hand on his shoulder and leans in close to him. She whispers into his ear. _

**Yumi: **Let it go.

_Ulrich's eyes widen. _

**Yumi: **You're in pain. You desperately try to hide it…but I know you. This recent tragedy has crushed you. You hate yourself for being upset about losing a person like your dad. You can't make yourself accept it. You also hate yourself for being angry at Jeremie. Simply put, you're lost. You don't know how to deal with it.

_Ulrich says nothing. He stares off into space as Yumi's words take effect. _

**Yumi: **You want to save face for the rest of the group. I respect that. I truly do. But this is too much for you. Or anyone. You need to deal with this.

_Tears well up in Ulrich's eyes. Yumi sits on his bed and hugs him. _

**Yumi: **Stop being ashamed of yourself. He's your father. Nothing can change that. Even if my father was like that, I would still cry if he was gone. _She leans her head on his shoulder. _So just….let it go….

_Ulrich breaks down. He starts to cry profusely. Yumi allows him to cry on her shoulder. Ulrich completely lets himself go. The two sit there, letting Ulrich mourn. They sit there for a long time. _

_Odd withdraws into another dream. This time he is back in the Carthage facility, and the atmosphere is festive. The scientists are gathered in the common room and are celebrating. Champagne and other drinks are being passed around. Odd shuffles around the room, completely confused. _

**Odd: **What's going on now? Has everyone lost their minds?

_He moves to the other side of the room. The scientists seem to be crowded around a TV. Odd passes through the crowd to watch. On screen, he sees a bunch of people breaking down a wall. The people on screen are waving the German flag. Odd starts to connect the dots. _

**Odd: **The Berlin Wall. I've seen photos of it but this….this is unreal.

_Odd's attention is drawn away to the sound of more laughter. A man and a woman are sitting on a couch. He recognizes them instantly. _

**Schaeffer: **Another round! Let's drink to the end of the Soviet era!

_Antea chides him. _

**Antea: **Dear…are you drunk? My, what would Aelita say?

_The red-faced Schaeffer laughs it off. _

**Schaeffer: **What our precious little angel doesn't know won't hurt her.

_As the festivities continue, Odd sees a familiar presence lingering against the wall. He does not seem to be interested in the party, and the rest of the scientists ignore him. But Schaeffer waves him over. Moriarty seems hesitant, but eventually complies. _

**Moriarty: **I guess this would be the appropriate moment to celebrate.

**Schaeffer: **André! Lighten up and have a drink! Our mission is over!

_Moriarty shrugs. He fills up a glass with champagne. _

**Moriarty: **I suppose a little wouldn't hurt anything. _He takes a sip. _But now that we're finished, what do we do now?

**Schaeffer: **Oh we'll think of something. I'm thinking of moving back to my hometown and going into teaching. _He slumps over close to Antea. _Do you think Aelita would like that?

_Antea smiles. _

**Antea: **She would like that very much.

_Moriarty does his best to follow Schaefer's example. He relaxes and joins the party. For a moment, he forgets his troubles. He even does his best to be friendly to Schaeffer. But in the midst of a conversation among Carthage scientists, he catches sight of Gaspard staring awkwardly at the party. He frowns and walks out. Moriarty, sensing that something's wrong, follows him out. He calls out to him in the hallway. _

**Moriarty: **Mr. Depaul, why the long face? _Moriarty holds up a wine bottle with a hint of intoxication to his movements. _Come drink with us!

_Gaspard politely smiles, but the look on his face tells him that there is something wrong. _

**Gaspard: **I'm not feeling up to it today.

**Moriarty: **Oh come on! At least come to celebrate the end of the Carthage project.

_Mention of the Carthage project has made Gaspard cringe. Moriarty's smile disappears. _

**Gaspard: **I….was meaning to tell you this after the party, but the project is not over.

_Moriarty stares at Gaspard, unable to register what he has just said. _

**Moriarty: **But…that makes no sense. The Soviet Union is falling apart. NATO has ended our mission. Why are we continuing?

_Gaspard nervously twiddles his fingers. _

**Gaspard: **There's been a slight change in management. The information we collected is….very valuable. We are being moved….to Strasbourg, France.

**Moriarty: **France?! _Moriarty shakes his head, unable to believe his ears. _Why are we moving there?

_At that moment, two men in black suits and sunglasses come down the hall. Gaspard turns around and suddenly turns pale. He backs up and addresses them nervously. _

**Gaspard: **Gentlemen, sorry to keep you waiting. I just got a little caught up.

_Moriarty lowers his eyebrows. _

**Moriarty: **Who are you?

**Agent 1: **Who we are is not important.

**Agent 2: **What's important is that your team is now working for us.

_Moriarty looks at Gaspard, trying to understand what is going on. The look on Gaspard's face is strained. _

**Moriarty: **What is going on? Is this some kind of joke?

**Agent 2: **It would be best if you let us ask the questions.

**Agent 1: **Speaking of which, are you the scientist who worked on the Soviet Firewall Project?

**Moriarty: **Yes, why?

_Agent 1 pulls out a manila folder. _

**Agent 1: **Then we have an assignment for you. If you succeed, you will be sufficiently compensated.

_Moriarty looks at the folder. The front cover reads 'TOP SECRET'. Moriarty looks up. _

**Moriarty: **I don't understand. What am I supposed to do?

_The agents turn around and walk away. _

**Agent 2: **The instructions are inside. We'll stay in touch.

**Agent 1: **Good luck. And tell no one.

_The two agents disappear. Moriarty continues to stare at the folder in disbelief. He levels his gaze at Gaspard, who still seems a little off. _

**Moriarty: **What have you gotten us into?


	20. Chapter 20

**I have no excuse for tardiness. But hopefully this long chapter will make you happy. **

**Part 34 **

_In the region of Normandy in northern France, the small city of Rouen sits on the edge of the Seine River. The scenic urban landscape and the countryside surrounding it paint a beautiful picture of France at its most serene. The scars of vicious fighting between Allied and German armies following the D-Day invasion are long gone. In its place is a quaint little city with a blend of medieval and modern architecture. In this little city there is a school called Lycée Jeanne d'Arc. Unlike Kadic, the school is very modern. It contains very large windows and has a unique design that gives it a very metallic feel. It is this school that Patrick Belpois, Jeremie's cousin, calls home. He emerges from the front entrance at midday as the bell for lunch rings through the halls. He walks into the sunlight and covers his eyes from the surprisingly bright glare. There is strong chill in the air, and Patrick can see his breath. He pulls his leather jacket closer to his body. As he makes his way into the courtyard, he notices a girl bundled in a light blue coat and white scarf. Patrick smirks and sneaks up on her. He gets up right behind her when she isn't looking. _

**Patrick: **Boo.

_The girl whirls around in surprise and immediately hits Patrick in the shoulder. _

**Jacqueline: **Ah! I hate it when you do that!

**Patrick: **Maybe, but did you have to hit me in the shoulder?

_She sticks her tongue out at him. _

**Jacqueline: **You deserved it! _She shivers and jumps up and down. _Oh I hate the cold!

**Patrick: **Come on! It's not even the middle of November yet.

**Jacqueline: **It's freezing!

**Patrick: **You've lived next to the Mediterranean too long. It's going to get much colder soon.

_Jacqueline groans. _

**Jacqueline: **NO! Don't say that!

**Patrick: **Sorry. It's the truth. Welcome to Rouen…

_Jacqueline groans again and starts walking. _

**Jacqueline: **Whatever. Let's go to lunch.

_Patrick walks briskly to catch up to her. As they walk together, Patrick notices that several students around him are wearing black shirts and blue jeans. At first he thinks nothing of it, but when he notices that an oddly large number of people are wearing it, he starts to wonder what's going on. A male student passes by them. He sees a strange purple emblem sewed onto his black shirt. Patrick turns to Jacqueline. _

**Patrick: **What's with the black clothes? Are we getting a new uniform or something?

_Jacqueline suddenly becomes excited. _

**Jacqueline: **Oh I completely forgot! A new club has formed on campus. Do you remember the Inter-Scholastic Symposium last weekend?

**Patrick: **Uh no…

**Jacqueline: **Oh that's right…you were sick. Well anyway, some representatives from this national club came and started to get everyone's attention. Rumor has it that it is the newest fad across France. It's all about strength and community and the pride of being a French citizen. It's caught on like wildfire!

**Patrick: **Interesting. _Patrick rubs his chin. _What is this new club called?

**Jacqueline: **The Order.

**Patrick: **The Order? _Patrick repeats the name in a mocking tone. _Sounds like some sort of cult.

_A new Order member at the school overhears them and gives him a dirty look as they pass. Patrick frowns. _

**Patrick: **Jeez…what was that all about?

**Jacqueline: **You said The Order was a cult. He has a right to be a little insulted.

**Patrick: **It just has a strange name to it. I mean…remember what happened when someone formed a fight club at that school in Strasbourg?

**Jacqueline: **That was just a bunch of dumb guys who got inspired by an American movie. Besides, there are girls in The Order.

**Patrick: **What does that have to do with anything?

_Jacqueline chides him. _

**Jacqueline: **It means that we can keep you boys from doing anything stupid like in Strasbourg.

**Patrick: **Ha! I'm insulted! _He holds his head up high. _We are fully capable of doing stupid things even with girls around. _They reach the entrance to the cafeteria and get in line. _So how did this Order thing start anyway?

_Jacqueline thinks for a moment. _

**Jacqueline: **I'm not sure. _She waves her index finger at him. _Don't quote me on this, but I've heard it all started at some school called Kadic.

_Patrick's interest suddenly increases. _

**Patrick: **Did you say Kadic?

**Jacqueline: **Yeah, have you heard about it?

**Patrick: **I spent a day there one time, and my cousin Jeremie goes to school there as well.

**Jacqueline: **Really?! Well did you know that Dr. Renard, that teacher we keep hearing about, is said to have created The Order?

_Patrick shakes his head, trying to absorb all of this information. _

**Patrick: **No. This is all news to me. I guess I've been out of the loop.

**Jacqueline: **Then you should go to the meeting tomorrow night with me.

_Patrick looks at her questioningly. _

**Patrick: **What?

**Jacqueline: **Oh come on. It'll be fun! Let's see what these guys are all about.

**Patrick: **Oh…I don't know…

**Jacqueline: **Please…._Jacqueline makes a puppy dog face at Patrick, which greatly annoys him…_Don't make me go alone.

_Patrick rolls his eyes in resignation. He shrugs. _

**Patrick: **Okay I'll go with you.

_Jacqueline yelps like a schoolgirl and hugs him. _

**Jacqueline: **Thank you!

_Patrick eases out of her embrace and adjusts his leather jacket. _

**Patrick: **But afterwards, I'm going to call my cousin Jeremie. If this thing started at Kadic, then he should know all about it. I want to get his opinion before I commit to anything.

**Jacqueline: **Cool! And he can tell us things about Renard!

**Patrick: **Yeah I guess he could. _He smiles broadly. _I'm sure Jeremie has all kinds of interesting stories about that guy.

_Ulrich sits in the hospital at his father's side. Once again the only noise is the beep of Mr. Stern's heart monitor. Ulrich leans forward in his chair and rubs his hands together. He takes a deep breath as he stares at the ground. He then raises his head, looking at his father. _

**Ulrich: **The doctor's have told us that it is very unlikely that you will ever wake up.

_He pauses, as if expecting an answer from his comatose father. Ulrich continues, chuckling to himself. _

**Ulrich: **It's kind of funny actually. You're permanently in a coma and I feel like I can finally talk to you. How about that? _He shakes his head. _Unbelievable.

_He clutches the armrests of his chair. _

**Ulrich: **I doubt you have, but I think I've finally made peace with what has happened. It's not been easy….but I think I've finally arrived. _He is silent for a moment. _I wonder what you would say to that. Nothing good I think.

_Ulrich inhales and leans back in his chair. _

**Ulrich: **The people at your firm have stopped fighting about who takes over. Seems all of them were afraid about a battle royale for your spot. They were worried about their families. For the sake of stability they want me to take over when I reach an appropriate age. _Ulrich laughs. _And I think they also decided that because they are afraid that you will wake up one day. Even while in a coma you still scare them…

_The smile on Ulrich's face fades. _

**Ulrich: **I think you know what that means for your company. I'm running your empire into the ground, and I'm not asking for your permission. _He twiddles his thumbs. _The good news is that Jeremie might be on the verge of finding something to end the war with Moriarty. You can rest easy knowing that.

_Ulrich looks up at the ceiling and continues talking. _

**Ulrich: **No matter what happens, we will make Moriarty pay. _He looks down at his motionless husk of a father. A twinge of pain enters his conscious thoughts. _I used to think otherwise, but even you don't deserve this. You wouldn't have wanted to go out like this. Hell, if you were able to talk to me you'd probably beg me to pull the plug…

_Ulrich stands up and looks out the window to see the sunlight shine onto Paris. _

**Ulrich: **There are so many colorful ways I could describe you. But all in all, the only thing I can say is that you are a hard man. Nothing more. You are a hard man. And can I really blame you for that? Your own father was a hard man, and his father before him and so on. We Sterns keep inheriting this hardness. _Ulrich tightens his fist. _But not anymore. It ends with you. _He turns back to look at his father. He notices that his father's lips are almost forming a smile. _Don't get too excited…you are still held responsible for what you did.

_He walks over to his father's side. Ulrich somewhat reluctantly reaches down and touches Mr. Stern's lifeless hand. _

**Ulrich: **I cannot condone you, Dad. _He puts the lifeless hand in his. Ulrich's face becomes resolute and passionate. _But I will avenge you. _A single tear escapes from his eye. It rolls down his cheek. _I promise you I will.

_Aelita walks to Jeremie's room. She knocks on the door. When there is no answer, she decides to open the door. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, why aren't you answer-_ She stops in midsentence when her eyes catch hold of the sight before her. _What the-?

_Jeremie has passed out on his desk, but he is not alone. His roommate César has taken it upon himself to place a stack of fedora hats on Jeremie's unconscious head. At this point, he has at least seven hats stacked on top of Jeremie's cranium. He gingerly puts the eighth one on, doing his best to not tip them over. Aelita stares at the whole thing in disbelief. _

**Aelita: **César, what are you doing?!

_César looks down on his creation with pride. _

**César: **_Hola princesa rosa _(Hello pink princess). I was just working on my latest masterpiece.

_Aelita gives him a funny look. _

**Aelita: **So you're an artist too?

**César: **No. But you have to admit, it is a work of art. However, I can't take all the credit. Your boyfriend's uniquely shaped _cabeza _makes it a lot easier.

_Aelita rolls her eyes and approaches Jeremie. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie…

_No response. She shakes him. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie!

_Still nothing. Aelita sighs, realizing that only her secret weapon will do. She raises her voice and makes an unusual proclamation. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, Odd has asked me out!

_Jeremie bolts upright from his slumber, which knocks over several hats in the process. He looks around in confusion and then focuses on Aelita. _

**Jeremie: **Oh….Aelita. _He sighs in relief. _Don't do that to me. Even as a joke. _The stack of hats on his head leans over and blocks his eyes. _And speaking of jokes, why is there a stack of hats on my head?! _He quickly turns his still blind gaze towards his roommate. _César….

_César starts to sneak out of the room. _

**César: **_Lo siento, no hablo tu idioma. __Tengo que irme. ¡Chao frikis! _(Sorry I don't speak your language. I have to go. Bye geeks!)

_As César exits the room, Jeremie removes the mountain of hats from his head. He tries to fix his disheveled blonde hair. _

**Jeremie: **That guy…..at least it was just hats this time…

_Aelita folds her arms across her chest. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, why are you collapsed in front of the computer….again?

_Jeremie puts his glasses back on and stares sleepily at the computer screen. It contains an image of a piece of paper with several lines of encrypted code, represented by various strange symbols. Jeremie groans. _

**Jeremie: **Just working on the Cannae Initiative. It's a challenge, but Schaeffer can't hide his secrets from me forever.

**Aelita: **Jeremie, did you even sleep last night?

**Jeremie: **Uh…I guess I didn't.

**Aelita: **Jeremie, you can't do this to yourself! You'll work yourself to death! _Jeremie ignores her and begins working again. Aelita exhales in frustration. _This happens every time you find something like this.

_Jeremie becomes defensive. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, something this important can't wait! What we have here could be the deal breaker! It's essential that I get it now! _He places his head on the desk. _But getting the right key and code to decode this encryption is harder than I thought. Even our own quantum supercomputer is having trouble. _Jeremie shakes his head. _Your father has really got me stumped this time.

**Aelita: **Maybe it's difficult for a reason….in case some other party got a hold of it.

_Jeremie frowns. _

**Jeremie: **Very true. But I can't let that stop me now. Not when I'm so close…

**Aelita: **Jeremie, you're not close at all…you've barely scratched the surface of this thing.

_Jeremie throws his hands up in the air. _

**Jeremie: **I know! I know! Which is why I have to work harder and not take any breaks!

_Jeremie starts typing but Aelita gets in the way of him and the computer. She puts her hands on her hips. _

**Aelita: **Oh no. Wrong answer. You need a break. Working until you collapse isn't going to solve anything. You will be more efficient if you relax.

_Jeremie somewhat rudely pushes her aside. _

**Jeremie: **There is no time for that!

_Jeremie starts to work again, but suddenly the screen goes black. He stares at it in horror. _

**Jeremie: **NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!

_Aelita twirls the electrical plug in her hand playfully. Aelita puts a hand on the back of his chair and starts pulling him away from the computer. Aelita hums to herself. Jeremie is more than reluctant. _

**Jeremie: **Wait! Come on! JUST FIVE MORE MINUTES!

_Aelita is completely unmoved. _

**Aelita: **Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way…

_Jeremie and Aelita take a walk through the woods late that evening. As they walk along the path, Jeremie seems to lighten up a little bit. Aelita holds his hand and rests her head on his shoulder. The night is a little chilly, so the two stay close together. Jeremie breathes in the night air. _

**Jeremie: **I got carried away again, didn't I?

**Aelita: **Oh no more than usual…

_Jeremie looks down at Aelita. _

**Jeremie: **Are you mocking me?

_Aelita smiles with childlike glee. _

**Aelita: **No more than usual…_She looks up at the night sky through the trees. _Isn't this nice?

**Jeremie:** Yes…very nice.

**Aelita: **Much better than working yourself to death on the computer, huh?

_Aelita expects an immediate response, but instead she feels Jeremie's body become tense. She looks up to see that the smile has evaporated from his face. He stares solemnly at the ground. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, don't you understand?

**Aelita: **Understand what?

**Jeremie: **It's for moments like this that I work so hard. I want to be able to walk in the woods with you, without fear of Moriarty. I want to be able to do these things for a long time. I work so hard so you and I and the others and the rest of the world can continue to enjoy these things. _He suddenly pulls Aelita close to him. _Moriarty threatens this…so I work hard because I'm terrified of losing these things.

_Aelita stands close to him, rendered speechless by Jeremie's words. Slowly, Aelita begins to smile, but it is somewhat bittersweet. She buries her head in his jacket. _

**Aelita: **Please don't talk about stuff like that. Not now…

**Jeremie: **I'm sorry. I ruined the mood again. _The embrace ends. They keep walking and let go of each other's hands for a moment. Jeremie looks up at the sky again. He takes a good look at the full moon. _The moon looks amazing tonight, huh Aelita?

_No answer. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita?

_Still no answer. Jeremie looks behind him and notices that Aelita is gone. Jeremie becomes alarmed. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita?! Where are you?

_The woods around him are quiet. Jeremie starts to freak out. _

**Jeremie: **Oh no….I made her upset with that stupid speech! _He smacks himself in the forehead. He stands there and groans. But then his head perks up again. Jeremie suddenly appears anxious. _Or worse….._His face turns a deep shade of red_…She's playing that game again…

_Aelita's voice calls out from somewhere in the woods. Her tone is creepy and a tad bit….naughty. _

**Aelita: **Scyphozoa…

_Jeremie's face becomes even redder than before. He looks around, as if expecting an attack. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita not this again! You know this embarrasses me!

_Aelita's tone becomes playful. Jeremie still can't pinpoint the location of the voice. _

**Aelita: **But Scyphozoa wants to play…and no one's around…

_Jeremie walks cautiously down the path, waiting for her to strike. He is still blushing. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita this is really silly…

**Aelita: **I'm coming to get you…

**Jeremie: **Aelita will you stop fooling around?

_Aelita doesn't respond. The woods are quiet. Jeremie's mind goes on alert, looking for an ambush. But he is no match for the wily stealth of Aelita. She runs up behind him and hugs him from behind. She taps her fingers on his stomach. _

**Aelita: **Tentacles!

_Jeremie turns the color of a tomato. He sighs with defeat and halfheartedly plays along with her. _

**Jeremie: **Oh no, I'm going to lose my memory.

_Aelita spins him around to face her. She gives him a mischievous look. _

**Aelita: **You better not. You're going to want to remember this.

_She aggressively kisses him. Jeremie's eyes widen at first, but then he calms down and kisses her back. He pulls her off the path and they make out under the shadow of a tree. They lean against the trunk and lie next to each other, saying nothing. Jeremie takes this moment to rest. _

**Jeremie: **If the others knew we played this game, we wouldn't hear the end of it.

**Aelita: **I wouldn't worry about it too much. After all, I know Ulrich and Yumi occasionally play the swimming pool attack game.

**Jeremie: **Say what?!

**Aelita: **Better not mention it. Both of them would die of embarrassment if they knew I knew about it.

**Jeremie: **I'll keep that in mind. _The two sit there for a while, not saying anything. Jeremie looks off to the side. _I think it's about time we head-_Jeremie's sentence stops short. He looks down the path. He sees an orange glow in the distance. _What is that?

**Aelita: **What is what? _She looks over in the distance and also sees an orange glow. _It…it's coming from the Hermitage.

_Jeremie gets up. _

**Jeremie: **Let's go check it out.

_Jeremie and Aelita walk down the path, following the glow. As they get closer, the glow gets brighter. Pretty soon the two can hear the distinctive sounds of something….burning. A breeze blows in their direction, carrying with it the smell of smoldering wood. Aelita stops walking. In an instant, a wave of realization makes her blood run cold. _

**Aelita: **No…

_She begins sprinting. Jeremie chases after her. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita wait!

_He follows her into the clearing. He joins her at the front gate of the Hermitage, where Aelita is staring into a scene of horror. The Hermitage is on fire. The shingles fall to the ground as the old abandoned house is ravaged by the blaze. Aelita stands there dumbstruck, unable to react. Jeremie glances over at Aelita, unsure what to say. The two stare helplessly as the last vestige of Aelita's old life literally goes down in flames. Jeremie, saddened by the sight, looks away. But as he does so, he notices another figure in the nearby trees, watching the house burn. He swivels his head in that direction to get a closer look. The flames from the house cast just enough light for Jeremie to recognize the figure as Herb Pinchon. Jeremie immediately understands and is immediately enraged. He takes a few threatening steps in his direction. _

**Jeremie: **HERB! YOU DID THIS?!

_Herb focuses his gaze on Jeremie, but otherwise shows no reaction. Jeremie on the other hand, is livid. He closes his hands into fists and screams at him. _

**Jeremie: **You set this house on fire?! Why?!

_Herb still doesn't say anything, so Jeremie continues. _

**Jeremie: **Do you follow Renard so blindly?! Did you ever stop to think about what you were doing?!

_Herb turns his back on Jeremie and disappears into the shadows. Jeremie, still furious, picks up a stone and throws it at the tree where he was standing. He then grabs his head and shouts in anger. He kicks the dirt around his feet and curses. He looks back at the fire and then lowers his head in defeat. Jeremie takes some time to calm down and then approaches Aelita, who is still unresponsive. He puts his arm around her shoulder. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty is tying up loose ends. He must have wanted to make sure I didn't get anything else from this house-_He looks back at the burning house. The whole thing is starting to fall apart._-and I think he succeeded.

_Aelita is still gazing at the conflagration, fully immersed in its destruction. She begins to stutter. _

**Aelita: **It.. 's gone.

_Jeremie starts to lead Aelita away from the fire. She is incapable of protesting. _

**Jeremie: ** I know.

**Aelita: **A-All gone…

**Jeremie: **Yes Aelita. It's gone…

_The next morning Yumi, Odd, William, and Natalya occupy the rec room. Yumi and Odd sit on the couch, watching TV. Odd holds a can of soda in his hand and occasionally takes a sip. William and Natalya are toward the back, sitting at a table. William works on some homework while Natalya is on her laptop. It is unclear whether she is working or not. While flipping through channels, Odd comes across a talk show. The guest is Moriarty and some other person the two don't recognize. Odd looks over at Yumi, and they wordlessly agree to watch it. They turn it up. William becomes annoyed. _

**William: **Can you take that drivel somewhere else? I am trying to work.

**Yumi: **I can't move this TV. You however, are fully capable of moving to a more academic environment than the rec room.

**William: **Regardless, I don't want to listen to Moriarty right now. His talk show days should be our vacation from him. Why subject yourselves to him even more?

_Yumi gives William a defiant look. _

**Yumi: **If you want to be in the dark about Moriarty's schemes, be my guest. But some of us refuse to do that, right Odd?

_Odd's eyes are focused on the image of Moriarty. He forms a gun with his hand and takes several fake shots at the TV. _

**Odd: **I just wish I could make him do something embarrassing live on television. Like in that American movie where God gives some random guy all his powers…

_Yumi gives Odd a strange look. _

**Yumi: **Um, yeah. I'm sure we would all love to do that.

_The attention is drawn back to the program. The host starts up. _

**Host: **Today I'm honored to welcome our two guests, who will be debating the nature of the EU in light of the continuing economic crisis. On my left we have Nigel Landen-_A bald man on his left nods to acknowledge his name_-a Bristish member of the European Parliament. He has been outspoken in his criticism of the EU's treatment of Greece. In one of his most recent speeches, he argued that the EU had stripped Greece of its democracy. And on my right we have Dr. Sébastien Renard-_Some people in the audience clap at the mention of his name. Moriarty gives a humble smile. It makes the two viewers in the rec room want to vomit._-In a very short time this regular high school teacher has gone from national hero to conservative extraordinaire, becoming a regular guest on radio shows and lecturing in several French universities. Though he is not officially involved in politics, rumors abound of his possible entry in the upcoming French legislative elections.

_Moriarty holds his hands up in a defensive manner. _

**Moriarty: **Well let's not get carried away…

**Host: **My apologies Dr. Renard, I'm only reporting from the latest surveys…_The host turns to face the audience. _The subject of debate today is Greece. Why are they still suffering and Europe along with them? Has Greece not been strict enough with its austerity measures? Or has the EU been too hard on them? Dr. Renard, what are your thoughts?

_Moriarty starts off, speaking in a polite tone but making his point clear. _

**Moriarty: **Austerity has not failed Greece. Greece has failed Greece. It was their economic irresponsibility that got themselves into this mess. The European Union has generously given them loans on the condition that they clean up their mess. But their budget deficit is anywhere but improving….I think it is safe to say how well those bailouts were used.

_Nigel Landen angrily interrupts him. _

**Landen: **There you go again, blaming it on the Greeks and calling them lazy!

_Moriarty calmly retorts. _

**Moriarty: **Excuse me, but when did I ever say that the Greeks were lazy?

_Odd takes a sip. _

**Odd: **Like you needed to say it outright…

**Landen: **Of course the bailouts aren't enough. Too much of that money is being used to pay back private creditors. Greece can never repair its infrastructure if the conditions against them continue to be as unfair as they are!

**Moriarty: **Even if what you are saying is true, Greece would try to satisfy the angry cry of their voters, not that of Europe. They are politicians after all, it is in their nature.

_Landen fumes at this subtle attack on him but continues his argument. _

**Landen: **Greek politicians are risking their necks for the sake of Europe! Their homes are surrounded by angry Greeks demanding legitimate representation. Greek politicians have no choice but ignore their constituents. The European Union is holding a gun to their heads. They are doing everything they can for the sake of 'austerity'.

**Moriarty: **And what choice did the European Union have? They are desperate to keep their heads above water to maintain a common currency. They know that a monetary union is only as strong as its weakest link. That is why Greece is under so much fire. As the economic leaders of the EU, France and Germany have the duty to maintain financial solvency. Irresponsible nations must understand that misconduct does not come without a price. No offense Mr. Landen, but as a Briton, you don't understand the magnitude of what this means for us. You still use the pound. You don't have the cloud of Greece's disaster hanging over your head.

**Landen: **Regardless of whether or not I'm a Briton, the fact still remains that the pressure on Greece is excessive. Not only is it excessive, it is criminal. The Troika's intervention in Greece's affairs has deprived the people of their freedom. _Landen suddenly becomes more vocal. _The quest to keep the euro above water has come at an unacceptable price!

_Moriarty taps his fingers together, answering Landen's emotional statement with a firm air of pragmatism. _

**Moriarty: **Greece chose to be in the European Union. They must understand that agreeing to be in that Union comes with a level of responsibility. In their current state, Greece has two choices. _He holds his hands out in front of him to illustrate those choices. _Either buckle down and suffer the short-term consequences, or give up and end the threat against the rest of Europe.

_The host interrupts the two. _

**Host: **Are you suggesting, Dr. Renard, that Greece has to leave the euro?

**Moriarty: **Yes, but the sad truth of the matter is that would only be a temporary solution.

**Host: **Are you talking about the financial consequences of Greece leaving?

**Moriarty: **No. I'm not talking about Greece. I am talking about the European Union in general. The whole idea of a union, especially a common currency, is a flawed idea in and of itself. _The host and Landen give Moriarty shocked looks, not expecting this sudden disavowal of the European Union. _Europe made that decision when the economy was going well and there was an era of good feelings following the Cold War. But it was a short-sighted decision, and we are reaping the consequences. Greece is evidence that one nation could throw the rest out of balance. Even if we take Greece out of the equation, another nation would take its place. You see Mr. Landen, I have nothing against the Greeks personally. It is just the sad truth that a union of nations is bound to have a weak link. Why should France and Germany suffer at the hands of nations like Greece? France's economy has the second largest economy in Europe. Why should they have to share with irresponsible nations? I say, let the strong nations thrive! And let the nations like Greece buckle down and stop relying on others to solve their problems. Competition among nations is what made Europe strong! Forcing them to work together only weakens it.

_Landen interjects. _

**Landen: **Dr. Renard….really? The end of the European Union? Have you forgotten that the EU represents more than just a monetary and political union? It is a symbol of peace and brotherhood among Europeans, who wasted centuries fighting amongst themselves. What you are suggesting is…very extreme.

_Moriarty shrugs. _

**Moriarty: **Extreme problems demand extreme solutions. That is the nature of things. You and Europe can ignore that, but until you come to your senses the problem will only get worse.

_The argument continues, but it is clear that Moriarty has the upper hand. Occasionally the audience applauds him when he says something they want to hear. Odd frowns with visible hostility. _

**Odd: **Disgusting…

_He takes another sip of soda. Yumi changes the channel. _

**Yumi: **I think I've stomached enough...

_As the other two switch to another program, Natalya starts to look at her phone. In an instant the peace of the rec room is shattered by a glass-breaking female scream. William nearly falls out of his chair. Yumi drops the remote. Odd spits out his soda….all over Yumi. Yumi is not pleased. _

**Yumi: **ODD!_ She looks at her shirt. _YOU CLUTZ! Look what you did!

_Odd coughs and wheezes, clutching his chest. His face is pale and he seems on the verge of a panic attack. _

**Odd: **I'm sorry….I guess I was a little busy trying not to have a heart attack! _He glares at Natalya, who is grinning like a little schoolgirl. _WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARY?!

_Natalya is too excited to appear contrite. Her eyes are locked on her phone. _

**Natalya: **I'm sorry, but my life just got TURNED UPSIDE DOWN! I've been following Angela Becotte's twitter account, and she just tweeted that she is at our local mall right now! And she is answering questions from a crowd of fans as we speak!

_She screams with delight again. William grimaces, still trying to recover from his girlfriend's first outburst. _

**William: **Angela who?

_Natalya lowers her eyebrows and throws a magazine at him. _

**William: **Hey what was that for?!

**Natalya: **No boyfriend of mine should not know who Angela Becotte is! She's only one of France's latest fashion divas! She's appeared several times on the front cover of _Elle _magazine.

**William: **Right…can't imagine why I haven't heard of her…

_Natalya looks down at her phone and gets up. _

**Natalya: **I simply have to go to the mall RIGHT NOW!

**William: **Whoa, hold on Natalya. _He looks at the clock. _We have chemistry in ten minutes. You can't leave Kadic now!

_Natalya turns to her boyfriend and gives him the puppy dog eyes. She puts her hands together and silently begs. William begins to groan. _

**William: **Oh no…not this again…

**Natalya: **Please William? Can't you cover for me…just this once? _She turns up the charm. _Please….?

_William is reluctant. _

**William: **Natalya…..you can't just go running off…

_Natalya leans in close and whispers into his ear. _

**Natalya: **I'll come right back. _She gives him a peck on the cheek, causing William to blush. _I would really appreciate it, William.

_Odd, who has now calmed down, rolls his eyes at the scene. _

**Odd: **He's done…

_Sure enough, Odd's prediction comes true. William sighs in defeat. _

**William: **Alright but hurry back….and don't get caught!

**Natalya: **Thank you thank you thank you! _She kisses him and bolts for the door. _See you all soon! I'm going to tell you all about it!

_She exits the door. Yumi stands up and groans, still bemoaning the state of her shirt. She starts to walk away. _

**Yumi: **Thanks a lot. Now I have to wash this off in the bathroom.

_She leaves the rec room through another door. Odd tosses the empty aluminum can into the recycling bin. He turns his attention back to the TV. William puts on his backpack and walks past Odd. _

**William: **Well, I guess it's time to cover for Natalya. _He shakes his head and smiles dreamily. _I'm going to have to find a way to say no to that pretty smile.

_Odd laughs. _

**Odd: **Let me know when you succeed Casanova…

_Yumi enters the women's bathroom and does her best to get the sticky stain out of her shirt. As she does so, she notices some is on her pants as well. She huffs in exasperation. In the background she hears a toilet flush. The stall door behind her opens. _

**Yumi: **That idiot…these are my favorite pants.

**Isabel: **Had a bit of a spill?

_Yumi turns around to see the Brazilian girl walk up and wash her hands at the sink next to hers. Yumi smiles warmly. _

**Yumi: **Odd had a bit of a freakout and sprayed soda on me. _She gets a damp paper towel and wipes the stain. _Eating and drinking with boys always carries a certain amount of risk I suppose.

**Isabel: **And they have the weirdest tastes too. César insisted that I try this special coffee that the royal Spanish family drinks. It tasted awful. _Isabel mimicks César's voice. _'But it is so pure…it'll go straight to your soul.' _Isabel rolls her eyes. _Straight to my bladder is more like it…

_Yumi laughs. _

**Yumi: **Yeah caffeine tends to do that. Just another reason why I try to avoid having soft drinks too often.

**Isabel: **True. But I can't go without caffeine. I couldn't survive early morning classes without it.

**Yumi: **Yeah, I get it. _She throws the paper towel into the trash can. Isabel goes to dry off her hands. _So, I hate to pry, but…are you still dating César?

_Isabel exhales in disgust. _

**Isabel: **That prince may have the body of a Greek god….but he's not for me. I mean, he isn't even capable of dating one girl at a time. Don't get me wrong, he can be sweet sometimes but he's just….so arrogant.

_Yumi nods with understanding. _

**Yumi: **I thought you would say that. I bet you're done having every girl give you envious and hateful looks.

**Isabel: **Oh don't even get me started on-

_Isabel is interrupted by two other girls walking into the bathroom. Their Order shirts and pants immediately make Isabel and Yumi wary. Yumi quickly recognizes Anais Fiquet, who is giving her a rather mean look. Yumi doesn't recognize the raven-haired girl behind Anais, but her tight and revealing clothing immediately makes Yumi dislike her. The raven-haired girl disappears into a stall without a word. Anais, however, rudely bumps Yumi out of the way to examine herself in the mirror. Yumi's blood begins to heat up. _

**Yumi: **Was that really necessary?

_Anais doesn't look at her. She continues to check her appearance. _

**Anais: **You were in the way.

**Yumi: **Really? That's your excuse? What if I was using that mirror?

_Anais condescendingly glances at Yumi. _

**Anais: **Please. As if there was something worth looking at…

_Yumi gasps from the stinging insult. Her blood begins to boil. She lets her instincts take over and readies her arm to teach this Order girl some manners. But another arm holds her back. _

**Isabel: **Don't do it Yumi! _She glares hatefully at Anais. _She's just trying to get a rise out of you…

**Anais: **Oh….how sweet. The Brazilian skank is trying to keep the peace…

_Isabel's mouth drops. In an instant, she lets go of Yumi and lunges for Anais. This time it is Yumi who holds her back. Isabel curses at Anais in Portuguese. Yumi level her eyes vindictively at Anais. _

**Yumi: **I don't even recognize you anymore. You used to be so kind….what has Renard done to you?

**Anais: **He's made me see that I've been wasting my potential. And he's shown me who my enemies really are.

_Yumi and Isabel are quiet for a moment, too disgusted to speak. Meanwhile the toilet flushes and the stall door opens. _

**Isabel: **You witch! You made us your enemies. Not the other way around!

**Angeline: **I'm afraid that's incorrect. _Yumi and Isabel turn to the other girl with surprise. They had almost forgotten that Anais had not been alone. Angeline nonchalantly walks to the sink and continues to speak as she washes her hands. _We chose community. You chose subversion to that community. You are the ones who decided to become our enemies. The Outcasts didn't have to happen.

_Yumi points her index finger as Angeline dries her hands. _

**Yumi: **Wrong! The Outcasts had to happen because what The Order is doing is wrong! We had to stand up for what's right!

_Angeline shrugs and throws her paper towel away. _

**Angeline: **Right…wrong. Everything's black and white to you, isn't it? But it's natural I suppose. Everyone in a war wants to believe that their side is just. People have done that for thousands of years. What makes you any different?

**Yumi: **For starters we believe in individualism and freedom.

_Angeline reaches into her purse and pulls out some lipstick. She thoroughly and methodically runs the lipstick over her lips, making her now ruby red lips constrast greatly with her pale white skin. She presses her lips together to even it out. All the while she shows no emotion but general coldness. _

**Angeline: **Individualism….what is that but a euphemism for selfishness?

_Yumi's eyebrows lower in anger. _

**Yumi: **Being an individual is not selfish. It's what keeps us human. It reminds us that every human being is special in their own unique way.

_Angeline takes a few steps toward Yumi. Yumi shows no signs of being intimidated. _

**Angeline: **Do you truly believe that?

**Yumi: **Yes. Every human being is worthy of being respected.

**Angeline: **Then that would imply that Anais and I are also worthy of your respect.

_Isabel scoffs at this statement_

**Isabel: **We can't respect people who don't respect themselves.

**Anais: **That's it! I've had it! _She struts over to the bathroom door and opens it. _Let's go Angeline. It's obvious we can't even use the bathroom without having to deal with Outcast nonsense.

_An extra wave of animosity overtakes Yumi once she hears the raven-haired girl's name. Her stomach tightens when she looks back at her rival. _

**Yumi: **So you're Angeline….You're the girl who has been seducing Outcast guys.

_Angeline gives Yumi a 'guilty as charged' smile. _

**Angeline: **Yes. What of it? It's rather easy to get in to guys' heads…_She motions to her rather large chest…_provided one has the right…assets.

_Yumi grinds her teeth together in disgust. _

**Yumi: **Emmanuel was bad enough…who would have thought that his sister would be even worse?

_Angeline holds both hands in front of her chest in an expression of fake pain, as if she had been stabbed in the heart. _

**Angeline: **Oh! You just had to make this personal, didn't you? Okay….fair enough. Two can play this game. _She flips her hair. _Since you brought up my brother, let's talk about your boyfriend…

_Yumi's eyes widen, having been caught off guard by Angeline's mention of Ulrich. Anais, who is still standing in the bathroom, smiles maliciously. Isabel looks at Yumi anxiously, wondering what Angeline is about to do. Yumi cautiously glares at Angeline. _

**Yumi: **What does Ulrich have to do with this?

_Angeline dismissively turns her back to Yumi. _

**Angeline: **Oh nothing really…_She looks over her shoulder with a fake look of concern…_except that Bastien isn't the only one with a weak side for me.

_A combination of shock and jealousy assaults Yumi's mind. For a moment, she is speechless. But it quickly passes. She stomps her boot on the floor. _

**Yumi: **No. Ulrich would never…

**Angeline: **Granted…it was just a passing glance….but I don't think I've ever seen a boy look at me the way he did. _She looks at Yumi innocently, sensing her growing discomfort. _You should have seen him, Yumi. He couldn't keep his eyes off me…

_The veins in Yumi's hands suddenly become visible. She shakes her head. _

**Yumi: **You….you're lying.

**Angeline: **Not convinced? Why don't you ask him yourself? See his reaction and then tell me I'm lying. He won't be able to hide the fact that his eyes followed me up and down.

_Yumi's body begins to shake. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich…doesn't do that.

**Angeline: **By the time I walked by him, I bet he didn't even know his own name.

**Yumi: **Shut up…

**Angeline: **And while I'm at it, I might as well ask you to tell Aelita that Jeremie ogled me as well. _She laughs. _And he was even more blatant about it. _Angeline paces in front of Yumi, who is still out of it. _I guess I can't fault them too much. _She talks to Yumi in a mockingly sweet tone. _It must be terrible to have girlfriends with no sex appeal whatsoever…

_Yumi shakes with rage, but Angeline notices a tear stream from the corner of her eye. Isabel steps in front of Yumi. _

**Isabel: **STOP IT!

**Angeline: **I really should take pity on him. Perhaps I should visit him soon. _She walks up Yumi and whispers into her ear. _He deserves to know what a real woman feels like.

_Yumi snaps. In an instant, she has her hands around Angeline's neck. Her unfeminine strength comes out and she pins Angeline against the wall. Angeline's look of confidence suddenly disappears. She stares into Yumi's murderous face with a tremor of fear. _

**Yumi: **If you so much as breathe on Ulrich…..I'LL KILL YOU!

_Anais runs forward to stop Yumi, but Isabel blocks her. The two get into a scuffle. Anais pulls her hair. Isabel screams. The scream distracts Yumi long enough for Angeline to knee her in the stomach. Yumi bends over in pain. Meanwhile Isabel tries to fight back and receives a scratch mark across the face. Angeline tries to backslap Yumi, but Yumi grabs hold of her wrist and pulls Angeline into a headlock. Yumi tightens her grip a little bit. Angeline begins to have trouble breathing and struggles. Yumi tightens some more, but the sound of Angeline gagging makes Yumi relent. She throws Angeline to the floor and forcefull removes Anais from Isabel. The two stumble out of the bathroom, eager to get away from The Order girls. As they hobble down the hallway, they see César come around the corner. He quickly looks up and smiles at them in his typical flirtatious way. _

**César: **_¿Señoritas, por qué estáis caminando como borrachas?_ (Girls, why are you walking like drunks?) _The prince suddenly notices the scratch marks on Isabel's face, and the fact that she is crying. His smile dissipates. He walks toward them, his face full of concern. _Isabel….you're hurt! _He gingerly touches her face. A little blood gets on his fingers as a result. He stares into Yumi's eyes, trying to understand, but Yumi's face is unreadable. He turns back to Isabel. _Who did this to you?!

_At that moment the two girls emerge from the bathroom in pursuit of Yumi and Isabel. But when they see César, they stop in their tracks. César stands up to face them. The fact that Angeline and Anais also seem disheveled allows him to deduce what happened. The two parties say nothing to each other. During those silent moments, Yumi witnesses a change in César. Instead of slouching, César stands up straight and tall. The indifferent look in his eyes suddenly transforms into a firm and disapproving stare. His once carefree facial expression is clouded over by anger. For the first time, César appears less like a mischievous rebel….and more like a real prince. _

**César: **What…happened here?

_Anais stutters, trying to answer, but Angeline cuts her off. _

**Angeline: **Nothing that concerns you.

_César turns Isabel's face toward The Order girls. She is still crying. _

**César: **You're telling me this doesn't concern me?!

_Angeline doesn't have an answer for this. She just gives César a cold, unrelenting stare. There is no hint of remorse in her face. A chill goes down the prince's spine. _

**César: **_No puedo creer que el cuerpo de una diosa pudiera esconder el alma de una diabla. _(I can't believe the body of a goddess could hide the soul of a devil.) _With a sad look on his face, César reaches into his pockets. He pulls out a purple Order patch and stares at it for a moment. He then throws it toward the girls. It lands on the floor in front of them. _This little game of yours has gone too far. I should have never even considered joining you. Tell your brother that he can forget his little offer. The next time I meet him, it won't be as a potential ally, but as an Outcast…

_With that stunning statement, César takes Isabel's hand and leads her away from the scene, leaving Yumi alone. The two girls in front of her still don't say anything. Yumi takes a moment to purposely step on The Order patch César left. Then she too walks away. _

_William opens the door to the rec room. He drops his backpack onto the couch and sits down. He grabs a soda from the mini fridge and pops it open. He takes a swig and leans his head back. _

**William: **Whoever said it's impossible to die from boredom clearly never went to a chemistry class at Kadic.

_He looks around the room. He is the only one in there. William frowns and looks at his phone. He checks the time. _

**William: **She should have been back by now….what's keeping her?

_He turns on the TV. It is a talk show. Fearing that he may see his enemy on screen, he changes the channel to an action movie and settles down. Once he is comfortable, he reaches into his backpack and pulls out a textbook. He starts reading and highlighting. Ten minutes pass. William looks at his phone and frowns again. He cranes his neck toward the door, expecting Natalya to come in any minute. Disappointed, he goes back to his work. Five minutes pass. William again looks at the door. Nothing. He growls in annoyance. _

**William: **She probably went on a shopping spree. I can never leave that girl in a mall alone.

_Satisfied with the dismissal of the situation, William goes back to work. As the minutes pass, his annoyance grows. He looks at the door, waiting impatiently to lecture Natalya on her mall misdemeanors. But Natalya doesn't show up. The minute hand on the clock on the wall continues to turn, and William's glances toward the door become more frequent. Slowly but surely, his feelings of annoyance change into anxiety. He checks his phone and looks at the clock, becoming more and more alarmed by the passage of time. Seven minutes go by. William is no longer amused by the delay. He reaches for his phone and picks it up. He starts to look for her contact number, but decides against it and puts the phone down. _

**William: **No I shouldn't. It would make her think I'm being too controlling…

_William tries to focus on his work again, but to no avail. Two more minutes pass, and there is still no sign of Natalya. Finally William can't take it anymore. He picks up the phone and calls her. He impatiently taps his fingers on his knees as he waits for her to pick up. After what seems like an eternity, he starts to hear noise from the other line. William takes a deep breath. _

**William: **Finally! What's taking you?! You were starting to worry me.

**Moriarty: **Hello William.

_William is shocked into utter silence. His heartrate increases threefold. The look of relief on his face is soon replaced by one of sheer horror. His grip on the phone tightens. His other hand begins to shake. Moriarty slowly speaks to him, letting every word sink in like a knife. _

**Moriarty: **I was wondering when you would call…

_A drop of cold sweat falls down William's now pale face. _

**William: **What are you doing on Natalya's phone?

**Moriarty: **Oh I was just taking over for her. It's hard to answer a call when one is currently….tied up.

_William's shock ebbs away. He comes back to his senses, and is in turn overcome by conflicting feelings of panic and anger. He menacingly addresses Moriarty. _

**William: **What have you done to her?!

**Moriarty: **It seems that the Angela Becotte thing was only just a rumor. Things like that can happen. But don't worry. She's having a wonderful time in spite of that.

_William starts to recognize the sounds of someone squirming and making strange unintelligle sounds. It sounds like someone who's been gagged. William visibly shakes with rage. _

**William: **You son of bitch…I'LL KILL YOU!

**Moriarty: **Anger….good. Anger is very good. Feed that rage of yours. You're going to need it very soon.

**William: **LET HER GO!

**Moriarty: **We both know I can't do that. But to be nice, I'll let you talk to her.

_After a few seconds, William hears a different voice. _

**Natalya: **William!-_She sounds like she is near tears._-I'm scared…

**William: **Where are you?!

**Natalya: **There….there is this lake…and we're on an island in the middle of the lake and he's here and-_Sounds of struggle are heard. Her voice is then heard through her gag._-Hmphf…Hmmf!

**Moriarty: **I think that's quite enough. As you can see, Natalya is quite alive and well. Whether she stays that way is up to you.

_William stands up, and kicks over the coffee table. His blood seethes with inexplicable fury. He comes close to subjecting Moriarty to intense verbal abuse, but for Natalya's sake he bites his tongue. He bites it until he can taste a little blood. He tries to speak calmly. _

**William: **What do you want?

**Moriarty: **Oh nothing too serious. Just a gentleman's challenge.

**William: **A gentleman's challenge? What are you talking about?

**Moriarty: **It has come to my attention that Xana has left you with some considerable power. I was not planning on him still being around, so it is very important that I deal with this now. I need to know just how powerful you really are.

_William slowly begins to follow Moriarty's train of thought. _

**William: **So you want to face me? On Earth?!

**Moriarty: **Exactly. One on one. A direct showdown. No towers. No monsters. No Lyoko weapons. Just you and me. If you win, I give you back Natalya. If you don't…._He chuckles…_well you get the idea.

_William grips his phone until his knuckles turn white. _

**Moriarty: **Oh and you can't tell your friends. If you do, you can say goodbye to Natalya for good.

_William stands there alone in the rec room, unable to speak. There is silence on the line for a few seconds. _

**Moriarty: **So what do you say? Are you interested?

**William: **I don't have much of a choice, do I?

**Moriarty: **No, you are quite right. As your little girlfriend already told you, we are on an island. The lake is in a wooded area near the suburb of Saint-Cloud. It has a low population density, so no one should be around to see us. Interesting fact, your friends have been here before. Xana even launched an attack there. So you should have no trouble finding us. Once you get there, just take a raft and head for the island. We will be waiting for you there.

_William looks out the window in the direction Moriarty is speaking of. The full weight of the situation comes down on him. He turns his attention back to the phone conversation, his voice now far more confident. _

**William: **Alright. I'll come. _He lowers his voice. _But you have just signed your own death wish. I am going to kill you and end this whole nightmare….today.

_Moriarty sounds legitimately ecstatic. _

**Moriarty: **Oh confidence! I can't wait! No hurry over here. Natalya doesn't have all day.

_William ends the phone conversation and swears like a sailor. In a fit of anger, he knocks over a few chairs. He takes several deep breaths, letting the feeling of righteous fury fill his senses. His old acquaintance enters his thoughts. _

**Xana: **I do remember the island he is talking about. I nearly destroyed it.

_William talks demandingly to his interior companion. _

**William: **Lead me there….now.

**Xana: **I can show you the way, but we will need transportation.

_William busts out of the rec room and storms into the courtyard. _

**William: **We'll take Yumi's moped. I'll ask for forgiveness later.

**Xana: **For once you are thinking efficiently. But you do realize you are bringing us into the fight of both of our lives. Moriarty will try to extinguish both of us. He will not hold back. We need to work together if we are going to live.

_William locates Yumi's moped and enters the code to open the lock on the bike rack. He gets on. _

**William: **Yes. I was just thinking about that. _He turns on the engine. _I think it's time we talked about this….deal of yours.

_In the courtyard, Yumi walks briskly and angrily toward the vending machine building. Ulrich walks behind, pleading for her to listen. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, come on! What's the deal?!

_She holds her head up high with disgust and continues walking. Ulrich rubs his forehead and groans. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, we've been over this. It's not logical to do this to me if I don't know what I did wrong!

_She leans against the wall of the building and crosses her arms over her chest. At the same time, Aelita wanders over to where she is standing. The usually cheerful pink-haired girl has her hands in her pockets and looks at the ground grimly. _

**Yumi: **Don't act dumb. You know what you did.

_Ulrich grabs his head in exasperation. _

**Ulrich: **No, that's what I've been trying to tell you! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID!

_Yumi glances over at Ulrich unyieldingly and then turns her head away from him. _

**Yumi: **If you can't remember, maybe you should talk to Angeline. Maybe that will….._She grinds her teeth together_…refresh your memory.

_Ulrich pauses for a moment, looking at her in confusion. Then his mouth opens and he turns red. Ulrich tries to speak, but his mouth and throat become dry. The vindictive look Yumi then gives him quickly becomes unbearable. He looks away from her spiteful gaze and stares down at his feet in shame. _

**Aelita: **Do you remember now?

_Ulrich purses his lips together and swallows, his anxiety skyrocketing. He slowly begins to speak. _

**Ulrich: **Oh….that. She…she told you?

_Yumi mockingly imitates his voice. _

**Yumi: **Oh yeah…she told me.

**Aelita: **And you can tell Jeremie I know about him too!

_Ulrich scratches the back of his neck, trying to think of a way to rectify this situation. Finally he takes a deep breath and prepares to face the music. _

**Ulrich: **Okay, whatever she told you, I guarantee it was exaggerated.

_Yumi lowers her eyebrows with such unbridled aversion that Ulrich wishes his mouth could disappear into his face. _

**Yumi: **That's your excuse?! 'It was exaggerated'?

**Ulrich: **I….I….

**Yumi: **Did you or did you not gawk at her?

_Ulrich begins to feel a chill around his neck, like icy hands slowly strangling him. Ulrich shuts his eyes. _

**Ulrich: **Yes…I did.

_Yumi raises her right arm and curves it toward her left shoulder. Ulrich, expecting a slap, closes his eyes again and winces. Yumi stays in that threatening stance for a moment, considering whether or not to do it. But gradually her face softens and she lets her arm fall to her side._

**Yumi: **No. I won't even bother. _She turns her back on him. _Even though you deserve it.

_As the two walk away, Ulrich desperately takes a few steps in their direction. _

**Ulrich: **Yes I messed up! We both did. I admit that! But Yumi….it was a moment of weakness. I didn't see it coming.

**Yumi: **Keep telling yourself that…

_Ulrich moans with frustration. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi please! You…you know the way I feel about you. _Yumi stops walking. Ulrich's voice softens when he sees her pause. _No other girl could possibly change that. And you know it. _Yumi looks over her shoulder, showing some weakness from Ulrich's words. _Look into my eyes and see for yourself if I'm telling the truth.

_From out of the blue, Angeline struts by and walks into Ulrich's path. She nonchalantly touches his shoulder and swings her body close to him. Her chest comes in contact with his. Ulrich, taken off guard by her sudden presence, turns pale and red at the same time. Yumi's heartrate elevates with sudden rage at the sight. _

**Angeline: **Why don't you just let me look into your eyes and I'll tell her?

**Ulrich: **You….where did you-?

_Angeline puts a finger over Ulrich's lips to silence him. _

**Angeline: **No, don't speak. _She looks deeply into his eyes. _I'm trying to concentrate

_Angeline pushes her chest against his. Ulrich's eyes, as if possessing a mind of their own, wander downward. Yumi notices this and fumes. _

**Yumi: **UNBELIEVABLE!

_She storms off with Aelita in tow. Her exit snaps Ulrich out of his trance. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, wait! _She keeps going and leaves Ulrich and Angeline alone. Ulrich burns with self-loathing and immediately pushes Angeline away from him. _You….this is your fault!

_Angeline looks down at her shoes, paying no attention to him. _

**Angeline: **Don't blame your weaknesses on me. _She gives him a pitiful puppy dog face. _This is all on you.

_Ulrich's facial muscles tense as Angeline glibly dismisses him. He aims a threatening index finger toward her. _

**Ulrich: **Don't be so arrogant! We're on to you. We know you are trying to seduce Outcast guys and cause division in our group. And I'm warning you right here and now to stop. We won't allow you to cause trouble, especially in our relationships.

**Angeline: **And just what are you going to do to stop me? _She lightly touches Ulrich's biceps. _Use your impressive male strength to hurt me if I get out of line? _Ulrich recoils from her touch. _How terrible. I thought you were a gentleman.

_When Angeline attempts to glide her fingers toward his face, Ulrich intervenes and grabs her wrist. He aggressively pulls her close to him and whispers into her ear. His voice becomes deep, firm, and threatening. _

**Ulrich: **I don't hit girls. _He leans a little closer. _But there are several Outcast girls, including my girlfriend Yumi, who would have no problem doing it for me. And don't think for a second that I would feel bad about it…

_Angeline cranes her head close to Ulrich's neck and smiles widely. She inhales the scent of his clothes, prompting Ulrich to tighten the grip on her wrist. Angeline winces ever so slightly and gently moves away from him. Ulrich lets go of her wrist, but he continues to stare at her with hate. Angeline spins around and looks over her shoulder, making sure Ulrich has a clear view of her butt. She relishes at the sight of his conflicted disgust. She grins from ear to ear at him. _

**Angeline: **Oh I like you….I can see why Kadic girls used to swoon over you. Yumi must be paranoid at the thought of other girls making a move on you. _She pauses. _Alright pretty boy. I'll play nice…for now. But as for your little threat, I should warn you that my dear brother is very protective of me. And he has a very short temper…_She flirtatiously waves at him. _See you later.

_Angeline walks away, taking with her Ulrich's sense of self-respect. Ulrich remains in the courtyard tightening his fists and looking sadly in the direction Yumi had gone. _

_Several kilometers away, the Parisian metropolis yields to some sparse pockets of temperate European forests. On the side of a local highway, a green lake shines in the bright sunlight. On the banks of this lake, a black moped lies discarded on the side of the road. Twenty meters away, a lone paddler in a raft heads toward the island. He aggressively digs his paddle into the water, eager to get to the island as fast as possible. Gusts of wind blow through William's hair, giving it a wild look. A log stands in William's watery path. He angrily knocks it away. He continues toward the shore, breathing deeply and calmly to keep himself under control. As he gets closer to the wooded island, the anticipation in his mind builds up to the point of dizziness. But William remains in control. After what seems like an eternity, he reaches the shore and immediately jumps out, landing on the muddy bank. William looks around and listens for any movement. There is an eerie quiet and stillness to the island. The only ominous sign to the place is the steady wall of clouds in the west that is slowly shrouding the land in silence and approaching darkness unnerves him, and for a moment, he feels genuine fear. But hatred of Moriarty returns to his thoughts and his fear begins to ebb. Taking advantage of this moment of confidence, he forcibly breaks the uncomfortable silence. _

**William: **I'm here Moriarty! As promised! Now give me Natalya, or I swear you will be sorry!

_After a brief pause, Moriarty comes into the clearing. He is wearing his lab coat and walks toward William as if nothing is wrong. William is greeted with a sadistic smile. _

**Moriarty: **William, you got here earlier than I expected…

**William: **You've kidnapped Natalya…did you think I would take my time?!

**Moriarty: **No, I guess you have a point there.

**William: **Where is she?!

_Moriarty feigns confusion. _

**Moriarty: **Who?

_William bares his teeth at Moriarty like an animal rabid with fury. He clenches his fists until the veins are visible. Moriarty snaps his fingers. _

**Moriarty: **Oh right…her. _He points toward the center of the island from where he came. William looks where he is pointing and sees Natalya tied up to an oak tree. _She's right over there.

_Natalya sees William and immediately begins squirming. She calls out to him through the gag. William is overcome by both relief and fear with the knowledge that his girlfriend is alive but still very much in danger. He recklessly runs toward her. _

**William: **Natalya, I'm coming!

_Xana screams in his mind. _

**Xana: **NO YOU FOOL!

_Xana's warning stops William just before a blast of electricity fires dangerously close to his head. He turns to see Moriarty holding his hand out toward him. His fingers are still smoking. Moriarty waves his finger, reprimanding William. _

**Moriarty: **No no William. You know what it will take to get Natalya back. You have to either make me surrender or destroy my human form. _Purple electricity appears in Moriarty's hand again. The glow gives his face a murderous hue. _Of course, I won't go easy on you.

_William longingly looks in Natalya's direction. Despite her desperate state, it seems that she is the one worried about him. Her eyes radiate a fear that makes William regret ever allowing her into this nightmare. He looks at the ground, brimming with outrage that fate has worked against their relationship. Xana's voice interrupts him. _

**Xana: **Slave, if you wish to save the Russian female, it stands to reason that you not do anything rash. There is no possible situation in which we aren't forced to fight him. We must do this…_His metallic tone grows stern. _But I do not plan on dying today. And if we want to survive, you can't hold me back. You need to allow me to manifest my full power.

_William doesn't say anything to Xana. Instead, he keeps his eyes on Moriarty and throws his jacket onto the ground. He rolls up his sleeves and steels his spirit. _

**William: **Alright, fine. Let's not waste any time! I want to kill you quickly!

_Moriarty snickers. _

**Moriarty: **Very well then. It's about time I silence you…permanently._He takes off his lab coat and hangs it on a tree branch. Then he takes off the white dress shirt underneath, revealing a white sleeveless undershirt. Moriarty then reaches down and rips off the bottom few inches of his nice pants, making them cut off at the knee. Moriarty lowers himself into a squat, glaring at William with wicked determination. For the first time William gets a full look at Moriarty's sleek and muscular frame. William flinches just a little, struck with anxiety in the face of his physically intimidating opponent. As if sensing his hesitation, Moriarty stares at his thick forearms. _There will be no psychological games this time William. Rest assured this contest will be purely physical. _Balls of purple electricity manifest in his hands. His hair starts to stand up a little. _I've been itching for an excuse to unleash my raw power!

_The static in the air causes William's arm hairs to rise. A bad case of goosebumps soon follows, instigated by a strange chill passing over his body. William rubs his arms to conquer the sensation. He wipes his black hair away from his eyes and glowers at Moriarty. He spends a few seconds concentrating on his enemy, imagining a large pool in his mind filling up with hate and draining out fear. He drives his right fist into his left palm and eyes Moriarty with the drive of a predator. He is ready. _

**William: **Okay Xana. Enough stalling. Give me your power! _He shouts so Moriarty can hear him nice and clear. _HOLD NOTHING BACK!

_Without delay, a tidal wave enters William's unprepared mind. His heartrate skyrockets. His spine vibrates with electricity, sending shockwaves into his clenched teeth. His vision turns red and locks onto Moriarty like a specter. A flurry of images and urges overwhelm him. Mental pictures of major cities like Paris, London, New York, Tokyo, Moscow, and others falling to the march of Xana's robotic armies enter his thoughts. The red cavern in his subconscious mind is pulsing with energy, and Xana's entangled form sends him one message: CONQUER. In this instant blood rushes to his head in such a fury that he nearly falls over. But William stands on his feet. He screams with a metallic overtone to his voice as his body is encapsuled in glistening red electricity. As uncontrolled rage toward Moriarty intoxicates his senses, Xana's presence fully enters his conscious brain. _

**Xana: **Slave, I will fight with you, not control you. You have just as much experience fighting him as I do. It would be counterproductive to try to control you. I have but one order for you: show no mercy….

_A red ball of lightning appears in William's hand. His red target vision locks on to a motionless Moriarty. _

**William: **That shouldn't be a problem.

_He fires at his enemy. Moriarty ducks out of the way as the blast hits a nearby tree and splits in cleanly in half. _

_Jeremie works in the isolation of the lab room. He types in an encryption protocol into the computer and enters it. He scratches his chin as the program loads. _

**Jeremie: **Come on…come on work.

_After a few seconds, the program ends with a red exclamation point. Jeremie sighs and massages his forehead. Behind him the doors to the lab room open. Jeremie lazily looks over his shoulder to see Christophe in the elevator. Jeremie frowns. _

**Jeremie: **Christophe, we've already went over this. You're on probation. You can't just show up to the factory whenever you feel like it.

_Christophe stuffs his hands in his pockets and walks into the room. _

**Christophe: **Calm down. I came here because I haven't heard from William in a while. We were supposed to study together in the library an hour ago, but I haven't heard from him at all. _He looks around the room. _I thought he might have been on a mission or something.

**Jeremie: **Well as you can clearly see, William's not here. Now if you would excuse me, I'm working on an alphanumeric sequence to decrypt the Cannae Initiative and I can't have any distractions.

_Jeremie continues working, but Christophe doesn't move. _

**Christophe: **I think you're taking this too lightly. It's not like William to neglect his obligations. _Jeremie ignores him. Christophe's face darkens. _And no one's seen Natalya either.

_Jeremie rolls his eyes and chuckles. _

**Jeremie: **If both of them are gone, then it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what they're doing. _Jeremie waves to signal for Christophe to leave. _Everything's fine. Just let me work.

_Christophe shakes his head. _

**Christophe: **That's what I thought too. Except for one thing…._Christophe walks right up to Jeremie so he can hear him loud and clear. _Moriarty's missing too.

**Jeremie: **Moriarty is on a talk show right now.

**Christophe: **No. He isn't…

_Jeremie stops typing. He looks down at his keyboard, sensing some uneasiness beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. He turns around to face Christophe. _

**Jeremie: **Come again?

**Christophe: **The talk show he was scheduled to be on isn't showing him. _He points to the monitors. _Go ahead and check the TV.

_Jeremie reluctantly obeys. A new screen pops up, showing a woman in a red pants suit sitting on a leather couch. _

**Female Host: **…once again we want to apologize to our viewers for not having Dr. Renard with us. Apparently an urgent personal matter came up and he couldn't make it. Instead we are going to go straight into our discussion panel. Today's topic will include…

_Jeremie mutes the program, letting her words sink in. _

**Jeremie: **Urgent personal matter? _Jeremie activates the super scan. It comes up empty. _But there are no towers activated. _He runs his hand down the back of his neck. _What is he up to? Moriarty never misses an opportunity to be in the spotlight.

**Christophe: **I don't like assuming things, but-_Christophe bites his lip-_do you really think it is a coincidence that all three of them are missing…at the same time?

_The island shakes with the lights and sounds of battle. A three-pronged electrical blast flies out of Moriarty's fingers. A red forcefield emerges out of William's forearm, deflecting the attack onto the water. The calm tranquility of the lake is shattered as the smooth surface of the water reacts to the explosive charge. William charges forward at inhuman speeds, his fingers sparkling with power. He comes within striking distance of Moriarty and prepares to drive his fist into his chest, but Moriarty leaps fifteen meters in the air to avoid the attack. William hits the ground instead, causing the ground around him to shatter and crack from the impact. While in the air, shadowy specters peel off of Moriarty like a snake's skin. The shapeless globs surround William, attempting to overwhelm him with numbers. But Xana's crest pulsates in William's eye and a ring of red voltage encases him. The specters burn from the forcefield and dissipate without a struggle. William reaches his arm forward. An electrical current runs from his shoulder to his index finger, resulting into a web of electricity targeted at Moriarty. A round purple shield of energy deflects the blast up in the air, reverberating in the sky like a lightning strike in reverse. William separates himself into three identical clones of himself and attempts to surround Moriarty. They form a triangle around him. Moriarty looks at all three opponents warily, waiting for either a simultaneous attack or an individual one. It turns out to be the latter, as the three Williams fire beams of lightning all at once. Moriarty pivots and lets himself fall on his back. His quick reflexes cause two of the clones to hit each other with the other's attack. Moriarty points his fingers toward the third remaining William and fires. The two blasts collide and erupt in a rainbow of light. The shockwave knocks William backward. He lands in a cluster of sticks, resulting in his left hand being cut up. William masters the pain of the impact and examines his bloody hand. But he has little time to rest. A ball of energy slams into the stick pile right as he leaps out of the way and runs to the safety of the trees. The cluster erupts into flames. As if on cue, Moriarty's face peels away, revealing a ravenous smoking skull engulfed in black flames. His laugh becomes demonic. _

**Moriarty: **Come out come out wherever you are! You can't hide forever William!

_Moriarty's burning eye sockets catch the movement of something in the clearing in front of him. Two identical waves of purple voltage fly from his hands at the target. The blast misses but lands all the way on the other side of the lake, causing a transformer on the side of the road to explode. A tremor moves through Moriarty's eyebrows as he scans for any signs of William. He slowly moves forward into the patch of trees. _

**Moriarty: **I don't like waiting William. Running away is so unlike you, especially in front of your girlfriend. _The heat around Moriarty's skull grows stronger. _Show your face!

_A rustling in the tree above him prompts Moriarty to look up. William is standing on a tree branch. His free hand is formed into a fist and brims over with electricity. Xana's voice mixes with William's. _

**William: **Right after I fix yours!

_William pounces with such ferocity that the ensuing punch knocks Moriarty's burning skull cleanly off his torso. The skull clatters onto some tree roots and dissipates. Moriarty's body grows limp and collapses onto the ground. Gray ooze starts to come out of the decapitated head. William breathes heavily and stares down at the scene with a mixture of disgust and fascination. The sparks in his hand begin to die. Across the clearing, a restrained Natalya becomes nauseous at the sight of Moriarty's human form in such a repulsive state. William cautiously approaches the motionless hulk. In stunned silence he kicks Moriarty's leg. No response. A tingling moves through William's nerves. _

**William: **Is….is it really over? Just like that?

_The cold silence in William's mind is quickly shattered by his multi-agent companion. _

**Xana: **No…far from it.

_At that moment the pool of grey ooze begins to solidify. It collects in little balls that absorb smaller balls and grow bigger. Eventually they form into one solid sphere. Moriarty's legs suddenly come to life and lift Moriarty's torso off the ground. William's skin crawls and he backs away from the sight in disbelief. The sphere on Moriarty's neck begins to change. Sinew and muscle spontaneously emerge from the formless ooze. The jaw reforms and opens like a heinous corpse returning to life. A strange guttural sound emerges from the monstrosity's newly formed vocal cords. Blue eyes swollen with red blood vessels pop out of his eyesockets, starting with the left one and ending with the right. Natalya's face turns white. Gradually Caucasian skin emerges and blonde hair forms on the top of his head. As William's hands shake, thunder roars and a few drops of rain hit his sweating cranium. Moriarty cranes his neck just as the finishing touches on his nose are finished up. He emits a strangled exhale and quickly grabs his forehead. His right eye becomes blocked by his hand, but the left eye gazes at the pale figure of William with arrogant loathing. _

**Moriarty: **….That…hurt.

_Back in the factory, the conversation continues. Jeremie drums his fingers together, pondering over the possibilities. _

**Jeremie: **I admit that this is strange, but we don't have any proof that anything's wrong. We have heard nothing from either of them, and Moriarty hasn't activated a tower.

**Christophe: **Maybe, but my gut is telling me that something's wrong. That 'urgent personal matter' really worries me.

_Jeremie throws his hands up. _

**Jeremie: **Even if you're right, we don't have any way of finding out if anything's wrong.

_While Jeremie tells Christophe this, his eyes catch on to the computer monitor, which is still showing live TV. A twinge of curiosity begins to take hold of him. _

**Christophe: **Wait, turn up the volume. Something's going down near Boulogne-Billancourt.

_Jeremie turns his chair around and complies with Jeremie's request. A familiar newslady appears on screen. A digital graph of the sections of Paris appears next to her. _

**Diane: **A string of significant blackouts have hit the commune of Saint-Cloud a few minutes ago. Meteorologists have blamed the thunderstorm for the power outage. Though the storm's arrival was predicted, there has been an unusually high amount of lightning activity near a local lake. _Jeremie leans in with more focus. _The strange activity is believed to have been caused by an old lightning rod that sits on an island in this lake. _Jeremie's eyes widen. _We have footage caught by amateur videographers of the light display from the lake's shore.

_The clip is shown. A grainy cellphone video focuses on the outline of an island in the distance. Jeremie shakes his head in disbelief. _

**Jeremie: **I don't believe it…it…is that island!

**Christophe: **You've been there before?

**Jeremie: **Xana attack. Long story.

_The two continue to watch the screen. Lightning suddenly flashes around the area, hitting the island at an angle. The filmmakers hoot and holler at the impressive sight. But a second blast nearly knocks them off their feet. Suddenly fearful, the filmmakers curse and the video takes confused footage of the grass and highway as the group runs away. Diane returns to the screen. _

**Diane: **If you live in the Saint-Cloud area, please for your own safety stay far away from the lake area.

_Jeremie reverses the clip. Christophe looks at him in confusion. _

**Christophe: **Hey, what are you doing?

**Jeremie: **Something doesn't seem right. _He rewinds the clip to right before the first lightning flash. The instant it ignites, Jeremie pauses it. Unsatisfied, he tries it again. And again. Jeremie brings the clip back and slows it down condsiderably. _Come on…

**Christophe: **What are you doing?

_Jeremie remains absorbed in the screen. _

**Jeremie: **Just a little more…._He plays the clip again at an eighth of its normal speed. The lightning goes off again. Jeremie pauses it. His mouth drops. _My God…

**Christophe: **What?!

**Jeremie: **Look! _He shows him the freezed frame. Lightning is flashing, but the end of the bolt is aimed toward the sky. He lets the clip move slowly, and the bolt goes up into the sky. Christophe's eyes become as wide as saucers. Jeremie wets his lips nervously. _That lightning didn't come from the sky. It came from the island TOWARDS the sky.

**Christophe: **What does that mean?! _Jeremie begins to zoom in toward the island. Christophe shakes his head. _You don't honestly believe you'll make anything out zooming in with such a bad quality video, do you?

_Jeremie cracks his knuckles. _

**Jeremie: **Of course I can. _He brings the image closer to the island. Once the image gets too grainy he takes a moment to pause and clear it up. This goes on for a tense minute. Finally the image is close enough for Jeremie to see a strange figure. It is black with a bright red tinge around its outline. _What's this?

_Jeremie begins to clean up the frame. A few corrections allow both of them to notice a purple blot close to the black image. As Jeremie makes the frame steadily clearer, the both of them begin to sense a deep pit in their stomachs. Their eyes take in a noticeable image of black hair and clothes that reminds them of someone they know. The purple image, as it becomes more defined, also give them a hint of familiarity. Jeremie's fingers sweat as he becomes engrossed in his task. Christophe swallows. Nothing is spoken between them, but the same fear is slowly but surely working its way into their minds. Jeremie keeps working until the image is startlingly clear. Christophe's mouth drops. Jeremie wordlessly takes his glasses off, rubs them, and puts them back on again. Their eyes hone in on the shocking frame. The black figure they see before them is William, and the red tinge turns out to be a red ball of energy in his hands. The purple figure is Moriarty with purple electricity encompassing his entire body. Both are charging each other, the intent to kill in both of their eyes. Jeremie and Christophe stare in indescribable awe and horror at the glorious and terrifying scene. Jeremie begins to stutter. _

**Jeremie: **How did he….W-why did he?

_Christophe points a shaking index finger at the screen. _

**Christophe: **H-Hey….isn't that Natalya?

_Jeremie looks in the background. Sure enough, between the both of them, the barely distinguishable image Natalya stands tied up to a tree. Jeremie looks away, suddenly feeling nauseous. He leans over in his chair and groans. Christophe puts a hand on his shoulder. _

**Christophe: **Jeremie…..Jeremie are you okay?!

_Jeremie's eyes and face are locked in shock. He doesn't look up, but eventually a shaky voice manages to slip out of his mouth. _

**Jeremie: **Call the others. Tell them to get here. Now.

_Christophe nods his head without question and pulls his phone out. His fingers shake as he searches for contacts. He picks Ulrich first and begins pacing. _

**Christophe: **Come on come on….PICK UP! _After what seems like an eternity, the ringing stops. _Ulrich! Jeremie needs you to come to the factory right away! _Pause on the line. _Yes it's urgent! _Another pause. _HURRY! We found William and Moriarty having a major superpower specter battle on an island in Saint-Cloud. _Pause and Christophe lowers his eyebrows in anger. He yells into his phone. _NO I'M NOT ON SOMETHING, IT'S THE TRUTH! Let the others know that William and Natalya are in extreme-_Interruption from the other line. Christophe growls. _WHAT DO YOU MEAN YUMI AND AELITA WON'T ANSWER THEIR PHONES?! _Another pause. _This is no time for you and Jeremie to be in THE DOGHOUSE! _Jeremie comes out of his shock a little when he hears this. Yet another pause ensues. _Fine! Just get Odd and get over here NOW!

_Grey clouds cover the island. Rain comes down and soaks the two of them to the bone. William stands across from Moriarty, his chest heaving. Scratch and bruise marks dot his face and his black shirt is torn in several places. His fingers glow red as he considers another attack. Moriarty doesn't look much better. His wet blonde hair droops haphazardly over his eyes. There is a large gash on his stomach, though it is beginning to heal. His spectral body fluctuates, which tells William that he is starting to weaken. Moriarty moves the hair out of his eyes and creates a web of purple energy around his hand. The corners of his lips curl into a sadistic smile. _

**Moriarty: **You can't afford to get hit by me now. _He unleashes an attack from the tips of his index and middle fingers. _NOT IN THIS RAIN!

_William jumps backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack. But he accidentally trips over a tree root and lands on his back in a patch of thorns. William's body tenses as he endures the unexpected pain. William supports himself on the tree root and slowly rises to his feet. He reaches his right hand behind his back. A red ball of electricity forms. He tosses it at Moriarty. _

**William: **The same applies to you!

_Moriarty ducks. The ball lands on a tree, sending chunks of charred bark in every direction. The tree ignites in flames, which are quickly doused by the intense downpour. William's eyes catch sight of a rather large rock to his left. Before Moriarty can recover, William grabs it and lifts it above his head. While Moriarty is still on his knees, William heaves the small boulder at him as a bolt of lightning lights up the sky from above. Right before the rock crushes his skull, Moriarty punches the oncoming rock, sending a wave of energy through his fist. The rock crumbles into pieces, though Moriarty grimaces from the impact. Nevertheless, he doesn't lose an opportunity to give William a goading look. _

**Moriarty: **How herculean of you! Such marvelous strength for someone your age! _Moriarty lifts a tree branch that was cut off by the fight earlier. It is three times his size. _But now it's my turn.

_Moriarty swings it behind him like a baseball bat and launches the enormous projectile at him. Unable to block the attack, William becomes fully spectrified and allows the branch to move right through him. As soon as William returns to normal, a deep, throbbing pain pierces his spine and spreads to the rest of his body. As he struggles to stomach the pain, Xana's voice speaks to him. _

**Xana: **Slave, we cannot afford to spectrify like that again. My reserve power in that area is completely gone. Do it again and it might paralyze the both of us.

_William places one foot in front of the other, placing all of his focus on Moriarty, who is calmly awaiting for him to make his counterattack. _

**William: **And if I don't, Moriarty might kill the both of us. I'm running out of options here Xana.

**Xana: **Unfortunately slave, you are right. _William's red target vision refocuses on Moriarty. _We must finish this quickly. Moriarty clearly has more stamina than I possess. The longer this fight drags out, the narrower our odds of victory become. We must kill him. Now.

_In the blink of an eye, Moriarty switches from his calm defensive position to charging William at breakneck speed. A small bolt of electricity forms in his hands, and he grasps it like a spear. _

**Moriarty: **Xana is not as powerful as he used to be. _Moriarty leaps in the air and prepares to bring his bolt down. _Now I've got you on the run!

_William reaches out and stops the bolt with the palm of his hand. A red pulse shoots from his fingers, reflecting the impact of Moriarty's strike right back at him. Moriarty screams and lands on his backside. He quickly gets up as William approaches. As the two return to their regular stalemate, Xana engages William in a mental conversation. _

**Xana: **Slave, let me speak to him.

**William: **What, why?

**Xana: **I want to remind this inferior lifeform who he is dealing with.

_William hesitates, but seeing as it would be suicide for Xana to betray him right now, he allows Xana to use his vocal cords. Xana addresses Moriarty in his usual demonic and metal voice. _

**William/Xana: **I'm not running anywhere. _William's fist and forearm become encased in red light. _I'm here to finish what I started.

_Moriarty chuckles, delighted to hear Xana's voice. _

**Moriarty: **So this is what happened to you…..How terrible it must feel to be brought to such a degrading state. Trapped inside a Lyoko Warrior, doomed to die when he does…which should be very soon actually. I guess I'm doing you a favor.

**William/Xana: **Termination of my life is no favor. I still have a job to do. And you will perish this day.

**Moriarty: **Such bold talk. _A three pronged lightning strike heads for William. William summons a red energy shield. Moriarty increases the pressure. _But is killing me really a good replacement for your doomed dreams of world conquest?

_The duo growl and shove the lightning strike back at him. The shock manages to hit the bottom of Moriarty's leg, sending him into a nasty body spasm. _

**William/Xana: **No. But may I remind it that it was I who drove you into the digital sea….NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!

_Two sparkling orbs of purple light take shape in Moriarty's hands. _

**Moriarty: **And may I remind you that it was I who prevented your resurrection!

_William summons two equally powerful orbs of red light in his hands. _

**William/Xana: **Your memory fails you. You had help!

_The two warriors rush each other and clash. Their orbs collide into a chaotic stalemate. The electrical friction builds up between the two as both try to gain the upper hand. The rain continues to pound them. Both William and Moriarty's hair stand on hand as the static electricity builds in the air. The rocks and stick rattle as the pressure around them mounts. The two giants stare into each other's eyes, neither one showing signs of yielding. Moriarty leans forward. _

**Moriarty: **I couldn't have envisioned a better battle than the one we are having now. It is all so…perfect.

_William grunts and resumes his normal voice. _

**William: **What are you…talking about?

_Moriarty laughs hysterically and stairs up into the storm-devoured sky. His eyes roll into the back of his head as he increases his pressure on William. _

**Moriarty: **What am I talking about? WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?! _His laughter progresses into a frantic mania. _LOOK AROUND YOU WILLIAM! I am no longer a high school teacher, nor are you a high school student. We are no longer mortal men. _Moriarty stares blissfully into the heavens. _WE HAVE TAKEN OUR RIGHTFUL PLACE AS THE TRUE GODS OF THIS EARTH!

_William digs his feet into the earth to brace his body against the pressure. He reaches into himself, searching for the resolve to continue the struggle. He lowers his stance and looks back into Moriarty's cold senseless eyes with a fire blazing in his own. _

**William: **I….am no god. I am just a Lyoko Warrior here to save his girlfriend. And you….ARE A MADMAN THAT MUST BE KILLED!

_William gives one final push in Moriarty's direction, and the orbs explode in a flood of light. _

_In the lab room, Ulrich and Odd stare dumbfounded at image of William in the computer monitor. Jeremie and Christophe hang back, watching their reactions. _

**Ulrich: **Holy (Expletive)

**Odd: **William must have been really eating his vegetables.

**Jeremie: **Not the time for jokes Odd. William and Moriarty are blowing that island to pieces. I can't even begin to imagine what's going on over there.

_Odd raises his hand in the form of a question. _

**Odd: **Um, have we addressed the mammoth in the room regarding HOW William got his powers?

**Christophe: **Jeremie thinks he has been hiding his abilities…which he might have gotten as a souvenir from Xana.

_Ulrich curses and shakes his head. _

**Ulrich: **There we go again. Secrets among the group biting us in the butt.

**Odd: **That still doesn't resolve the bigger mammoth in the room regarding WHAT are we going to do about it? This is a non-Lyoko issue. _Odd throws his hands up. _We're powerless. Our best option is to hope William wins, which I don't need to remind you is a crazy gamble even by my standards!

_Jeremie runs his thumb over his front teeth, his mind working over an idea. _

**Jeremie: **Not necessarily…

**Odd: **Oh great...the great mad Einstein is at it again.

**Jeremie: **While you guys were hurrying over here, I've been thinking outside the box. I've been considering something we haven't tried. In the past, allowing you to fight on Earth with your Lyoko powers hasn't been a problem. It was just a matter of location….materializing you wherever a replika supercomputer was located. But theoretically, I think I could do the same thing on Lyoko….to materialize you onto the island as specters.

_Ulrich's eyes grow very wide. Odd digs his index finger into his ear. _

**Odd: **Um…did I hear you right?

**Jeremie: **Yes. Just hear me out. If the Skid docks at a regular tower in Lyoko, I can materialize you as a specter in the vicinity around the supercomputer. And since the island is just within the supercomputer's vicinity, theoretically I could send you there.

**Odd: **There's that word again. 'Theoretically'. I hate that word.

**Ulrich: **Odd does have a point Jeremie. This is a bit much for us coming right out of the blue. Are you sure you can do this without serious problems?

_Jeremie clutches his armrests and looks at the floor sadly. _

**Jeremie: **Honestly….no. I'm going out on a limb here. Normally I would spend a lot more time developing this, but we don't have that luxury. I highly doubt that William can singlehandedly defeat Moriarty, even with this power that he has hidden from us. And don't forget that Natalya's life is also on the line. Two Lyoko Warriors' lives are in danger. _Jeremie lifts his head and addresses the two with the tone of a general. _Can I count on both of you to save them?

_Ulrich takes a deep breath. _

**Ulrich: **Of course.

_Odd somewhat anxiously rubs his hands together. _

**Odd: **I'm….not looking forward to facing Moriarty head on like this….but I'll do what I can.

**Jeremie: **Excellent. Odd will drive the Skid. He has the most experience with it. I'll handle my end and try to find out if the girls can let us out of the doghouse long enough to help us. In the meantime….Lyoko Warriors…head for the scanners! _Ulrich and Odd go for the elevator. Christophe watches them enter with silent envy. The elevator closes and Christophe's face drops in disappointment. But Jeremie looks over in his direction. He folds his arms across his chest and clears his throat. _Christophe….when I told the Lyoko Warriors to head for the scanners…I meant ALL of them.

_Christophe's head jerks up, his mind kindling a long-buried hope. He points to himself. _

**Christophe: **You mean….

**Jeremie: **Someone has to guard the Skid while they take the jump. Congratulations Christophe, you've found the emergency you've been waiting for.

_Christophe beams with amazement. He pumps his fist and jumps in the air. He hits the elevator button and spins around. _

**Christophe: **Thank you thank you! Don't worry Jeremie. I won't let you down!

_A crater steams in the center of the island. Tree branches and trunks lie littered about while the center of the blast is covered in ash. The thunderclouds continue to crack overhead, but the rain has stopped. A calm wind blows through the area, rustling the broken and charred leaves. A few meters away from the edge of the ring, Natalya slumps against her restraints, desperately wanting to sit down. Her face is covered in ash. Her eyes struggle to open. She looks around the debris. There is no sign of either William or Moriarty. Panic returns to her face and she begins to struggle against her restraints. She screams through the gag, trying to call out for William. But her calls are unintelligible, and the rope holds despite the explosion. A minute passes. Toward the north end of the ring, a pile of tree branches begin to shake. The shaking grows until a mini explosion blows the tree branches in every direction. Emerging from the smoke is a tattered and injured Moriarty. His body drips with his own grey blood. He holds his left arm, which appears to be injured, while his right hand sparks. He limps around the debris. As he wanders around, Natalya gets a glimpse of his face. The anger and drive she had previously seen is gone. It has been replaced by exhaustion and the pragmatic but intense animal desire to survive. He pays no mind to Natalya but calls out hoarsely to his opponent. _

**Moriarty: **WILLIAM! _He coughs intensely, losing his voice temporarily. _Are you out there?! _He stalks around. _Come on! Don't tell me you're dead already! I deserve a better fight from you than that!

_Several meters in front of him, a bloody hand reaches out of a small hole in the ground. Another bloody hand reaches up to join its twin. Gradually a grime-coated and beaten William pulls himself up from the hole. He manages to get completely out, and promptly falls to the ground. He struggles to maintain consciousness. He is bleeding from a wound in his side, which he holds with his hand. The wound is pretty bad, and he is losing blood fast. William looks down at it in despair. Xana speaks to William weakly. _

**Xana: **Slave….we must…..caulderize the wound.

_William looks down at the open gash. The loss of blood is steady and dangerous. _

**William: **What did….you have in mind?

**Xana: **If you will allow me…

**William: **I do.

**Xana: **Then my apologies in advance.

**William: **Wait….what do you mean…AH!-_Xana causes William's hand to burn the open wound. William screams like an animal. His cry is heard throughout the entire island. Moriarty watches with a sort of fascination and admiration. Natalya winces, feeling almost as much pain as he is. The pain is intense and excrutiating, but the burn closes up the wound and the blood loss stops instantaneously. But William can only focus on the pain. He swears with wild abandon. _MOTHER OF GOD! STOP! MAKE IT STOP!

_Xana finishes. William continues howling. The world around him begins to spin. _

**Xana: **No slave! Don't pass out from the pain! We must….continue!

_But neither William nor Xana can make their joint body move. Several times William places his palms on the dirt and tries to rise. But each time he fails and ends up lying on the ground. A smile forms out of Moriarty's bloody lip. He limps toward William and charges up his hand. Natalya emphatically shakes her head, calling out curses and pleas through her gag. William grimaces and lifts his head, but his attempt to rise fails. He lies helplessly before his enemy. Moriarty calmly inspects William's sorry state. _

**Moriarty: **I recognize power when I see it, and I give credit where credit is due. You were a worthy opponent to say the least. You are by far my favorite warrior to fight. _Moriarty shrugs. _Unfortunately I still have to kill you.

_Natalya chokes on her gag screaming at Moriarty. Moriarty charges up his hand. William closes his eyes. But in the blink of an eye, two flashes of light come between the two. Moriarty fires but his blast is deflected….by a saber. Moriarty's mouth drops as the two specters of Ulrich and Odd appear before him. They draw weapons and step in front of William. Moriarty takes a few steps back, gaging his options. He lets his eyes calmly look from side to side, trying to give the impression that he still has the upper hand. He holds his hands up. _

**Moriarty: **Well well. To what do I owe this pleasure? You too as specters again? _He laughs while the looks on the warriors' faces remain firm. _Why this reminds me of the good old days when I was researching your movements during the latter part of your Xana conflict. But where are the girls?

**Ulrich: **Can it Moriarty! This little game of yours is over. We're taking William and Natalya home.

_Odd steels his nerves and aims his wrist at Moriarty, blocking out the wave of painful memories that assault him. _

**Odd: **Get out off here now or we will attack!

_Ulrich rubs his sabers together. _

**Ulrich: **And we would be more than happy to do so.

_Moriarty stands there in the clearing for a moment, doing nothing. Then he examines his hand as he rubs his fingers together. _

**Moriarty: **Hmm…when you put it that way, I guess I have no choice but to-_He swings his right arm at William, attempting to fire in between them._-OBLIGE YOU!

_Odd summons his shield and protects William from the blast. _

**Ulrich: **Odd, guard William! I'll take care of Moriarty!

_Moriarty cackles hysterically. _

**Moriarty: **Please! If William couldn't handle me, what makes you think you can?!

_Moriarty fires a purple blast that Ulrich easily avoids with his speed. Ulrich charges and Moriarty loses his smile of confidence. Moriarty fires again, but Ulrich super sprints and comes right up to Moriarty's side. Ulrich prepares to strike. _

**Ulrich: **Because you're way too slow!

_Ulrich strikes and multiple gashes are made in Moriarty's body. Ulrich jumps in the air and inflicts more wounds. After only a few seconds, Moriarty is covered with bleeding gashes. The deep injuries whet Ulrich's appetite to cut his opponent to pieces. He slashes at Moriarty's shoulders, attempting to sever Moriarty's arms. Moriarty lands on the ground, clutching his wounds and scooting away from Ulrich. But Ulrich isn't letting up. He raises his sabers and attempts to finish him off. Moriarty fires another wave at Ulrich, which he deflects with his saber. Ulrich cuts Moriarty's throat and gray ooze pours out. Moriarty falls to the ground. Ulrich raises his swords and prepares to continue the slaughter. But the look on Odd's face sours. He calls out to Ulrich. _

**Odd: **Ulrich enough! Forget Moriarty! Free Natalya! 

_Odd's statement causes Ulrich to pause. He looks down at Moriarty. His enemy is motionless and even appears to be, at least in terms of his human form, dead. Ulrich sheathes his sabers and walks away. He moves over to Natalya and cuts her restraints. She slumps into his arms. Ulrich removes her gag. She coughs and takes some deep breaths. _

**Ulrich: **Are you alright?

_Natalya doesn't respond. She leans on his shoulder, shaking violently. Her lip quivers and the look in her eyes is tormented and distant. _

**Ulrich: **Natalya? _She doesn't respond. Ulrich frowns. _Must be in shock.

_While Ulrich attends to Natalya, Moriarty's eyes open. Seeing that no one is paying attention to him, Moriarty grins wickedly. He weakly and secretly lifts his right hand, aiming toward Odd. _

**Moriarty: **You fools.

_Odd's head begins swimming. His shield disappears and he rests his paws on the ground. A powerful and inexorable wave of weakness washes over him. His eyes grow heavy and his breathing slows. William's eyes narrow in confusion as the strength of his protector is drained away. _

**William: **O-Odd?

_Meanwhile Ulrich is supporting Natalya on his shoulder. He brings her into the clearing. _

**Ulrich: **It's okay Natalya. It's all over now. William is alive. We're going to be alright. _He puts his left index finger near his ear. _We're all good on this end Jeremie.

**Jeremie: **Moriarty?

_Ulrich smiles as the wounds in Moriarty's body begin to heal. His limbs start to twitch back to life. _

**Ulrich: **Don't worry about him. He's not moving anytime soon. _Odd's eyes close. His muscles relax and he falls on his face next to William. Ulrich catches sight of Odd collapse. His smile fades. _Odd?

_Natalya makes a sudden, unintelligible cry and points at Moriarty. The dead figure has been raised, with his wounds almost completely healed. Moriarty looks over his shoulder, grinning from ear to ear at a completely shocked Ulrich. Ulrich extends his saber, his hand shaking. His voice takes on a more desperate tone. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie….what's going on? Moriarty is….back on his feet.

_Jeremie's voice comes through Ulrich's comlink. _

**Jeremie: **What?! Impossible! There's no way Moriarty has any more reserve power. Unless…_Jeremie is quiet for a few terrifying seconds. _Oh no. Is Odd very weak right now?

_Ulrich continues to stare in disbelief and horror as the last of Moriarty's wounds close up. _

**Ulrich: **Yes why?

**Jeremie: **I was afraid of that. It's their psych-connection. Moriarty is taking extra power from Odd!

_Moriarty's arms glow and extend, sparkling like two electric swords. Moriarty licks his lips with sick delight. _

**Moriarty: **Round two, shall we?

**Ulrich: **Natalya run!

_Natalya, despite her shaken state, willingly detaches from Ulrich and flees back toward the trees. Ulrich raises his sabers for another fight, but at that moment, his body begins to fade in and out. Ulrich tries to touch his chest. His hand goes right through. Ulrich nervously tightens the grip on his sabers. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, what's going on?

_Back in the lab, Jeremie watches as red exclamation points pop up around Ulrich's spectral body. Jeremie runs his fingers through his hair and digs his fingernails into his scalp. _

**Jeremie: **OH NO! It's an energization address error!

**Ulrich: **ENGLISH?!

**Jeremie: **Your spectral body is unstable. You can't be teleported back to the Skid. If Moriarty deletes you here….

_Moriarty's right arm extends in a wide band of electricity. Moriarty throws it at him like a whip. Ulrich barely jumps out of the way. _

**Moriarty: **Who's slow now?!

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, you better fix it or I'm a goner!

_Jeremie wipes his forehead and begins to work frantically. _

**Jeremie: **I'm working on it! I'm working on it! Hold on! _Another exclamation point pops up. Jeremie yells in frustration. _Not another connection default! Can this get any worse?!

_As if on cue, Christophe's voice joins the conversation. _

**Christophe: **Uh Jeremie…_Back in Lyoko in the desert sector, the Skid lies docked at a tower on the edge of the sector. Christophe holds his right wrist with his left hand. In front of him a small pack of tigers starts to appear over the ridge. Sensing he is outnumbered, Christophe edges back toward the tower. _I've got company!

_Jeremie's head hits the keyboard. _

**Jeremie: **Of course…._He pounds his fists on the armrests. _COME ON GIRLS, PICK UP! WE'RE DYING OUT HERE!

_Yumi and Aelita enter the front gate of Kadic. Both appear to be depressed, but not as upset as they were before. Aelita nibbles on a candy bar. Yumi puts an arm on her shoulder. _

**Yumi: **Do you feel better?

**Aelita: **Yeah. _She gives Yumi a bittersweet smile. _It's amazing what chocolate can do to improve your mood. No matter what happens to you…

**Yumi: **Plus misery does love company. _She places her hands on the back of her head. _What are we going to do with them?

**Aelita: **I was thinking the same thing. I'm still very angry but…._She looks up at Yumi…_are you thinking of breaking up with Ulrich over this?

_Yumi sighs and looks up at the trees. _

**Yumi: **No. I'm pissed but I can understand how Angeline might have got into his head. It's not fair for me to leave him just because he looked at her the wrong way. Plus that idiot needs me, especially after the situation with his dad. And honestly…I need him.

**Aelita: **Good. _Aelita looks away. _I thought you would be upset with me if I decided to forgive Jeremie so easily. I didn't like the idea of you encouraging me to break up with him.

**Yumi: **We've got bigger problems to worry about than our relationship issues. We can't allow ourselves to become emotionally vulnerable to Moriarty. A sudden break up would leave us compromised. So neither of us should end our relationships. _She smirks. _But that doesn't mean we can't scare them into remembering to keep their eyes on us.

**Aelita: **I'd say ignoring them for a couple of hours should do the trick.

**Yumi: **Yeah…._Yumi's smile fades. _Only one problem. What if Moriarty did something in the meantime? What if their calls were actually important?

**Aelita: **I wouldn't worry about that. I recently established a link between my phone and Jeremie's superscan. If a tower was activated by Moriarty, I would know. Besides, Moriarty is busy with his propaganda appearances. We have nothing to worry about.

_Yumi and Aelita round the corner and approach the back side of the administrative building. _

**Yumi: **Yeah, you're probably right. Ulrich was just acting despera-_She stops speaking and looks over toward the portico. In between a bush and some steps a set of bikes and mopeds lies against the wall. Yumi looks around._-Where is my moped?

**Aelita: **It's not here?

**Yumi: **No. And I had it locked up. Though I think the guys might know the combination. _She suddenly tightens her fist and exhales in rage. _Ulrich….did he seriously think taking my moped would convince me to forgive him?!

**Aelita: **Whoa…hold on Yumi. We don't know what happened.

_Yumi pulls out her phone. _

**Yumi: **I'll call Jeremie. Hopefully he can shed some light on the situation.

_The phone rings. Almost instantly the call is answered on the other line. Yumi scowls, preparing to give Jeremie a hard time. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, would you be so kind as to-_Yumi is cut off by Jeremie's yelling. Yumi's scowl dissipates. _Moriarty's what? Kidnapping?! The island?! ULRICH'S WHAT?!

_The phone nearly drops out of Yumi's hand. Aelita grabs Yumi's arm. _

**Aelita: **Yumi, what's happening?!

**Yumi: **The factory. Now. Run! _The two start running. _No don't run! SPRINT!

_The pack of tigers converges on Christophe's position. Christophe goes into a squat, preparing for the onslaught. Jeremie speaks to him. His voice is shaky and sounds increasingly nervous. _

**Jeremie: **Christophe….I cannot emphasize this enough. If those monsters get to the Skid….Ulrich and Odd are doomed. You cannot let that happen. You wanted action. Here it is. HOLD THE LINE!

_Christophe aims at the closest tiger. He closes his left eye and steadies his hand. _

**Christophe: **I said I won't let you down. _He cocks his wrist. _I am a man of my word.

_The first disc launches and cuts the first tiger to pieces. The six remaining keep charging. Christophe selects another target and fires. Another tiger goes down, but the rest are closing fast. The tigers open fire at him. Christophe rolls to get out of the way. He gets up and fires several at once, but his aim is sloppy. All of them miss their targets. The tigers pounce on him. One tackles him, sending him rolling underneath the Skid. His chest sparks from the loss of lifepoints. He looks up to see four tigers turning their attention to the Skid. The fire point blank, pounding against the Skid's shields. Christophe grimaces. _

**Christophe: **No!

_The one remaining tiger steps in front of him, growling menacingly. The monster gets on top of Christophe, preparing to bite his neck. But Christophe grabs the jaws and pushes them away from him. The back of the tiger's throat glows with an impending laser strike. Christophe repositions his hand in such a way that his wrist is aimed toward the back of the throat. He smiles victoriously. _

**Christophe: **I don't think so.

_He fires, destroying the tiger. Immediately he gets up, his mind reinvigorated for battle. He lifts both of his wrists and opens fire. Two of the tigers easily fall to his attack. He points at the last two, but surprisingly the two monsters retreat. _

**Christophe: **What's the matter? Had enough already?

_Christophe's feeling of victory is cut short. The two tigers stop around a cloud of smoke that appears to have come from nowhere. The smoke swirls in the form of a tornado. Christophe nervously touches his wrist. _

**Christophe: **That's not William.

_Dark William emerges out of the black cloud. He points his massive sword at him. _

**Dark William: **How right you are. _He motions to the two tigers. _Finish off the Skid. I'll handle this one.

**Christophe: **Oh no you don't!

_He fires at the tigers, but Dark William turns to smoke and slithers up to him and reemerges at his side. _

**Dark William: **You're out of your league rookie. _He kicks Christophe squarely in the chest, sending him face down onto the ground. _This is pathetic. The other shades won't give me any credit for finishing the likes of you.

_Dark William lifts his sword, but Christophe flips over onto his back and crosses his armoured wrists to block the blow. Dark William increases the pressure, but Christophe holds on. _

**Christophe: **Then I can't imagine how humiliating it will be when I defeat you.

_Christophe knocks the dark warrior's legs out from under him. Christophe takes the opportunity to get up and fire at his opponent. But Dark William is quick. He jumps up and deflects Christophe's numerous attacks. Meanwhile the tigers continue to eat away at the shields. Jeremie chews his fingernails. _

**Jeremie: **Come on Christophe! Pull through! _He reconnects with Ulrich. _Ulrich, please tell me you're still alive.

_Scene shifts to the island, which looks even more wrecked than it did before. Ulrich hides behind a tree trunk as Moriarty's lightning barrage continues. His body has deteriorated to the point of almost being transparent to the naked eye. Ulrich looks over his shoulder. _

**Ulrich: **Barely! What's the status on fixing me?

**Jeremie: **I'm working on it. I know it can be fixed, but I need more time.

_The trunk is blown to pieces. Ulrich is thrown a couple meters away. He stands up and raises his sabers to block Moriarty's relentless strikes. _

**Ulrich:** THAT'S NOT A LUXURY I HAVE RIGHT NOW!

_Just when Moriarty seems on the verge of victory, a rock lands on the side of Moriarty's head, temporarily cutting off the attack. Moriarty growls as his face begins to heal. _

**Moriarty: **Who did that?!

_Natalya is seen hiding in the thicket, holding another rock. The fear in her face has eroded. It has been replaced with righteous outrage. She heaves it at him, but Moriarty easily destroys it before it reaches him. Moriarty then summons specters that crawl in Natalya's direction. Ulrich steps in and cuts them apart. _

**Ulrich: **Natalya, stay down!

_Natalya obeys, but Moriarty attacks Ulrich with renewed vigor and once again Ulrich finds himself fighting for his life. A still barely conscious William watches the scene from afar. He nudges the motionless Odd. _

**William: **Odd….get up….Ulrich...needs your help.

_Odd begins to stir. His eyes weakly open to see the one-sided conflict transpire before him. Odd quickly tries to lift himself up. He makes little progress, but the intensity in his face increases as his eyes lock on to the hateful image of Moriarty. _

_The elevators open with the two girls panting from the run. _

**Yumi: **We're here Jeremie. We're really-

_Jeremie doesn't react but points downstairs. _

**Jeremie: **Scanners now. Talk later. GO!

_The girls obey. They break a record getting into the scanners. Jeremie starts up the virtualization process. Back in the desert sector, Christophe continues to hold Dark William back with his long range weapon. Christophe keeps his sight set on Dark William, making sure he doesn't try anything. _

**Jeremie: **Good news Christophe. The cavalry is finally on their way.

_The tigers launch another volley. The shields turn red and the Skid gives off a warning alarm. Christophe curses. _

**Christophe: **Too late for that. The shields are pretty much gone!

_Christophe reluctantly takes his attention off Dark William and destroys the tigers. The Skid is saved, but Christophe has lowered his guard. Dark William seizes his chance and slashes. Christophe tries to back up but the blade cuts across his abdomen. Christophe falls to the ground again, critically low on lifepoints. As Dark William raises his sword, he notices Yumi and Aelita appearing over the ridge. He snarls malovelently and Christophe smiles. _

**Christophe: **I win. Aelita and Yumi will keep the Skid safe.

_Dark William shakes his head. _

**Dark William: **No. I still have time to finish you and the Skid!

_Before Dark William makes his final move, Christophe concentrates his anger around his pectorals. His speakers begin to light up. Dark William, sensing the danger, quickly stabs Christophe. But as the pixels on Christophe's face fade away, the pressure in the speakers builds to its maximum. Christophe beams with a half-disappeared mouth. _

**Christophe: **Too late.

_Right before Christophe disappears completely, a music shockwave rocks the surrounding area and destroys Dark William. A minor earthquake ensues but luckily the Skid survives mostly untouched. Once the shock passes, Yumi and Aelita run to the Skid. _

**Yumi: **It's okay Jeremie. Christophe has saved the Skid!

_Jeremie lets loose a huge breath of relief. _

**Jeremie: **Thank God! Alright, I'll energize you inside and teleport you over to the island.

**Aelita: **But the Skid's still vulnerable! One of us has to stay behind.

**Jeremie: **No. Not when Moriarty is personally fighting us. We'll have to take the risk. I'll do what I can from my end to fix the shields. _The two energize into the Skid. _But be warned. This address error I'm dealing with right now could affect you as well.

_Ulrich rolls over behind a rock, his body smarting from a vicious strike from Moriarty. His body fades in and out of existence. His sabers delete before his eyes. He looks up at the sky, feeling hope drain from him. He closes his eyes as he hears Moriarty approach. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie…

**Jeremie: **It's okay Ulrich. Help has arrived.

_Ulrich looks up. Moriarty peers over the rock, hovering triumphantly over his prey. _

**Moriarty: **What an ignoble way to die…

_He reaches his hand back, but he screams when his body is engulfed with an electrifying pink light. He falls and supports himself on the rock. Breathing heavily, Moriarty turns around to see the two specter girls face him. Yumi opens and closes her fans tauntingly. She looks around and takes in the destruction of the island. _

**Yumi: **Seriously boys? We're gone for only a couple of hours and things fall apart this badly?

**Aelita: **Yumi, don't you think they all have suffered enough?

**Yumi: **Yes I suppose getting pounded by Moriarty is a substantial punishment. I think it would be a good time to save the day now.

_Ulrich groans from behind the rock. _

**Ulrich: **You call that an apology for being late?!

_A clearly unamused Moriarty fires a single electric skrike at them. Aelita and Yumi separate to avoid it. Aelita fires at Moriarty's legs. Yumi swings her fan and lodges it in his chest. Their enemy, fully drained from the previous fights, caves to the dual attack and falls to his knees. His breathing becomes irregularly and inhuman. A few drops of grey ooze drip down from his forehead. Yumi and Aelita cautiously approach. _

**Yumi: **Even you have your limits Moriarty. _She rips the fan out of his chest. Moriarty promptly utters a strangled cry. Yumi looks to Aelita. _Let's send him crawling back to the Network.

**Aelita: **Agreed. _She summons an energy field. _We'll both do it.

_Yumi and Aelita get ready to destroy his human form at the same time. But suddenly their bodies start to fluctuate. Alarmed, they look at their arms and legs. _

**Aelita: **NO! NOT NOW!

**Yumi: **Jeremie what's happening?!

_Jeremie grabs hold of the keyboard and nearly rips it from the monitor. He swears bloody murder. _

**Jeremie: **I CAN'T GET A BREAK TODAY! The energization address error has spread to you!

_The ever watchful Moriarty slyly looks up from his defeated posture. In a flash he grabs the two by their necks and hoists them up. An electric current running from his hands to their necks renders them unable to fight back. Moriarty tightens his hold on the two without pity. His utterly ravaged appearance now only highlights his lust for pain. _

**Moriarty: **Now, who's going to be crawling back to the Network again?

_As the two cry out for help, the others on the island find themselves too afraid or unable to come to their aid. A fading Ulrich grasps onto the rock that separates him from Moriarty, desperately reaching out for Yumi. William makes audible sounds of protest but still can't move. Natalya hides behind a tree and closes her eyes. But directly in front of the two victims, one feline warrior is eyeing Moriarty with an abyss of loathing. Despite the weakness he is suffering, his emotions give him a strong dash of adrenaline. He digs his claws into the dirt and slowly gets off his feet. He stumbles forward, keeping his vision on Moriarty. Once he starts closing the distance, he and Moriarty's eyes meet. At first, Moriarty looks on with some alarm to see a warrior still standing. But Odd's obvious fatigue makes him confident again. He holds up the two female warriors higher. _

**Moriarty: **What do we have here? The icing on the cake? The cherry on top of the sundae to such a successful day?

_Odd doesn't answer but silently raises his wrist. Moriarty smirks dismissively. _

**Moriarty: **Why do you always insist on forcing me to make you reach new lows? Please tell me…._Moriarty's head turns around his neck 180 degrees. Once his head spins back around, his face becomes engulfed in black flames. The shadows of specters revolve around his head. His voice becomes demonic…_.HOW'S YOUR CONDITION?!

_Odd's virtual skin crawls and his heart leaps into his throat. Immediately the memories flood back. Dark caverns in Sector Five devoid of light and unheard pleas of mercy occupy his thoughts. Odd feels another attack coming on. To make matters worse, Odd can feel Moriarty drain power from his body again. With his senses overwhelmed and body weakened, Odd can barely stand. His sight and the nightmarish display before him become blurry. He undergoes the torment of a racing heartrate and exhaustion at the same time. His knees begin to buckle. Moriarty lauds his superiority over him. _

**Moriarty: **Isn't it so comforting to know that the one person I can't kill is absolutely no threat to me? _Moriarty turns his attention to the girls. _Now watch your friends die.

_Something inside Odd snaps. Revulsion and an unconquerable desire to forbid Moriarty's actions strengthen his resolve. His spirit comes back alive. He turns to face the fearful performance in front of him. He fights the initial reaction of animal like fear and tries to look through the terrifying smoking skull. The memories wreak their usual havoc, but Odd creates a mental block. He shuts the door to his terror, repeating in his head words of confidence that he has practiced to survive attacks. He fills up the well of fear with anger and a burning hunger to end the madness. Odd grabs his left wrist and digs his claws in. The pressure and loss of lifepoints jolts him awake. He digs his heels into the dirt. Odd aims at Moriarty as he increases the current subjected to Yumi and Aelita's bodies. The confident grin on Moriarty's face falls. _

**Odd: **I've waited far too long for this.

_A single laser arrow hits Moriarty square in the chest. Before Moriarty can recover from the first impact, Odd lets Moriarty taste another hit. Moriarty drops the girls and gasps. His arm muscles contract violently. Moriarty watches in horror as his arms start to become as flimsy as rubber. Moriarty's complexion becomes white and his forehead starts to drip with cold sweat. _

**Moriarty: **No! I'VE REACHED MY LIMIT!

_Moriarty's muscles cramp unnaturally. Moriarty howls and Odd watches the new development with disgust. He aims at Moriarty again. Moriarty looks up and yells in a sudden wave of panic. He narrowly avoids the laser arrow and starts crawling on all fours. With surprising speed, Moriarty bolts away from the scene, avoiding Odd's arrows. Moriarty reaches the edge of the island. He dives into the water and swims away. Odd chases him to the shore and looks out. But there is no sign of Moriarty. He has vanished into the lake. Odd drops his wrist. He looks out on the water, feeling neither disappointment nor victory. He stands there for a moment, hearing for the first time a peaceful quiet around the island. The clouds pass over, and a fading sunset greets Odd's gaze. Jeremie interrupts the tranquility. _

**Jeremie: **Odd…is it over?

**Odd: **Yes.

**Jeremie: **Everyone alive and accounted for?

_Ulrich, Aelita, and Yumi slowly get up, their bodies still fluctuating. Natalya emerges from the trees and runs to William's side. She cries profusely, telling him all at once how worried she was and how scared she was and how sorry she is for causing this whole mess and that she feels just terrible. William doesn't respond, but his eyes listen to Natalya with understanding. Odd looks away. _

**Odd: **Yes.

_Jeremie takes a moment to breathe. He sounds just as exhausted as everyone else. _

**Jeremie: **We got through this….with the skin of our teeth. _Long pause. _I'm fixing the specter problem. We should be able to get all of you out of here in three minutes.

**Odd: **Okay, I'll see what I can do from here. _Odd looks over at William. _William is probably going to need the hospital.

_On the side of the highway, electric crews work on the power lines. Several of them work in the air using their cranes to reach the wires. Their boss watches them from the ground. _

**Head Technician: **Come on! That transformer should have been fixed ten minutes ago. Saint-Cloud is not going to wait forever for its power.

_The crew workers grunt and pick up the pace. The head technician folds his arms across his chest. Before he gets back to work, the sound of water splashing behind him catches his ears. He turns around to see two several tattered youths stumble out of a raft and walk towards them. A blonde haired girl carries the boy on her shoulder. The crew workers stop working and stare at them in confusion. _

**Head Technician: **What the hell happened to you too?

_Natalya pants and looks pleadingly into the technician's eyes. _

**Natalya: **The island…..lightning…..my boyfriend's hurt. Please help….

_Parisian hospital. It is night. Rain falls steadily on the windowsill. The warriors stay at William's bedside. William is awake, but his droopy eyes indicate he is very close to falling back asleep. Natalya wipes his face with a rag. There are two bandages on her face, but other than that she is fine. Jeremie looks at the nurse's report and whistles. _

**Jeremie: **A separated shoulder, a grade II concussion, cuts and bruises all over your body, and of course the burn left by our old pal Xana. _He puts the report down. _At the rate of hospitalization we are going through, France is goint to have a bankrupt healthcare system.

**William: **My…_He sleepily rolls over_….bad.

**Jeremie: **I hate to say it but it could have been far…far worse. Warrior duty for you is going to be put on hold for a while.

**William: **Oh I'll be fine on Lyoko.

**Jeremie: **Don't argue with me. You lost that privilege when you hid this secret of yours for so long. _Jeremie turns around and looks at Christophe, who has been quietly standing in the corner. _Besides, we have more than enough talent to replace you for the time being.

_Christophe holds his head up high. Odd pats him on the back. Christophe takes out his headphones. _

**Christophe: **Feels good to be off probation. _He takes a deep breath. _But I have to be honest. At first I was just happy to be back in the game. But when things got serious…I mean really serious…then I stopped being so eager to fight. _His facial expression becomes stern. _I became more concerned about doing my part to make sure William and Natalya…and everyone came back alive and well.

**Yumi: **We're glad to hear you say that Christophe. You're starting to sound like a real Lyoko Warrior.

**Aelita: **He is a real Lyoko Warrior. He became what a Lyoko Warrior is all about: a person who puts aside his personal ambitions and problems for the greater good. _She bites her lip in shame and sighs. _At least….ideally…

_Jeremie moves toward her. _

**Jeremie: **And ideally a Lyoko Warrior is also faithful to his word at all times. _He looks at Aelita apologetically. _Unfortunately some can't always live up to those standards.

_Aelita smiles wryly at Jeremie. _

**Aelita: **But ideally..._She puts her hands on his shoulders_…a Lyoko Warrior also forgives.

_Jeremie wraps his arm around her waist. _

**Jeremie: **And thank God for that.

_Yumi raises an eyebrow at Ulrich. She sarcastically chastises him. _

**Yumi: **I don't know. I'm having second thoughts. What can you say to make me convinced I can trust you? _She points at him warningly. _Choose your words carefully.

_Ulrich thinks for a moment. Then he snaps his fingers. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, you know that if you were kidnapped like Natalya-_He points at William_-I would gladly end up on that hospital bed to get you back.

_Yumi turns a little red, not expecting so strong a response. She coughs. _

**Yumi: **Yes um…well…_She kisses him. _I think that was good enough.

**Ulrich: **Uh huh…sure.

_Natalya clutches the rag tightly. She looks down at the floor. She mutters something in Russian to herself. Odd notices her response. _

**Odd: **Natalya, something wrong?

_She stays silent for a moment. William lifts his head slightly to meet her gaze. _

**William: **Natalya?

**Natalya: **I want to fight.

**William: **Excuse me?

_Natalya lifts her head up. Some tears appear in her eyes. Her face becomes pink with anger. She moans with disgust. _

**Natalya: **I want to fight. This all happened because of me. I was careless and fell for one of Moriarty's traps.

**Yumi: **Natalya, it could have happened to anyone.

**Natalya: **No. I've been burying my head in the sand for too long. I can't ignore what Moriarty is doing any longer. I can't ignore that he is now my sworn enemy and that he has no problem killing me. If I'm a Lyoko Warrior…_She sniffs and stands up straight like a soldier. _Then it's time I start acting like one.

_Aelita looks questioningly at Jeremie, who listens to her without expression. Aelita scratches her temple. _

**Aelita: **Natalya, are you sure? You are still very inexperienced when it comes to-

**Natalya: **I should have followed Christophe's example. I should have been on the battlefield instead of the mall. But I can change that now. I don't want to be the damsel in distress again! _She exhales and tenderly moves her fingers across William's forehead. _I didn't ask to be a Lyoko Warrior. _She looks up, giving everyone a look of relentless confidence. _But the fact is I am one, and I want to see this through to the end like the rest of you.

_Her speech silences the room. The other warriors look at each other, searching for disapproval in anyone's face. But they find none. Finally all eyes turn to Jeremie, who sensing the attention, merely shrugs. _

**Jeremie: **Okay. _He puts his hands behind his back. _You are already in danger, so no use in protecting you. We can use all the help we can get.

_The others clap for the arrival of a new official Lyoko Warrior. Some minutes pass and the group lingers about. Odd eventually separates himself from the others and starts staring out the window. His gaze into the rain is solemn and unreadable. He feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns to see Jeremie looking at him. _

**Jeremie: **Everything okay?

_Odd smiles but the smile disappears rather quickly. _

**Odd: **Yes and no. I feel freer from Moriarty than ever before right now.

**Jeremie: **You made us really proud to day. You faced your demons again. Your condition might be close to going into remission.

**Odd: **Yes. But Moriarty's attempt to tie up loose ends with William and Xana tells me that he is close to moving his endgame into action. _Odd pauses, letting the rain serve as the only noise between them for a few moments. _I know he's getting close. _He looks out the window. _I can just sense it.

_Back in Rouen, Jacqueline and Patrick walk out of the main school building. Jacqueline shivers and huddles close to Patrick. She groans overdramatically. _

**Jacqueline: **Oh the cold got worse!

**Patrick: **Seriously Jacqueline, I think you're in the wrong country.

**Jacqueline: **Well it's not like I live in Finland or something!

_Patrick chuckles. _

**Patrick: **Maybe you should study abroad there. During the winter…

**Jacqueline: **Not in this lifetime! _She exhales, watching her breath condense in the air. She turns back to Patrick. _Well….was The Order meeting all I told you and more?

_Patrick reluctantly nods his head. _

**Patrick: **It was definitely….interesting. I really love their passion and organization. They really believe they can change France. And our country could use that kind of confidence. Still…I will want to talk to Jeremie first.

**Jacqueline: **Whatever you say Patrick….You know you want to join.

**Patrick: **I am going to need a little more convincing before I start to wear black and purple all the time.

_Jacqueline rolls her eyes. _

**Jacqueline: **As if your current wardrobe is any better…

**Patrick: **Hey, I'll have you know that-_He stops when the sound of wheezing-_wait…what's that?

**Jacqueline: **What's what?

_Patrick points ahead, where a dark figure is lying on the sidewalk. _

**Patrick: **Over there! That guy looks like he needs help!

_The two run over and investigate. When they get a closer look, they see that he is young, more than likely a student around their age. The boy coughs. Patrick grabs his shoulder. _

**Patrick: **Hey buddy are you-_The student turns over, revealing a bloody face and nose. Patrick double takes._-Oh God!

**Jacqueline: **What happened to you?

_The student holds his head. _

**Student: **It was….The Order. They ambushed me out of nowhere.

_Patrick backs up and Jacqueline listens with incredulity. _

**Jacqueline: **The….Order did this to you?

**Student: ** I gave some of them a hard time and….next thing I know I'm lying face down on the courtyard.

_Patrick's face becomes grave. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the Order patch he had been given. He turns it over in his hand and meets eyes with Jacqueline. Both of them stare at the patch. For some reason the symbol seems more threatening and warlike than it had before. Patrick swallows saliva. _

**Patrick: **Jacqueline, I think we should rethink our membership…


	21. Chapter 21

**Odd: **Dude, you seriously suck!

**Ragnarok777: **This is about the eternity I took to update, isn't it?

**Odd: **YES! You forced me to wait around forever to come back into the spotlight!

**Ragnarok777: **It hasn't been that long….

**Ulrich: **Um….it's been since February.

**Ragnarok777: **Oh….that long?

**Odd: **Yes! You kept us locked up in storage forever! And what about your readers?! I can't imagine how peeved they are!

**Ragnarok777: **I can explain….

**Yumi: **Oh this should be good…

**Ragnarok777: **There was college and homework and….goofing off on the Internet and unpredictable and annoying roommate problems.

**Ulrich: **Oh don't even try to complain about roommates…

**Odd: **Yeah he's right….wait what are you trying to say?

**William: **Can I point out that he left me suffering in a hospital for all this time?

**Natalya: **Yeah that was cruel….

**Ragnarok777: **Now come on…that was completely unintentional.

**Rosaire: **You took so long that the world has a new pope now.

**Ragnarok777: **…Like I could have predicted that.

**Christophe: **Forget your excuses! I say we break through the fourth wall and beat him senseless!

**All: **YEAH!

**Ragnarok777: **Well if you do that, I will have no choice….BUT TO GIVE YOU ALL SUCH A BRUTAL SHIPPING THAT YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE STRAIGHT!

**All: **AHH NO MERCY MERCY!

**Jeremie: **No wait, don't listen to him. He's bluffing!

**Moriarty: **I wouldn't bet on it. He's even more twisted and sadistic than I am sometimes.

**Aelita: **Perhaps it's best not to test him…

**Ragnarok777: **Uh huh….that's what I thought.

**Part 35 **

_A group of humanoids and scorpions converges on a central platform in the Mountain Sector. The platform and the sector around it are separated by a series of mountainous stepping-stones that surround the platform like axles on wheels. The obstacle of the stepping stones proves useful to the warriors, who stand on the platform and defend themselves against the oncoming monsters. They stand huddled against the tower, feeling pressured by the superior strength of the monsters' numbers. The looks on their faces are tense and strained. Far above the platform, Dark Yumi appears on the summit of a nearby mountain. She looks down on the warriors' plight and licks her lips. She motions to a trio of vultures that have also just appeared. She points to the warriors. _

**Dark Yumi: **Go on! Press the attack!

_The vultures comply. They swoop down on the unsuspecting warriors. Natalya looks up at the approaching attack. She turns to Yumi. _

**Natalya: **Yumi, we got vultures coming in fast!

_Yumi blocks several laser blasts from humanoids. _

**Yumi: **I'm a little busy right now!

_The vultures open fire. Natalya rolls out of the way and strings her bow, aiming at the circling birds. Her hands shake. _

**Natalya: **But….I'm still not good with moving aerial targets.

_Three humanoids manage to charge past the stepping stones and land in front of Yumi on the platform. Yumi backs up. _

**Yumi: **Well you better learn fast!

_The vultures turn back around and divebomb Natalya in a straight line. Natalya fires an arrow, killing the first one, but the other two pounce on her before she can notch another arrow. Natalya is knocked to the ground as the maroon birds land beside her and prepare to end her. The vultures open their beaks, hissing at Natalya. Natalya closes her eyes, feeling defenseless. But thankfully Odd sees the situation and quickly acts. He aims his wrists at the vultures. He fires at the vultures and takes all of them out. _

**Natalya: **Thank you.

**Odd: **No problem. _He turns toward the tower. His gaze is distant and pained. Natalya notches an arrow and destroys a vulture right before it goes for Odd. Odd looks up with surprise. _Oh….I guess I didn't see that one coming.

**Natalya: **This is hardly the time to daydream Odd!

**Odd: **I know I'm just…._He looks back at the tower_…concerned for Aelita.

**Natalya: **Do you know what's happened to her?

_Odd looks off to the side. _

**Odd: **No….I don't have the slightest idea.

_On the other side of the platform, Christophe and William work together at repelling several scorpions. The monsters advance, gingerly crawling from stone to stone to reach the platform. They fire single, continuing streams of lasers at the two. Christophe and William hide behind William's sword. _

**Christophe: **We'll be cut to pieces if we don't do something fast!

_William grimaces, the grip on his sword hilt tightening. _

**William: **You're right. The best defense is a good offense. Cover me. I'm going for their legs.

_William turns into smoke and slithers around the scorpions. He reemerges long enough to cut their legs. One of the scorpions falls off the edge into the digital sea. The rest become crippled and are easy prey to Christophe's discs. But several meters away, a scorpion manages to reach the platform. Yumi takes the initiative and jumps onto the shell. But the tail of the monster knocks her off, sending her hurtling toward the tower. The scorpion tries to finish her but is quickly distracted by Ulrich. As the fight in front of her escalates, Yumi touches the side of the tower. It is solid. She curses and shouts into the tower. _

**Yumi: **Aelita! COME OUT OF THERE! _Ulrich is struck on the shoulder, losing a large chunk of lifepoints. _Aelita come on! WE'RE BEING TORN APART!

_Inside the tower, Aelita can feel the rage of battle echo from outside. But her mind does not register any of it. She lies prostrate on the upper platform in the tower, her face contorted in misery and horror. She holds her hair and goes into the fetal position. She then unleashes a wail that penetrates the silence of the tower. She becomes silent again as she covers her ears. But despite her attempts, she can still hear Jeremie's voice. His tone is gentle, but is becoming increasingly alarmed. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita…

_She doesn't answer. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, please listen to me for a moment….I just want to talk.

_Aelita hugs herself as her eyes well up with pain. Her voice shakes as she slowly answers him. _

**Aelita: **You….betrayed me. _She closes her eyes and suddenly screams. _YOU ALL BETRAYED ME!

_Back in the lab, those words dig into Jeremie's flesh. He looks away from the computer, his face marked with self-disgust. He clenches his fists, feeling a wave of revulsion infect his body. He touches his earpiece, desperately wanting to remove it and escape her pain-stricken voice. Jeremie swallows his saliva. _

**Jeremie: **The others didn't betray you Aelita. I did. _His chest becomes heavy with the weight of the confession. _I had to. Don't you understand?

_Aelita pounds her fist on the platform like a madman. _

**Aelita: **You lied to me….YOU LIED TO ME FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!

_Jeremie looks down at the floor, wishing nothing more than to sink into the grimy tangle of wires below and fade away from this nightmare. His throat becomes incredibly dry. He coughs. _

**Jeremie: **Please….please forgive me. I…I didn't know what to do!... I didn't know what was worse.

_Aelita covers her face with her hands. _

**Aelita: **How do I know…?

_Jeremie's eyebrows furrow with deeper concern. _

**Jeremie: **How do you know what?

_Aelita looks toward the top of the tower and screams hysterically. _

**Aelita: **HOW DO I KNOW I'M NOT HIS?!

_Jeremie winces as if he's been punched in the stomach. His lip quivers as Aelita continues to moan. Her cries are too much for Jeremie. His clenched fists tighten further. A single tear drips from the right corner of his eye. All the while the warriors continue to announce their desperate state through his earpiece. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, what's going on?!

**Ulrich: **What's happened to Aelita?! We can't hold out much longer!

**William: **Did Moriarty infect her or something?!

**Christophe: **Get her to unlock the tower or we're done for!

**Natalya: **We really need help!

_Aelita's wailing, unheard by the warriors but all too audible to Jeremie, makes him unable to answer. He sits there, frozen in the command chair, completely lost to the situation. His helplessness in the face of Aelita's wild grief sickens his stomach. _

**Yumi: **JEREMIE ANSWER US!

_Thirty-two hours earlier. Jeremie works on his computer in the early morning. He is still wearing his pajamas. Behind him, César continues to sleep peacefully with a somewhat mischievous look on his face. The door suddenly opens. Aelita peeks her head in the doorway. When she sees that César is still sleeping, she carefully tiptoes over to Jeremie. The Spanish prince rolls over in bed and mutters to himself. _

**César: **_Olvídalo Sissi, nunca serás mi reina. _(Forget it Sissi, you will never be my queen.)

_Aelita taps Jeremie on the shoulder. He briefly turns his attention to her and then continues working. _

**Jeremie: **Good morning.

**Aelita: **Good morning. I hope you haven't been up all night again.

**Jeremie: **No no. I got up only fifteen minutes ago. Check the dent in my pillow if you don't believe me. Besides…_He motions to the unconscious César…_with him around I can't afford to work on anything too top secret.

_Aelita taps her fingers on Jeremie's chair. _

**Aelita: **Any progress on your research?

**Jeremie: **Actually…_Jeremie gives her a warm smile_….yes. I've decrypted enough to know that these lines of code have to do something with the DNA sequence of virtual entities. I believe the rest of this asymetric cryptography has something to do with a series of instructions for certain actions on the DNA sequence.

**Aelita: **And I'm guessing the kind of action my father mapped out for the DNA sequence wasn't exactly designed to beneficial for said virtual entity…

_Jeremie snorts. _

**Jeremie: **If it was designed to deal with Moriarty, I should hope it wasn't designed to be beneficial.

_Aelita turns her head and looks at the wall. _

**Aelita: **Very true…

**Jeremie: **I've completed the first step. But the sad thing is that was the easy part. Each level of encryption…I believe there are three, are different in nature than the one before. And I have to believe that each level is more difficult than the one before, kinda like a video game.

_Aelita nods her head but doesn't answer. Jeremie stops typing and looks at her, sensing that her attention is elsewhere. He spins the chair around to face her. _

**Jeremie: **You didn't come in here to discuss my progress with decrypting the Cannae Initiative, did you?

_Aelita folds her arms across her chest and looks down at the ground. _

**Aelita: **No. But it has to do with encryption…

**Jeremie: **Really?

**Aelita: **Yes. _She looks him in the eye. Her penetrating gaze unsettles him. _Your encryption to be precise…

_Jeremie raises an eyebrow and stares at her with confusion. He lifts his hands up in innocence. _

**Jeremie: **My encryption? What are you talking about? Our sensitive information is available for you to look at.

_Aelita puts her hands on her hips. _

**Aelita: **Including the log on Odd's dreams?

_Jeremie's stomach becomes queasy. His mind accelerates, thinking of possible answers. All the while Odd's description of Antea and Moriarty's relationship enters his thoughts. He pushes the mental imagery out of his thoughts and tries to act normal. He rubs the back of his neck. _

**Jeremie: **Oh yeah….that…

**Aelita: **Want to explain why this 'sensitive' information isn't available to me?

_César mutters something unintelligible in Spanish. Aelita's temporary distraction on account of this allows Jeremie time to think over a response. He rubs his hands together and glances furtively at his computer. _

**Jeremie: **Granted, I guess not all of our sensitive information is available to you.

**Aelita: **And why not?

_Jeremie bites his lip. _

**Jeremie: **Well, the truth is…you're still technically under probation and Yumi is still my second-in-command.

_The look on Aelita's face sours. She closes her eyes and rubs her forehead. It's clear that she didn't buy the story. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie…come on. If you're going to lie to me, you can do better than that. We gave up that probation charade a while ago. And besides, how come I have access to the Cannae Initiative, but not Odd's dreams? Isn't the first one far more sensitive?

_Jeremie stutters. _

**Jeremie: **Uh yes and n-

**Aelita: **What are you hiding from me Jeremie?

_Jeremie's eyes move from side to side as Aelita impatiently waits for an answer. Jeremie knows that Aelita has caught him in this first lie. Since this lie is unsalvageable, he sighs and looks down at the carpet. He shrugs and admits the lie. _

**Jeremie: **Yes. I admit it. What I just said doesn't hold water. I'm sorry. The truth is…_He leans forward in his chair, giving Aelita the impression that she has Jeremie in a corner. Jeremie_ _pauses in midsentence. _The truth is I've encrypted it because….Odd's dreams have revealed a lot of mistreatment by government agents of your mother and father. Things that you don't remember or thankfully weren't around to witness. _Aelita's look suddenly softens_. _Anger and annoyance are quickly replaced by a palpable sadness. Jeremie continues to milk the lie. _These details don't help with the mission against Moriarty at all, and I thought it was best to hide them from you, for your own good….I'm sorry.

_Aelita lowers her head, letting Jeremie's words sink in. She exhales through her nose and looks out the window. Jeremie gingerly puts her hand in his. Aelita closes her eyes. _

**Jeremie: **I shouldn't have deceived you like that. _He pauses, carefully monitoring Aelita's expression. Sensing her growing unease, Jeremie motions to the computer screen. _If you really want to, I can let you see the whole thing. But I wouldn't recommend it.

_Aelita is silent for a moment. Jeremie sits anxiously in his chair, secretly praying that his ploy has worked. Aelita turns her gaze to Jeremie's computer, and for a terrible moment Jeremie fears that his plan has backfired. But Aelita quickly looks away and lets go of Jeremie's hand. _

**Aelita: **No. You're right. I don't want to see that. My memories are bad enough. What's done is done. Knowing the full truth won't change it. _She turns around and gives him a bitter smile. _Thank you for being honest with me. I really appreciate it. _She opens the door. _See you at breakfast.

_As the door closes behind him, Jeremie lets out a deep sigh. He sinks back in his chair. _

**Jeremie: **Whew…that was close. _Jeremie turns back to his work and does some last minute adjustments before logging off. He then pushes his chair away from his desk. As he is about to get up, his eyes rest on a photo of him and Aelita on the corner of his desk. The two are laughing and acting silly. It is the photo booth picture that they took on Aelita's first night on Earth. Blissful nostalgia soothes Jeremie's thoughts when he sees the photo, but at the same time a pang of guilt washes over him. Jeremie frowns as he dwells over his latest lie. He picks up the photo and frowns. He runs his finger over Aelita's image. He closes his eyes. _I'm sorry Aelita, but you're not ready to know about your mother and Moriarty. _He puts the photo back. _Or at least, I'm not ready to see you in pain again.

_Class time for the 9__th__ grade. The students enter Moriarty's classroom in strict Order fashion while Moriarty waits impatiently for them all to be seated. Their execution is flawless, but Moriarty still doesn't look pleased. Everyone sits at attention while Moriarty drums his fingers on his desk. His sour expression is easily perceived by the warriors, who watch with trepidation as he stares silently at the class. Jeremie and Aelita sit together at one desk while Ulrich and Odd sit at the one beside theirs. The four feel safe being close together. Nevertheless, the silence still unnerves them, as it does the rest of the class. Aelita reaches under the table and squeezes Jeremie's hand. He nods to her assuringly, letting her know that she isn't alone in this. After a painful thirty seconds, Moriarty stands up. _

**Moriarty: **Good morning class.

**All: **Good morning Commandant!

_The exuberant response does not seem to alter Moriarty's mood. He paces behind his desk. _

**Moriarty: **I trust that you did your reading for today…

**All: **Yes Commandant! We did!

**Moriarty: **Of course you would say that. But as a teacher I need to see evidence that you did the reading. There has been a recent dropoff in grades lately. Nothing too serious, but enough to make me question your commitment to our movement. _He stares at the class with heavy scrutiny. _Are you committed?

**The Order Members: **Yes Commandant!

_Moriarty mutters to himself and shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **More and more words. Be careful of words students. They can mean a lot, but in the end, words are just words. _Moriarty taps his shoe on the floor. _I need to see action!

_Paul Gilliard stands up and salutes Moriarty. _

**Paul: **Commandant, what action do you require of us?

_Moriarty glares at Paul with the intensity of a hawk. _

**Moriarty: **Sit down Paul! I am the one doing the talking right now…

_Some students silently look at each other in concern. No one had expected Moriarty to act so hostile, especially to one of his own Order pupils. Odd leans over to whisper to Ulrich. _

**Odd: **I think Moriarty's still pissed about his latest embarrassment.

_Moriarty focuses the hawk glare at Odd. He grabs a ruler and slams it against the desk so hard that it nearly breaks. _

**Moriarty: **Odd, do you have anything to share with me?!

_Odd stands up, doing his best to appear unafraid _

**Odd: **Commandant, I do not.

**Moriarty: **Very well, but any particular reason you decided not to salute me?

**Odd: **Commandant, no comment.

_Moriarty storms over to Odd, who is still standing upright. Moriarty closely observes Odd's nervous but resolute face. The warriors, and to a lesser extent the other Outcasts, hold their breath. _

**Moriarty: **Odd, did you forget the classroom salute?

**Odd: **Commandant, I am not a part of The Order. How could I then give the salute?

_For a moment the two remain at an impasse. Ulrich clenches his fists together, ready to help Odd if necessary. Herb watches the situation with his companion Nicholas. He smiles gleefully, wanting nothing more than for Moriarty to let him have it. Moriarty looks around the room, seeing that all eyes are on them. He smiles. _

**Moriarty: **Odd, what was our reading about?

_Odd goes about the usual classroom formality, but he still doesn't salute him. _

**Odd: **Commandant, the rise of Italian fascism.

**Moriarty: **Correct, but you still consciously refuse the salute?

**Odd: **Commandant, that is correct.

_The classroom becomes deathly quiet. Moriarty leans his head toward Odd, who winces from the uncomfortable closeness to his mortal enemy. Moriarty whispers into his ear. _

**Moriarty: **I want nothing more but to punish you right now. You made me swim away from the battle like some sort of animal. You will suffer dearly for that. But not yet. I won't punish you now. But I will show you what I'd like to do to you. _Moriarty walks away, leaving Odd wide-eyed. _You may sit down.

_Odd does so. Ulrich quickly tries to gather information from him. _

**Ulrich: **Well…?

**Odd: **Oh yeah….he's still pissed.

**Ulrich: **What did he say?

_Odd swallows. _

**Odd: **Things are about to get real messy.

_Moriarty reaches his desk and does an about-face. _

**Moriarty: **New policy students. To prove you did the reading, I will select a student at random to come up and give a brief oral presentation summarizing what they read. That should be a good motivation for you. And just for fun, let's start now. _Students start to become nervous, worrying that it might be them. Moriarty wags his index finger at them. _Oh, anxious are we? That doesn't bode well for you. After all, you have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide. But enough stalling. Lucas Maes, get up here. Tell us about the reading.

_The Belgian exchange student looks up from his book and becomes even paler than usual. He stands up with much trepidation. He points at himself. _

**Lucas: **M-me?

**Moriarty: **That's me Commandant! And yes, get up here!

_Moriarty's barking orders send Lucas moving quickly and clumsily to the front. He nearly trips over a backpack. When he reaches the front of the classroom, Moriarty leans against his desk and motions for Lucas to begin. Lucas taps his pants leg nervously. He looks at the other students and swallows. A bead of cold sweat drips down his forehead. _

**Lucas: **The r-rise of Italian f-fascism began with the t-turmoil of W-World War II…._Lucas shakes his head. _No stupid….W-World War I and there….there w-was-

**Moriarty: **Lucas…relax. I am not grading you this time. This is just practice this time. Just a game…if you will. Just try to relax and calmly tell us what you read.

_Lucas nods several times with embarrassment and tries to continue. _

**Lucas: **W-What happened was t-the c-commnunists attempted a c-c-coup against…

_Moriarty motions for Lucas to stop. _

**Moriarty: **No. I'm sorry. That's just not correct. I'm sorry. _Lucas hangs his head in defeat while some of The Order members give him mocking looks. Moriarty sighs and in a gesture of apparent mercy, hands him his own history testbook. He points to a certain page. _Here. Read this. This should clear things up for you.

_Lucas, feeling much more at ease with the presence of a textbook in his hands, begins again. _

**Lucas: **Following W-World War I, I-Italy became engulfed in an-anarchy. L-Liberals feared the r-rise of c-communism, so they s-s-sponsored the emerging figure of B-Benito Muss…._Lucas stops reading and squints, looking at the page. _Commandant, I-I can't read anymore. T-There's a stain on t-this sentence. _He touches the stain with his index finger and brings it close to his nose. _P-Probably coffee. D-Do you drink it b-black?

_Moriarty innocently peers behind Lucas' shoulder. _

**Moriarty: **Oh that's not coffee. That must have been the stain from the hot chocolate I had last night.

_Lucas suddenly flings the book onto the floor. His hands shake violently and he gasps. He looks at his index finger with horror. _

**Lucas: **C-CHOCAL-LATE?! I'M A-ALLERGIC! D-D-DEATHLY ALLERGIC! Even if I t-t-touch it I-!

**Moriarty: **You're what?!

_Lucas suddenly runs to his backpack while the rest of the class watches with a mix of confusion and apprehension. Lucas furiously looks through his backpack, dumping out his contents as he searches desperately for something. Moriarty walks up behind him, faking concern. But the warriors, especially Odd, sense a hidden sadistic pleasure from Lucas' panic. Lucas begins to breathe heavily. _

**Lucas: **W-W-Where is it?!

**Tobias: **Where's what?!

**Lucas: **MY EPIPEN! I NEED IT-_Lucas suddenly starts to wheeze. He grabs his throat and starts to tremble violently- _N-No…It…h-hapenning.

_Lucas searches through his pile desperately, but finds no epipen. Meanwhile his breathing becomes strained. He holds his throat as his breathing becomes harder to manage and more unnatural. Hives start to appear on his face. Class apprehension begins to turn to terror as Lucas' breaths become weaker. _

**Lucas: **C-Can't b-brea….

_Lucas falls onto the floor and begins to writhe. Most of the class screams. Several students get up to help, but Moriarty will have none of it. _

**Moriarty: **Get back to your seats! You'll only make things worse!

_Jeremie stands up without delay. _

**Jeremie: **Commandant, HE'S DYING!

_Moriarty examines Lucas' pitiful state with a cold, scientific stare. _

**Moriarty: **He's going through anaphylactic shock. Herb, get the nurse…NOW!

**Herb: **Yes Commandant!

_Herb runs out of the room while Moriarty gingerly approaches Lucas. Lucas looks at him, but his eyes don't register what they are looking at. They are concerned only with survival. He wheezes out a couple of breaths. Moriarty remains a little too calm. _

**Moriarty: **Hang on Lucas…help is on the way.

_The class continues to whimper as Lucas turns a shade of blue. Girls close their eyes while guys stand there, unsure what to do. Everyone, Order and Outcast, is completely distraught. _

**Aelita: **Commandant, the nurse might not get here in time!

**Moriarty: **What would you have me do, Aelita? We can't do anything without adrenaline, and the nurse is the only one who has-

**César: **WAIT!_ Everyone turns to the Spanish prince. He suddenly gets up and taps on the windows of the classroom. ¡Felipe_, _Código 17! _(Code 17)

_In a split second, several muscular Spanish men break into the classroom. Felipe comes out with an epipen and immediately heads for César. _

**Felipe: **_Estámos aquí, Mi Señor. ¡Gabriel, mata la abeja que atacó al princípe! _(We're here my lord. Gabriel, kill the bee that attacked the prince!)

_César adamantly shakes his head and points to Lucas. _

**César: **_¡No yo, el belga! _(Not me, the Belgian!)

_The security personnel then turn to Lucas and crowd around Moriarty. _

**Moriarty: **Now wait a minute gentlemen, I think it would be best if you gave that to-

_Without bothering to wait for Moriarty's instructions, Felipe sticks the epipen into Lucas' leg through his pants. He injects it and looks at Lucas' face, hoping desperately for some response. For a terrible couple of seconds the class holds its breath as Lucas' fate hangs in the balance. But miraculously Lucas starts to breathe again. A few anxious sighs of relief come from the students. At that moment, Herb returns with Yolanda and Jim, who is running faster than his heavy self would normally be able to do. _

**Yolanda: **Oh thank God! You found an epipen!

**Jim: **OUT OF THE WAY! This man needs immediate medical attention!

_Jim flings Lucas onto his shoulder (perhaps a tad bit too roughly) and runs out of the room with Yolanda. Immediately the room becomes abuzz with conversation. Moriarty claps his hands and walks to the front of the room. _

**Moriarty: **CLASS! Quiet down! This is no time to forget discipline! Lucas will be fine, but you must not forget what this classroom….no what Kadic demands of you! SIT DOWN!

_Reluctantly the class obeys. The Order members sit down, clearly shaken, but attempting to return to normalcy. The Outcasts, however, are not so calm. They nervously watch the clock, eager to get out of Moriarty's classroom. Tobias sits at a desk by himself, nervously playing with his thumbs. Odd sinks down into his chair, feeling sick to his stomach. _

**Ulrich: **Was that what Moriarty was talking about?

**Odd: **Yep…

_Every warrior except Jeremie huddles near the vending machines. Most of them lean on the wall of the building, thinking over what has happened. Ulrich exhales angrily through his nose and beats his fist against one of the machines. _

**Ulrich: **He could have killed Lucas….just like that.

**Aelita: **He probably wanted to. He would've been able to get away with it.

_Odd remains silent and taps his foot on the ground. _

**Yumi: **This is definitely a challenge to us. _She shakes her head. _He knows that we are willing and prepared to suffer his wrath….but are we willing to let innocents suffer?

**William: **Not just innocents. There is more to this than that. Don't forget that Moriarty has already killed innocents. This is an attack on our allies, the ones who don't know the full truth.

**Christophe: **We can't win the war here in Kadic without them. Our need for supporters is greater on Earth than it is on Lyoko.

**Ulrich: **And Moriarty knows that too. That's why he's shifted tactics, making sure that our friends also get to feel his pain.

_Natalya groans and curses Moriarty in Russian. _

**Natalya: **Then what are we supposed to do? Back off a little bit to protect our allies here in Kadic?

**Jeremie: **I'm afraid that's not an option. _Jeremie approaches the others with cellphone in hand. He ends a recent call and puts the phone into his pocket. _Moriarty is already on the move elsewhere in France.

**Christophe: **What do you mean?

**Jeremie: **I just got off the phone with Patrick. You remember him?

**Aelita: **You mean your cousin who visited here once?

**Jeremie: **Yes. He goes to school in Rouen now, and he has told me that The Order has already spread to his school there.

**Ulrich: **What? Already?!

**Jeremie: **I'm afraid so. And to make matters worse, a student there has already been attacked.

_A silent uneasiness passes from warrior to warrior as the news sinks in. A couple of them look absentmindedly at the ground, trying to appear calm. _

**Yumi: **So…it's officially started.

**Jeremie: **Moriarty is firing on all cylinders now. We can't afford to not do the same.

**Natalya: **But-_Natalya runs her fingers through her hair._-People like Lucas…how are we going to protect them?

_Jeremie sighs. _

**Jeremie: **I'm afraid we're going to have to accept some-

**William: **Guys, hold on a second. _He taps Jeremie's shoulder and subtly points to the courtyard. Order members like Paul Gillaird and Mathias Burel watch from a distance. The two are separated from each other and appear to be innocently hanging out around campus, but the occasional stares they direct toward the warriors reveal their true intentions. _We are being watched.

_Odd looks in their direction. He finally speaks up. _

**Odd: **Well no wonder. With all eight of us over here, we're bound to attract attention to ourselves.

**Yumi: **Ulrich and I will walk away. Maybe we'll draw away their attention.

_Yumi grabs Ulrich's hand. A slightly flirtatious look passes between them. _

**Ulrich: **Yeah and not to mention a couple separating from the group doesn't look too unusual.

**Jeremie: **Okay, we'll fill you in on anything important later.

_Yumi and Ulrich walk away. Odd rolls his eyes. _

**Odd: **'Maybe we'll draw away their attention'. Yeah I'm sure that's the reason….

_A couple of the warriors chuckle, but the humor dies quickly. _

**Jeremie: **Back to business. As I've already mentioned, The Order is spreading rapidly, perhaps faster than we expected. But there is good news.

_Odd crushes the soda can and throws it into the garbage. _

**Odd: **Please explain to me how a rapidly spreading Order could possibly bring good news.

**Jeremie: **Simply put, as Moriarty's twisted ideology spreads, so do its opponents. I've already discussed the issue with Patrick and a girl friend of his named Jacqueline.

**Odd: **Wait, did you mean friend who happens to be a girl or a girl-

**Jeremie: **Odd…please focus. The point is that they are concerned with The Order. And they have agreed to help set up a chapter of the Outcasts there in Rouen.

_The faces of the warriors brighten with the news of this happy surprise. _

**Christophe: **So the Outcasts are ready to spread too?

**Jeremie: **Yes. We can't waste any more time. We have to go where The Order goes.

**Aelita: **But Jeremie, hold on a second. You can't just set up another chapter of the Outcasts on your own. You're not their leader. Jim is.

**Jeremie: **Very true. But-_He adjusts his glasses_- Jim may already be making his move.

**William: **What do you mean?

**Jeremie: **We kept silent about Moriarty and The Order's true intentions for some time, but now Moriarty's organization has caught Jim's attention. Delmas has apparently been poking around for him. He recently met with the principal of Lincoln over coffee. That principal complained about a new group on campus that has been causing faculty and students alike to turn on him. Delmas also has heard of a few fights in other schools around Paris and in the surrounding area. It fits the pattern. And to top it all of, Delmas has learned of an Order rally taking place in a park downtown.

**William: **Why would Moriarty throw a rally downtown when he could just have it here at Kadic?

_Jeremie groans and rubs his forehead. _

**Jeremie: **Have you not been listening? This rally is not just for Kadic. It's for everyone…_He pauses as the warriors become more than slightly unnerved. _That's right. Order members from all over the city might be coming to see him speak. And not just students and faculty…other random supporters will be there as well. His radio and talk show appearances have done their work….many people will be out there to see what he has to say.

_Aelita gasps. _

**Aelita: **If those listeners come to an Order rally-

**Christophe: **It will be a perfect opportunity for The Order to recruit them!

_Jeremie solemnly nods. _

**Jeremie: **And so the masses will start to gather to banner of The Order. Needless to say, Jim knows this. His next meeting will involve the Outcasts' counterattack.

_Christophe pumps his fist in the air. _

**Christophe: **Alright! It's about time!

**William: **We could use some more people coming to our banner.

**Jeremie: **Exactly. That's why we can't afford to back off now. Not on Lyoko and not on Earth.

_Natalya pipes up, eager to address this particular part. _

**Natalya: **But Lucas…and others caught in the crossfire. What about them?

**Jeremie: **What happened to Lucas….was terrible….But the battle lines are already being drawn. I hate to admit this but…_Jeremie's face suddenly hardens with resolve_…we can not allow danger to our allies stop us from going forward. Things like what happened today….may already be inevitable.

_The warriors become quiet as they swallow this difficult truth. _

**Odd: **Jeremie's right. We can't avoid what's coming. Even if we win, Moriarty will not go down quietly. People will get hurt.

_Another round of silence. _

**Jeremie: **So….are we clear about what this means….for us and for the Outcasts?

**Aelita: **Yes…_She folds her arms across her chest…_I just have one question. How did you know all about Jim's plans? Did he tell you all that?

**Jeremie: **Oh-_Jeremie scratches the back of his head._-that…well…_He furtively avoids the warriors' questioning looks_…you know I trust Jim but…I needed to check on what he was doing and what he was planning. I had to make sure he didn't make a move too early so I kinda…_Jeremie looks at the ground_…bugged his room.

**Aelita: **You did WHAT?!

**Yumi: **You've been listening in on his Outcast plans?

**Jeremie: **And other…unintentional things. But I'd rather not talk about it…

_William shakes his head and laughs. _

**William: **I suppose you thought it was justified considering what the stakes are?

**Jeremie: **Yes I do. _He backs up and lifts his hands in a pose of innocence. _We are only talking about the fate of the free world here…my apologies if I have to do a few questionable things to make it happen.

_Odd gives Jeremie a sarcastically questioning look. _

**Odd: **Exactly how questionable?

**Jeremie: **Questionable within reason…._Seeing that the warriors aren't satisfied with his answer, Jeremie checks a watch that doesn't exist…_Oh…time for class already? Oh well, time to go!

_He runs off. _

**Aelita: **You're not getting off the hook that easily!

_Jeremie disappears from sight. Odd turns to face the others. _

**Odd: **Anyone else think Jeremie has gone to 'General Mode' again?

_Everyone shakes their heads in agreement. _

**Odd: **Good…thought it was just me.

_At an undisclosed location, a man silently watches TV in a dark room. The screen lights up enough of the room to make his face visible. He is burly man, most likely in his sixties, who has an emerging bald spot on his head. A slim man in a black business suit approaches him from behind. He firmly rests his hand on the back of the older man's chair. _

**Victor: **We cannot wait any longer sir.

_The man in the chair merely blinks in response. _

**Victor: **Sir, we cannot allow him to let him run amuck with impunity. This madness has to end.

**Director: **I agree…

**Victor: **Then why haven't you done anything?

_The Director shrugs. _

**Director: **Who's to say I haven't done anything? _He motions to the TV screen, where an old rerun of a talk show featuring Moriarty plays on low volume. _I've already made things difficult for him.

_Victor clenches his teeth. _

**Victor: **Sir, with all due respect…

**Director: **You call working day and night to protect military equipment from Renard to be a trivial thing? What about our firewall updates? How is that not important? And making our communications secure…do you think that was easy? What about the president? Have you forgotten about him?

**Victor: **You left him vulnerable…

**Director: **No. I saved him. After Morel's death, I couldn't take any chances. You know that removing our agents and filling the Secret Service with people who know nothing of our organization was the only way to prevent Sarkozy from being caught in the crossfire. We can't allow him to be at risk in case of our…

_The Director's voice trails off. Victor looks at him questioningly. _

**Victor: **In case of what?

_The Director folds his hands together and places them over his mouth. He shuts his eyes. _

**Director: **Our…extermination.

_The room becomes silent for a while. Victor's grip on the back of the chair tightens. _

**Victor: **Sir, if we are to avoid that, we have to go on the offensive. This man…..no I can't call him a man. Not after that little incident on the island. Even with that grainy satellite image we had the sight was still terrifying. He…he is a monster. He must be killed NOW.

**Director: **Then please enlighten me Victor…how does one kill a god?

_Victor holds his chin up high. _

**Victor: **He is not a god. He can still be killed.

**Director: **He can kill us far easier than we can kill him.

_Victor turns around and paces. He breathes sharply and slams his fist against a back table. _

**Victor: **And you would rather trust those kids to handle it?!

**Director: **Those kids…have given him a run for his money.

**Victor: **THOSE KIDS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ARRESTED!

_The Director gets out of his chair and confronts Victor. _

**Director: **FOR WHAT?! So we could create more monsters like Renard?! We've already seen what happens when we ruthlessly hunt our enemies. And I don't plan on letting it happen again! _He turns around and shakes his head. _Besides, we can't get within a kilometer of Kadic without getting killed. Better to do what we can on our end.

**Victor: **And what are we doing on our end besides hiding?

_The Director mutes the TV. He tosses the remote onto the chair and shakes his index finger at Victor. _

**Director: **The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Now that his little bandwagon is spreading, we can expose his abuses. I've already set up some agents in these schools that are working as substitute teachers. Once we get enough information to damage him, we will make sure the government and media outlets know of-

**Victor: **Your goal is the PRESS?!

**Director: **Victor, keep in mind that he needs a following. If we can rob him of that then-

_Victor turns his back and walks toward the door. _

**Victor: **I've heard enough…

**Director: **Victor!-_Victor stops at the door_-You may not agree with me on this. You may think I'm wrong. I accept that. But…_His voice becomes very stern_…I order you to stand down. Do not take matters into your own hands, or you will be playing right into his.

_Victor turns around and salutes the Director, masking his strong resentment. _

**Victor: **Yes sir.

**Director: **Good. Now get out.

_Victor obeys. He slips into a dimly lit hallway. As he rounds the corner, he checks the hall cameras. When they shift away from his direction, he enters another room. The room is dark, windowless, and bare. The only thing in the room is a large wooden chest. Victor approaches the chest and opens it. Inside the chest is a black, modern sniper rifle. Victor quickly takes the gun apart and places the parts in a briefcase. Then he slips out the door, making sure not to be seen by the other agents. _

_Early in the afternoon in downtown Paris, a crowd gathers in a small park. The surrounding area is a commercial district that bustles with normal business activity. But in that small park, the normal disappears. The green open spaces become seas of black and purple. Students from several different schools greet each other warmly, happy to salute these new comrades for the first time. Faculty from these schools talk with adults who have come to witness the affair. Some are put off by the strange intensity of The Order, but some smile with fascination at the display. As the crowd grows, a black car pulls up close to a stage at the front. The Order and other supporters burst into cheering when Moriarty emerges out of the passenger seat. Moriarty waves a polite greeting. Some come up to shake his hand, but several Order members encourage them to keep their distance. Gustave Chardin exits the driver's side door, avoiding the attention of the crowd. He carries a long and thin object in brown wrapping paper. He casually glances around for a familiar face in the crowd. _

**Emmanuel: **Mr. Chardin…

_Chardin turns around to see Emmanuel, Herb, Angeline, and Mathias approach them. The five exchange a brief salute. _

**Emmanuel: **Do you have what we asked for?

_Chardin smiles and hands the object over to him. _

**Chardin: **As promised…

_Emmanuel quickly unwraps the object. He reaches his hand into the mess of paper and pulls out a large black flag. With a flick of his wrist, Emmanuel unfurls the flag. The four stare at the flag in stunned silence. It is a beautifully crafted flag with the deep royal purple insignia of The Order. Emmanuel waves the flag a few times. The rush of the movement, the feeling of the flag in his hands brings a fire to his eyes. He grins from ear to ear. _

**Emmanuel: **Oh, I'm going to have fun with this.

**Herb: **Hang on…_Herb grabs the flagpole. He gives Emmanuel a dirty look. _Who said you get to wave the flag?

_Emmanuel yanks the flag back in his direction. _

**Emmanuel: **Renard has given me special authority in The Order. When it comes to the 10th grade, I'm his main man.

**Herb: **So what? I'm his main man in the 9th grade…

_Emmanuel and Herb glare at each other for a moment, but Chardin claps his hands to make them back off. _

**Chardin: **Gentlemen, gentlemen….this is not the way for people of The Order to behave. Renard does not hold favorites in The Order. We are all equal. Whoever waves the flag does not do it on his own behalf. He does it for all of us. And besides…_He points to the flag…_Remember that this is the first of many…

_Moriarty steps onto the stage that has been set up for the occasion. Another round of applause greets him. Emmanuel waves the flag, gaining the attention of several people around him. Moriarty nods slightly in the direction of Emmanuel. Moriarty assumes his position behind the podium. All eyes turn on him, both admirers and curious onlookers alike. He waves to the crowd again. He drops his hand, and the crowd becomes quiet. Moriarty attaches both hands to the sides of the podium and begins to speak. _

**Moriarty: **Good afternoon, and thank you for coming. Before I begin, I would like to thank the 7th arrondissement council for approving this meeting. And of course…_He motions to the food tables in the back_…we simply must thank the people at Gaston's Deli for catering. _A cheer goes out for the good food. _Yes…don't treat such kindness lightly. It's the small support that counts. It's the little help that can make something small become very…very big. And, ladies of gentlemen of Paris –_His tone becomes very serious_- what you see before you today will become very big indeed. It's no secret now. I did not accept the national spotlight without reason. No, I am not so selfish. I wanted to improve France. I started with my own school. I took a school with faltering grades and collapsing discipline, and started a revolution. Our grades are skyrocketing and now Kadic Academy runs like a well-oiled machine. Almost every day I see negative articles in the paper, claiming that our young generations keep getting dumber and more self-centered. Citizens of Paris, look around you. These students, do they seem to fit that description? Absolutely not. They are organized, disciplined, and most importantly, driven. They have discovered that it is better to live for something larger than themselves, as I have. And I say you can too. _He takes a pause. _France continues to languish in an economic recession we can avoid. Our unemployment rate, as you well know, is not improving. We continue to lose national sovereignty to inefficient politicians in the EU. We continue to lose leverage in world affairs. We continue to suffer and fall behind other nations in education, our country's future. People of France, we don't have to go through this. I started The Order to bring change to the youth and education of this country. But I do not think we should stop there. The youth of the Order were meant to be the vanguard of this movement. I want to take this revolution from the classroom and into the hearts and minds of every French man and woman who believes in a stronger France! _Several people start to cheer when they hear this. _Many have criticized my methods. My enemies on the Left are growing. They have called us troublemakers, right-wing radicals, and even fascists. That word….fascist…haunts the memory of many people in Europe and the world. History strongly disagrees with fascism. But history often is selective. Everyone knows about the terrible atrocities of Hitler and Mussolini, but has anyone bothered to look elsewhere for the legacy of fascism? In the 1930s, when all the stuff I had mentioned was going on, a very different approach was taking place among a group of people in Brazil known as the Integralists. They were, in many ways, stereotypical fascists. But they were not racist. Brazil was and still is a very ethnically diverse country. So their approach did not involve prejudice. In fact their own slogan was: 'Union of all races and all peoples'. Their verbal salute,"Anauê!" meant, "You are my brother!". Many of these so called fascists were very different from each other racially and economically. But they believed in a singular vision for their country, grounded in the idea of unity in spite of differences. People of France, I ask, what is so wrong with that picture? And again I ask, what is wrong with this picture? I offer, no, The Order offers you a better future. One which will revitalize our nation's infrastructure and bring out a nationalism that you have never seen. _More applause. _One which will restore the meaning and pride of being a French citizen.

_As Moriarty continues with his speech, Victor sets up a sniper position on the roof of a nearby building. He trains his sights on Moriarty's head. A slight grin materializes on his face. _

**Victor: **I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut your little party short. _His finger moves near the trigger. _No one escapes _Les Invisibles_…

_At that moment, a news truck pulls up to observe the affair. The satellite antenna and dish on the truck obscure Victor's shot. He curses and eases off the trigger. _

**Victor: **I'm going to have to wait for him to be done for his speech.

_Moriarty continues to enthrall his audience. _

**Moriarty: **….So I say, if wanting to end corruption is fascist, if the desire to reform our education makes me fascist, if the desire to bring out national unity and put our burdensome bureaucracy to death makes me a fascist, then by God…._He throws his hands up in the air_...Then I guess I am fascist! _At this point, the ground breaks into thunderous applause. _Join me…Join us…and I promise you that together we will bring about a France the likes of which the world has never seen!

_Moriarty ends his speech and the crowd roars with approval. At this moment, reporters try to crowd around him, but Moriarty ducks away. He quickly joins Chardin and they enter the black car they came in when they arrived. Chardin begins to pull the car around. Victor locks on to Moriarty in the passenger seat. His finger returns to the trigger. _

**Victor: **I've got you this time Renard.

_Back in the car, as the crowd continues to wave at them from a distance, Chardin and Moriarty begin to have light conversation. _

**Chardin: **That was inspiring! Profound! Commandant, if I may be so bold, you have a way with words.

_Moriarty shrugs. _

**Moriarty: **I was just telling them what they needed to hear.

**Chardin: **But it was incredible. Why, at the next rally, I expect there to be-

_A shot rings out, and the world stops. Panic erupts in the park after the shot hits the windshield and pierces Moriarty's head. People fly in all directions, completely shocked by what has happened. In the car, Moriarty's head pours out gray ooze, and he struggles to get up from the seat. In the midst of the panic, his gray wound begins to heal, but glass shards have hit his face. Moriarty rises and looks to his driver. _

**Moriarty: **Char-Chardin?

_Moriarty's eyes widen. Chardin is dead, his head covered in blood. Moriarty quickly realizes that the bullet intended for him passed through his head and killed his companion. Moriarty's head swims. He reaches toward his forehead. He concentrates, and the gray blood coming from the small glass shards becomes blood red in appearance. He stares out the broken window. He sees a black figure holding what seems to be a gun. He zooms in with camera like eyes. He sees that the figure is a very confused man dressed in a black suit and sunglasses. Back on the roof, Victor drops his gun in stunned shock as Moriarty exits the car, looking right at him. _

**Victor: **Im..Im..Impossible! I DIDN'T MISS! How can he be alive?!

_Moriarty glares at him with murderous eyes. Victor starts to sweat. His hand shakes and he drops his gun. He begins to run for the exit. Moriarty sees this and hobbles across the park, his mind intent on one thing and one thing only. Some of the people at the rally notice this and stare in wonder. _

**Onlooker 1: **Look! HE'S ALIVE!

**Onlooker 2: **Dr. Renard, are you alright?!

_Moriarty doesn't respond but keeps walking. _

**Onlooker 1: **Dr. Renard, do you need an ambul-

**Moriarty: **NO! JUST MOVE!

_The onlookers obey and leave him alone. Moriarty crosses the street. He approaches the building and looks around. At the back of the building, he sees a man exit into the alley and start to flee. Moriarty electrocutes the runner without hesitation. Sure enough, Victor, the intended target, goes down. Victor stays conscious long enough to see the menacing figure stand over him and feel his body being dragged away. _

_Victor wakes up, abruptly and with great confusion. The room is dark, and his hands are chained above his head. He struggles, only to realize that he is hanging in midair. Even more disturbing, he finds that two metal prongs are attached to his bare chest. The prongs are attached to wires, but he can't see where they are leading. Victor groans and starts calling for help. _

**Victor: **He-Hello? Is anyone there?...I need help!

**Moriarty: **I wouldn't bother to cry for help. _A frightened Victor searches in the direction of the mysterious voice. As his eyes adjust, he makes out the image of Moriarty sitting in a chair near the wall. He is tapping his foot against the floor slowly and gleefully. _I made sure to find a very…isolated place. No one can hear you call for help….or scream.

_Victor starts violently struggling in his restraints. He frantically looks around, searching for any possible means of freeing himself. Moriarty laughs and slowly gets up. _

**Moriarty: **Stop wasting energy. You aren't going anywhere. _Moriarty turns on a switch. A light appears right above Victor. He winces from the light. Moriarty walks into the light. The scars from his face are still present. They look menacing in the fluorescent light. _In fact, you aren't leaving this room alive.

_Victor turns away, trying to register what he has just been told. _

**Victor: **Go ahead and kill me. I'm prepared to die for my country.

_Moriarty shakes his head sadly. He mockingly pats Victor on the head. Victor cringes from the touch. _

**Moriarty: **You poor….stupid…stupid man. You don't understand that things are far more complicated than that. I don't want to kill you straightaway. _Moriarty moves to the wall. He flips another switch. An electrical current runs into Victor's chest. He shakes violently and lets out a high-pitched scream. Moriarty smiles with sickening malice. _I want you to tell me where the others are…SO I CAN KILL THEM TOO!

_The shock stops. Victor breathes heavily. His eyes are crazed with fear and pain. He looks down at the floor. _

**Victor: **I…will never tell.

**Moriarty: **Hmm…sorry wrong answer.

_Victor becomes the victim of another painful shock. He howls in terrible pain. Moriarty makes this shock last slightly longer than the first. During the screaming, Moriarty calmly whistles a tune to himself. Finally Moriarty turns it off. Victor is gasping, breathing sporadically. His face, though ashen, remains resolute. _

**Victor: **I've been trained…to resist torture. _Another shock and round of screaming. He takes a few seconds to recover. _You are wasting….your time.

**Moriarty: **Funny thing about pain though…it breaks everyone at some point. Everyone has their limits. _He looks at him and sighs. _Even you…

_Victor spits at him. _

**Victor: **Do your worst. You'll be waiting a long time.

**Moriarty: **Oh I can wait. _He taps the wall. _I've rigged this room to run on a timer. You will be shocked in rather nasty intervals. The current will vary so that it doesn't overwhelm your poor heart and kill you too soon. And I'm recording everything here…so I can be informed when you crack, even if I am teaching class. Oh…_He rubs his hands together_…and I can listen to your screams whenever you want. There's that too.

_Victor is speechless. He hangs there, like a body already dead. He begins shaking violently with unspeakable fear. His breathing escalates to the point of hyperventilation. He then begins to whimper. Moriarty grabs his coat and heads toward the exit. _

**Moriarty: **Well, I hate to be rude, but I must be going. _An electric shock makes Victor let out a terrifying scream. Moriarty doesn't even flinch as he walks out the door. _Remember…this can stop any time. Just give me what I want….and I will let you die…

_Back at Kadic, a meeting of the Outcasts convenes in the safety of the basement of the science building. Jim addresses the crowd with an authoritative but reasonable tone. _

**Jim: **Given the latest developments at Rouen and with the rally and all, it has become necessary for the Outcasts to spread to other schools. _Some people react with surprise at this. _That's right. We cannot fight The Order on our own. If we don't follow their lead, then we might as well give up. And I…never give up! I've already been in contact with some students and faculty at Lycée Jeanne d'Arc, and they have agreed to join us in our quest to end The Order's tyranny once and for all.

_Mrs. Hertz stands up. _

**Mrs. Hertz: **But that would imply that we are willing to bring this fight to a national level. That was not our original intent. Jim…surely you're joking.

**Jim: **I rarely joke Suzanne, but when I do….the jokes are usually terrible.

**Reilley**: Mrs. Hertz does have a point Jim. Many people here did not sign up for this. Fighting The Order at Kadic is one thing. Fighting on a large scale…why just imagine the chaos! Things could get out of hand.

_Jim folds his arms across his chest. _

**Jim: **Things are already out of hand.

**Mrs. Hertz: **And how exactly do you define 'out of hand'?

_Léon bursts into the meeting. He rushes up the center aisle, nearly tripping over the chairs and himself. He is panting and there is an incredible wildness to his eyes. He rushes up to Jim and grabs his jacket. _

**Léon: **The rally….Downtown….Renard….Gunfire!...Chardin!…..DEL I SANDWICHES!

**Jim: **Whoa…slow down there Léon…what in the world are you talking about?!

_Léon takes some deep breaths and tries to calm himself. He rubs his forehead. _

**Léon: **At the rally….after Renard's speech, there was gunfire.

_The meeting suddenly becomes as quiet as an empty church. They stare at Léon, already sensing that his words are about to let all Hell break loose. Léon looks at the crowd and swallows. _

**Léon: **Mr. Chardin is….dead. _The Outcasts gasp and scream in shock. Léon shouts over the crowd. _He was killed!

_The meeting breaks out into pandemonium. Jim tries desperately to restore order, but it is to no avail. Delmas becomes deathly pale. Sissi checks on her father, worried that the shock may be too much for him. Reilley shouts and stamps his feet. _

**Reilley: **QUIET! Let Léon speak! We need to know more!

_The Outcasts follow the orders of their second-in-command and settle down. Léon twitches nervously, feeling the pressure on him mount. _

**Léon: **I honestly don't know much…but apparently when Renard and Chardin were leaving the rally, someone shot at the car. I think the target was Renard, but Chardin was killed.

**Jim: **What about Renard?

**Léon: **Some people say they saw him stagger out of the car, but no one has heard of him since. He's vanished.

_The pandemonium increases. Delmas stands up, and then promptly starts to faint. He collapses on the front row. People scream and rush to his side. Sissi shakes her father. _

**Sissi: **Daddy! Daddy what's wrong?!

_Delmas moans. _

**Delmas: **Water….I need water please.

**Jim: **Someone fetch water for Mr. Delmas…_He looks at the crowd_...And everyone calm down for a second!

_In the midst of the chaos, the warriors sit silently in their seats, just as stunned as everyone else. Natalya grabs William's forearm. _

**Natalya: **Moriarty…is…is he really dead?

**William: **No….couldn't be.

_Jeremie rests his hand on his forehead, looking increasingly paler. Aelita touches him on the shoulder. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **No…we're never that lucky. William's fight leveled an island and he still couldn't kill him. Moriarty is definitely not dead.

**Ulrich: **Then who did this? It certainly wasn't us.

_Christophe grunts in disgust. _

**Christophe: **I bet Moriarty wanted to take one of his own people out.

_Yumi shakes her head. _

**Yumi: **That makes no sense. Why kill Chardin….one of his own supporters?

**Jeremie: **No, Yumi's right. Moriarty didn't do this. This was the work of a third party.

_Aelita's eyes widen. _

**Aelita: **The government agents?!

_Jeremie solemnly nods. _

**Jeremie: **Most likely. And in their haste to get rid of him they killed Chardin instead.

**Odd: **A casualty at the school, my God-_He puts his face in his hands and moans. He leans forward in his chair._-I don't even want to think about what The Order are going to do.

_A sharp pain hits his head. Odd grimaces. _

**Ulrich: **Odd, are you okay?

**Odd: **No…it's…I feel Moriarty's presence. He's very much alive and...

**Jeremie: **And what?

_Odd looks at the floor. _

**Odd: **There's a rage there. A deep one. One that I've never felt from him before. It's like a pressure boiler about to explode.

_The warriors become quiet, looking at each other gravely. Meanwhile Jim claps his hands to get everyone's attention. _

**Jim: **Enough already! Everybody listen up. I think we should adjourn this meeting and head upstairs. The sooner we get out of here and check out this situation for ourselves, the sooner we can resolve it.

_Léon feebly raises his hand. _

**Léon: **I wouldn't do that…

**Jim: **Oh…and why not?

**Léon: **The Order is out in the courtyard, and they're raising hell. They're out there ripping our posters and burning them! The last thing they want to see is us.

_Isabel stands up. _

**Isabel: **Léon's right. We should probably lie low for an hour or so. Wait for them to cool down.

**Tobias: **I am in no mood to hide down here. No way.

_César stands up. His recent addition to the Outcasts garners far more attention than the ordinary member. _

**César: **I agree with the American. We can't show any signs of weakness. Besides, how bad can it be?

_Outside, a pile of posters are dumped in a metal trash can and burned. Order members pass by and spit in the fire. They then begin to cluster together in the courtyard around Emmanuel, Herb, and Angeline. They shout at them, demanding answers. A few of the people present cry. Some are just generally confused. Emmanuel and the two others do their best to calm everyone down. _

**Emmanuel: **Order! ORDER! This is no way for The Order to behave!

**Herb: **Everyone calm down! Everything will be fine.

_Some of The Order members start to heckle them. _

**Paul: **Fine?! How can anything be fine?! The Commandant might be dead!

**Angeline: **You don't know that for sure.

**Thomas: **But neither do you!

_Mathias breaks through the crowd and tries to get everyone's attention. _

**Mathias: **Yes but I do! I saw him! _Eyes lock onto him when he says this. _That's right. I saw him hobble out of the car and leave. I tried to help him but he walked off.

**Emmanuel: **You hear that? Commandant Renard is alive.

_Johnny and Hiroki, who are on the outskirts of the crowd, decide to speak up. _

**Johnny: **Then where is he now?

**Hiroki: **Yeah, he was alive when you say him last, but how do we know he's alive now? _Order members begin to argue on this point. _No one's heard from him at all.

**Emmanuel: **Don't…don't listen to them. They're just seventh graders. They don't know what they're talking about.

**Hiroki: **But the Commandant-

**Emmanuel: **Be quiet and let the older members handle this!

_Hiroki folds his arms across his chest. _

**Hiroki: **Hey, I may be a seventh grader, but I'm just as much a part of The Order as you are.

_Herb threateningly approaches Hiroki, looking down on him through his thick glasses. _

**Herb: **When an older Order member tells you to be quiet, you obey, got it?

_Herb's glare intimidates Johnny, who sneaks behind Hiroki. But Hiroki matches Herb with a stare of barely concealed defiance. _

**Hiroki: **Yes….sir…

**Emmanuel: **So to make myself completely clear, Commandant Renard is alive. I don't know where he is, but he is alive.

**Paul: **And do you have the slightest idea when we'll hear from him?

**Angeline: **Look! There he is!

_All eyes turn to the front gate. In the fading afternoon sunlight, a figure hobbles up the walkway. His clothes are disheveled and there are still scars on his face, but there is no mistaking who he is. Moriarty slowly approaches his group of followers, who stare at him completely baffled. He moves through the crowd, gently pushing people aside. He approaches the trio, who are enraptured with his surprise appearance. Moriarty looks around and shrugs. _

**Moriarty: **What? You didn't think the subversive elements in this country could get rid of me that easily, did you?

_A loud cheer resonates in the courtyard. _

_As the sun begins to set, a tree in the woods is pierced by two arrows. Its blonde assailant, Natalya, surveys the damage from several meters away. She gets on her knees and looks at the arrows from a different angle. She then retrieves the arrows from the bark. _

**Natalya: **A little low…

_She returns to her original position. A cold chill in the air makes her shiver. She puts on a gray light jacket. _

**Natalya: **The temperature's starting to drop. _She picks up her bow and notches another arrow. She draws the bow back, slowly and carefully, until the bow forms almost a perfect triangle. She aims for a small brown circle in the bark. She finds her target and takes in a deep breath. She releases, and the arrow lands centimeters away from her target. _Pretty good….I guess. But on Lyoko I might not get that margin of error.

_Natalya's ears pick up a rustling in the trees. She turns around, clutching her bow tightly. _

**Natalya: **Who's there?

_William emerges from the bushes. Natalya instantly relaxes, but William doesn't seem so calm. _

**William: **Natalya, what are you doing out here?

**Natalya: **What does it look like? _Natalya strings up another arrow. She fires. The arrow lands several centimeters to the right of her first arrow. _Practicing. I can't go back into Lyoko totally clueless again. Luckily Jim let me borrow some of the school's old archery equipment.

**William: **Well that's great but-_Natalya fires another arrow while William talks_-but Jeremie didn't want us wandering around Kadic and the woods without good reason. Things on campus are still really tense. No doubt The Order is just looking for an excuse to start something.

_Natalya pulls her bow back and shuts her left eye. _

**Natalya: **If they have a problem with me out here, they can tell it to my face.

**William: **It's not just The Order…_The arrow fires_…we still don't know what Moriarty is planning right now. He's just suffered a huge humiliation from us and an assassination attempt. Jeremie has a hunch that Moriarty might not be too rational right now. And you know who is immediately targeted when he's not acting rational: us.

**Natalya: **You can't live in fear all the time. _She turns around and gives him an innocent smile. _Besides, when's the last time anything bad has happened to me?

_William raises an eyebrow. He rolls his eyes. _

**William: **Oh gee…I wonder.

**Natalya: **Ancient history.

**William: **My concussion would beg to differ.

**Natalya: **Oh….did you forget where you put your jacket again for the thousandth time? I thought you had fully recovered.

**William: **Yeah…well regardless, pardon me for being a little concerned for your safety.

_Natalya notches an arrow. She has a smirk look on her face. _

**Natalya: **How sweet…_She fires and the arrow lands high above her intended target. _Oh that was terrible. The tiger would have eaten me by now!

_Natalya grunts and picks up another arrow. She aims again, but it is clear that her latest failure has messed with her head. Her hands are unsteady, which causes the bow to shake. Natalya squints and tries to force her shot. But before she shoots, Natalya feels two strong hands touch her shoulders. _

**William: **Relax your shoulders. You're way too tense.

_Natalya's naturally pale face begins to turn a little red. A wave of embarrassment washes over her, but William's touch does allow her to relax. She aims again, and lets the arrow go. The arrow hits the target flawlessly. Natalya stares in amazement. _

**William: **You did it!

**Natalya: **Yeah…I guess I did.

**William: **You'll give Moriarty's monsters a run for their money with skill like that.

**Natalya: **Or you…._She gives him a tauntingly threatening look…_if you ever think of cheating on me.

**William: **Oh boy…does romance always have to have the threat of violence?

_Natalya drops her bow and approaches William. Her hands move up to the collar of his jacket. _

**Natalya: **Love and war. They're basically the same thing. Especially in Russia.

_William laughs at the joke and pulls Natalya close to him for a deep kiss. Back at Kadic, Jeremie is hard at work at his desk. He pauses for a moment and stares at the computer pensively. _

**Jeremie: **Okay this encryption looks like a double helix, so I'm guessing the keys of entry lie in the structure of virtualized DNA. Deoxyribose particles would go there, and then adenine would go there…_An error exclamation point goes off_…Okay scratch that, it must be guanine. _Another exclamation point. Jeremie lowers his head in exasperation. _Organic cyber translation gives me such a headache. _The super scan goes off. Jeremie suddenly perks up. _And speaking of headaches…now we have an activated tower.

_While William and Natalya kiss, William's phone starts to ring. _

**William: **Their timing is truly amazing…

**Natalya: **Ignore it.

_They keep kissing. This time, Natalya's phone rings. _

**William: **You've got to be kidding me.

**Natalya: **I don't think Jeremie's fooling around. _She breaks away for him for a second. _It might be really important.

**William: **Can it not wait like…ten seconds?

_Shadows crawl out from the trees. They start to form a circle around the pair and grow into fully formed specters. William and Natalya react with complete surprise to the ambush. They stand back to back. _

**Natalya: **Apparently not. _Natalya answers her phone. _Jeremie?...Yeah we noticed. We could use a hand over here, and fast.

_William's hands become electrified. _

**William: **I've been through worse. Natalya….get down. I'll blow these guys to-_His head starts to spin._-uh….oh boy not now.

**Natalya: **Apparently your concussion still doesn't go well with your Xana powers. _The specters begin to tighen the circle. Natalya's voice becomes strained. She presses her phone to her ear. _So uh…about that help…

_Jeremie puts his shoes on while the computer continues to go off. _

**Jeremie: **Some of the others are already on their way to help you. Don't worry- _He rushes to the door_-we'll get rid of this tower as soon as-_The super scan suddenly stops beeping. Jeremie turns around. The tower is no longer activated_-what in the world?

_Back in the woods, the approaching specters suddenly disappear. William and Natalya look at each other in confusion. They remain defensive and alert. _

**Natalya: **Um…is that a new record for you guys or something?

**William: **No no….something isn't right here.

**Odd: **BONZAI! _Odd and Christophe burst out of the tree, wielding two large sticks. _William, Natalya run while we_….Odd looks around. Christophe drops his stick…_.distract them? _Odd puts his hands on his hips with a look of disappointment. _Hello, where's the welcoming committee?

**William: **We were wondering the same thing.

_Odd scratches his chin. _

**Odd: **Moriarty…must have called off his own attack.

**Natalya: **Why would he do that?

**Christophe: **Maybe he decided he didn't want to bother with a fight today.

_Odd shakes his head. He frowns and looks off to the side. _

**Odd: **No….most everything Moriarty does has a purpose. He wouldn't willingly give up without good reason….something isn't right here.

_A couple of hours later, Christophe sits on a bench in the boys' locker room. He is shirtless with a towel around his neck, evidence of him having just gotten out of the shower. His usual assortment of music assaults his ears through his headphones. Christophe leans his head back and sighs. _

**Christophe: **What a day…_He stretches_…a workout is definitely what I needed.

_He stands up and opens his locker. As he fishes his shirt out, Bastien Roux comes around the corner. He runs in Christophe's direction, looking over his shoulder the entire time. _

**Bastien: **Oh boy….am I in trouble!

**Christophe: **What are you talking about?

**Bastien: **Mathieu and Henri apparently didn't appreciate my sarcasm…._The doors to the locker room slam open. Bastien cringes…_because now they're here to pound me!

_Sure enough, Mathieu and Henri round the corner, looking ready to inflict a beating. But when they see Christophe and Bastien together, they hesitate. Christophe smirks and tightens his fist. _

**Christophe: **What's the matter? _Christophe takes the towel off his neck and begins twisting it in his hands. _You lost or something?

_Christophe's insult strengthens their resolve. They approach their opponents. _

**Mathieu: **We're here to teach some Outcasts some manners.

**Henri: **I've been itching to do this again.

**Christophe: **Likewise.

_The fight begins. Christophe flings his towel at Henri, who smarts from the blow and then rips the towel out of his hand. Mathieu punches but Bastien blocks it and kicks him in the shin. Mathieu grimaces in pain. Bastien begins to mock him. _

**Bastien: **You Frenchies don't know how to fight. Both of you would get your butts handed to you back in Cameroon.

_Henri manages to hit Christophe in the stomach. He turns his attention back to Bastien. _

**Henri: **If you love it there so much, why don't you go back to where you came from?!

_Henri grabs a shoe that had been lying on the floor and hits Bastien. The surprise allows both of them to jump on their victim. Bastien tries to fight back, but he can't handle both of them at the same time. Christophe, having recovered from the punch, moves back into action. He kicks Mathieu in the back of the knee and grabs Henri's forearm. _

**Christophe: **Bastien run!

_Bastien gets up and quickly complies with Christophe's request. Henri wrenches his hand free from Christophe's grasp. Christophe backs up as the two begin to gang up on him. _

**Mathieu: **You shouldn't have sent your little buddy away.

**Henri: **Now you're alone here with us.

_Christophe backs up against a wall of lockers. His face remains steadfastly confident in spite of the odds. _

**Christophe: **Come on…you two aren't that much of a challenge. _Before the others can reply to this, two specters leak out of the walls. They creep along the floor behind the duo and overshadow them. Mathieu and Henri struggle for a few moments, but they quickly become possessed. They turn and glare at Christophe with a stronger hate than they had before. Christophe nervously swallows. _Although that might change things a little.

_In the cafeteria, the warriors minus Christophe have dinner. The dining room is mostly empty. Those present seem to be still shaken by the day's events. The warriors eat in silence. Or at least they would like to; Odd's loud munching of his food makes it rather difficult. Gradually the ugly stares he gets at the table begins to increase. Jeremie finally breaks the silence. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, are you capable of eating like a human being and not say….a carnivore?

_Odd swallows and wipes his face. _

**Odd: **Don't judge. I'm just in touch with my animal instincts. It's part of my survival skills.

_Jeremie's laptop beeps under the table. Jeremie reaches into his bag. _

**Jeremie: **What? Again?

**Yumi: **What is he up to this time?

_Return to the locker room. Christophe warily looks for the exit, seeing if there is any possibility of escape. He judges that he has a chance and makes a break for it. _

**Christophe: **Nice try Moriarty, but you can't outrun a black guy! _Mathieu electrocutes Christophe. He goes down hard and moans. _Hey…that's cheating…

_Henri steps on Christophe's bare back. Mathieu violently jerks Christophe's head up. Henri's fingers become electrified as they reach for Christophe's face. Christophe trembles and closes his eyes, bracing for the blow. But at that moment, Moriarty leaves their bodies. Mathieu and Henri faint. Mathieu somewhat rudely lands on top of Christophe. Christophe quickly shoves him off. _

**Christophe: **I like my personal space…thank you. _He looks at the two unconscious Order members. He scratches his head. _What was the point of that?

_In the sewers on the way to the factory, the beeping of the laptop stops. Jeremie stops running and checks it. The warriors stop and turn. _

**William: **It happened again?

**Jeremie: **Yes. _Jeremie closes his laptop. _Moriarty has cried wolf again. 

_Several hours later, Jeremie and Aelita talk in their pajamas in Jeremie's room. Jeremie sits in his chair, tapping his chin, while Aelita leans against his dresser. _

**Jeremie: **A series of attacks and retreats. Xana has done this before. What could Moriarty be doing?

**Aelita: **Maybe the exact thing Xana did. Lure us into a false sense of security.

_Jeremie taps his fingers on his knee. _

**Jeremie: **Yes…or just torment us before launching his big attack. Odd told us he's angry. And when he's angry to the point that he can't be rational…or rational within his normal definition, then things can get very…messy. He's suffered a terrible humiliation by us and has just survived an assassination attempt. That's a perfect formula for retaliation. 

**Aelita: **If that's his goal, then why drag it out? Why wait for us to suffer more?

**Jeremie: **It's more fun for him to toy with his victims before he brings down the crushing blow. Moriarty wants revenge but he wants to savor it, to make it all the more rewarding when he actually goes through with it.

_Aelita faces Jeremie. He looks at the floor, darting away from her gaze. Air passes sharply in and out of his noce. His expression becomes sickened and pale. His hands move toward his stomach. Aelita walks up to him. _

**Aelita: **You're scared, aren't you?

_Jeremie winces as he rubs his stomach with both hands. _

**Jeremie: **Yes. I am very scared. To the point that it's making me…nauseous.

_Aelita rests her hand on his. She lightly runs her fingers over his palm. _

**Aelita: **Your hand is so cold….are you alright?

_Jeremie closes his eyes but he puts her hand in his. He pulls her a little closer to him, indicating that he doesn't want to let go. _

**Jeremie: **I'm getting too old for this.

**Aelita: **But, you're not even sixteen yet.

**Jeremie: **Lyoko has taken enough years of my lifespan to make me an old man at this point.

**Aelita: **Moriarty is just taunting us Jeremie. We need to stay calm or we will play right into his hands.

_Jeremie keeps his eyes shut and sits in silence for a few moments. _

**Jeremie: **Maybe you're right. We might not even be his target right now. He might be after the agent who tried to kill him. I mean, we know enough from Odd's dreams to know that Moriarty and the agents never…_He suddenly stops, realizing he has crossed into forbidden territory_….uh I mean…

_Aelita turns around and wanders a few feet away from him. She lets out a big sigh. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, I've been thinking.

**Jeremie: **About what?

**Aelita: **About Odd's dreams. I've decided it's best that I fill in the gaps from my old life. _Jeremie shifts uncomfortably in his seat as Aelita continues. _I won't like it, but it will haunt me if I don't know the whole truth.

_Jeremie's pulse increases. He subtly scoots his chair in between the computer and Aelita as the conversation proceeds to go in the wrong direction. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, remember what I-

**Aelita: **I do remember. And I do want to know. I want to know what happened to my parents, especially my mother.

**Jeremie: **Odd's dreams haven't given us anything definitive about what happened to your mother after the-

**Aelita: **I have to know…

_Jeremie eyes the computer, silently cursing this turn of events. He again looks at the floor, trying to come up with something quickly. _

**Jeremie: **I guess I did promise to show you the log if you wanted to…but I think you should think this over for a few days…make sure this is what you-

**Aelita: **Jeremie a few days difference is not going to change my-_The super scan goes off. Jeremie almost breathes a sigh of relief from the distraction. Aelita groans._-He's at it again.

**Jeremie: **We'll wait a little bit. I want to make sure this isn't one of Moriarty's false alarms.

_A specter crawls out of the wall beneath Jeremie's legs. Aelita looks down and jumps backward. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie look out!

_Jeremie looks down and shouts with surprise. He jumps out of his chair and backs up with Aelita into a corner. The specter rises and takes the form of Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **Don't worry. This is just one of Moriarty's scare tactics. He's not going to kill us.

_The specter Jeremie lunges at them. They duck and the clone ends up punching the wall so hard that Jeremie's dresser and shelves shake from the blow. Jeremie and Aelita crawl away. The clone turns around. _

**Aelita: **I wouldn't exactly put money on that.

_Aelita looks toward the exit, but the specter sees this and rushes to the door to block them. Now Jeremie and Aelita move toward the desk. _

**Jeremie: **I doubt Moriarty wants to kill us now. _Electricity forms in the clone's hand. _Then again….a small chance of being killed is still too much for me.

_The specter gives Jeremie a minor electric shock and grabs Aelita's neck. He lifts her into the air. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie! HELP!

_The specter tightens its grip. It stares at Aelita's suffering without any enjoyment or reluctance. It shows no signs of the usual Moriarty. The look on its face is robotic and unreadable. Jeremie uses his desk to heave himself up. He stares at the specter and his fear quickly turns to anger. He moves to the computer and presses a few keys. _

**Jeremie: **Put…her…down…

_A new window opens on his computer. The specter suddenly starts to fluctuate and moan. It lets go of Aelita and goes to its knees. Aelita rushes back to Jeremie. _

**Aelita: **What did you do?

**Jeremie: **It's high frequency soundwaves. I prepared this on my computer recently in case I was attacked in the room. It's interfering with the specter, but luckily no one can hear it. _Across the hall they start hearing Kiwi bark. It is quickly followed by a loud 'SHUT UP!' most likely coming from Ulrich. _Well, almost no one.

_In spite of his technical difficulties, the specter manages to rise. Jeremie and Aelita hold onto each other, expecting another attack. But as soon as the specter stands up, it vanishes without a trace. The tower deactivates and the super scan stops beeping. Jeremie and Aelita stare into the empty space left by the specter, waiting a few seconds before breathing a sigh of relief. Jeremie wanders to his bed and buries his face in his pillow. _

**Jeremie: **Like I said…I'm getting too old for this.

**Aelita: **He keeps sending fake attacks. How long will it be before he sends a real one?

**Jeremie: **Probably long enough for all of us to lose our minds…

_An uneasy calm settles over Kadic as students and faculty somehow manage to get to sleep. The TVs broadcasting the terrifying attempt on Moriarty's life are finally turned off. Jim does his rounds a little more thoroughly than usual and then he too heads off to bed. Silence starts to stake its claim on the campus. But in the girls' hallway, Angeline Maillard is not sleeping so peacefully. She tosses and turns and even starts to moan. Suddenly she starts to scream and dig her fingers into her pillow. _

**Angeline: **No! NO! Don't touch me you animal!

_Her roommate Anais bolts up in bed. She takes one look at Angeline's state and starts to search desperately for her phone. _

**Anais: **Angeline calm down! It's just a dream.

_Angeline stuffs her face into her pillow and continues to writhe in bed. _

**Angeline: **Go away! Why won't you leave me alone?!

**Anais: **Angeline please wake up!

_Angeline's eyes open, but she acts like she is still in her nightmare. _

**Angeline: **No….I can still see him. I can still see him!

_Anais finds her phone and breezes through her contacts. _

**Anais: **Emmanuel!...Emmanuel get here quickly! She's doing it again. It's bad this time.

_Anais hangs up and goes to her side. She speaks comforting words, but Angeline seems unaffected. She covers her face with her hands and cries loudly. _

**Angeline: **Emmanuel…where's my brother? _She leans up and bed and hugs herself. The look on her face is distant and tormented. _Where is he?!

**Anais: **He's coming. Just hold on a little longer. _Angeline gasps. _Remember to take deep breaths.

_Emmanuel throws the door open. He runs into the room in his nightclothes and pushes Anais aside. He sits next to her in bed. Angeline grabs hold off Emmanuel and leans on him. She continues to sob, but after a while her crying starts to slow down. Emmanuel slowly and carefully runs his fingers through her black hair. The feeling begins to soothe her and she stops crying. She rests her head on his shoulder. _

**Angeline: **It was worse this time. I could see his eyes…those lustful eyes.

_Emmanuel hushes her and speaks to her in an unusually tender voice. _

**Emmanuel: **Shh…It's okay. Big brother's here.

_Angeline wipes some tears from her eyes and manages to laugh a little. _

**Angeline: **By only five minutes.

**Emmanuel: **That still counts…Are you feeling better now?

_Angeline hesitates. _

**Angeline: **A little.

**Anais: **She was really upset this time. Emmanuel, did this…use to happen with her at Lincoln?

_Emmanuel lowers his head and doesn't turn to face Anais. He remains focused on his sister. _

**Emmanuel: **Let's just say Mom and Dad thought it would be better for her if I was close by.

_Angeline chokes down another sob. _

**Angeline: **Emmy….when will he go away?

**Emmanuel: **I don't know. But I can promise you that he will go away. And I swear to God…_Emmanuel's face becomes frighteningly vindictive as he hugs Angeline_…I will do all that I can to make sure that he…and the trash like him will never hurt us again.

_Early the next morning. A brief amount of sunshine illuminates the Ishiyama residence. The sky is mostly cloudy. Inside the house, Yumi butters some toast before heading off to school. The doorbell rings. Grandpa Ishiyama makes an audible grunt from the living room. _

**Grandpa: **The doorbell's ringing.

**Yumi: **I am aware of that.

**Grandpa: **If it's a Jehovah's Witness, tell him to go to hell. If it's the nurse from the hospital the other day….uh…tell her I'm not here.

_Yumi sticks out her tongue and silently gags. _

**Yumi: **Grandpa, it's Johnny's mom here to pick up Hiroki….just like she does every morning.

**Grandpa: **Then tell him to get down here already.

_At that moment, Hiroki storms down the stairs and walks into the kitchen. _

**Hiroki: **I know they're here Grandpa. I'm not the one in this house with a hearing aid.

_Grandpa grumbles angrily at this insult. Yumi quietly ignores him. _

**Grandpa: **I remember a time when a certain someone respected his elders!

_Hiroki puts on his backpack and walks to the counter where Yumi is. He reaches for an apple in a basket. The two are uncomfortably close in proximity to one another. They both shoot each other negative looks. Hiroki picks up the apple and idles, looking at his older sister. The doorbell rings again. _

**Yumi: **Aren't you going to get that?

**Hiroki: **In a second. I'm not in a rush.

_Yumi takes her toast to the table. She keeps her back to her brother. _

**Yumi: **Any specific reason you're stalling?

**Hiroki: **Maybe…_He looks out the window…_maybe not.

**Yumi: **I'm not really sure what that me-

**Hiroki: **I know you're an Outcast.

_A tense silence passes between the two. Yumi takes a bite of her toast. _

**Yumi: **…And?

_Hiroki briefly glances down at his purple Order patch. _

**Hiroki: **I don't know why you hate us, and frankly I don't care. What I want to say is…._He closes his eyes_…I don't want to be your enemy. You're still my sister. That's why I am asking you to switch sides. We would accept you even though you were once-

**Yumi: **No.

**Hiroki: **Look…I'm not doing this for me. I'm worried about you. After Chardin's murder…well things might get…more than a little tough for you. It's best if you stepped out. For your own good. I don't want to see you get hurt.

_Yumi munches on her toast, her mind dwelling on Hiroki's request. Her fingers drum on the table. _

**Yumi: **You admit that some of your own people might want to hurt me….so why are you a part of The Order?

_The doorbell rings. Hiroki takes another bite of his apple. _

**Hiroki: **I've said what I needed to say. _He heads toward the door. _Don't say I didn't warn you.

_He closes the door behind him, leaving Yumi in uncomfortable silence. After a few minutes of eating, she too gets up and walks out the door. She puts on her helmet and revs her black moped to life. She goes down the street. She rounds a corner and stops at an intersection, waiting for traffic to pass. Meanwhile a car parked next to the sidewalk turns on. Yumi, hearing the noise, turns around to look at the car and then faces the road. But then she swivels her head around to look again. The car's engine has been turned on, but there is no one inside it. She faces the road again and anxiously waits for the light to turn green. _

**Yumi: **Oh boy….

_As soon as she is free to go, Yumi switches the moped into high gear. The car follows suit. Yumi looks behind her. The car is gaining ground. Yumi presses the moped's speed to its maximum. But she knows that it is no match for a car's speed. _

**Yumi: **If I can just get to Kadic…

_She takes a shortcut through a narrow alley. The car cannot pursue that way, so it follows parallel to her new path. Yumi comes upon a connecting street. The car then turns right and heads straight for her. Yumi slams on the brakes. The car overshoots her and hits a light post. Yumi takes the opportunity and hightails it for Kadic. But the car, despite the fact that its front bumper is destroyed, backs up and continues the pursuit. Yumi sees the gates of Kadic up ahead. Her heart is racing as she desperately hopes to make it in time. But as she crosses the last street before getting to Kadic, a delivery truck threatens to cut off her escape. She banks hard right, hugging the last edge of pavement necessary to pass the delivery truck. She accelerates hard and barely passes it. The Moriarty possessed car slams on the breaks. The specter evaporates from the vehicle. Yumi rides through a side gate of Kadic and goes into the woods. She slams on her breaks on the path of the woods, landing right in front of Odd as he waits for Kiwi to do his business. He gives Yumi a strange look as she gets off the bike. She breathes heavily and leans against a tree. She pulls her helmet off. _

**Odd: **Um…any particular reason you nearly ran us over?

**Yumi: **Let's just say…I've had quite the morning…and things can only go up from here.

_Kiwi sniffs Yumi's shoes and decides that it is time to urinate. Yumi looks down and hardly even reacts. She stares up at the sky. _

**Yumi: **Okay…now things can only go up from here.

_Later that morning, the warriors study together in an isolated corner of the library. The positioning of the shelves around the study table and the walls around them give them the comfort of security. Rain patters against the windows. It fills the void of silence, adding an element of normalcy to the tense situation. Eyes lock onto books, but winds wander. The warriors cannot help but glance from side to side every now and then. One of Odd's textbooks lies precariously on the table. He accidentally bumps it and the book lands on the floor with a loud bang. Immediately the warriors become alarmed. Christophe, William, Jeremie, and Yumi get out of their seats. All eyes look at Odd, who is staring at them innocently. _

**Odd: **Guys, relax. I just dropped a book.

_The eight gradually sit back down. _

**Aelita: **I guess we've been a little on edge lately.

**Natalya: **Perhaps more than a little.

_Ulrich grinds his teeth in disgust. _

**Ulrich: **How long is Moriarty going to play this game with us?

**Jeremie: **As long as he wants. A revenge tastes better when it lasts, I suppose.

**Odd: **Do we even know for sure if that's Moriarty's plan right now?

**Yumi: **He sure didn't seem to be fooling around this morning. _She anxiously twists her finger in her hair. _And that look on his face in class this morning….it was unnerving.

**William: **Yeah…even for him. He lectured us again today on more aspects of the Cold War….by walking around the classroom. He passed through the aisles and desks…circling us. It was very subtle….not enough for anyone out of the loop to notice….but for us the message was all too clear. And that blank face he had….it gave me chills.

**Odd: **William…having chills?! _Odd slumps in his chair. _That's it. We're officially screwed.

_Aelita's eyes dart in Jeremie's direction. Jeremie works on his laptop, balancing studying and Cannae Initiative research at the same time. She then turns to Odd. _

**Aelita: **Odd, you know Moriarty more than any of us. Do you have any idea what he's trying to do?

**Odd: **Who knows? The most terrifying part of him is that he is brilliantly and sadistically unpredictable.

**Aelita: **Think hard Odd. You may know more than you think. Maybe something from your dreams could shed light on-

**Jeremie: **….Uh I hardly think that's going to help us.

_Aelita waits a few seconds while she gives Jeremie a stern look. _

**Aelita: **And why would Moriarty's history not help us right now?

**Jeremie: **Just because we know what he did in the past….doesn't mean we know what he's going to do in the future.

_Aelita looks down at the table, frustrated by another lost opportunity. _

**Christophe: **We know all these fake attacks are meant to goad us. The question is…what should be our response?

**Jeremie: **Vigilance…constant vigilance.

**Yumi: **But Moriarty is just crying wolf. Are we just supposed to freak out after sixty fake strikes?

**Jeremie: **And what about the 61st? Or the 62nd? This could go on for a while. Moriarty can do over as much as he wants. We don't have that opportunity. He is trying to wear us down into complacency. It may take a hundred times. Maybe two hundred. As long as he sees fit to drag it out. And we have to be prepared for everyone one. _He nervously taps his foot on the floor. _Or we will be dead meat.

_No one at the table says anything for a while. Jeremie's increasing paranoia has started to become contagious. _

**Ulrich: **No, he's trying to push us over the edge again. I'm not falling for it.

**Aelita: **And if you're wrong and he does attack for real?

**Ulrich: **That's very possible. But I'd rather be caught off guard by him than live in a constant state of fear.

**William: **Ulrich does have a point. Fear is his weapon.

**Yumi: **A possessed sedan is also apparently one of his weapons.

**Odd: **God this is so frustrating. We don't want to lose it, but if we try to avoid losing it, we might lose our heads….

_Everyone nods their heads in quiet and despondent agreement. The ringing of the bell suddenly makes them jumpy. Then they calm down again and get up. _

**William: **Well, anyway, there's not much we can do about it now.

**Jeremie: **Yeah…time for class. _They start to walk out as a group. _At least you already had your class with Moriarty. We still have to deal with that.

**Ulrich: **Don't remind me….

_As Odd walks out behind the rest of them, Aelita grabs hold of his arm. Odd looks back. Aelita is sending him a silent message to stay behind for a few moments. Odd looks back at the rest of the group. They haven't noticed that Odd and Aelita have hung back. Odd looks to his right and left and then turns to her. _

**Odd: **What is it?

**Aelita: **What is Jeremie hiding from me?

_Odd forces a carefree smile as his mouth begins to dry out. _

**Odd: **What are you talking about? What is Jeremie hiding from you?

_Aelita lowers her eyebrows in a deeply condescending way. Odd swallows. _

**Aelita: **Don't lie to me Odd. He's keeping your dreams from me. And I know you know. They are your dreams after all. _Odd starts to fidget and avoids eye contact with her. _So spill it already. What is it that Jeremie wants to 'protect me' from?

**Odd: **I…no. I can't.

**Aelita: **You can't or you won't?

_Odd's face becomes painfully serious. _

**Odd: **Both. Aelita, Jeremie has made some mistakes with you in the past. But this time he knows what he is doing. It is really better that you don't know.

_Aelita shakes her head firmly and stomps her foot on the ground. _

**Aelita: **No. I can't. I can't accept that.

**Odd: **You can't or you won't?

**Aelita: **Both. _She looks at the ground. _Odd, I have to know. At this point it's not a matter of wanting…it's a matter of necessity.

**Odd: **Why is that?

**Aelita: **Because….

**Odd: **Because….why?

**Aelita: **Because…._Aelita looks up. There are tears in her eyes. Her voice becomes strained as the tears begin to roll down her cheek. The sight of her so upset makes Odd feel like he's been punched in the stomach. Aelita rubs her eyes. _I can't sleep. As long as the truth is hidden from me, I'm going to assume the worst. Not knowing….it's killing me! Everyday my imagination of the terrible things hidden in the past grows more and more awful. It won't leave me alone. I can't take it. _Aelita grabs hold of Odd's arms and leans on him. Odd clenches his teeth, trying to suppress his own emotions. _I have to know Odd. Whatever happened in the past has to be better than the torture I'm going through now. It has to be, right?

_Odd closes his eyes and coldly separates himself from Aelita. He looks down at the floor. _

**Odd: **No. Believe me. It's better this way.

_Odd slowly makes his way out of the library, leaving Aelita more frustrated and upset than before. _

_The bell rings for Moriarty's 9__th__ grade class. The classmates get up and salute the Commandant. _

**Moriarty: **That's it for today. Remember to do your reading on Mussolini. I want your paper to answer the question of whether or not such an extreme response to Italy's political problems was inevitable. Oh and of course…._Moriarty fakes some sorrow. He presses his hands on the desk and looks down. He takes a breath and he starts to lose his normal voice, indicating that he might be about to cry. _The funeral for Mr. Chardin will be this weekend, with further details to be announced. I would like you to attend, regardless of whether or not you belong to The Order.

_The class walks out of class. As Aelita passes by, Moriarty shoots her a quick sadicious look. She looks away and hurries out. Once the last student makes it out of the class and closes the door behind him, Moriarty drops the act. He stands up and brushes off his lab coat. As he goes to sit back down, his futuristic digital watch begins to beep. Moriarty checks to make sure no one is at the door and switches the watch's settings. Immediately a small live feed of Victor hanging in his torture chamber comes on screen. Victor is exhausted, beaten beyond the point of endurance. His entire body is shaking as he looks into the camera. His face exudes a terrified, animalistic desperation. His bottom lip trembles while a little stream of blood trickles out of his mouth. _

**Victor: **Please…..PLEASE…._His voice becomes high-pitched and pathetic…_ let me die.

_Moriarty watches his victim without a trace of pity. In fact, he leans back in his chair, pretending to be bored. _

**Moriarty: **Oh gladly. I just need one thing from you first.

_Victor gasps and heaves violently. His coughing fit is so loud and cringingly painful that Moriarty has to turn down the volume on the watch, lest someone in the hall hear it. Victor hangs limp in his restraints. _

**Victor: **I…I don't care anymore. I'll tell you everything…..EVERYTHING! _Victor cries out to the ceiling. _JUST MAKE THE PAIN STOP! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD LET ME DIE!

_Moriarty taps the watch absentmindedly and stares blankly at Victor, making sure that he knows what it's like to look in the face of a sociopath before dying. Moriarty smiles. _

**Moriarty: **Don't worry Victor. _Victor sobs as his mind and body surpass the breaking point. _The journey is about to end. Just talk to me….and this will all be over.

_Several hours later, the door to the lab room in the factory opens. Aelita peeks her head out of the elevator and checks to make sure Jeremie is not there. When she sees that she is alone, she walks over to the monitor with a heavy amount of anxiety, feeling as if she is a thief breaking into the place. She sits in the command chair and turns on the computer monitor. She quickly goes to the supercomputer mainframe and selects the secure file on Odd's dreams. The supercomputer responds with a firm ACCESS DENIED window. Aelita inhales through her nose and cracks her knuckles. _

**Aelita: **You're good Jeremie, but you're not that good. You can't keep me out.

_She goes on to try several hacking techniques to get past the firewall. The elementary methods she knows easily fails. She starts to use more complicated ways to break in. They too fail, but Jeremie's firewall security takes longer and longer to catch up to her advanced approaches. After about thirty minutes of working, she starts to get frustrated. She licks her lips and makes a face after another one of her attempts fails. She runs her fingers through her hair. _

**Aelita: **There's got to be a way around this. Jeremie had to have made a mistake somewhere.

_Aelita keeps working. After a long, stressful process, she manages to deconstruct the firewall into its primary lines of code. But she quickly realizes that the lines of code need to be organized in an extremely precise way in order to break through the firewall. She groans and rests her head on the keyboard. _

**Aelita: **It's like a puzzle game from hell. It could take me a day putting all these pieces together to get through. Jeremie's really got me this time. _She rests her head on her hands and spends several minutes lifeless at the command chair. She moans as she continues to dwell over her failure. _Daddy….what should I do? _She's silent for another minute. Then, just as she is about to call it quits and leave, an idea strikes her. She bolts upright in the chair. _The dream log might be sealed up tight, but Jeremie's video diary…._She slaps her forehead_…Of course I'm so stupid! He talks about everything on the diary. It's bound to be on there somewhere! He was probably so concerned about the dream log he forgot to tie up that loose end. _Aelita accesses the video diary. To her surprise, she finds that it has also been blocked by a firewall. She curses. _I guess he lied about having every other file open to me. _She goes to work again. This time, she has far more success. It quickly becomes obvious to her that Jeremie spent far less time on this firewall than the one on Odd's dream log. She quickly gains access to it. _Okay, let's start. _A long list of video files comes up. _It might take a while to sort through these. _She finds the date of the beginning of Odd's dreams and starts from there. At first she finds no success. When it becomes clear that the specific thing she is looking for won't be discussed in that entry, she moves on. She keeps clicking on them and moving on. _No…_A few videos later…_No…._More videos_….Still no..._You get the idea_….Definitely no.

_She clicks on the next one. _

_Video entry # 575_

_Odd has just had another interesting dream…_

_Aelita pauses the video. _

**Aelita: **Wait, this may be it.

_She presses play. _

_It appears that Gaspard Depaul is the connection that brought both Moriarty and Schaeffer into Project Carthage. It confirmed my suspicion that their initial research involved working with NATO for the disruption of the Soviet Union. So far it seems that both were on an equal playing field in the organization, though I think it is clear that Schaeffer was far more of an invaluable asset than Moriarty. But I have also learned something more personal about the two. I have found the breaking point of their relationship, and it came in the form of a rather….unexpected development during their years at the Carthage facility…..and it has rather disturbing implications for Aelita…_

_At this moment, Aelita is enraptured and is at the point of killing herself with suspense. But at that moment, the doors to the elevator open. Aelita immediately panics and pauses the video. She turns around to make up a story, but she quickly sees that it is no use. The unexpected guest is Odd, and he stares at Aelita gravely. He points at her with an accusatory look in his eyes. _

**Odd: **Aelita, I know what you're doing, and I can't sit by and let you do it.

_Aelita turns her back on the monitor and latches her hands onto the keyboard for dear life. Her face becomes fierce and defensive. She adamantly shakes her head. _

**Aelita: **You can't stop me Odd! I've come too far to stop now. I have to know!

_Odd takes several steps forward. His intensity increases. _

**Odd: **Aelita, if you do this, it will do so much damage to you!

**Aelita: **It already has! The curiosity is killing me! I told that as long as I don't know, my worries and fears get only worse!

_Odd holds his hands out in front of him in an attempt to calm her down. _

**Odd: **Aelita, you're not thinking straight. You are stressed out and tired. Let me talk to you. Whatever happened in the past doesn't need to be known. Some thing's are meant to be buried for a reason. So why don't you just get down from the chair and we'll-

**Aelita: **Never!

**Odd: **Aelita….

**Aelita: **I won't do it!

_Odd's rabid intensity to stop her soon returns. _

**Odd: **Aelita stop this insanity before it's too late!

**Aelita: **You can't stop me!

**Odd: **Oh yes I can! I'll tear you out of that chair and drag you kicking and screaming back to Kadic if I have to!

**Aelita: **NO! _Aelita desperately clutches the chair and the monitor. She starts to sob again. Her desperate and pained eyes dig into Odd. She sniffs. _If you do that to me…I'll….I'll…..I'LL HATE YOU FOREVER!

_Her rash and extraordinarily harsh statement silences Odd. His face moves from unshakable tenacity to that of shock and hurt. Aelita immediately regrets what she said, but the damage is already done. Odd stares blankly at her and folds his arms across his chest. He looks like he has just been slapped. Odd turns his back on her and idly shuffles his feet on the ground. _

**Odd: **Go ahead…._Aelita's jaw drops, shocked that Odd has given up. _Nothing I can say or do will stop you. I guess you must know. I promised Jeremie but….there's nothing I can do for you now.

_Aelita takes several seconds to respond. _

**Aelita: **Odd, I didn't meant that-

**Odd: **DO IT! _Odd closes his eyes and tries to press back the tears. _Just don't tell me I didn't warn you.

_Aelita sits back down in the chair. She looks at the paused video and hesitates. She looks back at Odd, who still has his back to her. For a moment, Aelita contemplates closing the video for the sake of Odd. But the tormenting desire to know soon forces her to do otherwise. She starts the video again without giving herself time to think about it. _

…_..Odd saw a familiar face in the Carthage facility. Antea Hopper also seemed to have worked at the Carthage facility as a research assistant… _

_Aelita's eyes begin to widen. _

…_.And Antea was the reason that the two went from the best of friends to bitterest of enemies. They both loved Aelita's mother, and it inevitably led to conflict. The most shocking part was that Schaeffer did not start out in first place. No….Antea initially chose Moriarty, and they had a long relationship…._

_Aelita slowly leans back in the chair. Her face becomes blank and expressionless as a statue. Her mouth opens only slightly as the news drills into her mind. As Jeremie goes on, images of Moriarty and her mother together as a couple blend together in an increasingly vivid and terrifying tapestry. Her skin becomes ice cold. _

…_From what Odd described, their relationship was deep and passionate. No doubt Moriarty planned on marrying her. And there is enough evidence that their relationship was also very physically intimate and….yes sexual in nature. _

_Aelita breaks her silence to let out a short, high-pitched scream. She covers her mouth as the iciness spreads to her upper back and makes her shudder. _

…_.He was and probably still is…very much in love with her. The only thing that separated them was a conflict between Moriarty's work and his relationship. He showed her his true nature, which led Antea to go for Schaeffer instead. It confirmed my hypothesis about why Moriarty hated Aelita so much from the start. Moriarty hinted at it the day that he first revealed himself to me. _

**Aelita: **He….he knew?...From day one….._Aelita's head starts spinning. She becomes nauseous and looks away from the monitor…_.He…he knew. He always knew.

….._To Moriarty, Aelita is a constant reminder of his failure with Antea. And he hates her for it. He never accepted that Antea had left her. He probably tried many times to repair the relationship, to take Antea away from Schaeffer. Needless to say, I have kept this away from Aelita. She has suffered so much already. The knowledge that her own mother had such an intimacy with Moriarty would be too much for her to handle. She didn't need to know the day we met Moriarty, and she certainly doesn't need to know now. I care for her, no, I love her too much to let her go through any more hurt. The fact that Antea once considered Moriarty, our most hated enemy, to be her soulmate would be too hard for her to swallow. _

_Aelita whimpers and makes some whining, unintelligible noises. _

…_.That's why Aelita must never know the truth. I hate that I have to lie to her again, but the suffering of my conscience is a necessary price to pay in order to protect her. _

_Aelita stops the video. Her body suddenly feels very very limp and weak. The chill in her body intensifies, making her hug her knees close to her body. Her face fluctuates between one of mounting horror and firm disbelief and denial. Her eyes remain eerily open, almost never bothering to blink. She looks around the room. The green walls of the lab room suddenly appear foreign and threatened, skewed in her imagination through the lens of this horrifying discovery. Her eyes desperately dart around the room. Everything is the same, and yet it is not the same. The computer monitor, the holomap, and even Odd don't look the same to her. Her frantic mind, spinning in circles, questions the very concept of familiarity itself. Aelita tries to step out of the chair. She quickly collapses. Odd, who has waited helplessly on the sidelines, now rushes to Aelita's side. He makes her sit up and hugs her, knowing that he can't say anything. Aelita looks irrevocably stunned and stares into space. She starts to mindlessly wrap her arms around Odd. _

**Aelita: **How…why?

**Odd: **I tried to stop you…._He starts to choke up. _You're so stupid. You're so stupid! WHY COULD YOU HAVE JUST LET US PROTECT YOU?!

_Aelita's voice becomes weak. Her face soon twists into an almost surreal expression of disgust and horror. She suddenly clutches on to Odd. She screams loudly and then screams into Odd's jacket. She slams her fists on Odd's shoulder. She hits very hard, but Odd silently absorbs the blows as she goes on a tantrum. _

**Aelita: **Mommy…..MOMMY WHY?! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?! How could you let him touch you…..HE….HE DID THINGS TO YOU! _She wails with loud abandon. She stuffs her face back into Odd's jacket. _That monster touched my mommy! Mommy how…..why….? WHY WHY WHY?!

_At this point, Odd's jacket becomes wet from her tears. He remains stoic, rocking Aelita back and forth while keeping a lid on his own emotions. _

**Odd: **Please forgive me….if you can. Jeremie and I….thought it was better this way.

**Aelita: **I feel sick…

**Odd: **Are you going to throw up?

**Aelita: **No…._She closes her eyes and screams into Odd's jacket a little more…._I wish I could…oh how I wish I could throw up! Throw up and rid myself of this knowledge! _She pounds her temples with her fists_. Stupid. Stupid! STUPID! I'm such an idiot!

**Odd: **The fear of not knowing…sometimes that is worse. Perhaps you were right. At least this way you can begin to heal.

_Aelita screams and starts to pull on her hair. She thrashes around so violently that Odd has to restrain her. Aelita resists his attempts to subdue her, cursing at him to let her be. He doesn't listen. She finally stops and breaks down into violent crying. _

**Aelita: **No! NO! It can't be the same now! He has touched a part of me that can't be repaired. He's dug in so close to me and I can't escape him!

_Her weeping continues but gradually starts to slow down. Odd loosens his grip on her slightly. He takes a deep breath and looks up at the pipe ceiling. _

**Odd: **Believe me. I know the feeling.


	22. Chapter 22

**Part 36**

_Late afternoon. Jeremie, having finished his classes for the day, walks down the hallway of his dormitory. He calls Aelita, and is quickly greeted with a voicemail. He makes a face and hangs up. He goes up the stairs to the girls' hallway. He knocks on her door. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, are you in there? _He knocks again. _I know you're upset about Odd's dreams. I think we should talk it out.

_When he gets no answer, Jeremie decides to head back down to his room. He descends the stairs, stuffing his hands in his pockets. _

**Jeremie: **She probably just needs to calm down for a litte bit.

_As Jeremie casually makes it back to his room, he sees César come out with his tennis outfit and racket. He immediately gives Jeremie an annoyed look. _

**César: **There you are. I've been trying to turn off your stupid video game for the past five minutes!

_Jeremie becomes confused. _

**Jeremie: **Uh…what video game?

**César: **The one on your computer! It's been beeping incessantly and giving me a headache!

**Jeremie: **I….I'll take care of it.

**César: **_Estupendo _(Wonderful). _He starts to walk away. _It was such a pain to try to exit out of all four of those purple signals.

_Jeremie stops as he places his hand on the door knob. A single word from César turns his stomach upside-down. He sticks his ear to the door and listens to the beeping. _

**Jeremie: **Four?

_He opens the door and comes face to face with his computer registering four activated towers at once. Jeremie inhales deeply. _

**Jeremie: **I don't think he's joking this time…

_Back in the lab, Aelita is still wiping the tears out of her eyes. Odd pats her on the back, reassuring her that everything is okay. At this point Aelita has exhausted herself. She settles down and starts to rest from her crying episode. She leans her head against Odd's shoulder. _

**Aelita: **I forgot how much crying could make someone so tired.

**Odd: **Crying can do that to you. But do you still feel better?

_Aelita shifts her head from side to side and shuts her eyes. Her lip trembles slightly. She covers her face with her hands, and then lets her hands fall back down to her lap. _

**Aelita: **Hard to say. This is not something I can process all at once. It's not something anyone can process all at once. My mother….._She bends forward and rests her arms on her knees…_I feel like I've been betrayed….but I don't think I should feel that way. I mean my mother didn't…I mean she couldn't have…

_Odd rests a hand on her shoulder. _

**Odd: **Your mother did not betray you. Jeremie already made it clear that Moriarty betrayed her. She judged him wrong. He fooled her with his charm like he has done to numerous people again and again. I mean, she chose Schaeffer after all.

**Aelita: **Yes….yes she did. _She looks at the ceiling for a little while and then looks back at Odd. _Odd, did Moriarty try to be friends with my mom and dad after the big…incident?

**Odd: **They still worked together on Project Carthage, so I imagine they had to come to some sort of agreement. They certainly started speaking to each other again. But my dreams haven't revealed that much yet. But he did show up to the hospital after you were born. _Aelita's eyes become wide as saucers again. Odd mentally kicks himself for that blunder. _Oh yeah…that happened too.

_Aelita shakes her head and slumps against Odd again. _

**Aelita: **I can't even care right now. At this point, nothing will surprise me. I just want to rest.

_The super scan on the main monitor goes crazy. Odd turns his head. _

**Odd:** I wouldn't take a nap just yet princess. Look's like we have a bit of a situation.

_Odd lets go of Aelita and quickly goes to the computer. Aelita, who had just started to feel comfortable, lets out a sigh and reluctantly joins him at the computer. When she gets there, she sees that Odd is scratching his head with confusion. _

**Odd: **Um…is the tower activation supposed to be giving out four separate signals? That's a malfunction, right?

_Aelita blinks several times and rubs her eyes. She then looks again. When she sees that that her eyes didn't lie to her, she presses her fingers on the back of her neck and tilts her head back in an expression of frustrated disbelief. _

**Aelita: **No, that's not a malfunction. Moriarty has activated four towers….all at once.

_Odd groans. _

**Odd: **I was afraid you were going to say that.

_Aelita presses a few keys and takes a closer look. _

**Aelita: **A tower activated in each sector. If this is one of Moriarty's scare schemes, it sure is an elaborate one. He's using a tremendous amount of power.

**Odd: **Do you think he's crying wolf again?

**Aelita: **Honestly, no….Anyway they are still active. If he doesn't back off soon, we can assume that Moriarty is not bluffing this time. Jeremie's probably realizing it just now. He should be contacting us any minute.

_Odd looks at the computer and then looks at Aelita. Although there are still red lines under her eyes from her heavy crying, Aelita appears to be very mission-oriented and stoic. Odd stammers several times before delivering his loading question. _

**Odd: **Uh….are you sure you're ready for a mission right now?

_Aelita's left hand clenches the arm chair tightly, but her face still registers little emotion. She looks down at the floor. _

**Aelita: **I can cry myself to sleep later, Odd. What matters is the here and now. And right now I'm still the only one who can deactivate those four towers. _She looks away from him. _The fight against Moriarty continues regardless of what I'm going through.

**Odd: **What about Jeremie? Should he know that you uh….well you know….know?

_At the mention of Jeremie's name, Aelita's voice becomes strained again. But her emotions remain in check. _

**Aelita: **No. I don't want to complicate this mission any more than I have to. _She sniffles and wipes her nose. _If Jeremie asks why we got here so early, tell him we were studying in the woods and the super scan on my laptop went off. Understand?

_Odd slowly shakes his head. _

**Odd: **Yeah…I got it.

_Several minutes later, all eight of the warriors arrive at the factory. Jeremie notes the location of all four towers and then turns back to the rest of the group. They stand in a large circle. Jeremie claps his hands together to get their attention. _

**Jeremie: **Okay everyone, we don't know what Moriarty is doing, but we do know that he's not bluffing this time. Considering his recent attacks….I was honestly afraid that some of you would be caught up in some sort of twisted game of his again. But miraculously, you're all here in one piece. And that's a good thing. It will be the first time the Lyoko Warriors will face Moriarty in full force. And I want you all to remain as a unit. We are not splitting up in different sectors. Since there is only one Aelita, you will go sector by sector, clearing out any Moriarty resistance that you encounter. _Jeremie puts slams his right fist into his left hand. _Whatever Moriarty's doing, we will put a stop to it. The longer we take the more of a risk we have of him succeeding. So let's finish this as soon as possible. Any questions?

**William: **If we are the targets, how do we know we're not walking into a trap? And if we all go, what's stopping Moriarty from doing something to the factory?

**Jeremie: **I will devirtualize some of you if the factory comes under attack. And as for the first question, no we don't know if you're walking into a trap.

**Yumi: **Of course…

**Ulrich: **Just like old times.

**Jeremie: **Since we've never had this many warriors at once before, we need to have someone on the ground to help call the shots and organize our attacks. Aelita is the obvious choice for this job.

_Aelita immediately feels a deep and nervous pain hit her chest. She looks downward and slowly speaks up. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie….I would actually prefer if you…didn't assign me as the combat leader today.

_The warriors and Jeremie look at her with some surprise. Jeremie searches her face for answers, but he quickly assumes that the issue over her access to the dream log has compromised her emotions. He nods his head. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, we'll have Yumi lead instead. That should work out for all of us. Any more questions?

_Odd, in an attempt to lighten both the mood and Aelita's spirits, mockingly salutes Jeremie. _

**Odd: **Sir no sir!

_Most of the warriors laugh. Aelita makes an effort to do so but part of it is genuine. Jeremie rolls his eyes. _

**Jeremie: **Right…well…..it's time to dive in. I'm sending you to the Mountain Sector first.

_After several rounds of virtualizations, all seven of the warriors land on one of the circular platforms in the sector below a large mountain. Christophe and Natalya look around. _

**Christophe: **Wow…haven't been here before.

**Natalya: **It's incredible…._She looks in front of her. _But are the sector's passageways always so narrow?

**Ulrich: **Yes, but luckily the mountains are made of several layers. If you fall off, you would likely land on a platform beneath the clouds. It's better not to test it though.

**Odd: **And even then, it would make you unable to help the rest of us. So try not to fall.

_Natalya smiles weakly. _

**Natalya: **Got it.

**Jeremie: **Alright, the tower is straight ahead of you past that gorge. I'm sending your vehicles, but uh….I guess you're going to have to share.

_The vehicles appear in front of them. Christophe takes immediate intrest in the Overboard. _

**Christophe: **Oh cool…can I have the skateboard?

**Odd: **It's an Overboard and not on your life!

**Jeremie: **Stop arguing and start moving already!

_The warriors comply and take off. While Aelita is flying next to the others, her mind starts to wander back to her recent revelation. She closes her eyes and tries to brush the feeling aside. Images of her mother and Moriarty together come back to bite her. At the same time, the images correspond to past torturous experiences with Moriarty. That combination prompts her to imagine Moriarty's voice talking to her, mocking her predicament. _

**Imaginary Moriarty: **It's amazing what love can do. We were quite a pair back then. What do you think about that?

_Aelita gasps and shakes her head. Her reaction catches the attention of Odd, who flies on his Overboard near her. _

**Odd: **Are you holding up okay?

**Aelita: **Yeah…I'll be fine.

_A couple of kilometers from Kadic, Moriarty waits in a back alley close to a busy intersection. He waits against a rusted fence, periodically looking to his right and left. He cranes his head back and listens to the sounds of rush hour traffic in Paris. He closes his eyes. His right hand starts to tremble. He grabs it with his left hand to make the trembling stop. He reopens his eyes. _

**Moriarty: **Fear? How could I be afraid? It should be the other way around. _Moriarty's hands go to the spot where the bullet entered his head. _I guess it's only natural. Historically speaking, this is like going into the hornet's nest. _He opens his right palm and creates a ball of electricity. _But things…are different now. I'm the hunter…not the hunted. _His hand shakes again and the ball disappears. _Damn…it won't go away. _He growls and pounds his fist against the fence. _I can't be afraid. I have to be at my best. I have to enjoy every minute of this….

_Moriarty stands there in silence for a few minutes. Then, he hears the sounds of a large vehicle heading in his direction. He turns his head to see an armored truck approach him. The truck stops right in front of him. He relaxes his shoulders and stretches his neck to one side. _

**Moriarty: **It's about time. _He goes to the back and the door opens for him. Moriarty steps in the vehicle. _Let's get moving.

_The truck moves forward and goes back into traffic. Moriarty turns to face the inside of the truck. Surrounding him are at least a dozen men from RAID, France's special operations unit. All of them turn their eyes to Moriarty. Their corneas reflect the Moriarty insignia. Moriarty smiles, happy to have a waiting audience. _

**Moriarty: **Gentlemen, today you have the honor of making history. With your help, I will be taking down the most despicable group of people ever to dare call themselves French. Our enemy is a disease, and we are the cure. _He paces the truck. _We are not a large group, but we are more than good enough for the job. Yes, we few, we happy few, we band of brothers shall today put an end to something that should have died long ago. _Moriarty looks out the back windows to check how close they are getting. He turns back to the group. His nostrils flare and the cold murderous look returns to his eyes. _And make no mistake…_He opens his palms and electricity lights up the vehicle's interior. Moriarty's face turns twisted in the light and exhudes an uncontrollable bloodlust…_there are to be no survivors.

_The warriors make it to the gorge at the end of the long mountain passageway. Yumi, who is taking the lead on the Overboard with Christophe, suddenly stops and hovers in midair. She motions for the others to do the same. _

**Yumi: **Hold up. _She points to the gorge. On the mountain floor between the rock walls, a squad of around fifteen humanoids blocks their path. To their right and left, tigers prowl above the humanoids on the cliff ledges. There are about five on each side. Yumi muses over the situation with a slight frown. _This one isn't going to be easy.

_None of the monsters attack. They simply remain where they are and appear to be waiting for the warriors to make their move. Jeremie's voice is heard among them. _

**Jeremie: **Moriarty adjusted his monsters to where we decided to strike first. And it looks like he's playing on the defensive. Which means we go on the offensive. Yumi, it's your call.

**Yumi: **Okay. _Yumi takes another look at the situation and then turns to the rest of the warriors. _Christophe, you and I will head to the left side. I'm going to drop you off so you can attack. I will try to take them out in the air. William, you and Natalya go to the right side on the Overdisc. Drop Natalya off so she can fire at the tigers from a distance. You will confront them directly and provide a good distraction for her. Ulrich and Odd, since subtlety has never been you're thing, I want you two to go straight up the middle and destroy the humanoids. Aelita…._Aelita, whose thoughts still seem to be preoccupied, suddenly wakes up and pays attention to Yumi_…stay in the air and attack the humanoids from above. Everyone understand?

**William: **Yes.

**Christophe: **Makes sense to me.

_Ulrich revs his Overbike. _

**Ulrich: **I'm ready to roll.

**Yumi: **Okay, if we execute this well, we will get past this roadblock without getting anyone devirtualized. _She turns back to the monsters. A single tiger on the right side of the gorge loses patience and fires. _Go!

_The warriors move out. True to the plan, Yumi wheels the Overboard over to the left and attacks. She throws her fan and kills the nearest tiger. _

**Yumi: **Christophe now!

_Christophe warms up his wrist weapons. He is burning with excitement. _

**Christophe: **You don't have to tell me twice!

_He jumps off the vehicle and lands on a ledge between two very annoyed tigers. The tigers get on their haunches and Christophe waits expectantly, confident that he has mastery of the situation. The tiger to his left fires his laser. Christophe spins out of the way and allows the stray laser to destroy the other tiger. As he spins back around, Christophe aims and fires, destroying the remaining opponent. Before Christophe can celebrate, he hears a growl above him. He looks up to see a tiger about to pounce on him. But a fan cuts right across the tiger's eye. Yumi flies past. Christophe gives her a thumbs up. _

**Christophe: **Thanks for the save.

**Yumi: **No problem.

_The remaining tiger fires at the Overboard. Yumi is forced to land hard on a rocky ledge. Yumi pushes herself off the ground and comes face to face with the tiger. The tiger's mouth glows, signaling his imminent attack. Yumi tries to reach for her fan, but she can't get it in time. Luckily a small CD weapon cuts through the monster and destroys him. Christophe jumps down from his ledge and helps her up. _

**Christophe: **I guess that makes us even…

**Yumi: **For the moment.

_While this is happening, William and Natalya target the right side of the gorge. Natalya is dropped off and prepares to aim arrows at the tigers. But William seems intent on taking on the tigers himself. He turns into smoke and attacks three of them. They try to surround him, but they all end up as fodder for his vicious two handed blade. Natalya spots one of the tigers preparing to ambush William from a nearby ledge. Natalya aims and fires, but her nervousness causes her to miss. To her horror, the tiger gets the chance to pounce on him. Luckily for William, he manages to throw off the tiger before it can fire and pin it to the wall with his sword. Natalya stomps her foot on the ground. _

**Natalya: **Idiot! You can't do that. You don't get second chances on Lyoko.

_Natalya hears growling behind her. She instinctively reaches into her quiver and turns around. A tiger is right in front of her, preparing to fire. But Natalya notches her bow and beats it to the chase. _

**Natalya: **But a little luck isn't out of the question…

_Natalya fires and hits her target. The tiger falls and devirtualizes above the intense battle that is going on in the middle of the gorge. Ulrich, coming under heavy fire from the humanoids, decides to angle the Overbike into ramming position and leaps out of the way before impact. The resulting explosion destroys two of the humanoids. Ulrich takes out his two sabers and eliminates two more. He now goes into the thick of the fight, drawing the attention of the attackers. Odd now enters the equation, leaping on all fours and shooting down the humanoids. Their work is thinning the herd, but the rest of the pack converges on them. At this point, Aelita summons an energy field overhead and destroys one of the humanoids. She then summons another one, doing her best to absorb herself into the act of fighting. But in spite of herself, she feels the images of Moriarty opening the door to her conscious thoughts. _

**Imaginary Moriarty: **Come on….you know the truth. Your mother chose me. Despite what you may think, Schaeffer was always second-best. He might have married him, but her heart always truly belonged…to ME.

_Aelita loses focuses and starts aimlessly flying. Her energy field disappears in her hands. The humanoids, seeing the opportunity, shoot at her and knock her out of the sky. She lands behind the cluster of humanoids. Without air support, Ulrich and Odd feel cornered. Ulrich blocks several volleys, but Odd is hit twice in the abdomen. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, that was forty lifepoints.

_Ulrich is hit in the leg right afterwards. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, that was twenty.

**Odd: **We could use some help here!

_Before the pack of humanoids can finish them off, the other warriors on either side of the gorge notice their predicament and race to help. Yumi hops down several cliff ledges and tosses her fans into the mix. William travels down the gorge in super smoke form and beheads several of the humanoids. The quick thinking on William and Yumi's part allow Odd and Ulrich to turn the tables and finish the job. Ulrich looks around and sheathes his sabers. _

**Ulrich: **That's the last of them.

_A little further ahead, Aelita pushes herself off the ground. She cranes her neck back and shuts her eyes. The sound of the other warriors approaching her makes her shoulders tense. She expects them to immediately question her, to blame her for the mistake. But it is the voice outside of Lyoko that first speaks up. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, what happened there?

**Aelita: **I…just got hit, that's all.

**Christophe: **But you had an aerial advantage over them…._Odd turns and gives Christophe a less than pleasant glare. Christophe shrugs in oblivious innocence. _What? I'm just saying…

_Aelita stares at the ground. The recent, intrusive thoughts buzz around her mind like a thoroughly enraged beehive, stinging at the still gaping wound of her secret knowledge. She shifts her feet uncomfortably. _

**Aelita: **I just froze for a second…that's all.

_The other warriors do not question her, sensing that doing so will only cause further resistance on her part. Odd folds his arms across his chest. A sharp pang of anxiety moves through his conscious thoughts, elevating his highly sensitive mind. But his anxiety is for her sake, not his. Odd fears that the pressure in her mind is building, and that an ultimate release will dwarf even the worst of his PTSD attacks. Back in the factory, Jeremie uneasily places his hands on the keyboard. He rests his chin on his fist, silently considering Aelita's predicament. He then adjusts the microphone closer to his mouth. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, it doesn't matter what happened. You got through the obstacle. If you hurry, you shouldn' encounter any more resistance. Then we can take care of the tower and be a fourth of the way done.

**Ulrich: **You heard the man. _He starts walking. _Let's get moving. We got a long way to go.

_William follows behind him. _

**William: **Come on Ulrich. You should be excited. Four towers equal four times the fun.

**Yumi: **Not the way I see it.

**Christophe: **I don't get you guys. _He motions to their surroundings. _How could you ever get sick of this?

**Yumi: **Once you've nearly been eternally virtualized in the digital sea a couple of times, you start to lose some of the enthusiasm of being here.

_The rest of the group begins to move towards the tower. Aelita trails behind them. After taking a few steps, she feels a hand touch her shoulder. She turns around to see Odd giving her a deeply concerned look. Her stomach tightens and she frees her shoulder from his grasp._

**Odd: **Aelita are-

_Aelita quickly interrumpts and shuts Odd's sentence down before he can finish it. _

**Aelita: **There is only one of me. I'm here to deactivate the tower. _She looks up ahead and puts on a mask of forced strength. _I don't get days off. Not now. Not for anything. End of story.

_She sprints ahead of Odd. Odd reaches out his hand to stop her, but he is too late. He sighs and looks off to the side. _

**Odd: **She won't even let me check on her….

_He shakes his head and runs after her. Meanwhile Jeremie still looks puzzled. He scratches his head. He then checks the combat log from the group's recent battle. The kill ratio of the other warriors is very high, but Aelita's and Natalya's ratios are tied at the very bottom. Jeremie makes a face. _

**Jeremie: **This doesn't make any sense. _His eyes wander to the desktop folder on Odd's dreams. His eyes widen a little. _She couldn't have…._After a quick check, Jeremie sees that the dream log has remained secure. He leans back and lets out a sigh of relief. _She didn't see it…._He then frowns_…but that still leaves more questions than answers. What has gotten into her?

_On the eastern side of Paris, in the opposite direction of Boulogne-Billancourt, Moriarty's armored truck enters a sparsely populated industrial area. Abandoned factories, much larger and in worse shape than the factory belonging to the warriors, dot the area. Fences block off certain lots even though there seems to be nothing there. 'For Rent' and foreclosed signs are seen on both buildings and dilapidated houses. Moriarty stares out the windshield. His glare is hollow and callous. He impatiently grips the front two seats and motions to the driver. _

**Moriarty: **There, take a left.

_The driver complies and keeps moving through the area. The neighborhood around them transitions from factories to old office buildings. Most of them are closed down, but a few appear to still have life in them. They cross three more blocks and then Moriarty orders the truck to stop. _

**Moriarty: **There it is! Pull in there!

_The truck pulls into a small driveway leading up to a metal fence. Behind that fence is a large parking lot that contains only a small number of cars. To the far right of the parking lot is a medium-sized gray building of about four stories. The top two floors are boarded up and lifeless, but the bottom two floors have their lights on. The truck pulls up to a gate with an access panel to the side. Moriarty keeps his eyes on the building, and with a wave of his hand, the access panel turns green and the gate opens. The driver quickly enters the parking lot and swerves around to the right side of the building and parks. The truck is turned off and the hum of the engine is replaced with silence. The armed men look to Moriarty. He merely glances at them and opens the back door. He steps onto the pavement, entering into the chill of the cloudy late-afternoon. Moriarty adjusts his collar and pulls his lab coat closer to his body. He looks back at his troops. _

**Moriarty: **Wait for my command.

_He shuts the back door and walks around to the front of the building. He enters unopposed through the double glass doors. Though the exterior is somewhat lacking in appeal, the interior appears to have been remodeled. The walls are a light yellow, adding a sense of life that did not exist outside. Modern office spaces filled with white-collar workers can be seen to the left and right. Above the front desk, a sign reads COMPAGNIE HERCULE_ _and underneath INSURANCE YOU CAN AFFORD_. _Moriarty pays little attention to these signs and goes straight for the front desk. The lady at the front desk wears a black pantsuit with her blond hair tied back in a ponytail. She talks on the phone and pays little attention to Moriarty. _

**Secretary: **Did we schedule an entry at this time? _Five second pause. _Yes, but their appointments were scheduled an hour ago. _Another pause. _Did you give them the access code? ….That makes no sense…who could have-? _The woman finally looks up at Moriarty and the words are taken from her mouth. Her grip on the phone slackens. She wordlessly puts the phone down, missing the receiver. Her facial muscles twitch uncomfortably as she considers either panic or courtesy. Her left hand grips her pen with the pointed tip facing up. Within a span of a few seconds, a smile somehow appears on her face. _Hello, welcome to Compagnie Hercule. How may I help you today?

_Moriarty's anxiety and hunger for vengeance build in unison into a raging desire to unleash hell. Every corner of his mind screams for to burn the entire place to the ground. But somehow, in spite of himself, he masters the urge. Instead, he rests his left elbow on the front desk and appears natural. But the words from his mouth are frightening and direct. _

**Moriarty: **Hello, I'm here to see the Director.

_One of the women carrying papers to Moriarty's right suddenly drops her pile. The people in the offices surrounding Moriarty look at him warily, staring up from their work to let him know that he is being watched. The secretary maintains the smile on her face. _

**Secretary: **I'm sorry….you're….going to have to be more specific. You mean the director of sales? The director of finances? The director of customer support? _She forces a laugh that is painfully fake. _We have a lot of directors.

_Moriarty plays along and stares at the insurance sign above her, pretending to be distracted. _

**Moriarty: **Hmm….yes that may be so. But I'm looking for THE DIRECTOR. Can I see him today?

_The looks from the office spaces become more and more hostile. They cease to keep up the guise of working. Every eye is fixed on Moriarty. The secretary's smile starts to crack. _

**Secretary: **I'm really not sure what you are talking about, but if you want to speak to any of our directors, I'm afraid you need to have an appointment.

_With all eyes on him and the charade steadily collapsing, Moriarty's bloodlust begins to boil over. Years of gathering hatred, prepared precisely for this moment, start to pound at the dam of self-control like a roaring ocean. Moriarty leans close to the woman, coming within inches of her face. The woman becomes frozen with fright. Moriarty smiles and drops his friendly act. _

**Moriarty: **Oh I'm sure this director will make time to see me. _He looks to his left and right and then trains his hollow eyes back on the secretary. _This is a nice front you have here.

_Moriarty notices that the woman is reaching her hand under the desk, most likely going for the panic button. He doesn't hesitate. In a flash, the woman is pinned to the wall by a wave of electricity. Immediately the agents in the offices drop the act. They come at him with their guns drawn. But Moriarty is in complete control. He holds out his arms in an almost crucifix position, and pours lethal amounts of electricity at all sides. A chorus of screams drowns the office area in horrific noise. As bodies drop to the floor, the alarm goes off. At that moment Moriarty's army enters from all sides, ready for action. Moriarty hops over the front desk and runs his hand over the back wall beneath the sign. He moves his hand to one specific position and stops. His fingernails dig into the wall. He smiles as his head turns into a black, smoking skull. _

**Moriarty: **There you are…

_He blasts open a secret door. Out of the rubble a metal staircase appears, leading down into a highly advanced, state of the art government operations facility. Moriarty simply walks down the staircase to see men and women in black look up with the kind of fear that can only be manifested in the face of certain doom. Some trip overthemselves reaching for their weapons. Others aim their pistols at Moriarty and the rest of his crew, their hands shaking violently. Moriarty's fury escalates beyond capacity and his form becomes increasingly fiery and demonic. Electricity flares up in the narrow space, causing the windowless space to lose power. The only light is that of Moriarty and his glowing body of electricity, primed and ready to kill. He laughs maniacally and stares up at the ceiling. _

**Moriarty: **LES INVISIBLES, YOUR TIME OF JUDGMENT HAS COME! _He motions to his men and points down at the hapless agents below them. _SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!

_At the other end of the gorge, the warriors face the tower. They stand on the opposite side of the central platform, separated by the mountain stepping stones. The warriors look around for any activity. Ulrich monitors the sky. _

**Ulrich: **I guess Moriarty already played his best cards.

**William: **Or he has his attention elsewhere.

**Jeremie: **No matter the case, we don't get chances like this often. Deactivate it and move on to the next one.

_Yumi nudges Aelita, who is standing towards the middle of the pack. She is still spaced-out, and is somewhat taken off guard when Yumi brings her back to reality. _

**Yumi: **This next part is you, Aelita.

_Aelita remains silent and nods. She hops forward, moving easily from stone to stone until she reaches the central platform. She takes a few steps toward the tower before Moriarty's voice returns to her. _

**Imaginary Moriarty: **Odd is merely dressing up the story for you. He knows the real truth. Your mother was always fond of me, even after she learned more about my….unpleasant side. She never truly got over me, just as I never got over her. She knew about me…and still loved me.

_Aelita pauses. Her knees bend slightly and she clenches her fists. With sheer willpower she erects mental stone walls to block out the waves of emotions assaulting her. The warriors are on the verge of asking her what's wrong, but at that moment she relaxes and walks to the tower again. Her brain goes on autopilot as she steps into the tower and prepares to do the same thing she has done thousands of times. She walks to the center of the lower platform and effortlessly floats to the top. Her feet rest on the upper platform and she gingerly walks over to the main screen. Before she puts her hand on the screen, she feels a need to pause and reflect on the situation. She takes a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves. She looks around, staring at the blue screens and lines of data around her. She begins addressing them as if they were an audience. _

**Aelita: **I don't care what my mother has done. I don't care what my mother did with Moriarty. _She looks up at the ceiling of the tower. _I am Aelita Stones, the daughter of Waldo Schaeffer and Antea Hopper, and nothing will ever change that.

_With renewed confidence she presses the screen and activates the code. The tower deactivates. She smiles. But as she looks onto the blue holographic screen into her own reflection, a fatal thought works its way into her mind. At first the idea is so radical and absurd that her mind cannot accept it, and it bounces around chaotically in her head. But as the intrusive thought gains traction, it starts to seep into her brain like a poison. She backs away from the screen and holds her head, incredulous of what she is thinking. _

**Aelita: **But what….what…if I'm not…Schaeffer's daughter?

_At the worst possible time, the demonic and tortured side of her conscience comes back with a vengeance. _

**Imaginary Moriarty: **Good question….why do you think I came to visit you and Antea in the hospital in the first place?

_For a few seconds Aelita stands motionless on the edge of the upper platform, her mind floating in a mental limbo. Then, all at once, the stone walls blocking the tide of emotions give way. The blue cylindrical walls around her spin. Her once stabilized thoughts also jumble around her head like a tornado. She bends over and her mouth hangs open, evidence of a silent scream that is blasting from all corners of her psyche. Then the scream comes out audibly with a terrible and unabashed force that nearly blows out Jeremie's eardrums. Outside, the warriors do an about face, as the sound penetrates even the walls of the tower. Inside, Aelita falls down on the upper platform. She buries her face and pounds her fists on the floor violently. _

**Aelita: **NOOOO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO I CAN'T BE!

_In the factory, Jeremie desperately tries to make sense of the outburst. He keeps all eyes on the tower, excluding everything else from his attention. _

**Jeremie: **You can't be? Can't be what?!

_Aelita responds with a high-pitched scream that makes Jeremie cringe and keeps his ears ringing for a long time. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita what?! WHAT IS WRONG?!

_She lays her head on the floor and stares to one side of the tower, mentally dissolving into utter despair. Her voice suddenly becomes quiet. _

**Aelita: **I know…..Jeremie I know about Antea and Moriarty's relationship…_She starts screaming violently again. _JEREMIE YOU JERK I KNOW EVERYTHING!

_Jeremie's body temperature drops nearly two degrees. The resulting chill makes his stomach feel icy and nauseous. His fingers tremble as they reach toward the keyboard. A lump in his throat grows to such an extent that Jeremie finds it difficult to breathe, let alone speak. He struggles to swallow it down. Meanwhile, a hysterical Aelita continues. _

**Aelita: **All this time…all this time you knew. We smiled, we laughed, we kissed, and even then you still knew….AND DIDN'T TELL ME!

_In light of this accusation, Jeremie pathetically does his best to save face. _

**Jeremie: **Yes! Precisely so we could avoid THIS!

**Aelita: **NO! _Her virtual body experiences violent tremors as she lies down helpless on the platform. _Ignorance is not bliss! MY WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN A LIE!

**Jeremie: **Aelita, that's not-

**Aelita: **It's true and you know it's true!

_At this point, the warriors start to speak up. _

**William: **Jeremie?

**Ulrich: **What's happening to Aelita?

**Yumi: **Should we go in to help her?

_In the midst of Aelita's gut-wrenching outbursts, Jeremie finds no alternative but to agree to Yumi's suggestion. He mutes Aelita's screams and turns his attention back to the others. He orders them in a tone that signals a crack in his composure. _

**Jeremie: **Yes. Do it now. Something terrible has happened. Get her out of there!

_Odd, knowing full well what has happened, gets on all fours. _

**Odd: **I'm on it.

_Odd bounds across the stones with incredible agility and runs to the tower. But Aelita can still hear the conversation. A sudden, violent scowl on her distraught face indicates that she will have none of this intervention. She goes to her knees and vehemently shakes her head. _

**Aelita: **NO! _She starts working on the holographic screen. She locks the tower, preventing anyone from getting in or out. _No one comes in! And I'm not coming out! I'm going to rot here forever….LIKE I DESERVE!

_Odd runs headlong into the tower right after she closes it. The impact prompts the other warriors to run over and join him on the other side. _

**Ulrich: **What gives?! It won't let us through!

**Odd: **Aelita she…._He rubs his head…_She locked us out…

_Jeremie remains hard at work, trying to bring Aelita to her senses. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita stop this! You're not making any sense!

**Aelita: **I know everything Jeremie….AND MORE! I know what I really am!

_Jeremie starts to pull his hair. Convinced that she is raving, Jeremie decides to use a firmer approach. _

**Jeremie: **If you won't listen to reason then I have no choice but to materialize you!

**Aelita: **Don't bother…_She lifts her head and stares coldly into the main projector screen. _I already locked myself out of that as well. I'm not going anywhere….

_The icy pit in Jeremie's stomach becomes heavier. His forehead becomes cold with sweat. Meanwhile, several vultures fly over head and a group of scorpions and humanoids approaches the group outside. Everyone draws their weapons. The monsters immediately attack, pinning the warriors into the small area around the tower. The scorpions and the humanoids begin to make their way across the stepping stones. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, whatever you plan on doing, do it fast. We won't be able to hold all of these off without casualties.

**Ulrich: **And we could use our vehicles again!

_Jeremie registers their pleas and the sounds of battle, but they ultimately fade from his conscious thoughts. He sits there, motionless and fractured inside as he listens to Aelita coming apart at the seams. _

_At Les Invisibles headquarters, everything is going to hell. Shots ring out from all sides. Moriarty stalks around in his demonic appearance, striking and killing his victims without mercy. Computers and various electrical equipment are on fire, lighting up the darkened spaces. Some agents, desperate to escape the possessed men and Moriarty, attempt to get out of the exits, but all of them are on lockdown because of the loss of power. Many of them claw at the doors, only to be slain in mass around the areas of possible escape. Other agents huddle under their office desks, clutching their guns and grimly waiting for their final stand. Moriarty's forces begin to encircle the final remaining enclaves of resistance, edging closer and closer to wiping all of them out. _

**Moriarty: **Come out come out wherever you are….surrender and I'll make it quick! 

_While the rest of the complex burns, a single office overlooking the damage from a floor above remains untouched. The glass walls are tinted black, allowing the silent viewer inside to see everything outside but preventing anyone from being able to see inside. A single wounded agent crawls up the stairs to the office, keeping out of sight from the possessed forces and Moriarty. He stumbles into the office, clutching his side. He falls to the floor and looks up at the balding man, who watches the carnage solemnly. _

**Agent: **Sir, we are being torn apart out there! What are your orders?!

_The Director continues to watch the slaughter. He lowers his head. _

**Director: **Victor….you damn fool.

**Agent: **SIR!

_The Director finally turns in the direction of the agent. He clutches the armrests of his chair. _

**Director: **We don't have any chance of surviving this. _He turns back to the fiery scene in front of him. _Activate the Lethe Initiative.

_The agent's facial expression contorts from a look of desperation into one of stoned-faced horror. He swallows, knowing full well that the initiative means a death sentence for him. His fingers dig into the carpet of the office. He somberly looks down at the floor. _

**Agent: **Sir, we need to turn on the emergency generator to proceed with that initiative….And many agents have already died trying to turn it on.

_The Director stands up. _

**Director: **Then we better go together. We have a better chance if we both try.

**Agent: **No! You need to survive sir. _The agent raises his head, looking at his boss with a desperate selflessness. _It's just down the hall. I can get to it. I know I can…I have to.

_The Director silently marvels at the injured agent, feeling a strong pity for him. _

**Director: **What is your name agent?

_The agent looks up at the Director, clearly confused. _

**Agent: **My name?

**Director: **Yes, your name.

**Agent: **Agent R0542 sir.

**Director: **No. Your real name.

_The agent hesitates. _

**Agent: **François. My name is François.

**Director: **François…when this is all over, and Moriarty is finally defeated, I will make sure that your name will not be forgotten. Even if it provides little consolation, know that you have my eternal gratitude.

_François shakes as he loads his pistol again. He forces himself to stand, leaning against the wall in an effort to do so. Emotions of fear have left his face. There is nothing but the certainty of death. He opens the door to the office and gives the Director one final salute. _

**Agent: **I won't let you down sir.

_The agent limps his way out of the office and down the stairs. Below him, the last remaining agents are being killed. The sounds of gunfire are dying down. He makes his way from the stairs to an adjoining hallway. Sure enough, the area around the activation panel for the emergency generator is littered with the bodies of agents. However, it is no longer guarded because the rest of Moriarty's forces are too preoccupied with circling the final surviving agents. François gingerly steps over the bodies of his fallen comrades and enters the code for the generator. There is a loud hum and suddenly the lights to the facility turn back on. François leans against the wall and sighs with relief. _

**Agent: **I…I did it.

_He turns around and comes face to face with Moriarty. His body immediately freezes, unable to react in the face of this living terror. Moriarty glowers with rage. _

**Moriarty: **Yes….you did do it. _Moriarty electrifies his hand and stabs it into François' chest with such force that it comes out through his back. His blood becomes spattered onto the activation panel. Moriarty removes his forearm, and the man silently falls to his death. Moriarty looks at the body without remorse. _But you're a little too late.

_With the power back on in his office, the Director goes to work. He opens his computer and launches the Lethe Initiative. A giant red screen appears with the words COMPLETE MEMORY WIPEOUT COMMENCING. The screen suddenly becomes glitched and then goes black. The power in the facility begins to turn off again. The Director stuffs all the confidential papers in his office in the metal trash can next to his desk. He then takes out his lighter and lights it on fire. Finally the Director picks up his briefcase and flips a switch underneath his desk. A secret door opens in his wall, revealing a small elevator that looks more like a large dumbwaiter. The Director then slips in to the narrow space and the elevator closes. The wall then returns to its normal place, leaving no signs of the Director's clean getaway. _

_Fast forward to the present. Dark Yumi looks on from her mountaintop, pleased with the progression of the battle. The warriors are being overwhelmed. The vultures circle the tower like buzzards. Another wave of humanoids and scorpions approach the tower. Despite long-distance barrages from Christophe, Natalya, and Odd, two of the scorpions make it to the other side. Ulrich draws his sabers. He runs underneath the first scorpion, holding out his sabers to cut the creature's legs out from under him. He then pounces on the immobilized shell and kills the scorpion. Unfortunately for Ulrich, the other scorpion has noticed Ulrich's actions. He raises his stinger. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, look out!

_He looks up. His determined look fades. _

**Ulrich: **Crap…

_The stinger delivers the blow and devirtualizes him. The warriors go on the defensive, blocking blows as Moriarty's vanguard moves forward. Meanwhile a hail of lasers rains down from above courtesy of the vultures. Odd activates his shield and monitors the vultures from below. _

**Odd: **Jeremie, an Overboard would be really nice right now.

_Jeremie still doesn't is still stuck at the command chair, pierced by the pain of Aelita's crying. Odd growls with frustration. _

**Odd: **Fine, I'll deal with it myself. _He looks over to the lead scorpion that is currently being distracted by Christophe and William. He focuses on the tail of the monster, which is intent on destroying the two annoyances. Odd then looks up at the vultures again and their position relative to the scorpion's tail. An ingenious smirk forms on his face. _I got an idea.

_Right as William prepares to end the scorpion, the vulture barrage hits him in the shoulder. Odd takes William's place and leaps onto the scorpion's shell. Instead of killing the beast, Odd grabs on to the tail for dear life. Christophe watches in disbelief. _

**Christophe: **Odd, what the hell are you doing?!

**Odd: **Watch and learn rookie!

_The scorpion's tail arches back like a catapult. Sure enough, the tail throws Odd up in the air. He flies just high enough to hold on to the wing of the one of the vulture. Despite the creature's struggling, Odd manages to get on top of the bird. He then digs his claws into the monster's back, causing the bird to scream and follow Odd's direction. He uses the vulture to pursue the other ones and destroy them. Natalya, after destroying a humanoid, looks up to see the scene unfold. She stares in wonder as Yumi fights beside her. _

**Natalya: **You can ride a monster?!

**Yumi: **It's….not recommended.

_Odd wheels the vulture around the tower and heads for the scorpion. Odd fires and destroys the warrior's main headache in the fight. The sight of Odd riding the vulture confuses the monsters below. The warriors begin to turn the tables. Odd spins the vulture around and targets the monsters on the stepping stones for another strike. _

**Odd: **Alright Frederick, let's get them!

_A fan cuts the vulture's head off. The vulture starts to devirtualize. Odd frowns. _

**Odd: **….So much for our partnership. _Odd hears the whirling of another fan. He turns to see one flying headlong towards his face. _I'm dead…

_Odd devirtualizes. The warriors see the event and turn to their right. They see Dark Yumi standing on the mountaintop. The dark warrior does several somersaults and lands in front of the warriors. She licks her lips and holds her gray fans close to her face. William tightens his grip on his sword. He turns to Yumi. _

**William: **You and Natalya handle the other monsters. We'll handle this.

**Yumi: **Right.

_Yumi and Natalya break off, doing their best to keep the last of the monsters from the second wave from overwhelming them. Christophe gets into his battle stance and turns to William. _

**Christophe: **By 'we' I assume you meant me, correct?

**William: **I didn't want you and Natalya to handle all of the monsters on your own. That would risk us getting surrounded. But I think you are more than enough of a match for this one.

_Dark Yumi hisses and opens her fans. _

**Dark Yumi: **I'm going to make you choke on your words…

**William: **Then what are we waiting for?

_They attack. Back in the tower, the emotional standoff between Aelita and Jeremie continues. Aelita has just confessed to Jeremie that she is no longer sure she is Schaeffer's daughter. Jeremie, for his part, can't bear to speak. His throat is incredibly dry, and the tears in his eyes begin to stream down his cheeks. The self-disgust in his chest and stomach burden him, crushing his will to face her. His fingernails rub against the keyboard. He then forms a fist and presses them into his palm, squeezing until he feels pain. On the Lyoko side of things, Aelita has curled into a ball. Her face is drained of emotion. She has transitioned from grief to the sheer shock of her terrible conclusion. In a manner similar to Jeremie, Aelita runs her fingers over the upper platform. She tightens her ball. _

**Aelita: **If….Moriarty really is….my father. _She closes her eyes_. Then….I have to die. I can't stand that. _Jeremie sits there quietly, too emotionally compromised to answer her. He lowers his head and covers his face. _So much shame….more than any human can handle. I can't live knowing this.

_The voice of her tormented subconscious returns with even more sadistic delight. _

**Imaginary Moriarty: **To think all this time…you were Daddy's little girl.

_Aelita rolls over on to her back. She stares up at the ceiling, lost in the blue screens around her. _

**Aelita: **Being her daughter would be….unforgiveable. _Jeremie tries to speak up, but he chokes on his words. Aelita wraps her arms around chest and pulls her knees up close to her body. She looks up with a desperate despair that sees only one course of action. _I should throw myself into the digital sea.

_This final suicidal notion from Aelita forces Jeremie out of his paralysis. His heart accelerates and his thoughts regain clarity. The lump in his throat finally dissolves as the fear of losing Aelita overcomes his self-loathing. His eyebrows lower in defiance of Aelita's reckless statements. He slams his fist on his armrest. _

**Jeremie: **No…._Aelita continues staring, hardly registering a response. _You will not.

**Aelita: **Give me one reason why…

**Jeremie: **Because you are not Moriarty's daughter. Odd's dreams tell us that your mother did have a relationship with Moriarty. But she married Waldo Schaeffer and had a child with him. And that child was you, Aelita.

_Aelita raises her left hand and stares at her palm. She recalls the evenings when her father would take her into the woods on summer nights, holding her hand. Her face contorts with pain as she wonders whether there was any blood relation between that touch. _

**Aelita: **Moriarty visited me in the hospital. _She lets her hand fall to the platform. _Why would he do that, unless he in fact was my father, and kept it secret?

**Jeremie: **It is true that he visited you in the hospital, but he did it out of an old sense of obligation for Schaeffer.

_Aelita forces a heartless laugh. _

**Aelita: **Moriarty doing something good for him….now I know you're lying.

_Jeremie breathes out through his nose, feeling his frustration with her increase. _

**Jeremie: **Believe me or not. It's the truth. In the dream, Odd heard Moriarty say that he once promised to be there for the birth of Schaeffer's child, not his own. Moriarty was not completely corrupt at that time. In context, it's not hard to believe that he did it for his old friend's sake.

_Aelita's lip quivers, evidence that Jeremie is beginning to have an effect. _

**Jeremie: **If you don't believe me, check the dream log. It's all here in black and white.

_A fragment of hope emerges in Aelita's eyes. Her state of utter dejection begins to ebb, but just as her thoughts begin to brighten, she shuts down. She stares back at the ceiling with the same despair she had before. _

**Aelita: **M-Maybe. Maybe you're right. But…there's still the doubt. How can I be sure? Even if there's only a small chance, a narrow possibility that I could be Moriarty's child…how can I sleep at night? How can I not be utterly sick to my stomach? How can I hold up my head in the world, knowing that there's a chance…?

_For a moment Jeremie's face remains steadfastly serious. He drums his fingers on the keyboard, contemplating what to say to her. He fears that he has lost her again. Then, as his frustration boils to its maximum, the tense muscles in his face suddenly relax. He sits up, struck by a sudden thought. Ever so gradually a smile forms out of the corner of his mouth and spreads. Then he inexplicably starts to chuckle. The chuckle transforms into a good, healthy laugh. The tears in his eyes turn into laughing tears. Jeremie's laughing sparks a latent anger in Aelita, who suddenly sits up in the tower. _

**Aelita: **Is something funny?! _Jeremie at first keeps laughing and doesn't respond. _JEREMIE?!

_Jeremie wipes a tear from his eye and settles down. _

**Jeremie: **Sorry about that, but yes, something is very, very funny.

**Aelita: **What could possibly be funny at a time like this?!

**Jeremie: **You of course…

_Aelita stands up. Her shock that Jeremie is mocking her so riles her that she lets go of her despair and starts shaking with anger. _

**Aelita: **How could my pain possibly be funny to you?!

**Jeremie: **Because you think that being the blood daughter of Moriarty could somehow change who you are.

_Aelita's rageful shaking comes to an end. Her eyes widen. _

**Jeremie: **Assume you really are Moriarty's daughter. Well..._Jeremie smirks…_.so what? That doesn't change who you are. If you are really his daughter by blood, then I can tell you with confidence that he long ago gave up the right to be your father. A girl such as you deserves infinitely more than that. _Aelita stands there, feeling the truth of Jeremie's words. _And you did get more than that. You got Waldo Schaeffer as a father, if not in blood…then in spirit.

_Aelita perks her head up and gives Jeremie her full attention. _

**Jeremie: **Think back Aelita….would your mother really lie to you? Would she keep up a charade pretending that Waldo Schaeffer was your dad?

_She looks off to the side. _

**Aelita: **No…no that wouldn't make sense. But…she might have…not known.

**Jeremie: **Even if that is true, it doesn't change anything. Forget genetics. You are not Moriarty's child. _Jeremie smiles warmly. _You are Moriarty's sworn enemy, continuing the legacy of your REAL father by committing yourself, body and soul, to bringing him down.

_Aelita paces around the platform, stunned by Jeremie's powerful speech. She looks at her hands again. This time, she remembers the warmth of her father's touch with the same positive feelings that she had before. She then turns and looks at her reflection in the tower's main screen. Outside, the battle continues to go poorly. Yumi and Natalya pay so much attention to a scorpion that they fail to notice two humanoids behind them. Natalya is devirtualized, and Yumi barely manages to survive the attack. In the fight with Dark Yumi, William attacks with broad, violent strokes, attempting to catch her off guard. Christophe fires several discs and manages to scrape Dark Yumi's legs. Enraged, Dark Yumi turns the tables by allowing William to come close to her. Thinking he has the advantage, William attacks, but Dark Yumi's agility allows her to dodge and cut at William's wrist. Dark Yumi uses the attack to get a hold of William's sword. Then, just as Christophe tries to rush her, Dark Yumi impales him onto a nearby rock. William wills the sword to return to him and the fight begins anew. _

**Jeremie: **The others really need your help out there. At the rate things are going, we won't be able to complete the mission without your intervention. _Aelita looks pensively into the screen, confused about her next move. _Aelita…._Jeremie takes a long pause and a deep breath. _A girl once told me that my past actions, no matter how terrible they were, do not define me. And that girl was you, Aelita Stones. _The statement starts to shake Aelita out of her stupor. The voice of Moriarty that had haunted her all this time has finally been silenced. _If you could forgive me for doing something unforgiveable, then why can't you let go of some possibility that wouldn't even be your fault?

_Aelita's pink wings appear. She lifts off the platform. _

**Aelita: **I've been….such an idiot.

**Jeremie: **As have I. I should have told you earlier. But that is behind us. We need to keep looking forward. _Aelita continues hovering in the tower. A hardened look of determination forms on her face. _Now finish this…

_Dark Yumi disarms William and kicks him to the floor. William looks up as Dark Yumi lifts his sword. _

**Dark Yumi: **A pity. Looks like you lost your toy again.

_Yumi comes running over, having defeated the last of the monsters. _

**Yumi: **William I'm coming!

_Dark Yumi lifts her hand and Yumi is telekinetically thrown against a rock. _

**Dark Yumi: **Or not…_She turns her attention back to William. He puts the sword to his throat. _What a hollow victory. I already did what I came here to do. This is just overkill.

_Aelita comes flying out of the tower, barreling straight towards Dark Yumi. The servant of Moriarty doesn't even get time to react. Aelita tackles her over the edge and follows her down. William crawls over to look down. _

**William: **Aelita!

_There is a few seconds pause. Then the stream of light indicating something falling into the virtual sea shoots up next to William. _

**William: **No…

**Yumi: **Please tell me that wasn't her.

_For a few moments, the two hear nothing. But then a pink figure rises up above them and lands beside them. Aelita has come back triumphant with a broad smile on her face. _

**Aelita: **Did you miss me?

_William and Yumi look at each other. _

**William: **You could say that…

_In the belly of the destroyed Les Invisibles headquarters, Moriarty rummages through the Director's stuff. He snarls and throws a drawer halfway across the room, nearly hitting one of his men. He barks orders to them. _

**Moriarty: **Keep looking. Leave nothing unturned. I want him brought back here now!

_The special tactics force searches harder. Meanwhile Moriarty heaves the Director's bookshelf onto the floor. To his dismay, he finds no secret door behind it. At first he boils with such anger that he nearly blows a hole in the wall, but then he stops himself. _

**Moriarty: **No…it's just like before. _He presses his hand against the wall. When he senses an open space, he uses his raw pawer to rip the drywall apart. The hole in the wall reveals the tiny elevator, leading down to an escape. Purple electricity burns at Moriarty's fingertips. _No…._He thows a lightning ball at the other side of the wall. _NO!

_The room sparks into flames. The fire quickly spreads. The tactics force, still as mindless and obedient as ever, look to Moriarty for direction. Moriarty nonchalantly snaps his fingers and releases his grip on them. The three remaining towers deactivate. They immediately pass out in a pile on the floor. The fire dances on the floor and inches in their direction. Moriarty coldly watches their impending doom as the heat in the office intensifies. He turns his back on them. _

**Moriarty: **You have served your purpose.

_Moriarty goes into the elevator and pulls his way down, taking one last look at the burning facility. He quietly slips away out a back door of the building, breathing in the evening air. He turns the corner into the main parking lot. Without even blinking, Moriarty unleashes a spark that crawls into the armored truck's engine, causing it to blow up. The powerful explosion causes the asphalt underneath Moriarty's feet to shake. Moriarty shrugs. _

**Moriarty: **Not so armored on the inside it seems…

_Moriarty walks off into the night. Behind him, the Les Invisibles headquarters begins to crumble. Explosive and hazardous materials that had been lying dormant in the facility go off, speeding up the process of the building's destruction. Floor collapses on top of floor. Mortar and bricks fly everywhere. The facility collapses into a heap of rubble. The final vestiges of Les Invisibles, as well as their legacy, go up in smoke. _

_The warriors assemble at the computer mainframe behind Jeremie. Jeremie scratches his chin as he looks at the four deactivated towers. After a moment of silence, Ulrich raises his voice. _

**Ulrich: **Just like that?

**Jeremie: **Just like that. The three other towers are deactivated.

**Christophe: **Is Moriarty pulling the same stunt again? Should we expect more of these false alarms?

_Jeremie brushes the thought aside with the wave of his hand. _

**Jeremie: **Not this time. Moriarty used a tremendous amount of power on his last attack. No way he would do that unless….unless he actually had a purpose behind it.

**Natalya: **And what could that possibly be? Moriarty did nothing to us.

_William scratches his head. _

**William: **No, but now that I think about it, the dark clone of Yumi did mention something about that. She said 'I already did what I came here to do'.

**Yumi: **What could that mean?

**Jeremie: **Not sure. Whatever the case, the target was not us. Or at least, it was not meant to attack us directly.

**William: **Moriarty being secretive…_He folds his arms across his chest…_I hate it when he does that. At least when he comes out in the open I know what to expect.

**Jeremie: **Well, there's no use worrying about it right now. _He looks tenderly at Aelita, who has remained peacefully silent. He lightly pats her on the head. _We've already been through a lot today.

_Odd touches her on the shoulder. _

**Odd: **Just for the record, I'm so…so sorry. I wish Jeremie and I had the nerve to tell you in person. I'm sorry you had to find out this way.

_Yumi touches her hand. She stutters a little. _

**Yumi: **I…I can't even imagine what you went through.

**Ulrich: **Everything, the tower and your actions during the whole mission, they all make sense now.

_Aelita leans against the computer mainframe. _

**Aelita: **Yes. I wanted to apologize for that. You didn't deserve to be left out getting cut to pieces like that.

**Yumi: **We don't care. We've all had those moments. Sometimes it's just too much to handle.

**Aelita: **But I botched the entire mission. We could have succeeded in deactivating them if...

**Natalya: **Don't say things like that. _Natalya approaches her. Her eyes water a little bit. _I've lost my mother too. _To Aelita's surprise, Natalya pulls her into a strong, Russian embrace. _I know what it's like to want to preserve the memory of own's mother, no matter what she did to_…She sniffs_…shatter that image.

_Aelita, deeply moved by Natalya's words, returns the hug. Jeremie, sensing that he must add something, decides to speak up. _

**Jeremie: **I would also be careful about drawing that conclusion. Whatever Moriarty wanted to accomplish, I bet he wanted to delay us as long as possible. He probably carried out what he wanted using only one tower and merely used the other three to throw us off. It's unlikely we could have succeeded regardless of what happened.

**Christophe: **Is that supposed to make us feel better? That Moriarty won?

_Jeremie gives Christophe a cynical look. _

**Jeremie: **No. It was meant to make Aelita feel better. It should make the rest of us feel terrible.

_Odd laughs and stuffs his hands in his pockets. _

**Odd: **So we've learned two things today. Jeremie's bedside manner is still atrocious, and secret keeping among the group can lead to disaster.

**Jeremie: **Yeah…_Upon further reflection, Jeremie's expression suddenly becomes serious. He steps out of the command chair and faces the group. _Keeping secrets among the group has led to an unacceptable number of disasters. I've said this before, but I'm being absolutely serious now. These secrets must end. I admit that I've been the worst offender, but the fact still remains. _He puts his hands on his hips. _So no more of this. We must be completely honest and upfront with each other. And that is an order. This is your final warning. Whatever you have been hiding that you believe is vital for the fight against Moriarty, speak now. If you don't and we learn you kept a secret from us-_He points at all of them_-Then I will have no choice but to force the offender to wear Odd's socks for a week!

_Several of the warriors gasp in horror. Ulrich looks like he's going to be sick. Meanwhile Odd appears to be a little lost and offended. He shrugs. _

**Odd: **Oh come on…the smell's not that bad, is it?

_Ulrich gags. _

**Ulrich: **You don't want me to answer that question Odd.

_The warriors now laugh. Odd frowns and looks off to the side, appearing to be a little hurt. He takes a deep breath through his nose. _

**Odd: **Yeah well…._Odd scratches the back of his neck…_I know the punishment doesn't exactly threaten me, but I do have something to talk about.

_The laughing stops. The warriors look at Odd, fearful of what he might say. The anxious looks he receives makes Odd feel more nervous than usual. He rubs his forehead with his thumb and index finger in an attempt to ease the delivery of the news. _

**Odd: **You see….I have this psychological connection to Moriarty. I can see his memories through my dreams and he can draw power from my mind.

_Pause. Jeremie taps his fingers together as he thinks over his response. _

**Jeremie: **We appreciate you telling us that Odd, but that's not exactly a secret. We've known that for a while.

_Odd's face darkens and the inflection in his voice becomes more grave and severe. _

**Odd: **I'm…not finished. _The warriors give him their attention again. _Right now I'm fine, but since my mind is connected to his, I've been wondering…

_Odd's voice trails off. _

**Aelita: **Wondering what?

_Odd swallows and looks away from the others. _

**Odd: **I've been wondering whether or not destroying Moriarty could….somehow do harm to me as well.

_The mood in the room takes a decidedly negative turn. The distraught faces of his friends make Odd feel worse about it. He closes his eyes and sits down. _

**Odd: **That's it. There you have it. I've said what I had to say.

**Jeremie: **I've thought about this a few times myself. We've been occupied with so much other nonsense that I often forget about it. But with my research into the Cannae Initiative….the prospect is becoming increasingly hard to ignore.

**Odd: **That's what I also wanted to say. You should continue working on that Cannae project. _He lowers his head and traces a figure eight on the metal floor. _If you get the opportunity to finish him once and for all, don't hesitate. It's not right to sacrifice the safety of the world for my sake. I just wanted to let you know to prevent this whole thing from being brought up at the last minute.

**Aelita: **Odd, we can't just ignore you-

_Odd firmly shakes his head. _

**Odd: **The mission comes first. If we get a chance, we shouldn't be worried about what happens to me.

**Aelita: **No! You've just started to get better! We can't…

**Ulrich: **We won't endanger your life!

_Odd gives the two an accusatory look. _

**Odd: **Even if it means letting Moriarty win?!

_The uncomfortable question leaves a vacuum of silence among the group. The tension in the room rises as the warriors seriously think over this question. Yumi breaks the silence. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, couldn't you try to find a way to…break the link?

_Jeremie sadly shakes his head. _

**Jeremie: **Psychological connections are way out of my league. I don't think that's anything technology can fix. Either the link eventually passes with time or Odd lives with it until…

**Odd: **Until you're forced to make a choice…

_Silence takes control of the room once again. An impasse has been reached. For a while it seems the conversation will go nowhere, but then William holds his hands up to break the deadlock. _

**William: **Hold up. Everyone just calm down for a second. We don't even know if killing Moriarty will hurt Odd. Why should we worry about something that's not even certain?

_Aelita raises an eyebrow at William. _

**Aelita: **Are you saying it's acceptable to take the risk?

**William: **Well think of it this way…I was still connected to Xana after I was freed from him. But when you destroyed him, I turned out fine. The link was still there and I ended up having nightmares and Xana living inside my head, but I didn't die because of it.

**Jeremie: **You do bring up a good point William…it could fail to affect him at all.

**Yumi: **But there's no guarantee that ending Moriarty will be the same as ending Xana.

_Jeremie groans. _

**Jeremie: **Also true. _Jeremie thinks for a moment. _Alright whatever the case may be, let's just put this conversation on hold. We're not making any decisions right now. I'll study Odd's case in more detail while continuing to work on the Cannae Initiative. Let's just stay rational about this. I'm sure we'll find a way. We're not letting Moriarty win, but we're not going to lose Odd either. Is that clear?

_The warriors nod with agreement, but it is half-hearted. Odd feels a pang of guilt for making everyone feel bad again. He searches his brain for something to say to lighten the mood. Then he gets an idea. He covers his excitement and pretends to be very serious. _

**Odd: **….And there is also something else….something so terrible it's hard to speak about. But someone has to point it out. _The warriors gaze at Odd with deep concern, expecting more bad news. Odd milks the act. _God, I'm not sure how to say this but_….He suddenly points at Jeremie_….Jeremie still wears briefs!

_The room explodes into laughter, save Jeremie and Aelita. Jeremie turns red, angry that the tension has been alleviated at his expense. _

**Jeremie: **ODD! I meant secrets pertaining to our mission! Not my underwear!

**Odd: **Oh but it does! _Odd puts on a look of fake horror. _Just imagine…the evil Moriarty could inflict with Jeremie's tight-fitting undergarments!

_The laughter increases and others join in on the fun. _

**Ulrich: **It's true! Jeremie is going to have to work on a boxer program or we're all doomed!

**Christophe: **The wedgies would be terrible!

_Yumi laughs so hard that she has to hold her side. _

**Yumi: **Guys stop! You're giving Aelita way too much information on Jeremie's underwear!

**Natalya: **Oh don't sell her short. _She winks at Aelita. _She might already know a thing or too about it.

_Another round of laughter commences and Aelita and Jeremie turn bright red. _

**Aelita: **That's not-!

**Jeremie: **She doesn't-!

**Jeremie & Aelita: **HOW DARE YOU!

_Jeremie and Aelita try to defend themselves, but there seems to be no end to the intense mocking. Jeremie adjusts his glasses and looks away to cover up his obvious embarrassment. _

**Jeremie: **Alright alright….I'll switch to boxers already. Can we please move on?

**Odd: **Oh sure…as soon as you move on to big boy underwear.

_They laugh once again. Jeremie is not amused. _

**Jeremie: **Very funny…_The laughing fit comes to an abrupt halt when the main computer starts beeping. Everyone stops and looks. Jeremie furrows his eyebrows and approaches his chair. _What? Another activated tower?

**Odd: **You've got to be kidding me. How long is Moriarty going to drag this out?!

**Ulrich: **I say we don't go. If he is going to keep deactivating the towers like this, there's no point in wasting our time.

_Jeremie sits in his chair. His expression goes from annoyance to confusion. _

**Jeremie: **It's not an activated tower, it's a message….from Moriarty.

_The warriors soon crowd around Jeremie, eager to see what it is. Jeremie opens the message alert. Jeremie reads it out loud. _

**Jeremie: **'This morning I started out with two enemies…now there is only one'.

_Jeremie is silent. Several of the warriors turn toward him, looking to him for answers. _

**Christophe: **Now there's only one…what does that mean?

_Another message alert. This time it is a picture message. Jeremie moves his cursor to click on it. But when the arrow hangs over the OPEN button, there is a visible hesitation to his movements. However, he eventually overcomes his reluctance and opens the message. Immediately a grisly image showing the destruction of Les Invisibles facility shortly before the burning appears on screen. The initial shock of the sight stuns all of them. Although the veteran warriors are soon able to steel their nerves, the two recent additions to the team aren't as prepared. Christophe merely stares, finding himself unable to comprehend the magnitude of such a slaughter. Natalya covers her mouth with her hand and edges closer to William. Her upper body shakes a little. _

**Natalya: **Those…those are…_She says the following word with a defined feeling of repulsion_...bodies.

_William grits his teeth. _

**William: **Sick…just sick.

**Yumi: **I'm not sure 'sick' can give this atrocity justice.

_Jeremie digs his fingernails into the arm rests of his chair. _

**Jeremie: **I understand now. All these false alarms we've had lately were designed to throw us off. To make us think we were the target. He used our fear and confusion to cover up his real target: the government agents who pursued Schaeffer and him. And as further measure, he activated three extra towers to throw us off in order to protect the real one. The Mountain Sector one was merely one of those distractions. _He takes another look at the photo. _If this agency was ever an asset against Moriarty, then it's over now. _He turns his chair around and looks at the others. _We're really on our own in this fight.

_The next morning, Jeremie sits at his desk with Jim standing over his shoulder behind him. Jeremie opens a Network portal with a Skype-like program. He then turns his chair around and looks up at Jim. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, the secure network is up and running. I should have a completed website in the next couple of days, but for now we'll work with this system. _He points to the screen where a collection of light pink tabs are vertically arranged. _These tabs signal our connection to other Outcast groups throughout France. They allow us to do private videoconferencing and plan strategies safely and on a low budget.

_Jim puts a firm grip on Jeremie's shoulder. Jeremie's slightly pained expression shows that it might be a tad too 'firm'. _

**Jim: **Jeremie, I don't know how you do it…No really I have no idea how you do it, but this technology you have here can put us one step ahead of Renard. _Jim checks his watch. _And it looks like you finished it just in time. Shouldn't you cousin's school be calling us right about now?

**Jeremie: **Yes, the LycéeJeanne d'Arc Outcast group should be contacting us. _One of the tabs lights up, turning a darker shade of pink. A specialized address shows up on the flashing tab, indicating which specific school group they belong to. _And speaking of the devil, here they are. _He stands up from the chair and offers it to Jim. _Alright, this next part is all you.

_Jim rubs his hands together with excitement. He plops himself into Jeremie's chair (with some difficulty) and clicks on the tab. He immediately starts talking. _

**Jim: **Good morning fellow Outcasts, my name is Jim and let me be the first to welcome you to our-_He opens his eyes and realizes that the screen inside the teleconference window is black and has no audio. Jim puts his hands on top of his head and starts to freak out. _Oh no, The Order has infected your computer. We're completely isolated!

_Jeremie is not so concerned. In fact, he seems to be somewhat annoyed. _

**Jeremie: **Uh….no. My computer's fine. You forgot to turn on both the microphone and the video cam.

_Jim sits there blank-faced for a moment, pondering over his blunder. _

**Jim: **Right….I knew that.

_Jim follows Jeremie's instructions and successfully starts to establish a connection with Lycée Jeanne d'Arc. Several kilometers to the north, the Lycée group gathered in a large science classroom anticipates Kadic's response. Patrick runs to the front and makes sure the main projector is connected to the laptop. _

**Patrick: **He's answering our call…Check the front door! We can't have any Order members spying on us.

_The Outcast members in the room quiet down. The message is received and Jim's face appears on the projector screen. He is disappointed by the small size of the group, but nevertheless he clears his throat and begins. _

**Jim: **Good Morning fellow Outcasts, my name is Jim Morales. I am the head of the Outcast branch here at Kadic. Before we get on to any serious business, let me be the first to welcome you to our movement.

_The Outcasts listening to Jim clap. Jacqueline and Patrick sit next to each other, eager to hear what Jim has to say. _

**Jim: **Okay then…first things first. Who is running the show over there?

_A middle-aged man with a thick mustache and large square glasses stands up. He appears to be very professional and carries himself as such. He walks to the front. _

**Basil: **Mr. Morales, I am Dr. Alexander Basil, a chemistry teacher here at Lycée. I also happen to be, until further notice, the leader of the Outcasts here. _He turns to the small group of students and faculty behind him. _As you can see, we are not a large group, but our numbers continue to grow. The Order here has become increasingly radical, and more and more people are starting to see the danger they pose.

**Jim: **I see. Have you suffered any serious persecution since you formed your group?

_Dr. Basil shifts uncomfortably. _

**Basil: **We were already persecuted for not accepting The Order here, but since we formed the Outcasts, things have gotten worse. Students are becoming ostracized and even threatened. And the faculty has not escaped reprisals either. I used to be the head of the science department at this school. _He lowers his head. _It is a title I now no longer possess.

**Jim: **I'm sorry to hear that. You are very brave for standing up to this madness and bringing these people together.

**Basil: **Oh don't look at me. _He motions to Patrick. _Mr. Belpois over here is the true mastermind of this operation. Had he not contacted you and organized us, we might not be talking here today.

_Jacqueline nudges Patrick's shoulder. Patrick gives a weak smile, feeling a little embarrassed by the attention. _

**Jim: **I see that kind of leadership runs in the family. Good! Let's get down to business then. Has Jeremie got you up and running on the new website?

**Basil: **Yes, and we are prepared to adapt to any changes he decides to make.

**Jim: **Good. Now, what can you tell me about The Order branch you are dealing with?

**Basil: **For a while it was just several students who gave lip service to Dr. Renard. But as time passed, they became organized under our gym teacher and soccer coach, Eliot Huron. He has a bad reputation at this school for his temper and extreme political views. In fact, the school board was considering letting him go. But Mr. Huron took advantage of the arrival of The Order and set himself up as their fiery public speaker and leader. He is not a particularly intelligent man, but he is very much hostile to us.

_Jim's reaction radiates a personal disgust. _

**Jim: **A gym teacher taking advantage of his power…how terrible. _He pauses. _Is there any way we can exploit his weaknesses as a leader?

**Basil: **Actually I had an idea that you might find interesting.

**Jim: **I'm all ears…

**Basil: **I think if we gather enough-_The videoconference is suddenly cut off. Several students stand up in alarm. Dr. Basil lowers his eyebrows, annoyed that he was cut off in mid-sentence. _What's wrong? _He turns to Patrick. _Is something wrong with your laptop?

_Patrick moves to the front and checks it. _

**Patrick: **No, it's purring like a kitten. It's the internet connection. It's been cut off.

**Basil: **Considering the timing, I find it hard to believe it's a coincide-

_A rock breaks through the windows and scatters glass across the floor. Patrick, narrowly missing the rock, ducks behind a chair. Students and faculty scream in shock. _

**Jacqueline: **Patrick, are you okay?!

_Patrick slowly rises to his feet. _

**Patrick: **Yeah, just a little stunned.

_Dr. Basil steps with his thick black shoes over the glass to the window. He stares outside. The unknown culprits have already fled out of sight. He shakes his head sadly. _

**Basil: **Huron….you crazy fool.

_Back at Kadic, Jim stares at the blank screen with disappointment. He looks at Jeremie. _

**Jim: **Please tell me I didn't do anything that time.

**Jeremie: **No. It was a problem on the other end. And I have a feeling that it wasn't an accident.

**Jim: **Well that's just great. _He slumps in Jeremie's chair. _What am I supposed to do now?

**Jeremie: **We will have to wait for the Lycée group to fix their own problem. And if it was sabotage, then it might take a while.

_Jim slumps further, causing Jeremie's chair to creak. _

**Jim: **Wonderful. _He sighs. Before his mood sinks any lower, the computer starts to beep again. He looks at the screen. _Uh…did they get their connection back?

_Jeremie takes a closer look. The Lycée tab still registers as offline, but the other pink tabs are lighting up like a Christmas tree. Jeremie stares with a mixture of surprise and excitement. _

**Jeremie: **No…it's the other Outcast groups. They're contacting us!

**Jim: **Really?! But I thought they weren't going to set up their accounts for another couple of days…

**Jeremie: **So did I. _He smiles broadly. _They must have heard about the conference we were going to have with Lycée and sped up the process. They don't want to be left out.

**Jim: **Yep the gang's all here. There's Lincoln and the other four-_Jim stops and presses his face close to the computer screen, looking confused._-Now hold on a second, I'm counting seven-_Another beep_-no eight tabs. We…we haven't formed that many branches. How can there be eight?

_Jeremie watches in wonder, almost as surprised as Jim. _

**Jeremie: **You're right. They must have set themselves up on their own. Our reputation is spreading….people are taking the intitiative and making contact with us.

_Jim looks back at the eight tabs with a hint of extra anxiety. Jeremie nudges him. _

**Jeremie: **Well, what are you waiting for? They're dying to speak with you.

_Jeremie's encouragement shakes Jim back to himself. He puts on his rather goofy leadership face. _

**Jim: **Right….let's do this.

_Several hours later, a crowd dressed completely in black gathers at a graveyard. At first glance, the gathering seems to be an ordinary grave site ceremony. But the majority of the crowd is wearing a purple Order patch on their black suits and dresses. They cluster around the coffin of Gustave Chardin in silent respect. A picture of Chardin giving a short speech in front of the theater is framed next to the coffin. The priest, who is very old and whose voice is dry and listless, fills the silence with his ending remarks. _

**Priest: **He was a good friend, a deep thinker, and a passionate teacher. He gave his all to the art of living and encouraged his students and peers to do the same. He was a man with a lot of life left to live, and we mourn that he was taken from us in violent circumstances. Though his life on this Earth is done, his memory continues to live on in us. Today we acknowledge his loss and wish him a pleasant journey into the next life…

_As the speech continues, Herb Pinchon looks up at Moriarty. Moriarty gazes at the coffin with a hint of genuine sadness. Herb looks down, but Moriarty notices his attention and speaks up. _

**Moriarty: **His death will not be in vain. _Herb turns back to Moriarty. Moriarty continues to stare, lightly clutching three roses that he is ready to lay at the grave site. _Change is painful, and sometimes it is not completed without resistance. Chardin may not have lived to see it come to completion, but our dream will take place.

_Herb solemnly nods. _

**Herb: **Yes. We must continue. We owe that much to him. _The look on his face becomes decidedly angry and ugly. _The subversives in this country will pay for what they've done. They won't get away with this.

_Moriarty looks up at the sunny sky, happily thinking over the fact that the true offenders have already paid. He lays a hand on Herb's shoulder. _

**Moriarty: **Our enemies are becoming more numerous and diverse by the day. Success will require…a greater commitment on behalf of the members of The Order than we previously thought.

**Herb: **Oh, believe me Commandant-_He lifts his right hand and clenches it into a fist. A dangerous passion rises to the surface of his emotions._-There is nothing I won't do for the sake of our cause…

_Late that night, Odd sinks into another dream. A dim light gradually emerges from an inky blackness, revealing a poorly lit room with all the windows covered in blinds, even though there is no sunlight coming through. A single lamp flickers above a wooden desk covered with papers. A vanilla folder labeled CONFIDENTIAL rests on the side. Moriarty is hunched over the desk, hard at work. His tie and shirt are disheveled. He looks like he hasn't slept or eaten much for days. His eyes blink rapidly as he scribbles one last detail to a sheet of paper. He finishes, and the pencil drops from his hand. He lays his head on his desk. _

**Moriarty: **Finally, done….

_On cue, an agent enters the room without knocking. The shock jolts Moriarty out of his seat. _

**Agent: **Have you finished your work?

_Moriarty stacks the papers together in order and shuffles them into a neat pile. _

**Moriarty: **Yes. It took a long time to get it right, but what I have here should be what you're looking for.

_The agent picks up the stack of papers and immediately puts the stack in the vanilla folder. He then puts it in his jacket and looks down at Moriarty with his soulless sunglass gaze. _

**Agent: **You discussed this with no one, correct?

**Moriarty: **Yes that's correct.

**Agent: **And you understand that this transaction never happened, correct?

**Moriarty: **Of course.

_The agent looks at the papers again. He still seems hesitant. _

**Agent:** One more thing. You didn't make any copies of your work, did you? Is this everything you worked on?

**Moriarty: **There won't be a trace left. All my failed rough drafts have been permanently destroyed.

**Agent: **Excellent. _The agent opens the door. _If this turns out well, we may call on you in the future.

_The door shuts behind him. Moriarty waits a few minutes, organizing some other unrelated files and storing them to pass the time. He periodically glances out the glass window into the hallway. He tunes his ears for anything suspicious near his door. When he is certain that the agent is gone, he opens a cabinet drawer, revealing a copied version of his work. The scene shifts to a wintry landscape with the Alpine Mountains in the background. A single log cabin stands out amidst a cluster of trees. Smoke pours out of the chimney, a sure sign of life in the cold environment. Inside the house, three men gather in the living area, underneath a low-hanging chandelier. Waldo Schaeffer and Gaspard DePaul sit on chairs while Moriarty sits across from them on the couch. Moriarty watches as the two men go over a stack of papers with increasingly alarmed looks on their faces. Schaeffers sets his pack down. He runs his fingers through his beard. _

**Schaeffer: **This is worse than I feared.

_Gaspard shakes his head. _

**Gaspard: **Why on Earth did you agree to do this? Did you not see that they were using your expertise for their own agenda?

_Moriarty leans forward and immediately becomes defensive. _

**Moriarty: **Of course I did! But I didn't exactly have a choice, not with those agents following me and 'checking up' on me wherever I went, even my own apartment. It didn't take me long to understand that this project was a command, not an offer. Given the circumstances, I felt it was better to go along with it in order to show you. _He puts his hands together and rests his chin on them. _I knew I couldn't deal with this alone.

**Schaeffer: **What's done is done. André did help the agency in charge of Project Carthage, but it's not too late to turn the tables on them. We need to use information like this to-

_The doorbell rings. Moriarty and Gaspard leap out of their chairs, their minds suddenly on full alert. Moriarty furtively looks at the back door as a possible means of escape. But Schaeffer motions for them to calm down. _

**Schaeffer: **Relax, I was expecting him.

**Moriarty: **Him? Who's him?!

_Without answering Moriarty's question, Schaeffer goes to the door and opens it. A large square man with thick shoulders shuffles into the room, resulting in an unpleasant squeak on the floor. He is sandy-haired with an emerging bald spot near his forehead. He wordlessly takes off his heavy jacket and wipes the fog from his small round glasses which appear tiny in comparison to his large physique. Moriarty's initial panic subsides when he recognizes the face, but his suspicions do not entirely leave him. _

**Moriarty: **Tyron? What….what are you doing here?!

**Schaeffer: **Relax André. Professor Lemaire is with us now. He disapproves of the current direction of Project Carthage and can be trusted.

**Gaspard: **We could have told about this in advance.

_Schaeffer hangs up Lemaire's coat and continues. _

**Schaeffer: **You two may not have worked closely with Tryon, but I did work with him towards the latter end of the project. All the while we talked about nothing but work and our desire to finish this project and move on with our lives. I doubt we can do much without at least four people. That being said, I wanted you two to personally meet him so you could come to share my trust.

**Moriarty: **Still, one can't be too careful. _He levels a suspicious glare at Lemaire. _We don't know who to trust anymore. Any one of our colleagues could be fully working for them now.

_Professor Tyron Lemaire motions back to the door. _

**Lemaire: **If this is a bad time, I could go back home. If you need time to gain my trust, I understand.

**Schaeffer: **No Tyron, time is a luxury we can no longer aff-

**Antea: **Excuse me…

_The four men stop everything and turn to a woman who walks through the kitchen to greet them. Her pink hair matches perfectly with that of the small child in her arms, who sleeps soundly on her shoulder. Moriarty suddenly becomes fidgety and nervous. _

**Antea: **I'm sorry to interrupt, but can I offer you gentlemen anything? _She smiles and adjusts Aelita's position in her arms. _That is, after I put this little one to bed?

_Schaeffer ignores his three companions to attend to his wife and daughter. He gets on his knees and stares at Aelita, pushing a strand of the child's pink hair back into place. Aelita shifts around in her sleep. _

**Schaeffer: **My precious little angel, you must be exhausted from playing today. _He looks up at his wife. _You don't let her play out in the snow for too long, do you? We can't have her getting a cold…

**Antea: **I try, but you know how difficult it is to keep her inside when there's any snow on the ground.

_Schaeffer kisses Aelita on the forehead. He then kisses his wife, which sends a tremor of pain down Moriarty's spine. Schaeffer gently touches his daughter's forehead. _

**Schaeffer: **Goodnight my little baby girl.

_Antea turns to leave. Moriarty stammers, trying to get her attention. The words finally manage to stumble out. _

**Moriarty: **Antea!

_She turns around, looking at him with neither special affection nor any trace of ill will. _

**Antea: **Yes?

_Moriarty hesitates, feeling tongue-tied and embarrassed._

**Moriarty: **I…I just wanted to say that I would like some water…when you get the chance.

**Gaspard: **Oh, I would like some too if you don't mind.

_She politely nods at the both of them. _

**Antea: **I'll be sure to do that in just a second.

_She walks down the hallway and out of sight. With her departure, some of the tension among the group has been reduced. _

**Lemaire: **Waldo, are you sure you're comfortable with having this meeting in your own home? Don't you think this is risky? Wouldn't it be better to do it somewhere else?

**Schaeffer: **No. _He walks back to the living area and sits back down at his chair. He motions for the others to also retake their seats. _Meeting somewhere private and out of the way would draw their suspicion more than over here. They already know where I live, so there's no point in avoiding this place. Better to do it in plain sight. After all, we're just here having some drinks among friends, correct? _He looks at the other three with a strong air of seriousness. _That is all that happened tonight, right?

**Moriarty: **Yes.

**Gaspard: **Understood.

**Lemaire: **Nothing more than that.

_Schaeffer looks back down at his coffee table. _

**Schaeffer: **Good. Now let's get down to business. As you have already guessed, I have gathered us here for one sole purpose- _He looks up, causing the light from the chandelier to reflect in his glasses_- to orchestrate the permanent end of the corrupted Project Carthage.

_The room is silent. The wind howls outside the comfort of the Swiss cottage as the temperature outside the cabin drops. The temperature inside, however, starts to climb as the four group members look at each warily. Gaspard slowly starts to speak. _

**Gaspard: **The…the information the French agency has collected from us can only mean that they intend to use our communication interference and interception knowledge…for the sole purpose of advancing France's own agenda.

**Schaeffer: **Or at the least, France's underbelly. In other words, their agenda. And from the project notes we have from André, we can only assume that they not only plan to adopt our expertise, but expand it as well into an unexplored and dangerous frontier. _He rests his hands on the table. _We can't allow that. Europe has just now entered into an age of unlimited promise. The old divisions and hatreds of the past are finally starting to ebb. But human distrust and the desire for power is already breaking apart what we have tried so hard to achieve. If this agency is allowed to succeed, then it could tip the balance of power in Europe in France's direction in a way that can't possibly be good for the continent.

_The other three silently nod their heads in agreement. Moriarty then pipes up. _

**Moriarty: **As the world starts to move into this new, globalized age, it's clear that the agency wants to establish themselves as the overlords of a new hegemony, one that controls not geographical borders, but communications itself. They can have the world at their fingertips. And that means the entire world, not just the old Soviet bloc. Even France's longtime allies could be vicitms of their intense scrutiny.

**Lemaire: **Okay, so we've established that Project Carthage has to be stopped. There remains the million dollar question…._He motions to the rest of the group_…How can four people possibly match the resources and strength of the project? We may have brought it to fruition, but can we shut it down now that these agents are running the show?

**Gaspard: **Professor Lemaire, we may be few in number, but I'll have you know that the two other scientists sitting next to you are the best of the best in the project. If anyone can do it, it's them. That being said-_He turns to Schaeffer with a puzzled expression._-how would we go about shutting it down? Should we use sabotage? Crash our own servers?

**Schaeffer: **If only it were that simple. But Project Carthage is programmed to operate outside its original servers. Even if we cut off its head, the agency could easily restore it at a different location. It was designed to survive such sabotage, in case of Soviet attacks. A failsafe that was, by the way, designed per your instructions.

_Gaspard becomes slightly embarrassed at this lapse of memory. _

**Gaspard: **Oh….right. I can't believe I forgot about that.

**Schaeffer: **Anyway, even if that were to work, we would be immediately apprehended by them. I want Project Carthage gone, but I'd rather not sacrifice my freedom if I can help it. We need to destroy Carthage, but at a distance where we cannot be tracked…

_Lemaire ponders the idea, tapping his fingers on the coffee table. _

**Lemaire: **Good point. But if Project Carthage isn't limited to just our servers, how are we supposed to take it down? Target individual locations and destroy it piece by piece?

**Schaeffer: **That would take too long, and by that time our new bosses would have taken the necessary measures to protect the remnants of the project and have captured all of us. No, it's best to do it in one piece. The longer it takes, the more danger we're in and the less likely we are to succeed.

**Gaspard: **A termination process that complicated would require a staging ground, a specialty network host or a highly advanced computer.

**Schaeffer: **Not just any computer-_Behind the lenses of his glasses, the eyes of Waldo Schaeffer radiate a powerful churning of excitement and gravity_- a quantum supercomputer…

_The three others focus all their attention on Schaeffer, dumbfounded at what has come out of his mouth. They all sit quietly as the words 'Quantum Supercomputer' gradually sink into their minds. Antea Schaeffer comes into the living area with a tray of drinks. _

**Antea: **Here are your-_She looks at the others and quickly realizes she has come at a bad time. She swallows and sets the tray down, refusing to look any of them in the eye. Her hands shake as the tray is set down on the wood. Moriarty takes a moment to look at her face. There is a strong uneasiness to her demeanor that he didn't notice before. She coughs and excuses herself out of the room, disappearing into the dark hallway_-I'm sorry to bother you.

_As she leaves, Gaspard turns back to Schaeffer. He clears his throat and speaks with a somewhat strained voice. _

**Gaspard: **A quantum…supercomputer? Waldo please…most of the processing necessary for such a creation is purely theoretical. It's ages ahead of our time!

_Schaeffer remains optimistic and smug. _

**Schaeffer: **Then we'll just have to speed up time a little bit.

**Lemaire: **Quantum computation is extremely difficult, even on a small scale. But at the level of a supercomputer, the chances of success are astronomically out of our favor. Are you sure that we should go to such drastic measures?

_Schaeffer folds his hands together and stares silently at the floor. _

**Schaeffer: **We have no chance of eliminating Carthage without the use of quantum mechanics. It is the only possible staging ground powerful enough to destroy it. _He takes out a sheet of paper and draws a central sphere with four adjoining axis around it. The sketch looks remarkably similar to the holosphere map of Lyoko in the factory. Schaeffer points to specific areas with his pencil. _Here's what I see. An enormous virtual environment operated solely by quibits of data. _He writes out extremely complicated equations on several parts of the page and continues. _It's properties of superposition and entanglement will be perfect for Project Carthage's destruction. Our former creation's programming is probably being reconfigured to target all communications systems, but I believe it will still be presupposed to independently and actively target former Soviet information. _He adds some more equations. _We simply need to cover the central sphere here with Soviet codes that we've gathered from the past. Carthage will be ensared by the central sphere's traps. Then, I simply add a form of multi-agent system, possibly an AI, to finish the job. _He scribbles a little more and places his palm on the piece of paper. _Any fragments of Carthage left will disperse and corrupt the rest of the program, tearing it apart no matter where it hides. _He looks up at the others, his face full of confidence. _And that's the way we put an end to this nightmare.

_The ticking of the wall clock near the kitchen can be heard amidst the silence. Gaspard takes hold of the sheet of paper and examines it closer in the light. He doesn't blink. He pores over the paper, checking for any possible errors. When it becomes clear that his theory might work, Gaspard becomes stuck between enthusiasm and disbelief. _

**Gaspard: **It's…_He slaps his forehead and laughs. _It's incredible! Schaeffer, you are not of this world! But still…the technology, the power, the resources we would need would still make this plan a practical impossibility. _He looks to Moriarty. _You've stayed quiet all this time, and you know this nutcase better than any of us. Can he…can he really do it?

_For a moment the ticking of the clock regains its place as the only noisemaker in the room. Moriarty takes hold of the paper and brings it closer to him. He briefly looks it over and looks back at his comrades. He nods his head, showing no signs of hesitation or concern. _

**Moriarty: **If we help him, there's no doubt in mind that he can do it.

_The dream darkens for a moment. Odd is then carried into a bright light, which slowly dissipates into sunlight shining over a Swiss café. Schaeffer and Moriarty sit at a table outside next to a pristine stone avenue. As they eat, they look over another sheet of paper, showing a sphere of data representing a quibit. Moriarty takes it and shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **No, no no. If you do that, the whole thing will fall apart. You don't want the supercomputer to break before you even start it up, do you? _He points to the paper. _See, you messed up this basic equation and now the whole thing is unstable.

_Schaeffer folds his arms across his chest and appears offended. _

**Schaeffer: **How rude…I could never see myself messing up something so-_He takes a closer look and stops_-Oh…yes I see that now. Oops.

_Moriarty rolls his eyes. _

**Moriarty: **Oops? Oops may not work so well when we put this into practice and the rest of Europe is counting on us. The agency will not be so careless.

**Schaeffer: **Naturally I will check my work a lot more when we put this into practice. _He takes a sip of water. As he sets the glass down, his hand holds on to it. His fingers become tense. He scratches his beard and looks up at his friend. _André, I don't want to be too invasive but-

_Moriarty looks out at the shops across the street. He lightly taps his fork. _

**Moriarty: **Just go ahead and ask your question. I've known you long enough to know that you're going to ask anyway.

_True to Moriarty's prediction, Schaeffer continues. _

**Schaeffer: **It's just that, we're fighting a group of people who want France to become a superpower in Europe. You well…used to be a French nationalist. What I'm trying to say is, why are you helping us? At least from the perspective of your youth, wouldn't this be something that you wanted?

_Moriarty looks back at Schaeffer. The blank face he gives his friend makes Schaeffer immediately regret asking the question. In an act of strange aggression, Moriarty picks up his knife and stabs it into his pastry. He clutches the knife tightly as his gaze becomes pained and distant. _

**Moriarty: **At one time, maybe I would want this to happen. But even when I was at my worst, I could never see myself ever accepting these agents being the instrument of bringing about a strong France. I still want a strong France, but these men don't deserve to create it. What they want serves no one, including the people of France. France deserves a central, strong, charismatic leader, one that can bring the nation out of stagnation. _He relaxes his grip on the knife. _And they are not it.

**Schaeffer: **I'm sorry, I…should never have questioned your intentions.

_Moriarty sighs and looks up again. _

**Moriarty: **Oh forget about it it's-_Behind Schaeffer, Moriarty sees something that makes him freeze. Peeking out from behind several alleyways, men in black start to encroach on them. Their approach is gradual and mostly goes unnoticed by the locals, but Moriarty is not fooled. He counts two, then three, then six agents starting to converge. His hands latch onto their table. A heavy dose of fear starts to pulsate through his veins. _Waldo, we have company.

_Schaeffer's face flashes with concern. He tries to turn around to see, but Moriarty grabs his arm to stop him. _

**Moriarty: **No you idiot! If they see you they'll arrest us immediately.

**Schaeffer: **Do you even know if they're here to arrest us?

**Moriarty: **They've followed me before, but I've never seen this many at one time….It can't be a good sign.

_Moriarty and Schaeffer keep their eyes on their plates, feeling the grip of the agents tighten around them. Cold sweat drips down Moriarty's forehead while Schaeffer remains locked in shock. _

**Moriarty: **They…they know. I don't know how but they know.

**Schaeffer: **We…we need to split up. Let's go separate ways. Our chances are better that way.

_Without so much as a 'goodbye' or 'good luck', Moriarty and Schaeffer leave the table. Schaeffer disappears from Moriarty's sight. Moriarty walks along the sidewalk, glancing behind him. Sure enough, three of the agents break off and start to follow him. Moriarty's throat becomes dry. His legs become wobbly as he continues to walk by carefree townsfolk, oblivious of the danger that is stalking him. He looks back around. The agents are walking faster and are getting closer. Moriarty picks up the pace, and the agents follow suit. Moriarty begins taking deep calming breaths as he feels his throat tighten. The footsteps of the agents behind him grow closer and louder until they match the intensity of his panicked heart. The two beats, the one coming from his heart and the other from their black boots, build into a hideous cacophony until it is the only thing Moriarty can hear. The torture of the noise builds until it surpasses Moriarty's breaking point. In one chaotic motion, Moriarty begins to run. While the agents give chase, Moriarty's muscle memories of running drills from his days in the French army kick in, giving him a much needed boost. He turns into an alleyway and takes several turns that confuse the agents. He moves into a narrow passage and finally stops to catch his breath. But his moment of relaxation does not last long. He hears the voices of the agents in the area, still searching for him. In the midst of his crisis, he notices that a homeless man is resting on the wall in front of him. He is clothed in a ratty but thick brown coat. Though he is very ragged and disheveled, he does bear a striking resemblance to Moriarty. The man stirs awake and looks at Moriarty, holding out his hand. _

**Homeless Man: **Hey, could you spare some change?

_A lightbulb suddenly goes off in Moriarty's head. He takes off his white coat. _

**Moriarty: **How about I improve the deal? I'll give you all the money in my pocket if you switch coats with me.

_The agents search the area. One of them catches sight of a man passing through in a white coat. He immediately moves into action and subdues the man. The other agents notices his success and go to him for backup. _

**Agent: **By the order of the French government, you are under-_He stops when he gets a closer look at his prisoner. The man in his custody is confused, terrified, and smells like he hasn't had a shower in a week. The agent growls with rage_.-You're not…where is he?!

**Homeless Man: **A m-m-man gave me money to switch coats with him. I don't know where he went!

_The agent pushes the man onto the ground and lets him scurry away. He turns to his comrades. _

**Agent: **Keep looking! We can't loose him!

_While the agents search, Moriarty slips back into the town, using the coat to cover his face and make his escape. An hour later, Moriarty makes his way back to the Carthage facility. It is completely empty and dark. Normally Moriarty would find this strange, but his mind is too concerned with his safety to care. He makes his way through the halls, his mind swimming with paranoia. Every shadow, every noise is seen as the approach of the men in black. Moriarty keeps frantically looking over his shoulder. After what seems like an eternity, Moriarty sees a single light emanating from Gaspard's office. Moriarty throws open the door without a second thought. He starts talking between deep breaths. _

**Moriarty: **Gaspard, we are in danger! The agents know about us, we need to hide!

_Gaspard sits at his desk with the back of his chair facing Moriarty. His eyes remained locked on his bookshelf, his eyes glancing from title to title. Gaspard sighs. _

**Gaspard: **I never got to read all of these…how tragic.

_Moriarty stares at Gaspard in shock, not understanding why his friend remains calm and composed. Following a several second pause, Gaspard finally replies to Moriarty. _

**Gaspard: **I know André. We've been found out. It's over.

_As Moriarty's confusion increases, so too does his heartrate. _

**Moriarty: **H-How…?

_Gaspard turns his chair around. There is a look of despair on his face that expresses utter defeat. It instantly makes Moriarty's heart sink. _

**Gaspard: **Professor Tyron was working with them the entire time. He betrayed us. They know everything. And we….are finished.

_Gaspard's news hits Moriarty so hard that he finds himself unable to stand. He manages to grab one of the chairs in the office and sink down into it. His mouth becomes dry as he tries to force words out. _

**Moriarty: **Schaeffer…he…he trusted him.

**Gaspard: **His trust doomed us all.

_Moriarty tightly grips his knee caps. The rest of his body continues to shake in fear. His forehead is damp with sweat. _

**Moriarty: **We're…going to spend the rest of our lives rotting in a cell, aren't we?

_Gaspard doesn't say anything for a while. _

**Gaspard: **No. _Moriarty looks up with surprise. _I've made a deal with them. I won't have to go to prison…or worse.

**Moriarty: **But how?

_Gaspard doesn't answer. He looks out the window, where sunlight streams through the blinds. Gaspard gets up and looks through the blinds. _

**Gaspard: **Just look at that. The Swiss countryside looks so beautiful this time of year. _He closes his eyes. _I'm glad I was able to see this.

**Moriarty: **Gaspard, you're not making any sense…what deal are you talking about?

_Gaspard sits down. In an instant, Moriarty sees his composure start to break down. The muscles in his face tighten and he digs his fingernails into his desk so hard that it leaves a mark. A combination of fear and a desperate madness take shape on Gaspard's face. Tears come out of his eyes and his facial expression becomes more and more crazed and distraught. The sight makes Moriarty back up in his chair. Gaspard's hands shake. _

**Gaspard: **I had to…protect my family at all costs. They could not suffer for my…my mistakes. _The tears begin to come down his cheeks. _So I made a deal. First…_He points to the dark hallway. _I sent everyone home early for the day.

**Moriarty: **W-What else did you agree to?

_Gaspard's shaking hand reaches into a drawer. He pulls out something black and metal. The breath is taken out of Moriarty's lungs as he recognizes the cold shape of a pistol. Moriarty begins to connect the dots and suddenly becomes terrified of the possibilities of Gaspard's deal. He falls to the ground and starts to crawl away from the desk, frightened for his life as Gaspard looks at him with the pistol in his hand. _

**Moriarty: **Gaspard…wait. We're colleagues…friends! You…you can't..d-d-d…DON'T SHOOT!

_Gaspard loads the pistol without any emotion on his face. Moriarty looks at the door, wondering if he can escape in time. He realizes that he would never make it. His heart pounds almost out of his chest cavity as he feels the jaws of death close in. Gaspard taps the gun on the desk. He looks at Moriarty with profound pity. _

**Gaspard: **André, you misunderstand. I didn't agree to kill you.

**Moriarty: **Then what-_Moriarty's mouth drops when Gaspard points the gun at his own temple. His eyes lock onto the shocking sight without blinking_- No…

**Gaspard: **As I said…_Gaspard's hand trembles and he starts to choke up. He cries some more_…I had to do what was necessary to keep my family out of it. _He forces a dreadful smile that signals to Moriarty that he has decided to do the unthinkable. _After all, a suicide from work stress is much more explainable then disappearing without a trace.

**Moriarty: **You…you can't…

_Gaspard cocks the pistol. The trembling in his hand begins to stop. _

**Gaspard: **André, I just wanted to let you know…even though it has come to this, I don't regret the day I came to see you and Schaeffer in your crappy apartment. I'm happy that we were able to work together. _His face suddenly becomes unusually calm. _If you and Waldo are able to get out of this, continue your work. Our mission can't end with me. _His finger edges toward the trigger. Moriarty is still frozen, completely unable to say or do anything to stop him. _Oh and one more thing. I don't think they offered the same deal to Schaeffer. I know they're going after his family next. Maybe if you hurry, you'll be able to save them. _His index finger makes contact with the trigger. He smiles at Moriarty. _Goodbye…my old friend.

_A gunshot rings out in the small office. Several birds near the window scatter at the noise. Blood sprays onto the floor and begins to flow in tiny rivers. Gaspard slumps in his chair and the gun falls to the ground. Moriarty doesn't dare look at the sight. He continues to lay there, the shot still ringing in his ears. The horror that has just unfolded keeps him locked in place, and nothing seems to be able to get him to move. But Gaspard's final warning suddenly kicks in. A new fear takes hold of him and forces him to his feet. He bolts out of the hallway, sprinting through the halls as fast as his legs will carry him. All the while, one name occupies the entirety of his thoughts. He repeats the name over and over as he sprints out of the facility. _

**Moriarty: **Antea…Antea!...ANTEA!

_Moriarty takes a cab to the mountainside cabin. He hands the driver a large wad of money and runs out of the cab. He trudges through the snow in shoes that are not meant for this kind of weather. He sees the cabin up ahead, and for a moment, he hopes for the best. _

**Moriarty: **Yes….YES! I made it in time! I made it in-

_Moriarty stops. To his right, several meters ahead, he sees Schaeffer up ahead on his knees in the snow. He holds onto a little girl that cries into his arms. Moriarty recognizes the girl as Schaeffer's daughter. The little Aelita sobs in her daddy's arms. _

**Aelita: **Mommy….mommy….THEY TOOK MOMMY! BAD MEN TOOK MOMMY, DADDY!

_Schaeffer holds Aelita tighter. Tears come down his eyes. _

**Schaeffer: **Yes baby…I know….I know.

_Moriarty sees that behind the two, tire tracks lead off into the woods and disappear. Moriarty comes to the terrible conclusion he has dreaded all this time. His body becomes numb. His hands fall to his sides and hang there. The silence and peace of the light snowfall become oppressive to him, capturing in his mind the cruel vacuum that has been left by her capture. He holds his hand out, imagining the feeling of her pink hair in his fingers. He wants nothing more than to touch and see it….one last time. But he knows that it will not happen. Moriarty falls to his knees. The tragedy facing him builds up into one single emotion: Rage. At that critical moment, something within him snaps. Thoughts and feelings become swamped underneath a single flood of anger. His old happy memories with her are ruined as the pain and fury at his own helplessness boils to the breaking point. Moriarty balls his fists and then shouts into the air so loudly that it can be heard across the entire snowy valley. He then does it again, and again, and again until he becomes exhausted. He then lies back in the snow. He lies there for a long time, watching the snow come down. He stays there until Schaeffer walks up and looks down at him. Moriarty refuses to look at him. But he does speak. _

**Moriarty: **Where's your daughter?

**Schaeffer: **I put her inside. She's….inconsolable.

_Silence. _

**Moriarty: **We're wanted men. We'll have to start over. Begin all over again.

**Schaeffer: **Yes. _He looks away. _I thought you might want to know, I still want to continue with our project. I understand if you don't-

**Moriarty: **No. _Moriarty stands up. He looks Schaeffer in the eye. _I refuse to suffer for nothing. I can't let them get away with this. They have to pay. I will work with you. But just so we're clear. _Moriarty, in a fit of anger, punches Schaeffer in the stomach. He doubles over, and nearly falls onto the snow. Moriarty stares Schaeffer down with a vindictive look of judgment. _I will never forgive you or trust you, ever again…

_Schaeffer's face becomes clouded with despair. _

**Schaeffer: **Fair enough.

_The scene shifts. Moriarty and Schaeffer stand at a bridge crossing over the Seine River. They carry briefcases of their work in their arms. The sun shines on them. Schaeffer uses his hand to keep the sun out of his eyes. He takes in his surroundings with satisfaction. _

**Schaeffer: **Yes. This is the place.

_Moriarty walks up behind him. He takes a moment to look over the recently abandoned car factory in front of them. _

**Moriarty: **Yes, this will do.

_Odd's dream ends. He sits up in bed, startling Kiwi in the process. He reaches for his cellphone and dials Aelita. The phone rings unanswered three times, and then is finally answered. Aelita doesn't sound too pleased. _

**Aelita: **Odd, do you have any idea what time it is?

**Odd: **I know. But I swore I would never keep secrets from you again. I thought you might want an update, while it is still fresh in my mind.

_Aelita's line is silent for a moment. Then she speaks up again. _

**Aelita: **Ok…I'm listening.


	23. Chapter 23

**This took a little bit longer than usual but the chapter is also longer than usual. I hope you enjoy. Please review. Let's try to get to 100 reviews before we get to the end! They are always appreciated, and not to sound threatening or anything, but if you don't, I'm afraid Moriarty might just divulge the embarrassing details of that dream you had where you came to school in your underwear. You know what I'm talking about. So leave a review…maybe this whole thing never happened…**

**I joke. Anyway, Neon Lice has gone to Ecuador to visit the Galapagos Islands, so no more editing the story for the time being. But I doubt I'll finish the next part before the trip ends. Assuming that he doesn't fall into a pile of guano or get his eyes pecked out by finches, he should be back by mid-July. We are starting to wind down. Full speed ahead! **

**Part 37 **

_A gentle breeze blows through the Parisian streets during a cool November evening. While the downtown area is still very active, some of the suburbs, such as Boulogne-Billancourt, are very quiet. But the sound of a single recklessly driven vehicle breaks the tranquility of the night, along with the half dozen police cruisers that are chasing it. Their sirens whine loudly as the squad cars move toward their target. Inside the pursued vehicle, a bearded man continues to flaunt the speed limit. A close look at his eyes reveals that he is possessed by Moriarty. The man puts the gas pedal to the floor and the car accelerates. The driver of the main squad car reaches for his radio. _

**Police Officer: **Unit 7 to HQ…we need immediate backup! Suspect is no mere reckless driver. He is a crazed individual and his vehicle is loaded with explosives. I repeat, his vehicle is primed to blow. _The vehicle turns off a main road and starts to head toward a large building up ahead. When the officer recognizes it, his grip on the radio begins to shake. _And he's heading straight for the local chemical plant!

_Scene shifts to the Forest Sector. An activated tower lies in a quadrant where the green platforms come to form an 'X'. At each possible entryway to the tower, the dark warriors stand at the ready to guard it. Dark Aelita trains her ears for any signs of the warriors. She picks up the hum of Ulrich's Overbike. She hisses. _

**Dark Aelita: **They are coming…

_Dark Ulrich crosses his sabers. _

**Dark Ulrich: **But they will not pass.

**Dark William: **I can't wait to turn them into virtualized dust.

_Dark Yumi chides her partner in a mocking tone. _

**Dark Yumi: **Like you did so easily with the male rookie?

_Dark William growls and turns around, threatening to turn the sword on her. But Dark Aelita intervenes. _

**Dark Aelita: **Enough, you idiots! Unless you want our master to shove us through a Network hub, I suggest we fight the ones that matter.

_The warriors converge on the tower. Ulrich pulls up on his Overbike with Yumi and Christophe close behind on the Overwing. Natalya and Odd swing in on the Overboard. They surround the dark warriors. The two sides monitor each other for a moment, waiting for the other to make a move. Jeremie's voice enters into the virtual standoff. _

**Jeremie: **Hurry, Moriarty's possessed victim is closing in on the plant!

**Dark Aelita: **So they know….good. They will fight even more desperately than usual.

_Yumi takes out her fans. _

**Yumi: **We will not allow lives to be lost on our account.

**Ulrich: **And we have the advantage of numbers.

_Christophe aims his wrists at his opponents. _

**Christophe: **Any last words before we put you out of commission for this round?

_Dark William shakes his sword at Christophe. _

**Dark William: **You may have the advantage of numbers, but we have all paths to the tower heavily guarded. You're not going anywhere.

_The dark warriors seem encouraged by this statement, but the warriors are unfazed. Odd can't help but smile. _

**Odd: '**All paths to the tower'? Really? _He points down. _What about from below?

_The dark warriors look at Odd with confusion. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Below? What do you mean below?

_Dark Yumi snarls. _

**Dark Yumi: **Wait, there are only five here. Where are-?

_Aelita and William emerge from below the main green platform, William in super smoke form and Aelita with her wings. The ambush allows Aelita to critically wound Dark Aelita and for William to cut Dark Ulrich apart. With their opponents taken off guard, the warriors rush in. Yumi clashes with her dark counterpart, forcing her into a corner. Dark Aelita fires energy fields at Ulrich. Ulrich blocks them with ease, but then Dark Aelita fires with more intensity, knocking the sabers out of his hands. She backs him up against a tree. _

**Dark Aelita: **To enjoy this, I'll just have to pretend this will actually kill you.

**Ulrich: **I'm afraid you won't even be able to do that.

**Dark Aelita: **Why?

_Ulrich points up. Dark Aelita looks up to see Odd waiting to pounce on her from above. She is quickly eliminated. Across the battlefield, Christophe fires at Dark William without success. He manages to graze his arm, but it only appears to make him angrier. _

**Dark William: **You will not be so lucky this time.

_He makes a long diagonal strike at Christophe's shoulder. Natalya steps in to stop him. She becomes dazzlingly white, and the sword ricochets off her without effect. But the shockwave wounds Dark William, who looks at Natalya with bewilderment. _

**Dark William: **H…How?

**Christophe: **I see you've been practicing your temporary invulnerability. _He kicks Dark William's sword out of his hands. The shade tries to reach for it, but Christophe and Natalya raise their weapons at the same time. _Should have said your last words when you had the chance.

_They both fire and Dark William is rendered into black smoke. At the same time, Dark Yumi falls to Yumi and Ulrich. The warriors look around and see that they have won. Aelita quickly rushes in and deactivates the tower. Back in the real world, the possessed man collapses on the wheel and his car veers off from the road into the grass. Several little hills and rocks slow him down until he hits a tree. Police close in on the vehicle and cautiously approach. Back in Lyoko, Aelita comes out of the tower. The warriors look up and wait anxiously for word from Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **Mission accomplished guys. The plant did not go sky high.

_The warriors congratulate themselves with high fives. Odd stretches lazily. _

**Odd: **Is is just me, or is this getting easier?

**Yumi: **It's not just you Odd.

**William: **Numbers and organization have made the fight in Lyoko very one-sided.

**Jeremie: **Yep. Now that Christophe and Natalya are more experienced as warriors, you seven have turned into one lean mean fighting machine.

_Ulrich turns his attention to Odd. _

**Ulrich: **Although some are leaner than others. One might even say scrawny…

_Odd folds his arms across his chest. _

**Odd: **How many times do we have to go over this? I'm not scrawny, I'm-

**Jeremie: **Yes, yes you're svelte, whatever. We only heard you the first hundred times.

**Odd: **I wouldn't have to say it so much if you would just get the fact through your thick heads…

**Aelita: **Oh come on Odd. It's not a big deal. Heh, I know what will cheer you up. The cafeteria is serving late night pancakes again…

_Odd stares at Aelita as if he's just encountered the Holy Grail. _

**Odd: **Late..night….PANCAKES?! Jeremie, if you don't materialize me right now, I will never forgive you!

**Jeremie: **No problem. We're done here. Once again excellent job. We have a lot of worries when it comes to Moriarty. _He leans back in his chair. _But thankfully his dark warriors aren't one of them.

_The next day. A meeting of The Order is underway in the auditorium. Students and faculty are busy writing on pieces of paper. When they are finished, they pass them down the aisles and the pieces are then collected in baskets and brought to the stage. Several students disappear behind the curtains to count them. At the front podium, the school psychologist Hans Klotz stands at the front podium, feeling rather comfortable in the spot of authority. After several minutes, Mathias emerges from the curtains. He hands a single sheet of paper to Klotz. Klotz takes a brief glance at the sheet of paper. He looks up and sees that even though most of the people are quiet, there are some that are talking. He clears his throat and stares down the audience with an authoritative glare. When everyone turns their attention back to him, he performs the salute. _

**Klotz: **Strength through discipline! Strength through community!

**All: **STRENGTH THROUGH DISCIPLINE! STRENGTH THROUGH COMMUNITY!

_With this satisfactory response, Klotz turns his attention back to the sheet of paper he has received. _

**Klotz: **The votes have all been counted and have produced an official winner. I will now let the Commandant personally announce the name of the victor.

_Klotz moves off the stage and Moriarty takes his place. He adjusts the mike and holds up the sheet of paper. _

**Moriarty: **Though many candidates were nominated as the student who best exemplifies the qualities of The Order, it appears that the victor won by a landslide. Ladies and gentlemen of The Order, it is my pleasure to name Emmanuel Maillard as our winner.

_The crowd claps and Angeline pats her brother on the shoulder. Herb folds his arms across his chest and fumes. Moriarty motions Emmanuel to the stage. _

**Moriarty: **Come on up…

_Emmanuel obeys and takes his place on stage at Moriarty's side. The applause dies down. _

**Moriarty: **Congratulations Emmanuel. _They shake hands. _And a well deserved victory.

_Emmanuel salutes his Commandant with a broad and proud smile on his face. _

**Emmanuel: **Thank you Commandant. I am honored to have been chosen. But as you have said many times, this cause is bigger than me. I don't want the attention to get to my head. I want to assist The Order in any way I can. I don't want my victory in a popularity contest to be my only contribution to the cause.

**Moriarty: **And it is that selfless leadership that has made you the winner in the first place. As well as your drive and sense of purpose. _Several Order members nod in agreement. Moriarty turns to face the audience. _I'll have you know that in my class on World History, we had an extra credit assignment asking students to write an essay on the French historical figure they admire the most and why. Even though he didn't need it all, Emmanuel submitted an essay anyway. _Moriarty holds up a paper. _This essay that I hold in my hand is perhaps the greatest thing that has ever come through my desk. I wanted you to share in the pleasure of this work by having Emmanuel here read an excerpt from his essay.

_Emmanuel is a little surprised that Moriarty is doing this, but seeing that his leader is insistent in having him speak, he willingly goes to the podium. _

**Emmanuel: **The French historical figure I chose to write about was the legendary French king Charles Martel. _He clears his throat and begins to read. _'Charles Martel, otherwise known as "Charles the Hammer" accomplished a monumental feat that more than earned his powerful name. Though his legacy has been questioned by some modern scholars, the facts of his life challenge those who seek to limit his importance for their own selfish political interpretation. In the eight century AD, France was fractured, fully enmired in the muck of Dark Age Europe. As Moors from Spain began to cross the Pyrenees and raid French towns and villages, the land that came to be known as France was faced with a major choice. Either remain divided and allow Western Europe to become absorbed by Islam and the explanding Arab Caliphate, or unite under a powerful leader and fight for their own culture and identity. Thankfully France chose the latter, and found its leader in Charles Martel. In the face of an enemy that knew little of defeat, Charles trained an army of peasants and rural laborers into a well-trained fighting machine. When the Moors arrived at Tours, they were totally shocked to see such a large, disciplined army holding the high ground above them. In the battle that ensued Charles drove the Moors out of Europe, destroying an enemy that never dared to cross into France again. With such a spectacular victory, Charles preserved Christianity and Western culture in Europe, setting the foundations for much of the world we know today. _Emmanuel pauses. _While sometimes it is considered 'politically incorrect' to tell the truth, there are times where we must acknowledge that a host culture can be swallowed up by invasive ones that try to change its fundamental values. Historically that has usually come in the form of an invasion. However, recently it has become possible for such an invasion to come in the form of immigration or a tumorous growth within the culture. We must acknowledge that such elements are dangerous and threaten our way of life as we know it. Subversive elements in this nation do exist, and we must decide if we are to allow them to thrive…._Emmanuel's face becomes intense and dark_…or like Charles Martel, hammer them out.

_Emmanuel finishes and the faculty and student body clap. Some give him a standing ovation. Herb reluctantly claps his hands. Moriarty applauds and approaches him from behind. _

**Moriarty: **What an excellent piece of writing. So moving…so visceral…you know how to drive the point home. I wish we had more people in The Order who could write like you.

**Emmanuel: **I was just trying to get my point across, Commandant.

**Moriarty: **And how right you are, on all those points. Except the one you made earlier.

_Emmanuel becomes confused. _

**Emmanuel: **The one I made earlier, Commandant?

**Moriarty: **Yes, the one about the vote being a popularity contest. It was not. The intention of said vote goes far beyond that. _Everyone gives the Commandant their full attention as he explains. _The real reason behind this vote was to select a student member for the Board of Trustees here at Kadic. _Students and faculty react with surprise at this. Herb clenches his fists in rage when he figures out what he missed out on. Emmanuel is taken back by the whole thing, and seems unsure on how to respond. Moriarty continues in his usual fashion. _I have been growing concerned about the lack of transparency in this school, and the separation between the Board's interests and that of the students. _He touches Emmanuel on the shoulder. _What better way to fix it than to allow a student a voice at the table? Members of The Order, I present to you the first Student Trustee in Kadic history.

_Another round of applause. Angeline beams at her brother's accomplishment. Emmanuel merely waves in a display of gratitude for their support. Moriarty pulls something out of his lab coat pocket. It is a necklace carrying the silver image of a hammer. _

**Moriarty: **And to show our appreciation, please accept this gift from the Board…

_Moriarty begins to place the necklace on Emmanuel. _

**Emmanuel: **Thank you Commandant. I would be proud to accept, if you think I'm qualified for the job.

**Moriarty: **Oh you are more than qualified for the job... _He ties the necklace around Emmanuel's neck. Emmaneul's pupils suddenly dilate and temporarily show the insignia of Moriarty. His eyes then return to normal, but his face remains blank. Moriarty leans down to whisper into his ear. _You might be just 'the hammer' I've been looking for.

_Later that day. In a busy commercial district near downtown Paris, Jeremie, Aelita, William, Natalya, and Odd walk down the sidewalk. Jeremie and Aelita walk at the front of the group, holding hands. William and Natalya merely talk, with Natalya occasionally pointing at anything fashionable in store windows. Odd trails behind, keeping his hands in his pockets. As cars whiz past him, he looks up to see a giant billboard. The billboard reads EUROVISION: COMING TO PARIS IN DECEMBER. Odd grins and walks faster to catch up to the group. _

**Odd: **Can you believe it? Eurovision coming to Paris…who would have imagined it?

**William: **No one. But then again, this is not an average year for Europe.

**Jeremie: **William's right. Ordinarily the competition should have been in the spring of next year, but unfortunately the nuclear scare a couple of months ago changed that.

_Natalya looks up at the sign indignantly. _

**Natalya: **Russia should have hosted the next one. But apparently the rest of Europe didn't take too kindly to my homeland's threats of retaliation. You people can be so sensitive…

**William: **Um…your homeland threatened war.

**Natalya: **Ancient history…

**Jeremie: **Russia will host it next year. But the extra competition is a good way to settle some tensions in the meantime. And since France was runner-up earlier this year…

**Odd: **Then the party is coming to us! I can't wait to see it in person.

_William laughs. _

**William: **Dream on Odd. There's no way you are going to be able to get tickets. You'll just have to watch the performances on TV like everyone else.

**Odd: **No! I refuse to accept defeat. I will find a way…

**Jeremie: **Sure you will…

_Idle conversation continues for a little while, but as they pass by a family-owned music store, they become alarmed when they see the flag of The Order hanging proudly in the window. The warriors suddenly fall silent. They then pass by a man in a black jacket with the purple Order patch pinned to it. He hands out leaflets and calls out to passersby. _

**Campaigner: **Are you sick of political intrigue and stalemate in our legislature? Are you tired of the current political parties vying for your vote instead of your best interests? Then join The Order! Join our movement and together we can make a difference!

_The warriors silently pass by the campaigner and cross the street. _

**Odd: **Oh come on guys…it was just two things. _A car drives past them. A purple fleur-de-lis is painted on the side. _Okay, three things.

**Jeremie: **They are spreading like a cancer…_He hangs his head_…and there's little I can do about it.

_Aelita puts a hand on his shoulder. _

**Aelita: **Come on Jeremie, cheer up. You can't be depressed. Not now. We're meeting the Subdigitals, remember?

**William: **Yeah, it's not everyday that we get to meet them.

**Natalya: **I've been dying to take advantage of my roommate's connections to them. You can't be worried about The Order now.

_Odd walks in front of Jeremie and waves at him in an attempt to get him to stop staring down at the sidewalk. _

**Odd: **You have to save the deep pensive look of despair for later. Sure, France may be going downhill. But there's one thing they can't change. _They come to the entrance of the studio. Odd takes a moment to bask in its glory. _They can't touch the Subdigitals.

_A second campaigner suddenly bursts out the front door and starts walking down the sidewalk. Chris Morales, the lead singer of the subdigitals, suddenly pokes his head out to yell at him. _

**Chris: **Leave us alone already! I already told you we are not interested! _When the campaigner disappears from sight, Chris exhales and then turns his attention back to Aelita. _I'm sorry you had to hear that. These guys from some grass-roots movement keeps trying to get us to play at their rallies. _He rubs his head. _They are having trouble taking no for an answer.

_The latest hole in Odd's statement makes Jeremie look even worse. Aelita squeezes his hand to force him to smile. _

**Aelita: **Chris, it's so nice to see you aga-

_Natalya forces her way forward and interrupts her. She shakes his hand. _

**Natalya: **Natalya Dikau, nice to meet you. I'm Aelita's roommate at Kadic and you may not know me but I saw your show last summer in Moscow. I tried to wave at you but I was really far back and it must have been hard to see me but I'm a major fan and did I mention it was so nice to finally meet you and by the way while we are on the topic can I have your autograph?

_Chris scratches his head as he tries to process all of that drivel. _

**Chris: **Um sure, but let's go inside first. I have something to tell Aelita and the rest of her friends in private…

_As they walk in, Natalya sighs and smiles like a little schoolgirl. She even blushes a little. She turns to William. _

**Natalya: **Did you hear that? Chris Morales included me as one of Aelita's special friends. And he's about to tell me something that no one else can know!

_Natalya continues to swoon while William gives her an unamused look. _

**William: **Ahem…I'm still here you know.

_The warriors follow Chris into the studio. They immediately come into a redheaded woman holding a notepad. She eyes the group attached to Aelita with suspicion. _

**Sophie: **Chris, are you sure you're comfortable with Aelita's…uh….posse in the studio?

_Odd raises an eyebrow. _

**Odd: **Posse? We're her friends and we're here to-

**Chris: **It's fine Sophie. They're cool. _He looks back at the other four. _As long as they promise to keep whatever they hear inside this studio a closely guarded secret.

_The warriors look at Odd condescendingly. _

**Odd: **What's everyone looking at me for?

_Two of Chris' band partners, Ben and Nico, emerge from the sound studio to greet their guests. _

**Ben: **Aelita, it's nice to see you again.

**Nico: **How have you been?

_Aelita shakes both of their hands and acts as if they were old friends. _

**Aelita: **I'm been doing okay. And how about you guys? How are Michelle and Sarah?

_Ben and Nico look at each other uncomfortably. _

**Ben: **Oh, yeah…about Sarah…

**Nico: **The truth is…Michelle and I broke up ages ago.

**Aelita: **Oh well, I'm sure it was for the best.

**Ben: **It was the best decision for both of us…Now I just need to get that restraining order…

_Aelita laughs at the joke, but a quick glance at Ben's face tells her that he's not kidding. She becomes embarrassed and quickly tries to change the subject. _

**Aelita: **So where's Simon, your sound engineer? I thought he would be here.

**Chris: **Simon sends his apologies. He wanted to be here to see you, Aelita, but he had a lunch date with his girlfriend and missing it was not an option.

**Odd: **Cool, even your sound guy gets some action. So, who's the lucky lady?

**Nico: **He's dating my ex Michelle now.

_William groans. _

**William: **It's like a bad soap opera…

**Chris: **What can I say, we're a band. Things like this come with the profession. But enough of all that. The reason why I invited Aelita and the rest of you to come was to make an important announcement.

**Aelita: **What is it?

_Ben, Nico, Chris, and even Sophie look at each other with big smiles on their faces. They remain quiet for a little bit, purposely building the suspense for the warriors. Odd loses patience. _

**Odd: **Don't leave us hanging, what is it?

**Chris: **You know that Eurovision is coming to Paris in December, right?

**Jeremie: **Yes, common knowledge.

**Nico: **What isn't common knowledge are the results of the selection for France's entry in the competition.

**Ben: **And that would be us…

_Aelita and the other warriors react with shock, floored at what they have just heard. _

**Aelita: **You mean…you the Subdigitals are-

**Chris: **Representing France in Eurovision? That would be correct Aelita. And since you performed as our opening act recently, we are going to give you two free tickets for you and a friend right up front to watch the action.

_Odd's look of joy fades with disappointment. _

**Odd: **Friend, as in singular? We don't get tickets as well?

**Chris: **I'm sorry man. But we have only so many tickets we can hand out. And we have other people to give them to.

**Natalya: **Oh, say it isn't so…

_Odd pats Jeremie on the shoulder. _

**Odd: **So Jeremie, you're not much of a music fan, right? You wouldn't mind doing a solid for me, would you? _Jeremie smiles, feeling a certain pleasure at seeing Odd trying to weasel his way into getting his ticket. _I mean sure she's your girlfriend, but it's Eurovision, and…the Subdigitals. _Jeremie remains unmoved. Odd then goes to his knees and holds his hands up. _Oh come on Jeremie, don't make me beg. I don't want to lose my dignity but I will if it means getting that ticket!

**Jeremie: **Sorry Odd, but I have no intention of missing this. I've heard the experience is spectacular, and it's only natural that I would share the moment with Aelita.

_Aelita kisses Jeremie on the cheek. _

**Aelita: **Besides, Jeremie's the one who supported me with my auditions in the first place. He should be the one to go.

**Odd: **Oh…so close, and yet so far away…

**Chris: **Take it easy. We won't leave you totally in the dark. Since you are her good friends, we are going to be nice and give you our extremely overpriced Eurovision T-shirts and other merchandise free of charge.

_William and Natalya react positively to this. _

**William: **Really?

**Natalya: **That's incredible! Everyone at Kadic will be so jealous!

_Odd still looks despondent. _

**Odd: **Oh man…that's like having the first bite of a feast and then be denied the rest…

**William: **Cheer up Odd. Natalya and I can't go either. You should be grateful that you got anything in the first place.

**Odd: **Whatever…

_While William, Natalya, and Odd talk a little bit more with the Subdigitals, Jeremie and Aelita have a private conversation. _

**Aelita: **See Jeremie…things are already looking up.

**Jeremie: **Perhaps Odd was right. France might be falling to Moriarty's influence, but that's no reason for us to not enjoy the little things.

**Aelita: **Right, and don't forget, we have him outmatched on Lyoko. Whatever he's planning, we will be ready for it.

_Deep in Moriarty's new and improved Sector Five, four shades begin to appear in a large, purple square chamber. It is the same place where the warriors battled Odd for the last time. The dark shades grow solid and become the dark warriors. As soon as they are fully formed and cognizant of their surroundings, they lash out at each other. Dark Yumi bares her fangs at Aelita. _

**Dark Yumi: **You fool! How could you let those worms launch a sneak attack on us?

**Dark Aelita: **Me?! If memory serves, you were just as clueless!

**Dark Yumi: **I was the one who realized that the other warriors were hiding!

**Dark Aelita: **Too little too late!

_Dark Ulrich takes out his sabers and stares at them with disappointment. _

**Dark Ulrich: **I should have used my speed and torn them to pieces when I had the chance!

**Dark William: **What chance? You died immediately! At least I stuck in the fight!

_Dark Ulrich glares at him. _

**Dark Ulrich: **And little good that did us…

**Dark William: **If I actually had a warrior at my side to help me, I might have succeeded.

_Dark Ulrich lowers his sabers in attack position. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Is that a challenge?

_Dark William summons his sword from smoke and aims it threateningly at Dark Ulrich. _

**Dark William: **No, it's an opportunity to teach you some manners. A challenge would imply that you would stand a chance against me in a fight.

**Dark Ulrich: **I'm going to enjoy tearing you into virtual dust!

**Moriarty: **Enough! _From the far edge of the room, a Moriarty smoke cloud in the form of a red and black skull materializes. The dark warriors instantly stop their fighting and bow before their master. _I didn't resurrect you just so you could kill each other again! It requires power to maintain you, and I don't have a lot of power to waste.

**Dark Aelita: **Our sincere apologies master…we will not fight. _She lowers herself further in an act of obsequious submission. _We are yours to command. Our loyalty and all our power are yours to use.

_Moriarty's smoke cloud moves ominously toward the dark warriors, giving them an intensely negative vibe. They refuse to look him in the eye. _

**Moriarty: **It is not your loyalty that is the problem. It is your power that proves to be a constant frustration. Specifically your lack of power to stop the Lyoko Warriors.

_The wall behind Moriarty turns into a televised screen, replaying the recent battle the dark shades had with their counterparts. The footage specifically focuses on the successful ambush the Lyoko Warriors inflicted on them. _

**Moriarty: **Not only have they gotten stronger than you, but they have learned to outsmart you as well. You are becoming as predictable and weak as any of my normal monsters to them. _Moriarty pauses the footage, showing the instant before Dark Ulrich is easily destroyed. Dark Ulrich shifts uncomfortably. _I created you different from my monsters for the sole purpose of making the Lyoko Warriors' trials on Lyoko exponentially difficult. I gave you personalities similar to my own so you could be my instruments of psychological manipulation. But despite all these gifts…all these advantages…_His smoke cloud becomes redder in color and visibly more hostile…_everytime I needed you the most, you failed me. Even when it was all four of you against one warrior, you still found ways to fail!

_In response to this remark, Dark Yumi suddenly interjects. _

**Dark Yumi: **That is not true master! Last time I faced the warriors alone, and I triumphed!

**Moriarty: **QUIET! _Dark Yumi crawls away from the angry cloud, stung by the harsh retort. _One lucky victory does not make up for a string of defeats! Furthermore, you had three other towers to stall your opponents with.

_Dark Yumi trembles with fear and humiliation. The other dark shades take an obvious pleasure from her pain. But the sharp tongue of their master quickly reminds them that they are not off the hook either. _

**Moriarty: **You have all failed me miserably! And to make matters worse, my enemy has grown stronger. _He shows scenes of Christophe and Natalya fighting. _Their two new recruits are no longer rookies. _He shows a clip of Christophe defeating Dark William. _As you all have learned, they are now more than a match for you on the battlefield. That brings their numbers up to seven. And even worse-_He shows a clip of Yumi directing the Lyoko Warriors during their fight in the Mountain Sector gorge_-they have become more organized. In other words, while they have been improving, you are still as useless to me as ever. _The televised screen turns off. Moriarty approaches his minions. _The next phase of my plan is absolutely critical. Without it, I have no chance of dominating the Earth. But I can't do any such thing if I lack anything remotely resembling domination on Lyoko! What am I supposed to do with you?

_Dark William feebly raises his hand. _

**Dark William: **Perhaps create a Dark Christophe and Natalya to even the odds…?

**Moriarty: **No! The last thing I need is more of you! I need professional help. I need the kind of support that I am blessed with on Earth. _A deep hunger burns in his eyes. _And I will have that exact kind of support.

**Dark Aelita: **Exactly what are you suggesting master?

**Dark Ulrich: **You do not mean to say that you will dispose of us, do you master?

_The other dark warriors turn to him with a combination of panic and rage, furious that Dark Ulrich suggested it and terrified that their master might like that idea. _

**Moriarty: **Tempting, but no. You are pathetic but not irreparable. You operate best when you have leadership, as was the case when Odd was in our ranks. I see now how devastating his loss was to my cause. But thankfully, it is not a loss that cannot be corrected…

**Dark Yumi: **Master, are you saying that you are going to possess Odd and make him our commander again?

_Moriarty does not answer and his expression remains aloof and shrewd, provoking curiosity from his servants. He backs up and fades into the wall. _

**Moriarty: **One thing at a time. You will know soon enough. In the meantime, it is important that you do your part and make preparations for what is to come.

_In the Ice Sector, two warriors duel in an enclosed space surrounded by waterfalls. The circular space serves as the perfect area for one-on-one combat. Ulrich takes pulls his sabers out of the scabbard on his back and faces his opponent, Christophe. Christophe raises his wrists close to his face and primes them. The weapons attached to them turn red. Ulrich keeps his feet shoulder length apart and bends his knees. _

**Ulrich: **Okay, you know the rules. No devirtualizing. We both need a way to get back home, and that requires both of us to be alive at the same time.

**Christophe: **Understood. Don't worry. I guess I will go easy on you.

_Ulrich dismisses Christophe's statement with his typical stare of determination. _

**Ulrich: **Oh, have you already forgotten who this training session is for. You want to get better, and it's only natural for you to come to learn at the feet of the master. Isn't that right, grasshopper?

_Christophe cracks his knuckles. _

**Christophe: **Don't call me grasshopper. I'm not a Lyoko rookie anymore. _He leans forward slightly. _I'm experienced enough to give you a run for your money.

_Ulrich holds out his hand and motions for him to come forward. _

**Ulrich: **Then prove it grasshopper. _He imitates the voice of a Far Eastern martial arts sensei. _Prove yourself worthy of grappling with the master.

**Christophe: **Gladly.

_Christophe charges at Ulrich directly. Ulrich backs up a little, but holds his ground. He monitors Christophe's attack with disappointment. _

**Ulrich: **A direct charge? _Ulrich easily blocks two of Christophe's discs. _That's a little bold, don't you think? 

**Christophe: **No. _He moves within Ulrich's striking distance. Ulrich prepares to hit him, but then Christophe jumps, avoiding the blades and landing on his shoulders. _This is!

_He somersaults off of Ulrich's shoulders, then turns around and tries to hit him with a disc. But Ulrich sees through the move and deflects the disc behind his back. Ulrich turns around. _

**Ulrich: **Nice move. But you're not fast enough. You won't be able to defeat me relying on things like that.

_Christophe runs a circle around Ulrich and fires discs at him. _

**Christophe: **You're a short range fighter. As long as I keep my distance, I can win.

_Ulrich deflects the disks with expert precision. _

**Ulrich: **Oh yes, but you forget grasshopper, it's difficult to keep your distance when…_Ulrich triplicates…_one can be in three places at once. _All three then go at Christophe at a super sprint. _And run at incredible speeds!

_Christophe holds up his armored wrists to protect himself, but it does not help. Two of the clones strike at his legs, removing some of his non-vital lifepoints. The third one knocks over Christophe with the blunt side of his blade. Christophe lands on the ice. The three Ulrichs stay at a distance, waiting for him to get up. _

**Christophe: **Three against one? And with super speed? That's just not fair.

**Ulrich: **Sorry Christophe, but the dark version of me has all my powers and abilities. And he won't play fair either. So you better get used to it.

_Christophe gets on his feet and stares down Ulrich. _

**Christophe: **Okay, if you're going to use your powers in a training session. _The speakers on Christophe's pectorals suddenly light up. _Then two can play that game…

**Ulrich: **Oh crap.

_All three Ulrichs try to avoid the incoming sound explosion, but they are too late. The combustion of metal music knocks the Ulrichs off their feet. After the blast, it takes a few seconds for Christophe to regain his strength. He closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them, he sees a solitary Ulrich trying to get up. He runs at Ulrich. Ulrich manages to get up and tries to strike Christophe, but Christophe knocks the saber out of his hand and aims his wrist directly at Ulrich's head, causing his opponent to freeze. Christophe smiles proudly. _

**Christophe: **I win…

_Ulrich wags his finger with his free hand. _

**Ulrich: **Not quite grasshopper.

_Christophe feels a saber blade against his neck. His hopes of victory are crushed and he lowers his wrist once he realizes that a second Ulrich has caught him off guard. _

**Christophe: **That was so not cool.

**Ulrich: **Rule number one of fighting my dark half. _His two halves fuse together. _Always make sure that you have killed all of the clones.

_The two put away their weapons. _

**Christophe: **Well I guess that's enough for the day. Thanks for agreeing to do some extra Lyoko time for me.

**Ulrich: **No worries. But you're right. It's time we head back. I'm going with Yumi to a somewhat nice restaurant at 1900 and I can't be late.

**Christophe: **What time is it now?

**Ulrich: **It's uh…_Ulrich's face becomes blank. _You know, I'm not sure. I lose track of time on Lyoko. But I'm sure I still have plenty of-

_Yumi's voice suddenly booms above them. _

**Yumi: **ULRICH!

_Ulrich groans. _

**Ulrich: **I'm so dead…

_Scene shifts back to the factory, where a very infuriarted Yumi impatiently waits for her boyfriend to respond. She is already wearing a black dress for the date. While she seethes with annoyance, Ulrich timidly answers her. _

**Ulrich: **Uh hey Yumi…..how's it going?

**Yumi: **You were supposed to pick me up twenty-five minutes ago! I was all dressed and everything and then I learn that you were messing around in Lyoko with Christophe?! Are you that insensitive or are you just that brainless?!

_Ulrich tries to get a word in to rescue himself from the situation. _

**Ulrich: **Not…totally brainless. I thought ahead, and just in case….I got all dressed up before I virtualized myself! So actually I'm completely ready to go.

_Yumi raises an eyebrow, still not satisfied with the answer. _

**Yumi: **If you want me to talk to you at dinner then get your butt back to Earth right now.

**Ulrich: **N-No problem. _He turns to Christophe. _Kill me now.

**Christophe: **Literally or just Lyoko-wise?

**Ulrich: **Preferably both…

_The two take out their weapons and prepare to kill each other at the same time. _

**Ulrich: **Ready? One…two…

_Back in the scanner room, one of the scanners opens. But it is neither Ulrich nor Christophe. An exact copy of Yumi Ishiyama walks out of the scanner, dressed in her normal school attire. Though she appears identical to the real thing, the malicious look on her face reveals who she really is. _

**Dark Yumi: **Let's see, my master said the control box should be behind the scanner. _She walks around to the back of the scanner which is connected to thick wires. She moves them aside and opens the control box. She moves her hand over some of the blinking lights. An electrical current flows from her fingers into the small wires. Several of the lights turn red and blink erratically. She smiles. _This ought to do it.

_Dark Yumi pauses and hides behind the scanner when she hears the two other scanners open. Christophe and Ulrich walk out. Christophe is dressed casually, while Ulrich wears a blue collared shirt and khaki pants. _

**Christophe: **Are you sure you don't want me to talk to her first? Maybe calm her down a little bit?

**Ulrich: **Against my better judgment, no. I should probably just face the music. Besides, she can't stay mad at me forever.

_Christophe moves to the elevator and waves him goodbye. _

**Christophe: **Alright, good luck. I'll see you tomorrow.

**Ulrich: **Yeah see you tomorrow.

_The elevator door closes. Ulrich exhales and begins preparing an apology in advance. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, I know I was really late but I honestly lost track of time and…_He stops. _No that sounds too rehearsed and cliché. How about…_He resumes the act_…Yumi you have every right to be upset. But I promise that I had every intention of…_The control box behind the scanner sparks and makes a strange noise. Dark Yumi hisses under her breath as the sound catches Ulrich's attention. Dark Yumi reaches her hand over the box to stop the noise and finish the job. Ulrich starts to walk to the scanner. _That doesn't sound right.

_He goes to the back of the scanner and catches Dark Yumi redhanded with the control box. Ulrich freezes, not knowing what to make of the situation. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, what are you doing? And didn't you say you were already dressed up?

_Dark Yumi, realizing that she hasn't yet been truly caught, quickly decides to play the part. She rises to her feet and aggressively pushes Ulrich against the wall. She puckers her lips and moves close to him. Ulrich stares at her in bewilderment, confused with her behavior but not attempting to resist it. _

**Ulrich: **What is with you? You're angry with me one minute and now you want to-

_Dark Yumi's lips latch with his. Ulrich's mind expects to enjoy the contact, but the lack of tenderness and the animal aggression of her kiss sets off a warning light in his head. Before he can push her off, the elevator door opens. The real Yumi walks in. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich what is taking you so-_She takes one look at the scene and her jaw drops. At first, jealousy kicks in like an inferno when she sees him kissing another girl. But the jealousy turns to fear and horror when she sees WHAT he is kissing. _WHAT ARE YOU-?

_Ulrich looks at Yumi in her black dress and his mind reels with confusion. He pushes off the impostor and stares at both of them. _

**Ulrich: **YUMI?! But how….who? _He looks back at the one he kissed and finally connects the dots. The air is taken out of his lungs. _Oh no…

_Dark Yumi licks her lips. _

**Dark Yumi: **I always wanted to do that-_She somersaults backwards toward the scanner._-And I think it's safe to say he enjoyed it more than usual.

_Yumi kicks her with high heels attached, sending her dark shade onto the floor. _

**Yumi: **You witch! What are you doing here?!

_Dark Yumi takes Yumi's legs out from under her and stands up. _

**Dark Yumi: **Wouldn't you like to know…_Ulrich runs at her from behind, but she uses her strength to flip him onto the floor next to Yumi…_Truthfully I don't really know exactly what I'm doing here either, but I'm enjoying it. _She walks into the scanner she attacked. _Unfortunately I can't stay. _She winks at Ulrich before the door closes. _See you later pretty boy. We really should do this more often…

_The scanner turns on and transports her back to Lyoko. Yumi and Ulrich sit up. Ulrich shudders as the disgust of what he has just done sinks in. _

**Ulrich: **Ugh…..I feel like I really need a shower. _Ulrich turns to Yumi. _Um….I'm terribly sorry. I…she….temporarily fooled me. _Painful five second pause. _Are you mad?

**Yumi: **That depends. Did you enjoy it?

**Ulrich: **Of course not!

**Yumi: **Then we're good.

_Thirty minutes later, Jeremie is in his command chair, surveying the damage done to the scanner at the main computer monitor with Aelita next to him. Several small red screens pop up, pointing to certain infected areas at critical points of the scanner's hardware and software. Jeremie sighs and rubs his forehead. _

**Jeremie: **No doubt about it. That is one nasty bug.

**Aelita: **Is it fixable?

**Jeremie: **Fixable…yes. In the same way a house covered with asbestos is fixable. But it will be messy and take some time. _Jeremie starts to name tasks off his fingers. _And of course with my research into the Cannae Initiative, analysis of Odd's psychological connection with Moriarty, the technological organization of the Outcasts, and every other stupid thing thrown my way, it may take a lot of time. _He closes the scanner screen and returns to the main window. _Besides, it may be an annoying setback, but it's not the end of the world. We still have two functioning scanners. That can be a little problematic with seven warriors, but it's not impossible to deal with. As long as those two stay on line, the Cannae Initiative must maintain priority.

**Aelita: **We'll just have to make sure none of our devirtualizations run through that scanner, or we have a risk of someone not coming back. Of course, that's easy to fix. _Aelita pauses. _Although one thing still bothers me. Why did Dark Yumi only put one scanner offline, when she could have done all of them?

**Jeremie: **Could be that she didn't have time. Ulrich and Yumi caught them before she had a chance to do any more damage. _Jeremie starts to work on the computer again. _Anyway, I'm going to increase the security on the other two scanners to make sure we don't get anymore unwanted guests.

_Aelita loses herself in deep thought while Jeremie works. She slowly turns her head back to him. _

**Aelita: **Are we sure he wanted to put all of our scanners offline?

_Jeremie stops typing. He looks at the computer uneasily. _

**Jeremie: **Granted, it doesn't seem to be Moriarty's style. He doesn't go for the most efficient way of beating us, but for the most entertaining. Shutting us out from Lyoko doesn't seem like his style. He almost always gives us a chance, in his own sick little way. Unless he absolutely needed us to stay out…it would seem to be out of character for him.

**Aelita: **If he doesn't want to keep us out, then what was the point of it?

**Jeremie: **I don't know. _He brings up the window showing the bugged scanner. He stares at it for a long time. He then starts reducing the schematics of the scanner to its most basic level, giving a better picture of what parts are infected and which are not. Jeremie rubs his hands together in deep thought. _But I don't like it. He chose to do damage to this scanner, but he could have done more.

_Aelita looks at him questioningly. _

**Aelita: **What do you mean he could have done more damage?

**Jeremie: **Meaning the scanner may be useless to us, but it's not totally offline…

_Around midnight while Kadic sinks into a quiet slumber, one teacher remains awake and alert. He looks beyond the dark campus and at the bright city behind it. He takes in the sights, surveying it and imagining it as his own possession, a prize for him to rule. Moriarty puts his hands behind his back and continues to look out. He rests his hands on the windowsill and leans toward the glass. He turns to his digital clock at his bedside to check the time. He stares out the window again. _

**Moriarty: **It's almost time. _He stands up straight. _This city, this country is becoming ripe. Months of cultivation, leading up to this point. It is time for the harvest. _Moriarty looks out the window and sighs. _Forgive me France for what I'm about to do to you. You must understand that what I'm going to do to you is out of love…albeit a very tough love. To make something more magnificent often requires one to inflict damage first….to purge the old rotting remains and replace it with something new. Before there can be healing, there must be pain. Before there can be peace, there must be war. Before there can be order, there must be chaos. _He creates a purple electric ball in his hands. _Chaos. I believe it was Bob Dylan who once said…_He looks down at the small electrical spark…_chaos is a friend of mine…_The electricity in his hand dies. He closes his eyes and lowers his head. _Emmanuel…get up.

_Several hallways away, the hammer necklace on Emmanuel's sleeping body suddenly glows. He bolts up in bed. The Moriarty insignia overshadows his pupils. He mechanically gets up, puts some clothes on, and walks quietly down the hallway. He leaves the building, sneaks through campus, goes down into the sewers, and emerges at the bridge entrance to the factory. Once inside, he goes into the scanner room and enters the infected scanner. Without any response from the main computer monitor upstairs, Emmanuel becomes virtualized. The scene shifts back to Moriarty. He takes a deep breath. _

**Moriarty: **Okay. _He snaps his fingers. _Time to start the show.

_In Jeremie's room, the super scan goes off loudly. Jeremie slowly struggles out of bed, while César rolls over and curses in Spanish. Jeremie checks the location and then shuts off the annoying beeping. _

**Jeremie: **Sorry César, my alarm went off when it wasn't supposed to again…

_César curses again and manages to get back to sleep. Jeremie doesn't bother to put on his pajamas but simply grabs his cellphone and shoes and heads out the door. He calls the warriors, who reluctantly start to get out of their beds. Odd is particularly resistant. _

**Odd: **Ugh….Jeremie, do you have any idea what time it is?

**Jeremie: **I know…but if Moriarty doesn't sleep, neither do we.

_Odd groans and falls back on his pillow. Ulrich, who is already up, puts some shoes on and shakes Odd. _

**Ulrich: **Come on Odd, it's time to go. _Odd grumbles. _Don't make me drag you. You know I will if I have to…

_Odd opens his eyes and slowly rises, conceding defeat. _

**Odd: **Okay okay I'm up already…

_All of the warriors with the exception of Yumi converge on the factory. Jeremie waits for them outside the elevator. They arrive in a group, looking haggard and still very groggy. Jeremie counts them and realizes they are one short. _

**Jeremie: **Where's Yumi?

**Ulrich: **She's coming. It just takes longer for her to get here. She is still a day student after all.

**Jeremie: **We'll have to start without her. Everyone to the scanners. We are going to the Desert Sector. Remember, you are going two at a time. It's going to take a little bit to get you all there, so don't rush into combat until you are all ready.

_The seven of them enter the elevator. Christophe yawns. _

**Christophe: **Oh boy…I don't think I could rush into anything right now.

**Odd: **Now you see why this isn't always fun…

_While the warriors continue down to the scanner room, Jeremie enters the lab room and assumes his usual place. He puts on his earpiece and gets comfortable. He locks on to a favorable location in the Desert Sector and prepares to go through his usual routine. The familiarity of the controls and the recent victories for the Lyoko group give him a much needed confidence. With six warriors going into battle, he can't help but think that the odds are heavily in their favor. _

**Jeremie: **You may be able to do what you want on Earth Moriarty, but here we still have the advantage. _He looks at the camera feed showing some of his friends enter the scanners. Each of them, including Christophe and Natalya, has the same determined battle-ready look confirming that they are Lyoko veterans. _You can send your monsters at us. You can send your dark warriors at us, but as we've shown you time and again- _He starts up the virtualization sequence_- nothing you create stands a chance against the real thing: a virtualized human warrior.

_All six of the warriors are virtualized onto a small plateau overlooking a desert plain. The only scenery aside from the empty flat land is the occasional conduit flowing through the sector and the outline of a tower in the distance. Aelita walks in front of the others. _

**Aelita: **Looks good Jeremie. We're ready for our vehicles.

**Jeremie: **Right. _The vehicles appear. _Aelita, you're in command. Lead this mission as you see fit.

_Aelita activates her wings and lifts herself up in the air. She turns to the others. _

**Aelita: **Everyone stay behind me. We'll fly in a V pattern towards the tower. Odd and William, you two will stay on the flanks. Watch out for any ambushes. The rest of you stay close to me and stay alert.

**Odd: **We got your back.

**Ulrich: **Yeah, piece of cake.

_The warriors take to the air. They quickly gain ground and reach the midway point to the tower. Odd drifts close to Ulrich and starts to brag. _

**Odd: **Try not to fall behind.

**Ulrich: **Me? You seriously think I'm going to fall behind? Have you forgotten about a little something called super sprint?

**Odd: **I meant during the battle. It's hard to keep up with my mad dark warrior killing skills.

**Ulrich: **Please, I kill way more dark warriors than you.

**Odd: **Wanna bet?

**Ulrich: **Any day, any time. A week's worth of dessert portions is telling me that I can bring down more shades and monsters than you.

**Odd: **You're on! I can't wait to serve you Dark Ulrich's head and your ego on a platter.

**William: **Guys cut it out. We haven't even fought yet. Remember, pride goes before the fall.

**Odd: **It's not pride if it's accurate William. Honestly, Moriarty is just wasting our time.

**Jeremie: **Heads up. Four time wasters dead ahead.

_The warriors pause to see the dark warriors waiting for them at the edge of a group of boulders surrounding the tower. The four wait patiently as the warriors circle above them. Odd taunts them from the air. _

**Odd: **Hey guys, isn't this routine of butt-kicking getting a little old?

**Christophe: **Give them more credit than that Odd. They are good for some things. I mean…we always could use some extra target practice.

_Dark William shakes his sword in the air. _

**Dark William: **How about more fighting and less boasting?

**Aelita: **We could say the same thing about you-_She summons two energy fields_-but if you insist…

_Her two energy fields fly directly toward Dark William. Despite the imminent danger, Dark William doesn't even deflect it. In fact, he seems very much at ease. Right before impact, a large object suddenly appears and blocks the blast. The object lands two meters in front of the dark warriors. The warriors look down with surprise to see a giant silver hammer lodged in the sector floor. The confused warriors remain silent for a moment as they stare at the weapon, wondering where it came from. _

**Christophe: **Uh…I know I'm new to Lyoko, but is it normal for giant hammers to appear out of nowhere?

_Natalya gasps and points toward the tower. _

**Natalya: **Look! There's someone above them on top of the rocks!

_The warriors turn to see a fifth figure behind the dark warriors, standing on one of the boulders. He is clad in thick armor and has long, dark hair. The strange warrior appears familiar, but he is too far away for the warriors to recognize. _

**Aelita: **There is a…fifth dark warrior? Jeremie, are we seeing things?

**Jeremie: **No, you're not. I'm definitely picking up five Moriarty signatures, and I don't recognize that one.

**Dark Aelita: **Oh how rude of us, we forgot to introduce him…

**Dark Yumi: **Yes, we forgot to tell them that we brought a friend this time?

**Odd: **A friend? _He looks back at the hammer. _You brought Thor? _Ulrich gives him a condescending look. _Well, do you have a better idea of who it is?

**Dark Ulrich: **Why don't we let our new commander introduce himself?

_Aelita registers this bit of information with alarm. _

**Aelita: **Commander?

_The figure jumps off the rock and lands next to the hammer. He picks up the hammer and dislodges it from the sector floor. The second he stands up to face them, the warriors do a double take, disbelieving what their eyes initially see. But when they take another look, they see that their sight did not deceive them. Standing in front of them is the virtualized likeness of Emmanuel Maillard. He wears a kind of medieval armor, much like that of the Crusaders. In the place of the cross is the fleur-de-lis. His armored shoulder pads have the Moriarty insignia. He has no helmet but he does wear a red cape. He no longer wears a ponytail but wears it naturally, giving him the true appearance of a medieval knight. And of course to top it all of is the silver hammer, which he seems more than ready to use against the warriors. Several seconds of shock are broken when anger seeps into Christophe's blood at the sight of his old friend on the other side of the battle. He aims his wrist at him. _

**Christophe: **You….what are you doing here?!

**Ulrich: **Emmanuel…could it really be him?

**Emmanuel: **In the flesh…

_Odd shakes his head in denial. _

**Odd: **No, this isn't happening. It's not possible! Emmanuel may be his right hand man on Earth, but on Lyoko?

_Aelita looks up. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, are we dealing with the real thing here?

_Scene shifts back to the factory, where Jeremie does his best to make sense of this mess. He checks the virtualization logs. _

**Jeremie: **No. It can't be him. The virtualization logs only show you guys entering Lyoko. It has to be a fake.

_Odd takes off on his Overboard again and sets his sights on Emmanuel. _

**Odd: **If he's just a fake, then that means he can be taken down just as easily as the others.

**Aelita: **Odd wait!

_Odd springs into battle, flying headlong toward his target. He fires off three arrows. Emmanuel looks up without blinking and deflects all of them by spinning his hammer in a circle. He then jumps and knocks the Overboard out from under him. While both of them are in midair, Emmanuel hammers the helpless Odd into the desert floor so hard that the ground cracks and the warriors feel the aftershock. When the dust clears, Odd is gone and Emmanuel is facing the others, eager to do the same to them. The warriors start to back up. _

**Natalya: **He certainly doesn't fight like a regular dark warrior.

**Ulrich: **Did Moriarty give him more power than the rest?

**Dark Aelita: **Fools! Isn't it obvious?! He is the real one!

**Christophe: **Impossible, Jeremie just said-

_A light bulb goes off in Aelita's head. _

**Aelita: **Wait! The infected scanner! Moriarty could have used that to virtualize him.

_The pieces of the puzzle in Jeremie's mind suddenly come together. He smacks himself on the head for not seeing it before. _

**Jeremie: **Oh…idiot! Of course! I knew it didn't make sense for Moriarty to target just one scanner. But one infected scanner is all you need to cover up a secret virtualization.

**Ulrich: **But if there is no proof that he was virtualized then he could just as easily be a fake. How do we know if he's the real thing?

**Moriarty: **That is the fun part. _Everyone stops with sudden dread as the voice of their sworn enemy interrupts them. Jeremie's body becomes tense as he hardens his mind and spirit for whatever Moriarty might say. _You don't know if the one standing in front of you is the real Emmanuel. It could be the real him, and it could just as easily be a fake. I know Emmanuel extremely well, so any information my warrior reveals that could confirm him to be the real thing could have merely been given to me by the real one. Of course, it could really be him. It's impossible to know.

**Christophe: **Oh yeah? _He points at Emmanuel._ Althought I hate to admit it, I knew him better than anyone. He may have told you a lot, but I had been his friend for years. He couldn't have told you everything. _He focuses his attention back at Emmanuel. _If you're really him, then you would be able to answer this question. What is the name of the first song that was played at the Sub Sonics concert we went to two years ago?

**Emmanuel: **That's a trick question. The Sub Sonics didn't play the first song. Another band named Systems Down performed as the headliner for the concert. And they played their own version of a song called "Standard Malware".

_Christophe's eyes widen. _

**Christophe: **That, that must be him. It's too specific for it not to be him.

**Moriarty: **Oh don't be so sure. I know a lot more than you think. For instance, did you know that Christophe had to go home early from summer camp twice because he missed his mommy?

_Christophe smarts from the deeply personal remark while the dark warriors laugh. _

**Christophe: **Hey! That was private!

_Ulrich draws his sabers. _

**Ulrich: **He has never respected anything private. _He looks up and verbally challenges Moriarty. _So what if we don't know if he's the real Emmanuel? How does that make a difference? We are still going to beat him either way.

**Moriarty: **Oh Ulrich…always the slow one. Perhaps you haven't figured it out yet. Would you like to play a game?

_Jeremie and the veteran warriors chafe with fury in response to the old question that evokes so many bad memories. Moriarty continues his dialogue unfazed by their displeasure. _

**Moriarty: **You already know I am launching an attack. You have no idea what I plan on doing, nor will you get the opportunity to know beforehand. All I can promise is that it is something rather unpleasant. _Across town, an Arab man sits down at a bus stop with a backpack over his shoulder. He watches the sparse traffic pass by him with his pupils displaying the Moriarty insignia. _Meanwhile to get to the tower, you have to get past a possibly fake but possibly possessed Emmanuel.

**Ulrich: **Get to the point.

**Moriarty: **The point, my impatient interrupting friend, is that if this Emmanuel is real, then he will not be devirtualized if you defeat him. You are free to fight him to your hearts' content, but if he is the real thing, then killing him here would eternally virtualize him.

_The warriors absorb this challenge with conflicted silence. Jeremie seethes with frustration, feeling once again boxed in by Moriarty's intellect and sadism. Christophe stares down Emmanuel, caught between rage and reluctance. Meanwhile Emmanuel stops stalling and raises his hammer. _

**Emmanuel: **Soldiers of Moriarty, attack!

_The dark warriors charge. Dark Ulrich makes a beeline for Ulrich. The two clash sabers. Ulrich maintains the upper hand, but his dark half is holding his ground. _

**Ulrich: **So what's the plan? Do we fight him or not?

_Aelita maintains her position in the air, attempting to distract Dark Yumi and Emmanuel. _

**Aelita: **Fight him but don't try to devirtualize him. We're going to need to hold ourselves back and find a way to deactivate the tower without hurting him.

_Emmanuel slams down his hammer, which unleashes a sonic wave that cracks the earth. The crack moves toward Ulrich and moves between his feet. The shaking causes Ulrich to lose his footing. Dark Ulrich takes the opportunity presented him and devirtualizes Ulrich. Natalya notches an arrow at Emmanuel. _

**Natalya: **He's certainly not holding himself back!

_She targets his legs and lets her arrow go. Emmanuel easily knocks it away and turns his attention to her. Natalya suddenly becomes nervous and backs up as Emmanuel stalks toward her. He takes a giant leap and lands a few feet from her. She reaches for another arrow but Emmanuel knocks the bow out of her hand. William, who clashes swords with his dark half, turns to see Natalya in dire straits. _

**William: **Natalya!

_Emmanuel hits Natalya with the hammer like a baseball bat, sending her flying into the air. She devirtualizes before she hits the ground. William angrily cleaves his dark half in two and goes for Emmanuel. Meanwhile Christophe does his best to keep Dark Ulrich at a distance, firing his discs at him. Aelita does her best to avoid Dark Yumi's fans and Dark Aelita's energy fields. _

**Christophe: **Shouldn't we be helping William?

_Aelita and her dark half grapple in the air while Dark Yumi tries to get a clean shot. _

**Aelita: **I already have my hands full.

_Jeremie bites his fingernails, helplessly watching as his once invincible team falls one by one to the enemy. Moriarty makes sure that he doesn't suffer in silence. _

**Moriarty: **Tick-tock Jeremie. You're running out of time.

**Jeremie: **Out of time for what Moriarty? What are you planning?!

**Moriarty: **Now now you know I can't let you know that quite yet. If you know you might not be so reluctant to defeat Emmanuel…

**Jeremie: **What are you doing that would force us to go to such-_Jeremie stops. He lowers his eyebrows and gets a sickening feeling in his stomach._-You're going to take human life, aren't you?

**Moriarty: **Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. _His tone becomes childish. _Either way, I'm not telling.

**Jeremie: **You don't have to. I know you well enough.

_The elevator doors open. Yumi pants from running to the factory. She regains her breath. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, I'm so sorry I'm la-

**Jeremie: **No time! They need immediate backup down there.

_Back in Lyoko, William hovers in super smoke form around Emmanuel. Emmanuel calmly watches for movement, waiting for William to make his move. _

**Emmanuel: **How long are you going to hide in the shadows William? Come down here and show me what a Lyoko warrior can really do.

_A sword peaks out of the smoke and attempts to strike Emmanuel. Emmanuel blocks it with his hammer. William's legs emerge out of the smoke and kick Emmanuel down. William fully reforms and tries to hit his opponent when he is down, but Emmanuel blocks the strike just in time. William slips his sword underneath the hammer and pries it from Emmanuel's hands. The hammer lands a meter away. William raises his sword for a clean stab, but hesitates when he takes a look at Emmanuel's face. William quickly remembers the dangerous possibility of executing the final blow and finds himself unable to finish the job. Emmanuel encourages his hesitation by appearing afraid and weak. Of course, this façade lasts only a fraction of a second. Emmanuel quickly gives up the act and summons his hammer to his hand. William is quickly surprised and goes on the defensive. On the other side of the battlefield, Christophe continues to fire discs at Dark Ulrich. Then in an incredible stroke of bad luck, Christophe runs out of discs. Christophe stares at his weapons with alarm. _

**Christophe: **Jeremie, I need more discs!

**Jeremie: **Hold on! It's going to take me a few seconds.

_Dark Ulrich triplicates and prepares to attack his disarmed prey. _

**Christophe: **Ulrich did have a point. His evil twin…or twins…are not going to play fair.

_Christophe gets himself into a defensive stance. The first Ulrich tries to cut him down, but Christophe grabs Dark Ulrich's wrist and twists him around to use him as a shield. The second Ulrich cuts down the first one. Christophe grabs one of the sabers from the first one and turns it on the second one, devirtualizing him. He then faces down the last one with saber in hand. The last Dark Ulrich scoffs at him. He super sprints and easily knocks the saber out of his hand. He kicks Christophe to the ground. _

**Dark Ulrich: **Did you honestly think you could handle a master swordsman?

_A red light goes off on Christophe's wrist weapon. Christophe sees this and smiles. _

**Christophe: **Nope. And I don't have to.

_Dark Ulrich is pierced by a disc and disappears into smoke. At the same time, William finds an opening in his fight against Emmanuel. He tries to aim for Emmanuel's legs but Emmanuel jumps and pile drives William into oblivion. Aelita is struck with an energy field from Dark Aelita and she falls to the floor. Before Dark Yumi and Aelita can finish her off, another fan flies out from nowhere and cuts down Dark Aelita. Aelita spins around to see Yumi coming to the rescue. _

**Aelita: **Yumi, thank God you're-

**Yumi: **Aelita look out!

_Emmanuel comes at Aelita from behind while she's distracted and destroys her. Christophe runs over from his fight to help, only to realize he has come too late. He stands alone with Yumi, suffering the sting of defeat. Yumi stares at Emmanuel with the same shock her comrades experienced earlier. _

**Yumi: **Emmanuel? In Lyoko?! Has the world been turned upside down?!

_Emmanuel rests his hammer on his shoulder, ignoring Yumi's confusion. _

**Emmanuel: **Your queen has been put of commission. Without that chess piece, you cannot win. _He turns around. _We are done here…

_Christophe, fully infuriated that Emmanuel has once again belittled him, cocks his wrist. _

**Christophe: **No. _He aims at Emmanuel's back. _We're not done until I wipe that smug look off your pitiful excuse for a face!

**Jeremie: **Christophe, don't be an idiot!

_Christophe holds himself back just in time. Dark Yumi, however, needs no further encouragement to attack. She throws her fans and finishes the last two warriors standing. Back in the scanner room, where Yumi and Christophe emerge, William and Aelita greet them. William shakes his head with disappointment. _

**William: **Join the club…

_When the rest of the warriors gather back in the lab room, Jeremie does his best to rectify the situation. _

**Jeremie: **We have no choice but to try again. Emmanuel is tough, but with most of the dark warriors temporarily offline, we have a chance of getting past this night-

**Moriarty: **Too late Jeremie. _The warriors look at the main computer, which has been taken hostage by Moriarty's presence. _I'm afraid that the bus has arrived.

**Jeremie: **Bus? What bus?

**Moriarty: **You're going to be so sorry you asked that question. _Moriarty shows them a live feed from a street camera. An Arab man sitting at a bench watches a bus arrive at his station. Despite the fact that it's very late, at least a dozen passengers are on board. _See for yourselves…

_The Arab man gets onto the bus with his backpack. For only a moment, the warriors miss Moriarty's point. _

**Natalya: **I don't get it, is the guy going to hijack the bus?

_Odd's eyes flash with understanding and a half second later he screams in horror. He points at the screen. _

**Odd: **OH GOD, WHAT'S IN HIS BACK-?!

_Odd's sentence is cut off by a terrific explosion on screen. The sound is deafening even with the poor audio quality. The smoke clears to show the remains of the bus burning. Not a single soul seems to have escaped. The bus' destruction is total and deadly. The warriors stand shell-shocked for a moment, unable to react. Jeremie, who got a front row seat to the bombing, whimpers a little. He then gets out of his chair and falls to his knees. He stays there for a moment, looking as vulnerable and sad as an injured puppy. He lets a few tears go, and then in the next moment, angrily curses Moriarty for all he's worth, using every foul word he can think of. Aelita grabs hold of him and does her best to calm him. Odd stands there, powerless to remove his gaze from the burning wreckage. He breathes heavily and feels a panic attack coming. He quickly goes to the elevator and closes the door, allowing him to have his moment in private. William holds Natalya tight while Yumi and Ulrich sit down, undergoing a personal disgust and guilt for having failed those people. Christophe, for his part, explodes with rage. _

**Christophe: **Emmanuel…._He clenches his fists so tight that his veins are visible. _He did this…

_Emmanuel crawls down the ladder into the scanner room. _

**William: **Christophe, what are you doing?

_When Christophe doesn't answer, William follows him down. When he reaches the floor, he turns to see Christophe standing in front of the infected scanner. At first he does nothing, but then Christophe's anger comes rushing out and he begins to slam his fists on it with all his might. _

**Christophe: **EMMANUEL YOU BASTARD! SERVING THE ORDER WASN'T ENOUGH?! YOU JUST HAD TO BE HIS ACCOMPLICE TO A (Expletive) MURDER!

**William: **Christophe, enough! This won't change anything.

_Christophe continues without pause. _

**Christophe:** COME OUT OF THERE! If you are the real thing then you have to come back eventually! Come out of there so I rip your head off!

**William: **Christophe stop!

_Christophe claws at the scanner doors and begins to force them open. _

**Christophe: **IF YOU WON'T COME OUT THEN I'LL DRAG YOU OUT! _He starts to push his shoulder into the gap in the scanner. _I SWEAR, I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU HAD DIED ON LYOKO!

_William grabs Christophe's and forces him away from the scanner. _

**William: **This has gone too far! _He pulls Christophe away. _You have to get a hold of yourself!

_Christophe glares at William with the fury of a rabid animal. He fights William's strong grip. _

**Christophe: **Give me one good reason! GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T GO TO LYOKO RIGHT NOW AND MANHANDLE HIM!

_William, seeing no other alternative to pacify Christophe, decides to punch him in the stomach. The blow knocks Christophe on his butt and back to his senses. A stunned Christophe looks up at William, who appears stern and composed. _

**William: **Because if you allow your rage to control you, then Emmanuel has already beaten you.

_Christophe takes a moment to reflect on his outburst. He looks at his hands. Several bruises and cuts are forming from his futile conflict with the infected scanner. He touches his wounds gingerly. _

**Christophe: **I…I don't know what came over me. Just so much anger…I couldn't control it.

_William folds his arms across his chest. The firm expression on William's face reminds Christophe of his father giving him a painful but necessary lecture. _

**William: **Do you think you're the only one who has felt uncontrollable anger for what Moriarty has done? I have news for you Christophe…we have been going through the same thing long before you came along. We've suffered similar outrages. He has tampered with the things most personal to us. Using an old friend turned enemy against you is right in line with his modus operandi. Oh, don't get me wrong…I want to kill him just as much as you do. I've let my anger control me too...when Natalya was at his mercy. That lack of control nearly cost me my life. _William offers Christophe his hand. Christophe takes it and is helped up. _No matter how uncontrollable it is, you have to control it. All the anger in the world will not bring back the lives Moriarty has taken tonight. All that matters now is keeping calm and collected so we can return to the fight and do our best to make sure he doesn't take any more. _He motions to the infected scanner. _We will make Moriarty and Emmanuel pay for the damage they have caused…but we will do it OUR way. And not theirs…

_Thirty minutes later, after the warriors have left the factory, the infected scanner opens. Emmanuel steps out of the scanner and mechanically makes his way out of the factory and back to Kadic. One of the factory cameras catches him leaving the facility. Emmanuel goes back into his room and goes to bed. Several hours later the sun comes up. Emmanuel's alarm goes off. He hits the alarm and stretches. When he opens his eyes, his pupils are normal. He rubs his head. _

**Emmanuel: **Man, what a crazy dream. _His hands rest on the necklace Moriarty gave him. The silver hammer glows for a second and then returns to normal. Emmanuel gets out of bed. _Time for a shower…

_In the early morning, Kadic, along with the rest of France, is rocked with the news of the late night bus bombing. Several students watch the coverage of the story in the recreation room. Reporter Diane Cousteau stands at the scene where police are cutting off access to the blast zone. _

**Diane: **Early this morning at approximately 0024 hours, a bomb ripped through one of Line 7's buses right outside the bus stop here at the corner of Avenue de Versailles and Rue de la Convention. Fourteen people have been confirmed dead, including the suicide bomber and the bus driver. _She pauses as she listens to someone giving her news from the station. _And I have just received word that the President is holding a surprise press conference over the incident.

_The camera switches to a press conference room inside the Élysée Palace_. _President Nicholas Sarkozy is bombarded with camera flashes and pressing questions. The slowly greying leader of France appears older than usual with the obvious pressure mounted on him. He holds his hands out firmly in an attempt to get a word in. _

**Sarkozy: **Citizens of France, I will not waste your time with hollow words. The bus bombing that took place shortly after midnight and claimed the lives of 14 innocent people was a terrorist act, most likely originating from elements of Islamic extremism. We now have confirmation on the identity of the suicide bomber, Hashim Al-Shahriar. I have been in contact with American intelligence agencies, who have informed me that they have previously investigated this man for possible links to Al-Qaeda. They dropped the investigation a couple of years ago when they found no evidence of direct affiliations to the extremist group. Unfortunately for us, it appears that they made a grave mistake. We shall continue to search for evidence to see if Mr. Al-Shahriar acted alone or was part of a larger group. I'm sorry to say we have nothing else to tell you at this time.

_Sarkozy promptly makes his way off stage, amidst a storm of protests from reporters who want to ask more questions. Concerned discussion reverberates among the students in the room. Jim enters the room and claps his hands to get their attention. _

**Jim: **Okay that's enough. Everyone get to class. This is definitely a tragedy, but our usual routine is the same.

_The students leave the recreation room and grumble on the way out. In the cafeteria during breakfast, Jeremie and the rest of the warriors look at the footage from the factory the night before on Jeremie's laptop. Jeremie studies Emmanuel's movements. Odd looks over Jeremie's shoulder. _

**Ulrich: ** I guess he is the real deal.

**Odd: **But it's like he's a robot or something…

**Jeremie: **You're not too far off Odd. Emmanuel is operating on autopilot. Moriarty has a subconscious control over him, much like he did with the trustees. Since Moriarty didn't activate a tower to possess him, then subconscious control is the only answer. _He zooms in on Emmanuel's hands. _But unlike the trustees, I'm not seeing a metal bracelet. He has to be controlling Emmanuel some other way.

_Christophe crushes the small empty milk carton in his hand. _

**Christophe: **Or Moriarty isn't controlling him and Emmanuel is doing this of his own free will…

**Jeremie: **I know you have your history with Emmanuel, Christophe, but don't let it cloud your judgment. Emmanuel may be intensely loyal to Moriarty, but it would be outrageous to think he would willingly help him carry out a terrorist attack.

_Christophe doesn't answer but takes a sip of his orange juice. He sets his drink down on the table with unnecessary force, causing some of the juice to splash onto the table. _

**Natalya: **So we know the truth now. Emmanuel is real. That part of Moriarty's game is dealt with. The question is, what do we do now?

**Aelita: **Moriarty's threat to end Emmanuel's life if we devirtualize him still stands. The only difference is that we know that the threat is absolutely real.

**Yumi: **Or is it? _Everyone turns their eyes on Yumi, making her feel a little uncomfortable. _I mean, Emmanuel is very valuable to Moriarty and The Order. Moriarty may be ruthless, but he won't get rid of someone as long as that person serves a purpose. _Emmanuel suddenly comes into the cafeteria in his normal Order attire, followed by his own posse of Order underlings. Emmanuel gives their lunch table a quick look of sharp disapproval. Yumi lowers her voice. _And I think we can all agree that he is very much useful. The point being, Moriarty may be bluffing.

**William: **I agree. But there's only one problem with your theory Yumi. The Order is now a national movement. Emmanuel was certainly vital in the past, but that was when The Order was only a Kadic thing. Emmanuel might be very useful, but I won't dare to assume that Moriarty is too chicken to carry out his threat.

**Aelita: **And more importantly…_She gives her friends a stern look_…are you really prepared to gamble with a person's life? Even if that person is your enemy? _She folds her arms across her chest. _Enough people have already died at Moriarty's hands. I don't want a single person, even someone that hates me, to share their fate.

**Jeremie: **I made a solemn vow not to sacrifice anyone's health and wellbeing as a means to defeat Moriarty. _He shakes his head. _My conscience has already paid an incredible price for choosing to ignore that in the past. I won't call Moriarty's bluff. And I think we can agree that no one at this table would be willing to do that either.

_Christophe mutters something under his breath. _

**Jeremie: **What was that?

_Christophe looks away. _

**Christophe: **Nothing.

**Jeremie: **No. It was something. And if you have something to say, go ahead and say it.

_Christophe presses his palms against the table. His expression is dark and brooding. _

**Christophe: **Sorry to disappoint you, but not everyone at this table shares your opinion. Moriarty is using Emmanuel to try to make us soft…and you all have fallen for it. _He points at himself. _But not me. I know what it will take to bring Emmanuel down. And that's by not holding back!

**Jeremie: **Not holding back could also make us potential murderers. Have you forgotten that?

**Christophe: **And if that scenario doesn't cause me to lose a lot of sleep at night?

_The intensity in Jeremie's voice rises as the argument escalates. _

**Jeremie: **Then I would say that you've forgotten what being a Lyoko Warrior means.

**Christophe: **What happens when more attacks come? When more bombings take place? When more people die? What will you do then?

**Jeremie: **We don't know what Moriarty's objectives are. We don't even know if he will launch another attack like that. We shouldn't do anything rash just because of a possibility.

_Christophe snickers at this statement. _

**Christophe: **Oh I get it. We can play with other people's lives, but not Emmanuel's.

_Jeremie's fist hits the table. _

**Jeremie: **I've had it with your defiance! Clearly you are too emotionally compromised to make a clear judgment about Emmanuel. I have half a mind to force you to stay out of Lyoko for a while, for you and Emmanuel's sake. But we can't afford to lose any warriors right now. We are not devirtualizing Emmanuel. Period. End of story. And that isn't a suggestion or a request. It is an order. Got it?

_Christophe rolls his eyes. _

**Christophe: **Aye aye, Commandant.

_The table becomes dead quiet. Odd drops his fork to the floor. William stares at Christophe wide-eyed while Natalya puts her hand over her mouth. Jeremie sits there for a second, simmering at the not so subtle jab at him. Finally the rage boils over and Jeremie stands up from his chair, shouting at Christophe loud enough for everyone in the cafeteria to hear. _

**Jeremie: **Don't you ever call me that again! Do you understand?!

_The rest of the people stare at Jeremie. Emmanuel and his friends watch with muted interest. Christophe looks down at the floor and then grabs his tray and leaves. Jeremie stands still for a moment and then walks away in the opposite direction. The silence holds for a little while as the two leave the cafeteria. Gradually conversation picks up and the cafeteria returns to normal. _

**Odd: **Well, that went well.

_Yumi somberly sticks her fork in her food. _

**Yumi: **This is so not the time for us to be divided like this.

**Ulrich: **At this point in the game, it's never a good time. _He turns to Aelita. _Can't we just find a way to keep Emmanuel from the scanners? Wouldn't that fix this whole problem?

**Aelita: **As long as that scanner is infected, Moriarty will have no trouble sending Emmanuel to Lyoko. As for keeping him from the scanner itself, we could lock the elevators and everything, but that won't slow him down for long. And we can't guard the factory all the time. Besides, when Emmanuel is summoned by Moriarty, he is almost as strong as a spectrified human. He would just force his way past us. Our main goal should be keeping Moriarty from continuing to use that scanner.

**Ulrich: **So are you going to get Jeremie right on that?

_Aelita picks up her tray and stands up. _

**Aelita: **No. Jeremie has enough on his plate. And I think he's getting close to a breakthrough on the Cannae Initiative. I don't want him to stop his work on that when he might be very close to success.

**Odd: **So who's going to deal with it?

**Aelita: **Simple. _She smiles. _I am.

_The rest of the warriors stare blankly at her. Aelita becomes slightly offended. _

**Aelita: **Oh come on. Jeremie may be better than me, but I can handle something like a bugged scanner. _She turns around and walks away. _Honestly, you have relied on him to solve everything for far too long.

_Odd watches her leave and shrugs. _

**Odd: **Was it something we said?

_Downtown Paris. Along one of the main boulevards stands the Japanese Embassy in Paris. It is a small beige-colored three story building with a European architectural design. A single guard stands outside the entrance, lazily watching pedestrians pass by. A few Japanese nationals come inside the embassy, but other than that the building is largely inactive. On the second floor, in a hallway that is off-limits to the public, another guard patrols some of the upper rooms. He passes by a storage space, but then stops when he hears a strange beeping coming from the room. The guard turns around and uses a digital card key to enter. For the most part, everything is in order. There are secure documents in various folders and other materials that the embassy possesses. But he can hear the beeping grow louder. He rounds the corner and sees a large square object the size of a large suitcase trunk. The metal object has a timer that is slowly counting down. The guard backs up in horror and trembles as he reaches for his radio. Suddenly the door to the storage room closes behind him. The guard turns around, shocked that the door seemed to close on its own. When he tries to contact his superiors a second time, an electric current runs from the bomb and electrocutes him, knocking him unconscious. The radio falls out of his hands. _

_Several kilometers away, a large square white building with a gated enclosure serves as the Russian Embassy in Paris. Inside, business carries on as usual. But in one of the lower basement rooms of the facility, a bomb identical to the one in the Japanese embassy slowly counts down. _

_The warriors come out of the sewer bridge entrance and swing one by one down onto the factory floor. Jeremie puts in the override code on the locked elevator and they go down to the lab room. Jeremie heads to his post. _

**Jeremie: **William, any word on Emmanuel?

**William: **He showed up for his regular classes, but neither Yumi nor I saw him at gym class. My guess is he's already waiting for us.

_Jeremie quickly checks the factory's security cameras. Sure enough, he sees Emmanuel getting access to the infected scanner via a shortcut from the boiler room. _

**Jeremie: **And you would be right. To make things even better, we have two towers activated. You know what that means…

**Moriarty: **Double the fun…

_The warriors glare at the main monitor screen. Jeremie groans. _

**Jeremie: **Honestly, I need to find a way to keep you from butting in all the time…

**Moriarty: **But then how would you know what I plan to do with you? Really, that's no fun for either of us, isn't it?

**Yumi: **Cut the crap Moriarty, what do you want?

**Natalya: **Yes, we already had a class with you. I don't think I could stand another lecture…

**Moriarty: **It's so funny that both of you are the first to insult me. Because this game is very personal to you both. _Two side by side images of the Russian and Japanese embassies appear on screen. _Behold…

_Natalya and Yumi look with curiosity. _

**Yumi: **Embassy buidlings from both of our homelands…? But what does that-_She suddenly connects the dots. She covers her mouth_-No…

**Natalya: **What? What does it mean?

**Moriarty: **Perhaps this will make things clearer to you-_Two images underneath the initial images show the bombs at both locations. Natalya gasps_- Now perhaps we understand ourselves better. I have two bombs at the ready at both embassies. Each of them has ten minutes before they both go off. The tower for the Russian embassy is in the Ice Sector and the one for the Japanese embassy is in the Forest Sector.

_Ulrich's forehead becomes damp with cold sweat as he processes the information. _

**Ulrich: **Ten minutes for two towers? That would really be pushing it.

**Moriarty: **I wasn't done Ulrich. I was about to mention that deactivating one tower automatically signals for the other one to trigger its bomb. In other words…

_Natalya swallows and closes her eyes. _

**Natalya: **We can't save them both…

**Moriarty: **You catch on quickly…so, which one is it going to be? Which embassy survives and which one goes up in smoke? You have ten minutes to decide. _The images on the bombs zoom in on the timers. _Oops, I meant nine minutes and thirty seconds and counting….better get moving.

_Moriarty cuts off his transmission. The warriors look at each other with uncertainty. Yumi and Natalya avoid eye contact. Meanwhile the timers on the bombs continue to count down. Although Natalya's mouth feels frozen shut, the discomfort of watching the clock slowly tick away forces her to break the silence. _

**Natalya: **We need to snap out of it! Standing here isn't going to solve anything!

**Jeremie: **She's right. If we don't act, both of them will go sky high.

**Odd: **But which one do we choose? And how could we possibly decide without hurting Yumi or Natalya?

_Yumi briefly glances over at Natalya, who purposefully doesn't return the look. Yumi bites her lip and looks at the ground. A strong urge to speak out and demand that her people be spared swells up in her. She lowers her head and ridicules herself for being selfish, but the demand in her thoughts remains strong. Her hands and arms tremble as she starts to lose the fight. Suddenly a warm hand touches hers. She turns to see Ulrich looking at her, reading her every emotion. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, is there something you need to tell us?

_Yumi's mouth becomes dry as everyone looks at her. She pushes some hair out of her face. _

**Yumi: **I…I know a family friend at the embassy. His name is Hachiro Mori and he's a foreign service worker who has known my father for a long time. I only see him a couple of times a year, and we're not that close but I do know him and…if this happened, my father would be-_Her sentence is cut off. She exhales._-I'm sorry, Natalya, I haven't even bothered to ask how you feel about this.

_Natalya twiddles her thumbs. She still refuses to look at Yumi. She furrows her brow as a look of confliction appears on her face. Her fists become clenched. _

**Natalya: **Yumi, if the Japanese embassy was destroyed, are you positive that this Hachiro guy would die?

_Yumi looks at Natalya with curiosity. _

**Yumi: **Unless he was outside getting lunch or something, which I doubt, it's very likely that he would.

**Natalya: **And would it be a personal tragedy for your family?

**Yumi: **Not as much as the death of a relative, but it would hurt us. My father would be particularly devastated.

_Natalya feels her stomach churn uneasily. She touches her aqua blue earrings and toys with them a little in an attempt to calm her nerves. She hugs her right arm close to her body. She inhales deeply through her nose. _

**Natalya: **Then let's save the Japanese Embassy. _Everyone, Yumi most of all, looks at her in astonishment. William tries to put a hand on her shoulder and talk to her, but Natalya brushes him off. _Maybe I'm being selfless, maybe I don't love my country as much as Yumi loves hers, or maybe I'm still bitter at what the government did to my family, but I'm willing to make the sacrifice. I hate that fellow Russians have to die because of me, but we have to make a choice. And I choose to help Yumi.

_Yumi, caught between gratitude and guilt, finds it difficult to speak to her. _

**Yumi: **Natalya…are you sure?

**Natalya: **Yes, let's just do it before I change my mind.

_Jeremie looks back at the timers on the screen. They reach the eight minute mark. _

**Jeremie: **Ordinarily I would argue about this, but we simply don't have time. The Japanese Embassy it is. We should get going. With Emmanuel blocking the way, we need all the time we can get.

**Christophe: **With Emmanuel blocking the way, we might not even be able to deactivate one tower in time. Not without our limitations…

**Ulrich: **He does have a point. Moriarty will adjust himself to wherever we go. He'll defend whichever tower we decide to attack. And it's not like Aelita can be at two places at once.

_Aelita becomes pensive. She starts repeating Ulrich's words to herself. _

**Aelita: **Two places at once…two places at once. _She snaps her fingers. _Ulrich, you're a genius!

_Ulrich looks at her with confusion. _

**Ulrich: **I am?

**Aelita: **Yes. _Aelita smiles as she works over the idea in her head. _You just gave me an idea.

_The warriors head in mass toward the activated tower in the Ice Sector. The tower in front of them is situated in front of a large glacier wall. Ulrich and Yumi lead in the front with the rest of the warriors trailing behind. Aelita rides on the back of Ulrich's Overbike. _

**Ulrich: **Are you ready Aelita?

_Aelita does not answer but gives him a thumbs up. _

**Ulrich: **Good. _He looks up ahead. The dark warriors and Emmanuel are waiting. _Because they're ready too.

_Emmanuel steps in front of the other dark warriors. He hits his hammer against the ice as a warning to the warriors that they march to their own defeat. Yumi pulls up in front of the others. _

**Yumi: **Remember, only non-lethal force on Emmanuel. As for the others, eliminate them as quickly as you can.

_The warriors temporarily split off into two groups and then circle around in a pincer movement to attack the dark warriors and bypass Emmanuel. Natalya fires an arrow that brushes Dark Yumi's shoulder. William steps off the Overdisc, giving the reigns over to Natalya, and dissolves into super smoke. He barrels toward Dark William and knocks him off his feet. Yumi and Christophe get off the Overwing and attack. Emmanuel turns around to defend his troops, but then Odd taps him on the shoulder. Emmanuel spins around to see Odd waving at him from his Overboard. Odd punches him and then aims his Overboard directly up. _

**Odd: **Catch me if you can crusader wannabe!

_Odd goes up in a completely vertical shot. He flies around, taunting Emmanuel. _

**Odd: **What's the matter, can't fly?

_Emmanuel remains unmoved but positions his hammer behind his back. The hammer glows and Emmanuel heaves an energy blast that creates a concussive explosion in the air, nearly knocking Odd off his Overboard. _

**Odd: **Okay, can't fly, but that's still a problem.

_Dark Aelita swoops down on Yumi, trying to catch her off guard. Christophe repels her with a couple of discs that hit her wings. Dark Aelita retreats and then comes back again for more. Ulrich and Aelita distract Dark Yumi with the use of the fast Overbike, going around her in circles. Dark William surrounds William with a super smoke funnel cloud. William keeps his sword close, expecting him to attack at any moment. To his surprise, Dark William's smoke cloud dissipates and Dark Ulrich comes out from nowhere and cuts William down. Natalya puts an arrow in Dark Ulrich's leg and then notches another one. Dark William and Ulrich begin to gang up on her. _

**Natalya: **The dark warriors have gotten better. They're using strategy now.

_Ulrich and Aelita come to the rescue on the Overbike. Ulrich launches off his bike and slices Dark William across the back of the neck and returns to his vehicle. Natalya takes advantage of Dark Ulrich's confusion by putting an arrow in his chest. Ulrich smiles confidently. _

**Ulrich: **They may have gotten better, but that doesn't mean we can't gotten better too.

_Dark Yumi uses her powers to knock the Overbike out from under Aelita and Ulrich. Natalya tries to come to their aid but Dark Yumi devirtualizes her with her fans. Dark Aelita entertains Yumi and Christophe while Dark Yumi corners a fallen Ulrich and Aelita. She pays special attention to Aelita, who stares blankly at her opponent and does not get up. _

**Dark Yumi: **What's the matter princess, too afraid to fight?

_Ulrich gets up and begins to battle her. _

**Ulrich: **Leave her alone!

_During Yumi and Christophe's fight, Dark Aelita unexpectedly lifts Yumi up with her in the air. She then drops her and destroys her in midair with an energy field. Christophe fumes as Dark Aelita flies above him in a mocking way. _

**Christophe: **You picked the wrong day to mess with me. _He primes his weapons as Dark Aelita flies close to the ground for another attack. Christophe runs at her. At the moment Dark Aelita summons an energy field, Christophe jumps and lands on her back. Using her as a springboard, Christophe jumps and destroys her with three discs while up in the air. He lands back on the ice. _That's more like it!

_Odd falls to his feet from the Overboard. Christophe watches stunned as Emmanuel destroys Odd right in front of him. When Odd vanishes, Christophe soon overcomes his surprise and stares down his hated enemy. The weapons on his wrists light up. _

**Christophe: **You're going to be sorry you ever set foot on Lyoko!

**Emmanuel: **Actually my old friend, when this is all over and Moriarty has won, it is you who will wish that you never left the comfort of your room that fateful night.

**Christophe: **Becoming a Lyoko Warrior has opened a lot of possibilities for me. _He aims his wrists at him. _Like the opportunity to teach you some manners!

_Christophe fires and Emmanuel blocks his shots. Christophe runs forward and grabs Emmanuel's hammer, trying to rip it from his hands. But Emmanuel's strength is superior. Christophe begins to fall to his knees. Emmanuel looks scornfully at him. _

**Emmanuel: **What's the matter? _He points to Christophe's pectorals. _Not using your secret weapon? How can you possibly hope to defeat me…._Emmanuel rips the hammer from Christophe's hands and stomps Christophe to the ground…_.if you are holding yourself back?!

_Emmanuel pummels Christophe into the ice. Christophe disappears. Dark Yumi then drags a defeated and disarmed Ulrich in front of Emmanuel. _

**Dark Yumi: **All of them are vanquished Commander.

**Emmanuel: **What about Aelita?

_Dark Yumi panics, realizing that in her confusion she left Aelita alone. But when she turns around, she sees that Aelita is exactly where she left her. Aelita is still sitting on the ice, not moving or making a sound. Emmanuel furrows his eyebrows and notices that Aelita had a perfect opportunity to deactivate the tower and did not take it. The grip on his hammer tightens. _

**Emmanuel: **What is the meaning of this?!

_Ulrich starts to chuckle. When both of them look down at the defeated warrior, they see Ulrich smiling. _

**Ulrich: **It's called a fake out….

_The image of Aelita vanishes into nothingness. Emmanuel boils with fury when he sees he's been tricked. _

**Emmanuel: **NO!

_In his anger he pounds Ulrich into virtualized dust. In the Forest Sector, the real Aelita leans against a tree on the way to the tower. She looks very weak. She braces herself against the tree and slowly stumbles toward the tower. _

**Jeremie: **Excellent job, Aelita. Your ploy has worked perfectly.

_Aelita puts her hands on her knees and stops for a second. _

**Aelita: **Yes, but I've never created an avatar of myself while I am in a different sector. It's taking everything out of me. I feel so weak…

**Jeremie: **Hang on Aelita, you're almost there. _Jeremie checks the timers. The countdown has gone below two minutes. The devirtualized warriors huddle around the computer, nervously watching the scene. Meanwhile Aelita's lifepoints begin to slowly drain down. _What, what is this?

_Aelita comes within ten meters of the tower. _

**Aelita: **I'm almost there Jeremie.

**Jeremie: **You're losing lifepoints without even being hit! This stunt has drained you. _Three enemy dots appear on screen. Jeremie puts his hands on his head. _And you have three vultures on your tail. If even one of them hits you, it's game over!

_Aelita grimaces. _

**Aelita: **I should have known this plan would have repercussions. _Remembering that lives are on the line, Aelita gives her last bit of strength to get inside the tower as the vulture's laser blasts close in on her. She crawls to the lower platform. _I…I made it.

_The warriors cheer as Aelita rises to the top and enters the code. Both of the timers suddenly stop. Natalya presses her face against William's chest and covers her ears, expecting the devastating explosion. Jeremie somberly waits for it as well. But he can't help but feel some satisfaction at limiting the damage. _

**Jeremie: **We played your game Moriarty. The result may not be what we wanted, but we did prove that we could fool you. Admit it Moriarty, we played you perfectly.

**Moriarty: **Oh but I'm afraid I wasn't the only one who was fooled today.

_The timer for the bomb in the Japanese Embassy suddenly accelerates to zero. Yumi's mouth drops and she runs to the computer in a desperate attempt to avoid the inevitable. _

**Yumi: **WAIT NO!

_The Japanese Embassy explodes. Fire streams out of the windows as the explosion carries into the adjacent street, killing motorists and pedestrians. After twenty seconds of heavy smoke and fire, the dust clears to reveal that the building was completely leveled. The sounds of people screaming and running in confusion soon filter through the clip's audio. Yumi stands there motionless, powerless to stop the chaos and pain that Moriarty has caused. The fire and smoke from the blast burn into her corneas. She grips the arm rest on the command chair and digs her fingernails into it. _

**Yumi: **You…lied to us…

**Moriarty: **Did I lie to you? Or did I simply conceal an important part of the game? The true part of the game was an exercise in selflessness. Since Natalya was willing to sacrifice her personal loyalties for yours, the Russian embassy was the one that was spared. I purposefully gave you the wrong tower to bomb connections for the sole purpose of making you destroy the location that you most wanted to save. And plus, to be quite honest Yumi-_Yumi cringes with rage at the mention of her name._-I just really hate you. So I guess the Japanese Embassy just made more sense.

_Tears form in the bottom of Yumi's eyes. The pent-up grief and anger bursts forth in the form of screaming. _

**Yumi: **I KNEW SOMEONE AT THAT EMBASSY! YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED INNOCENT PEOPLE!

**Moriarty: **That I did…there's no denying that one. More than I thought I would actually. I didn't realize that the full force of the bomb would carry over into the street, but so much the better. Better for it to be seen as an attack on both nations than just Japan.

_Yumi hyperventilates with fury and despair. She lowers her head and curses Moriarty for all she's worth. Moriarty pauses for a moment and allows her to finish. Eventually Yumi becomes tired from the cursing and yelling and just quietly whimpers. Ulrich tries to hug her but she resists. Natalya stands behind her, quiet and solemn, not sure what to make of the deception. For a moment she thinks that she is somehow to blame, but she quickly brushes that thought aside. She reminds herself that she could not have predicted Moriarty's treachery. _

**Moriarty: **Anyway I must be going. I have papers to grade. And with two terrorist attacks taking place in two days, it's only a matter of time before the press asks me my opinion. I have to be ready to give a sharp and poignant response.

_Moriarty excuses himself from the monitor screen. The image of the destroyed embassy disappears, much to the warriors' relief. Jeremie shuts down the monitor and slowly slips down from his chair. He puts his hands in his pockets. He looks up at Aelita, and then to the rest of the warriors. Other than Yumi sobbing, the group is deathly quiet. Jeremie takes the lead and edges over to the elevator. The rest follow. Not a single word is spoken on the way back to Kadic. _

_The Lyoko Warriors hold a meeting in Ulrich and Odd's room. They sit on the two beds or lean against the wall. Jeremie sits at Ulrich's desk chair. Outside, they hear the sounds of fire engines and ambulances rushing by, no doubt heading to the location of the explosion. The warriors wait for the disruptive noise to pass. Jeremie taps his foot on the floor. Kiwi moves around, trying to get their attention, but even Odd ignores him. Jeremie briefly looks out the window at the night sky. _

**Jeremie: **Two terror attacks in two days. _He shifts his chair back around. _Not to mention the other attack that we foiled. It all leads to one simple pattern. Moriarty wants to cause damage, and a lot of it.

**William: **For what purpose?

**Jeremie: **My guess…to cause panic. To ruin the image of France's safety, thereby discrediting its government. To raise fears of outside and internal enemies. And when he achieves all of these things and when it becomes obvious that normal methods to quell the violence have failed, people will become more willing to accept an extreme solution to the problem.

**William: **…The Order…

**Jeremie: **Exactly.

_Rain starts to patter on the windows. It turns into a steady and somewhat soothing drumbeat. Cold winds hit the frame, causing the windows to creak slightly. _

**Odd: **If that's the case, then this is going to continue. There will be more attacks. More people will die. _He covers his face with his hands. _We can't let that happen.

**Ulrich: **If this is the deadliest game Moriarty has played yet, then we can't afford to fail any more. We can't let another attack happen.

_Delmas' voice comes onto the intercom in the hallway. His voice filters through the closed door. _

**Delmas: **Attention students. Due to the recent tragedies and clear safety concerns, the 9th grade field trip to the Rodin Museum has been cancelled. In addition, classes will be suspended in the afternoon. That is all.

**Natalya: **And now it's starting to hit home.

**Ulrich: **The reactions will just get worse and worse.

**Jeremie: **Which brings us to the inevitable problem: what do we do with Emmanuel?

_Aelita hugs her knees closer to her body. _

**Aelita: **Moriarty has put us in a tough spot. I know we agreed to not consider the…possibility…but this second attack changes things.

_Christophe stands in the corner, quietly brooding over the whole situation. He shoots Jeremie a slightly critical look, but luckily Jeremie doesn't notice. _

**Natalya: **So how do we solve this?

**Jeremie: **I have one solution. We take a vote. If the vote is unanimous in favor of not holding back against Emmanuel, then we will do what is necessary. But only if it is unanimous.

**Aelita: **I agree. With such an important decision, there shouldn't be any dissent. We all have to agree on it.

_The warriors stare at each other for a moment, hesitating to engage in this painful act of democracy. After about ten seconds, Jeremie breaks the silence. _

**Jeremie: **Okay…hands up if you think we shouldn't hold back.

_The warriors stay frozen for a moment. Then William slowly raises his hand. Ulrich and Yumi join him. Christophe watches the scene. When he sees that there are some people on his side, he too raises his hand. The rest of the warriors keep their hands down. _

**Jeremie: **It wasn't unanimous. Our current policy stays.

_Christophe lowers his hand. He continues to stew in the corner, greatly disappointed with the outcome. William inches forward on Odd's bed and speaks to those who did not vote on his side. _

**William: **Guys, I know the vote was fair and the unanimous requirement is reasonable, but you are making a mistake.

**Yumi: **More people will die.

**Aelita: **Trying to save lives and taking them are too radically different things. I can't support what you want.

_Odd nods in agreement. _

**Odd: **Emmanuel maybe Moriarty's supporter on Earth, but he's his slave on Lyoko. What if I was still in there, being forced to serve him? Would you be willing to kill me to stop potential attacks?

**Ulrich: **Of course not!

**Odd: **Then what makes Emmanuel's life any less valuable?

_Ulrich begins to answer, but then finds that he can't. Christophe's side is suddenly silenced. _

**Jeremie: **We also have to keep in mind the extenuating circumstances of Moriarty's latest attack. With his conditions, it wouldn't have mattered whether Emmanuel was there or not. One of the embassies still would have been destroyed. If we take that into account, then there's simply not enough reason to condemn Emmanuel.

_Most of the voters against Emmanuel see Jeremie's point. _

**Aelita: **I guess that's it then. I'll start the work debugging the scanner.

**Jeremie: **Are you sure you want to handle it on your own?

**Aelita: **It's menial work, but I'll get it fixed up. It's more efficient this way. You don't have to put any of your projects on ho-

_Ulrich's phone rings. He reaches into his pocket and stands up. _

**Ulrich: **Excuse me, I think I have to take this.

_He goes into the hallway and sees that the call is from his mother. He answers it without a second thought. _

**Ulrich: **Mom?

_His mother takes a few seconds to respond. Her voice is hollow. _

**Mrs. Stern: **Ulrich, I need you to meet me at the front entrance.

**Ulrich: **But it's raining pretty heavily. Is it really that urgent?

**Mrs. Stern: **Ulrich…please come to the front gate. I need to tell you something.

_She hangs up. Ulrich puts his phone back in his pocket. As he walks toward the stairwell, he spends a few moments guessing what his mother wants. After thinking over several scenarios, his feet suddenly stop. He places a hand against the wall. The blood begins to pound in his head. A chill passes down his body. He presses his fingernails into the wall. _

**Ulrich: **No…

_Yumi peeks her head out. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, is everything alright?

_Ulrich runs to the stairwell and vanishes. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich!

_Ulrich bursts out of the building and into the rain. He nearly slips on the wet pavement twice, but he keeps going. The dim lights of Kadic's campus highlight his increasingly distraught face. He rounds the corner and reaches the front gate. His mother waits outside next to her car, looking intently at Ulrich. Her hair and outfit are wet, but she pays little attention to it. At the sight of her son, her usual reserved features begin to crack. Her eyeliner and expensive makeup are running, and Ulrich sees that it is not on account of the rain. She reaches her arms toward him in the form of an embrace. _

**Mrs. Stern: **Ulrich…

_That single word is all Ulrich needs to hear to understand. He slowly goes to his knees. His gaze becomes limp and unfocused as he looks into nothing. His mom bends down to hug him. She starts crying. Ulrich gives no reaction. Yumi runs up behind them. Once she sees the two in their current state, she too understands. Ten minutes later at the hospital, Ulrich, Yumi, and Mrs. Stern linger in Mr. Stern's room. His body, as always, is motionless. But the machines reading his life signs are registering nothing. His heart monitor only displays a flat line. Ulrich's thousand-yard stare stays in place. He briefly touches his father's hand. It is cold. At the end of Mr. Stern's bed, a doctor makes his final notes. He then stops his work and touches Ulrich's shoulder. _

**Doctor: **I'm sorry son. His heart just got weaker and weaker. We just couldn't stop it. _Ulrich neither welcomes nor rejects the doctor's attempt at sympathy. The doctor briefly glances at his former patient. _If it's any consolation, if he had woken up, he would not have been the same man he was. More than likely he would have been a uh…

_Ulrich finally speaks. _

**Ulrich: **Vegetable?

**Doctor: **Unfortunately…yes. I doubt anyone would want to see their family member like that. _He begins to walk out of the room. _Feel free to take as much time as you need.

_Mrs. Stern pulls a chair up and sits next to the body of her husband. She rests her head on the side rails of the bed. Ulrich's stare remains as detached and empty as ever. Yumi tries to touch his hand, but he pulls away. He looks away from his father and wanders out of the room. He wanders down the hallway. He continues wandering, going in no particular direction. He passes by patients and doctors, his mind dissociated from the images his eyes are seeing. Yumi trails behind him. Eventually they make it out of the hospital. Ulrich walks out into the parking lot. The rain is lighter now. He looks up at the sky. He lets the rain wash down his face. Ulrich hears the puddle-soaked footsteps of Yumi behind him. Arms slowly wrap around him from behind. _

**Yumi: **I wish…._She hugs him tighter_…I had something to say. Some words of comfort to do justice to this situation. But I don't have anything.

**Ulrich: **You don't have to say anything.

**Yumi: **I have to. You're in pain…

**Ulrich: **So are you…

_Pause. _

**Yumi: **My father said he's going to Hachiro's funeral in Japan. It hit him pretty hard.

_The rain picks up again. Yumi's hold on Ulrich remains steadfast. _

**Yumi: **It's okay to cry.

_Some tears leak out of Ulrich's eyes, mixing with the rain on his face. _

**Ulrich: **Already there.

_Yumi presses her face against Ulrich's back. _

**Yumi: **The people we love are dying. How long will it be before we lose everything?

_Ulrich turns around to face her. His face is full of tears. _

**Ulrich: **You haven't lost everything. And I haven't lost everything. _He moves his hand through her damp black hair. _And I don't plan to.

_Her eyes start to water. A genuine fear and quiet desperation start to rise to the surface. _

**Yumi: **He's killed so many innocent people. How long will it be before he kills us? _She chokes up. _What if he…what if you-?

_He takes her hand. _

**Ulrich: **He won't. And I won't. We will survive this. I won't let you die.

**Yumi: **If we can't save others, how will we save ourselves? _She sees an ambulance pull in. A man on a stretcher is taken in by the paramedics. _Because of Lyoko, we can sometimes pretend that we are invincible, that nothing will happen to us. We put all thoughts of death aside. After all, we have survived so many near-death experiences. _A life flight helicopter flies above them as it prepares to land. _But it's an illusion. In the real world, we are just as mortal and vulnerable as everyone else. We are so weak. If death comes to take one of us, no amount of bravado or resistance will be able to stop it.

**Ulrich: **No. _He pulls her into a warm embrace. _But that doesn't mean we can't try.

_Ulrich's lips meet hers. She returns the kiss. Ulrich loses himself in the tenderness of her touch. _

**Ulrich: **Thank God…

**Yumi: **Thank God for what?

_Ulrich traces his finger over her lips. _

**Ulrich: **For being able to kiss the real thing, and not a cheap imitation.

_Scene shifts back to Kadic. Jeremie listens to Aelita in his room. Both of them are in their pajamas. He sits at his desk chair. _

**Jeremie: **So…it's really happened.

**Aelita: **Yes. Yumi called ten minutes ago.

_Jeremie moves uncomfortably in his chair. He taps his fingers against his knees. His face is sullen and withdrawn. He slowly spins back around to the computer. _

**Jeremie: **I knew I couldn't run from it forever. Just another reason why this vote was so important.

_She inches toward him. _

**Aelita: **Do you want to talk about it?

**Jeremie: **There's nothing to talk about. I have work to do. We both have work to do. You have the scanner, and I'm working full speed on the Cannae Initiative. I've reached the third level of encryption. If I absorb myself in my work, we might have an answer relatively soon.

**Aelita: **…If that's what you want.

_Jeremie glues his face to the computer. _

**Jeremie: **It is. _He glances back at her. _You should probably get going. César will be back any minute now.

_She solemnly nods. _

**Aelita: **Right.

_She makes her way out of the room. Once the door is shut behind her, Jeremie takes off his glasses. He wipes off a smudge. When he does so, a single tear falls onto the glass. Jeremie wipes that off too and then rubs his eye. He puts his glasses on and goes back to work. _

_Time passes. Ulrich, Yumi, his extended family, and some business associates attend Mr. Stern's funeral. Dead leaves blow by them as the coffin is laid in the ground. Later on at the Ishiyama household, Mr. Ishiyama leaves for the funeral of Hachiro. He hugs his wife and waves goodbye to his kids and father before leaving. Days turn into weeks, and the attacks continue with devastating frequency. In one instance, Moriarty makes them choose between the number of victims and innocence. Moriarty delivers his ultimatum through the main computer monitor. _

**Moriarty: **In approximately twenty minutes a lone gunman will walk onto a cluster of soccer fields on the east side of the city. Two towers are activated on opposite ends of the Mountain Sector. Control of the specter switches back and forth between the two towers at a rate of 0.3 seconds. If you choose the one at the southern end, he will fire into a group of twenty five young adults from the amateur men's division. If you choose the one at the northern end, he will fire into a group of ten eight-year olds practicing for a primary school league.

_The warriors race to the southern end of the Mountain Sector. The dark warriors attempt to stop them. Christophe and Yumi are taken down. The rest press on. The remaining warriors succeed in distracting Emmanuel long enough for Aelita to enter the tower. Emmanuel eliminates the remaining warriors while Aelita deactivates the tower. When she attempts to fly out of the tower past Emmanuel and reach the other tower, Emmanuel gives pursuit. Aelita fires energy fields around his feet, trying to get him on the defensive. It does not faze him and he launches a concussive blast from his hammer that devirtualizes her. Back at the soccer fields, the gunman takes aim at the players from the men's amateur division. The children on the other field scream and run as the horrific site unfolds. News headlines state that the body count is seven dead and five wounded. The warriors take another vote. This time only Aelita and Jeremie vote against any change on the question of Emmanuel. More time goes by. The Outcasts gather for one of their weekly meetings. _

**Jim: **We've been trying to bolster support among foreign students in our local universities. There's a group of Spanish foreign exchange students at Paris Descartes University who seem interested in our movement, but need some convincing. Luckily we have just the Outcast necessary for the job.

_César stands up with his usual confident and slightly goofy face. _

**César: **_Sin problemas _(No problem). You can count on me.

**Jim: **You will meet them at a coffee shop near the university. We wish you the best of luck and most importantly, be careful.

_The prince shrugs this suggestion aside. _

**César: **Please. I have Felipe and the rest of my men to protect me. What could possibly go wrong?

_Thirty minutes later, a tower is activated. Moriarty dishes out another threat to the warriors._

**Moriarty: **There is a bomb hidden in the coffee shop César is at right now. Any attempts to warn him will set the bomb off. This time you don't have to choose between attacks. There is only one bomb and one tower. Of course…_Two activated towers sit side by side in the Desert Sector…_.one of them is a fake, so choose wisely.

_The warriors come face to face with Emmanuel and the dark warriors again. Odd, Yumi, and Aelita circle above Emmanuel on their vehicles to keep his attention away from fighting the others. _

**Yumi: **Are you sure it's this one?

_She activates her wings. _

**Aelita: **I guessed correctly before with Xana. I can do it again. _She points to Emmanuel, who has positioned himself more towards the left tower. _If Emmanuel is guarding this one, then that has to be it.

**Yumi: **Alright, go!

_Aelita takes off and flies to the tower. Emmanuel fires a concussive blast at Aelita. But Odd flies into the line of fire and blocks it for her. She manages to sneak past and get in. She enters the code, but the holographic screen gives no response. She quickly realizes her error and gasps in horror. _

**Aelita: **No…

_Back in the coffee shop, César and his new friends talk casually. Felipe conspicuously stays by the prince's side in spite of his protests. The burly man's hearing soon picks up a strange beeping. He looks around suspiciously. His eyes rest on a ventilation shaft directly above them, where a strange metal object beeps rapidly above César's head. Realizing that he only has seconds, the bodyguard's mind goes on instinct. He grabs César without explanation and busts through the window and onto the street. A second and a half later the coffee shop explodes. Felipe covers the prince from the blast. César's body goes into shock as the lives of his new friends and other security personnel disappear before his very eyes. The Lyoko Warriors hold another vote on the question of Emmanuel. To Jeremie's shock, Aelita decides to join the others in the vote. He alone continues to support the status quo. While the people of France and its infrastructure continue to reel from the deadly tragedies, Moriarty refuses to let off the gas pedal. _

**Moriarty: **A subway train of my choice will explode during rush hour traffic in approximately eight minutes. Waiting for you on Lyoko is Emmanuel and about thirty-five monsters. If you defeat all of the monsters before time runs out, he will let you pass by him. Of course, if you attempt to defeat him before you reach your quota, nothing is stopping you. It's up to you.

_A terrific battle ensues in the Mountain Sector as the warriors fight with a fury. A combination of humanoids, tigers, and cobras stand in their way. All seven warriors give it their all, striking down monsters at every turn. But there are simply too many of them. Natalya, Ulrich, and Odd fall to the monsters. Christophe is knocked down by a tiger in front of Emmanuel, who waits patiently by the side of the tower, watching the battle. Christophe stands up and glowers at him. He destroys the tiger behind him without even looking back. Yumi starts to get cornered. _

**Yumi: **There are too many of them! We'll never reach our quota in time!

_William strikes down monster after monster and super smokes down the battlefield to kill more. _

**William: **Yes we will! Just keep destroying them!

_Christophe aims at Emmanuel. Aelita sees them and reaches her hand toward him to stop him. _

**Aelita: **Christophe, don't do it!

**Jeremie: **This was not what we agreed on!

_Christophe attacks him aggressively, but his anger proves a disadvantage. Emmanuel calmly dodges his strikes and dispatches his enemy. Forty seconds later an explosion rips through the subterranean tunnels of Paris. Media coverage continues, and the body count rises. _

**Diane: **The second bombing this week has claimed an additional 60 lives and put government security at high alert. We have now received word that a group has finally emerged claiming responsibility for these attacks. _A series of photos of rugged looking Arabic men set up by Moriarty appear on screen. _They call themselves the Islamic Republic of France, and they have made it clear that they will not stop until their demands are met.

_A man whose face is purposely darkened to conceal his identity shows up on screen. _

**Fake Spokesperson: **Our demands are relatively simple. We want France to stop persecuting our Muslim brothers. We want them to stop siding with the United States and Israel on their anti-Islamic crusade. We want France to become an Islamic state, and finally….we want the vestiges of this country's corrupt culture to be replaced with something more resembling our own. If our demands are not met, your country's streets will continue to run with blood.

_The camera goes back to Diane. _

**Diane: **Ever since this threatening message, reports of attacks against local Muslims have increased threefold. If these attacks continue, reprisals and hate crimes are expected to increase astronomically…

_Another vote takes place. Jeremie resists the pleading of the others and refuses to make the vote unanimous. His facial expression becomes hard and unyielding. The days go by and another tower falls to Moriarty. His ultimatum is blunt. _

**Moriarty: **A car bomb in a busy commercial district will go off in ten minutes. I'm starting to get bored with all the little details of our games. This time you just have a time limit. Knock yourselves out.

_The warriors face down Emmanuel in the Ice Sector again. The dark warriors fall and Odd, Natalya, William, and Aelita remain, surrounding Emmanuel. Only he stands between them and the tower. Aelita eyes the tower, waiting to make her move. William glances at Aelita. She nods. William charges at him, getting his attention. Aelita flees for the tower a split second later. But Emmanuel sees through the ruse. He disarms William, devirtualizing him with his own sword. He then tosses the sword and pierces Aelita in midair. The car bomb goes off, and the screaming and pain continue. _

**Diane: **As the death toll for these couple of weeks reaches the 300 mark, the country sinks into further desperation. Reports are coming in of a dramatic shift to the far right among the French populace. In other news, two mosques were burned in the country, one here in Paris and one in Nice…

_The warriors take another vote. Jeremie still refuses to budge. The rest of them gently try to get him to listen to them. When he still doesn't listen, their attempts to persuade him become more desperate and urgent. But Jeremie folds his arms across his chest and turns away from them. Christophe shakes his head in disgust and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him. Later on, Jeremie runs to Aelita's room. He comes to Aelita's side at her computer. She is staring at the screen in horror. Red exclamation points are going off. _

**Jeremie: **What happened?

**Aelita: **I'm sorry Jeremie! I overlooked one glitch on the scanner, and now the whole thing is bugged again. The data's completely rearranged. _Jeremie stares blank-faced at the disaster. Aelita cautiously delivers the harsh end of the message. _We'll have to start all over again.

_Jeremie remains emotionless. He heads to the door. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie?

_He slams the door behind him. _

_Another attack happens two days later, this time targeting a train. During the fight in the Forest Sector, William sees an opening to strike Emmanuel, but he hesitates too long to do it. He is cut down, and the others soon join him. The passenger train explodes just as it enters its station outside Lyons. The country becomes rife with mourning and the national and international media lock onto the stories. A general air of desperation becomes pervasive throughout France. People limit their social activities, refusing to go to parties or bars or cafes, especially at night. Security checkpoints are set up in the major cities, and the president and other politicians hold press conferences to ease the people's minds. But it does little to help. The questions and accusations against politicians become more and more visceral as the days pass. The security checkpoints set up in Paris do nothing but increase traffic jams. The national attitude becomes more and more fearful…and extreme. Delmas delivers another message to Kadic students via the intercom. _

**Delmas: **Students, until further notice, outside activities will be limited and done under the strict supervision of teachers. Day students will be picked up immediately after school by their parents, and a strict curfew will be in place for regular students. If you have any questions about the new change in student policy, please come to see me, Jim Morales, or….Dr. Renard.

_An hour after this message, Jeremie returns to his room after his morning classes. He is surprised to see a stack of suitcases next to César's bed. The prince himself sits on his bed, which has been stripped of its pillow and sheets. All of his belongings are packed up and ready to go. César lazily plays his violin, slowly and sadly. There is a far away, tortured look in his eyes. Jeremie cautiously walks into the room. He decides to approach the matter gently. _

**Jeremie: **So…you're leaving?

**César: **_Sí. _I can't stay here. I just can't. I am sorry to leave you and the Outcasts, but I am no hero. Things have gotten too crazy here for me. The Order I could handle, but all these terrorists destroying things and trying to kill me? _His hands begin to tremble on the wooden instrument. _Forget about it.

**Jeremie: **No one blames you for leaving. And it's not like your family gave you a choice.

**César: **No. You are very right.

_Felipe opens the door. _

**Felipe: **_Mi Señor, tu avión está preparado. _(My lord, your plane is ready.)

**César: **_Tres minutos por favor. _(Three minutes please.)

**Felipe: **_Bueno. __Pero no más de tres minutos. _(Okay. But no more than three minutes.)

_Felipe closes the door. César takes a deep breath. He begins to play the violin seriously this time. He plays a sad, moving piece. The song that he plays is "Jueves" by a group called La Oreja de Van Gogh. His mind and spirit dissolve into the song and he begins to quietly sing the lyrics. It is a song of love, cut short by the pain of tragedy. _

**César: **_Estamos llegando (We are arriving)_

_Mi vida ha cambiado (My life has changed)_

_Un día especial este once de marzo (A special day this March 11th) _

_Me tomas la mano (You take my hand)_

_Llegamos a un tunel (We arrive at a tunnel) _

_Que apaga la luz (that turns off the lights)_

_Te encuentro la cara (I find your face)_

_Gracias a mis manos (Thanks to my hands)_

_Me vuelvo valiente y te beso en los labios (I become bold and kiss you on the lips)_

_Dices que me quieres y yo te regalo (You say that you love me and I give you)_

_El último soplo de mi corazón (The last beat of my heart)_

_César pauses the song and puts down his violin. He leans his head against the wall. Tears form in his eyes. Jeremie moves to his desk chair and sits down. He rubs the back of his neck. _

**Jeremie: **I didn't understand that, but it sounded very good. Very…emotional. _Jeremie looks him in the eye. _Are you okay?

_César wipes his eyes. He taps the violin strings with his fingers. _

**César: **When I was much younger, Spain suffered a national tragedy much like the ones here in France. Terrorists set off bombs in several subway trains in Madrid. It ended up killing nearly two hundred people and injuring many more. The royal family made a public appearance to show their solidarity with the victims. I remember a woman, who must have lost her son to the explosion, screaming with wild abandonment. Her howling cries were so painful, so wounded…_César begins to lose his voice…_I will never forget her scream that day. And then I had to relive those terrible screams after the coffee shop…_His voice trails off. He wipes his eyes again. _I'm sorry, I just can't stay here anymore.

_He places his violin in its case. Felipe enters the room again. César nods his head. The two pick up his suitcases. Felipe walks out the door with the majority of them. César touches the door to Jeremie's room. He looks back. _

**César: **_Adiós, compañero de cuarto_. (Goodbye roommate.)

**Jeremie: **Goodbye. _He shakes his hand. _Before you go, I have one request.

**César: **What is that?

**Jeremie: **Let your people, your family, your prime minister know what is happening here. It may be a French problem for the moment, but I have a…feeling that the damage Renard is doing will spread beyond our borders.

**César: **I will. The death of seven Spanish students studying abroad in addition to most of my security personnel has definitely gotten their attention. I will do what I can on my front. _He forces a smile. _On a lighter note, I am hopefully coming back to Paris to see Eurovision. Maybe I'll stop by to see you.

**Jeremie: **I'm sure we'll see you. Aelita and I have tickets. We can't wait.

**César: **Then I will see you mid-December. _He salutes Jeremie. _Goodbye for now. My plane isn't going to wait forever.

_The door closes behind him. Jeremie waves after his departure. _

**Jeremie: **Yeah…see you later.

_Jeremie sits back in his desk chair. He instinctively moves toward the computer, but then decides against it. He looks up at the window. The harsh glare of an approaching winter sun shines into the room. Jeremie has to squint to keep it out of his eyes. He looks down, and his eyes rest on a photo of the original Lyoko Warrior group before Aelita was materialized. He smiles when he sees the happy faces of Odd, Yumi, and himself. But when his eyes rest on Ulrich, he suddenly frowns. He pushes the picture frame out of his sight. He turns away from the computer, hanging his head. A few seconds later he receives a text from Aelita. He checks the message. It reads: Come to my room now. Jeremie slowly gets out of his chair and obeys the request. When he opens the door to Aelita's room, he stops. Aelita and all of the other warriors are waiting for him. Her room is cramped and unfit for that number of people, but they don't seem bothered by it. Instead they focus all their attention directly at Jeremie. Jeremie carefully closes the door behind him as he looks over the group with confusion. _

**Jeremie: **What is this? _He takes a step forward. _An intervention?

**Odd: **Actually, yes.

**Aelita: **We need to talk.

_Jeremie quickly understands what's happening. Defensive walls are erected in his mind. He looks at the warriors with minor hostility and does an about face. He heads for the door. _

**Jeremie: **There's nothing to talk about.

_William blocks the door. _

**William: **Then you'll just have to stay here with us for a while. We can either sit here all day staring at each other or we can address the elephant in the room. Your choice.

_Jeremie looks back at the others. Their looks are just as serious as before. Seeing that William is not going to move, Jeremie reluctantly sits next to Aelita's desk. _

**Jeremie: **Fine. I'll humor you.

_Aelita stands up from her bed and approaches Jeremie. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, you know I care about you more than anything. I understand your motives and believe it or not I respect your resolve. But we simply can't do this anymore.

**William: **It doesn't make sense to continue to spare one person at the expense of so many other lives.

**Jeremie: **We will not kill Emmanuel. End of story. There is nothing to talk about, there is nothing to discuss. We will not stoop to Moriarty's level. _His voice shakes. _Never again…

**Odd: **No one wants to take Emmanuel's life. But at this point, what other choice do we have? People are dying. We can't ignore them any longer.

_Jeremie's tone becomes sharper and bitterly defensive. He levels a spiteful glare at the rest of the warriors. _

**Jeremie: **Do you even know what you are suggesting? We are talking about murder, committing a serious crime. Do you think a crime like that can ever be justified?

_Christophe breaks his silence. He doesn't appear to be as hateful as he was before, but his intensity has not dropped. He speaks to Jeremie coldly and firmly. _

**Christophe: **We are at war, Jeremie. Ernest Hemingway once said that war, no matter how necessary or justified, is still a crime. We are committing a crime Jeremie, but we are justified….

_Jeremie looks away. He bites his lip. His expression becomes more pained and desperate. _

**Jeremie: **Do you even know what it's like to have someone's death on your conscience?

**Yumi: **Yes…we do.

**Natalya: **The deaths of all the people who could have lived if we hadn't decided to hesitate. Do you think we haven't had that on our conscience? _She becomes teary-eyed. _I haven't slept at all for two straight nights.

**Jeremie: **You didn't directly kill them. Moriarty killed them and forced you into a position to make you think you held the blame. Don't you see? That's the whole point of Moriarty's games. To make you think you are responsible. But you can't allow yourself to think that, or you become like him.

**Yumi: **But we are responsible. Moriarty is our enemy, and if he hurts others, it reflects back on us and our inability to stop him.

**Odd: **We have to do something about it.

_Jeremie feels cornered, pressured into a course of action that causes every fiber of his being to revolt. He swallows nervously and shifts uncomfortably on the floor. He looks down, avoiding eye contact with the others. _

**Jeremie: **I promised….I promised I would never do something that horrible again. If I did it again….I couldn't-_He shuts his eyes tightly_-I couldn't bear it.

**Yumi: **You wouldn't bear the consequences and guilt alone.

_Aelita touches his hand. _

**Aelita: **We all would. We know that the burden is nearly impossible to carry it alone. _She moves closer to him. _Let us carry it with you.

_Jeremie's iron resolve starts to crack under the pressure from the others and the tenderness of Aelita's words. But he remains resistant. _

**Jeremie: **I just can't see how these lost lives could justify us taking another into our own hands.

**Christophe: **Then how many need to die before it is justified? Five hundred? A thousand?

_Aelita rebukes him. _

**Aelita: **Christophe!

**Christophe: **I'm sorry. But someone has to say it.

_Jeremie can't find an answer to Christophe's blunt question. He opens his mouth to speak, but he can say nothing. He tightens the muscles in his face until his veins are partially visible. Jeremie covers his ears. _

**Jeremie: **I can't…I won't…I-

_Jeremie is cut off by sounds of confusion outside. The warriors open Aelita's door to see Bastien supporting Azra on his shoulder. Azra is beaten badly, with bruises over her face and arms. Her nose is bleeding and she uses a tissue to stop it. _

**Bastien: **Jim! Someone get Jim! Azra's been hurt!

_Other students in the hallway react with alarm. Jim rushes to the scene. _

**Jim: **What happened to her?!

**Bastien: **She was beaten badly!

**Jim: **On the street?! I thought Delmas told you students to stay in the safety of Kadic's campus.

**Azra: **It wasn't outside Kadic! It was here. It was The Order! _After she mentions The Order, several Order members in the hallway quietly move away from the scene. Azra cries. _They hit me and called me a dirty Muslim!

_Jim's face darkens. A righteous and fiery anger burns in his usually goofy face. He looks like he's ready to implode from outrage. _

**Jim: **Who did this?!

**Azra: **I don't know. They put a sack over my head before they hit me…

_Aelita monitors Jeremie's reaction. A new level of disgust and horror emerge from the look in his eyes. He clenches his fists. His shoulder muscles become tense. At the same time, a strange peace comes over him. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie?

**Jeremie: **Forgive me Aelita….I will never let Moriarty win again. _He turns to face the rest of the warriors. _Let's do what has to be done.

_At a downtown rally of The Order, the crowd becomes loud and clearly angry. They launch questions and demands, all pertaining to the terror attacks. The disturbance is enough for Paris police to cut off the area for security purposes. And at the head of it all is Moriarty, who stands confidently on front stage. _

**Moriarty: **People of The Order, calm down. You have every right to be outraged, as I am. I'm sure you are wondering why this has happened and why it hasn't stopped. I can't say I have all the answers to that. But I can tell you this. These tragedies, terrible though they may be, are the birth pains of something new and glorious. You may be in pain now, but the dawn will soon replace the night. And the dawn of a new day is coming. And when that day comes, France will rise out of its fear and desperation into the arms….of a new golden age.

***The song "Jueves" refers to the terrorist attack in Spain César mentioned. The song is about a fictional couple whose romance and lives are cut short by the tragedy. It took place on March 11, 2004. In terms of the damage and national impact, it can be perceived as Spain's 9/11. **

***Eurovision is an annual singing competition held in Europe with most if not all European nations participating. Each country submits an artist to sing and the winner is decided in a non-biased voting system. The winning country earns bragging rights and the opportunity to host the competition the following year. The competition is not broadcast in the United States, because we don't care enough, but there are videos on Youtube if you're interested. As for the rest of the details, you'll just have to wait and see…**


	24. Chapter 24

**The battle continues, and things are starting to get epic. How epic you ask? So epic, that I'm going to have to add a Shakespeare quote to do it justice. **

"**Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war." – **_**Julius Caesar **_

**Your reviews are always appreciated. **

**Part 38**

_Odd descends into another dream. He drifts into a chasm filled with light. The light intensifies and then dies down, revealing a scenic landscape with downtown Paris in the background. Odd is at first enamored with the beauty of the surrounding forests, but he quickly hears the sounds of industrial work behind him. He turns to see he is in the outer section of a nuclear power plant. Billowing smoke stacks and the hum of machinery replace the soothing sounds of nature around him. He puts his hands on his hips. _

**Odd: **Well that didn't last long.

_The arrival of an armored truck with the hazardous material logo emblazoned on the side pulls up next to him. An unidentified man in combat apparel approaches the vehicle, holding a clipboard. Odd notices a sidearm on his belt. He senses that the nature of the dream must be linked to the truck, so he follows the soldier. When the soldier enters the armored truck and sits in the front passenger seat, Odd phases into the backseat. He sits behind the soldier and a driver, who wears a similar uniform and a soldier's cap. From the back, Odd can't get a good look at his face, but he sees that the driver has blonde hair. The other soldier goes over the final details. _

**Transport Guard: **It seems that my original driver was replaced, so I figure you're his replacement…

_The driver briefly glances over to the guard and curtly nods. _

**Transport Guard: **Not much of a talker, huh? Fine. The last one was a real chatterbox anyway. Just get us back to base safe and sound. I don't have to remind you how dangerous the stuff we're carrying is.

_They begin driving. Odd hangs quietly in the back, waiting to see how things unfold. Several minutes pass. The road they are on passes by a busy intersection with an entrance onto a major freeway. The driver goes past it. The guard growls in protest. _

**Transport Guard: **What are you doing soldier?! We missed our turn back there! Turn us around!

_The driver looks around, pretending to look for a place to safely turn around. He ends up turning onto a somewhat abandoned road. The guard, thinking the driver is about to turn around and go back the way they came, doesn't say anything. But when the driver continues without any sign of stopping, the guard becomes incensed. _

**Transport Guard: **Do you have a problem with your hearing soldier? I told you to turn us around!

_The driver turns onto another abandoned road. _

**Transport Guard: **No not that way, the other way! Stop this truck! Stop this truck! _He glares at the driver and yells at the top of his lungs. _SOLDIER I ORDER YOU TO STOP THIS TRUCK! _In a flash, the guard's hostility vanishes. He looks at his driver with trepidation. He points at him with uncertainty. _Wait a minute, are you even a soldier?!

_The driver's head suddenly pops up. Through the rearview mirror, Odd catches a glimpse of the man's face. He instantly recognizes him as Moriarty. Instead of being surprised, he merely sinks back into his seat and shrugs. _

**Odd: **Should have guessed…

_Moriarty suddenly stops the truck. The guard reaches for his firearm and points it at Moriarty. _

**Transport Guard: **Put your hands in the air and get out of the truck now!

_Moriarty stares at the gun for a few moments, staying eerily calm. Then his old Army training kicks in. He points the gun away from him and tries to wrench the firearm away from the guard's hand. In the confusion, a shot goes off and flies out the windshield. Even in the dream, the sound is deafening for Odd. Moriarty manages to disarm the guard. He then pulls a wad of paper towels from his pocket. The overpowered transport guard stares at Moriarty with fear and confusion. _

**Transport Guard: **Who the hell are you, a terrorist?!

**Moriarty: **In the eyes of the wrong people, yes you could say that. But that's no concern of yours. _He forces the wad of paper towels against the guard's nose. _I hope you like the smell of chloroform.

_The guard struggles, but eventually the drug does its work, and he falls limp with unconsciousness. Once the guard is dealt with, Moriarty checks his side view mirrors. A white van pulls up behind the armored vehicle. A man in a hazmat suit emerges from the vehicle and starts opening the back of the armored truck. Odd takes a closer look at the man's face and realizes it is Waldo Schaeffer. Moriarty gets out of the truck and Odd follows. Moriarty watches as Schaeffer carefully pulls out a uranium fuel rod. He begins walking toward the white van. _

**Schaeffer: **Was the gunfire really necessary?

_Moriarty rolls his eyes and motions to the unconscious guard. _

**Moriarty: **Tell that to him. Taking a gun away from a man is not easy, and I'm not as young as I once was.

_Schaeffer seals the uranium rod in a metal box. _

**Schaeffer: **Then let's hope we don't need to get a new battery any time soon. Pulling off such a daring robbery isn't something we can easily repeat.

_Odd's dream drifts back to the factory. In the supercomputer room, Moriarty and Schaeffer cautiously put in the uranium fuel rod while wearing hazmat suits. From the outside, the supercomputer looks mostly finished. _

**Schaeffer: **Gently…gently….

**Moriarty: **I know. You don't have to remind me.

_The battery is placed inside the machine and successfully sealed. The battery reads a 100% charge. Schaeffer breathes a sigh of relief. He takes a moment to look at the large and impressive supercomputer. _

**Schaeffer: **Just look at it André. A quantum supercomputer. With this, we can finally turn the tables on those power-hungry government agents.

_Moriarty's reaction is far more reserved. He takes off his helmet. _

**Moriarty: **Yes. We have most of the hardware down. Now comes the hard part…the programming itself. 

**Schaeffer: **We'll figure it out. We can make this happen. _He looks at the computer again. _We have to…

_The dream drifts to another scene. Moriarty and Schaeffer work in the scanner room, which is mostly bare and incomplete. They seem to be near completion on the first scanner. Schaeffer works behind the scanner with the wires while Moriarty works with the scanner's hardware. _

**Schaeffer: **If I reroute these wires and configure them to the monitoring port upstairs, we should hold a firm connection.

_Moriarty puts in a screw, appearing to not pay any attention. He only grunts in response. _

**Schaeffer: **Of course, we can't allow the cabins to overload, or our atoms will be permanently separated.

**Moriarty: **Uh huh.

**Schaeffer: **And we'll have to complete the work on the digital axes before we can even consider such a jump. The digital void would swallow us whole.

_Moriarty rolls his eyes and mutters under his breath. _

**Moriarty: **Right….can you hand me a wrench?

_Schaeffer peeks from behind the scanner, looking quizzically at Moriarty. _

**Schaeffer: **Is there something bothering you?

**Moriarty: **Oh no…nothing at all.

_Schaeffer, not sensing Moriarty's bitter sarcasm, smiles and continues working. _

**Schaeffer: **Good. Because I need help with the back couplings…

_Moriarty stands up and stuffs his hands in his coat pockets. He looks away from Schaeffer. His face is dark and brooding. _

**Moriarty: **I mean…aside from going from being a respected scientist to becoming a wanted fugitive of the law...losing almost all of my former colleagues to the agents that hunt us…disguising myself as a-_He says the following words with disgust_- postal worker…and to top it all off, I'm currently working with you on a machine that is most certainly going to tear our molecules apart!

_Moriarty finishes, fuming at his partner. Schaeffer sits there quietly, not too eager to ignite a confrontation. _

**Schaeffer: **Things in our lives have never gone according to plan. _He sets his tools down. _One minute we're playing with a malfunctioning robot in a dirty Parisian apartment, the next we're working for a top-secret NATO installation, and right after that we're running from the very thing we created. We never made plans André. Things just happened the way they did, and we can't change it.

**Moriarty: **Be that as it may, I don't trust my well being in the confines of your science fiction machine. _He starts walking away and then stops. _Better yet, I just don't trust you…

**Schaeffer: **Something you have made quite clear to me many times. _He stands up. _Call it fantasy, call it madness, but I will make this thing work. _Moriarty turns around and notices with surprise that Schaeffer is shaking. He senses a growing desperation behind his colleague's dark tinted glasses. _You have it easy. You can afford to criticize plans and stop to think about whether they will work because you have nothing more to lose. I don't have that luxury. I still have something to protect. _He touches the outside of the scanner and squeezes tightly. _And I can't sleep at night, not till I know that there is a place to hide from the men that hunt me and the thing I must protect. I have to find a way to escape to a world without danger.

_Moriarty stares at Schaeffer, and then briefly glances at the scanner next to him. He shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **It is still madness.

_Odd moves higher to the lab room. This room is also unfinished. The holomap screen shows only a rudimentary outline of what will be Lyoko. The monitor looks like it has just become functional. Instead of the rotating command chair, Moriarty and Schaeffer have an old wooden chair in front of the monitor. Moriarty works at the computer while Schaeffer works on the elevator door. _

**Moriarty: **All four sector axes stable and holding. Rotation around central core at 85% efficiency. Quantum computation is normal. Carthage sphere's sector data streams at 60% completion. _He runs another diagnostic. _Landscape of four sectors at 50%..._He stops himself_…What the…sector landscapes?! What is all this?!

_He turns to Schaeffer, who stops what he's doing and gives Moriarty a somewhat guilty look. _

**Schaeffer: **I…might have taken some creative liberties on the layout of the axes in my spare time.

_Moriarty blinks at Schaeffer several times and rubs his forehead, incredulous of what he just heard. _

**Moriarty: **So…let me get this straight. We are being hunted by the most secretive and powerful people in Europe and are working a tight deadline as the last defence between them and an age of surveillance and mistrust….AND YOU'RE ADDING SCENERY?!

**Schaeffer: **I couldn't care less about your view on my work! _He rubs his temples vigorously, indicating his growing psychological distress. _I…have been working around the clock on this project, spending my sleepless nights on detail after detail, all the while wondering if my work will lead to success or tragic failure. If I have to add a little downtime to beautify my creation to keep myself sane, then who are you to question me?!

_Moriarty sits in his chair quietly, absorbing the words of Schaeffer's outburst. _

**Schaeffer: **Well?

**Moriarty: **To keep yourself sane? _Moriarty observes Schaeffer's increasingly disheveled state. His beard is unruly, his eyes are red, his hair is a mess, and he looks far thinner than before. _Are you sure you're not already too late?

_Schaeffer pushes his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. He speaks to Moriarty through clenched teeth. _

**Schaeffer: **Just….run the trial program.

_Moriarty turns his attention back to the computer and obeys. He centers in on Carthage and begins to launch the trial program. _

**Moriarty: **Interception commencing. _The blue walls surrounding Carthage begin to rotate. _Old Soviet codes circulating normally. _He types in a few more keys and makes some last minute adjustments. _All systems operating normally. Standing by for interception.

_For several minutes Carthage is inactive, registering no signs of outside interference. Schaeffer moves closer to the monitor and Moriarty sits with rapt attention toward the screen. They check the clock every fifteen seconds, feeling the pain of possible failure with every passing minute. The two start to become more and more impatient. Moriarty covers his face with his mouth while Schaeffer paces behind the chair. _

**Schaeffer: **Come on…come on. Take the bait…

_Five seconds after Schaeffer says this, Carthage registers positive for Project Carthage interference. The two scientists react with relief and excitement at the success. _

**Moriarty: **Our old friend has bitten the worm, now for the fun part. _He activates Carthage's defenses. _Commence data encirclement.

_On the digital scale, Project Carthage's attempt to interfere with Lyoko's systems is turned on its head. Moriarty and Schaeffer's Carthage intercepts the interfering program and captures it, relinquishing its data in the process. _

**Schaeffer: **The fragment has been neutralized. Excellent. We now know that Lyoko can cause trouble for Project Carthage, at least on the small scale.

**Moriarty: **Very true. But it needs a lot of work before- _Another window pops up._-What is this?

_Moriarty and Schaeffer examine the files. It is a very detailed analysis on Germany's military capabilities. Images of tanks and the latest research in new defense technology fill the page. Schaeffer, quickly after realizing what it is, turns away. _

**Schaeffer: **Oh I see. That fragment from Project Carthage must have released some of its captured information. I see that our pursuers have already been hard at work elsewhere. _He shakes his head. _It's so terrible knowing that your own creation is being used for something that you so vehemently disagree wi-_Schaeffer notices that Moriarty is still reading the files, paying no attention to him. _André, you really shouldn't be reading that.

_Moriarty doesn't answer. His eyes glue themselves to the documents. _

**Schaeffer: **André we really need to get rid of that sensitive information…

_Moriarty's face glows with a somewhat sinister excitement as he reads against Schaeffer's wishes. _

**Schaeffer: **Enough, you've read enough! Delete the documents already!

**Moriarty: **It was just…delivered to us…on a silver platter. _He scrolls down and stares with increased wonder. _Project Carthage has gotten even better in our absence. Now it can glean anything and everything from its victims. _He whistles. _Whoever could control this monster could control the all of the sensitive information in the digital world!

_Schaeffer nods with agreement, more than slightly unnerved by the enthusiastic way Moriarty has pointed this out. _

**Schaeffer: **Yes. Exactly. That's why we have to stop the French agents. This is too much power for one group or….one person to control. It isn't right.

_Moriarty keeps his eyes on the computer. For a second he doesn't respond. Then, Schaeffer hears a slight chuckle from his colleague. That slight chuckle develops into a very strange laugh. Moriarty then turns around, giving Schaeffer a disturbed look. _

**Moriarty: **It isn't right? Isn't right? You still believe in that?

**Schaeffer: **Believe in what?

**Moriarty: **Right. Wrong. The ethical guidelines that supposedly run our world. The big fairytale that even we scientists have fallen for…

_Schaeffer stares at Moriarty with his mouth agape. _

**Schaeffer: **The big fairytale? What are you talking about? Even my darling little Aelita knows there's a difference between right and wrong.

_Moriarty nods his head and looks up at the ceiling. _

**Moriarty: **Yes. Such things appear to be obvious to everyone. And yet here we are, having committed no crime worthy of punishment, running from the very people who do wrong. _His face becomes clouded with rage. _Ethics may have guided our decisions before, but following those guidelines didn't save our careers. It didn't save Gaspard…._A tremor of despair breaks through his angry expression_…or Antea.

**Schaeffer: **Do we have to bring that up now?

_Moriarty gets out of his chair. _

**Moriarty: **As a matter of fact, we do. You see I spent many nights wondering, questioning why this has happened to us. _He points vindictively at Schaeffer. _It's not enough to just blame you for the tragedy. No, that answer isn't good enough. It goes beyond that. _He paces across the room. The nature of his steps becomes more erratic as he continues. _I never believed in God, but I did have a humanist view of the world. I believed in the inherent value of human beings. I believed that fundamental injustice could not dominate the world. That ideology kept me content for many years…_He then lowers his head and tightens his fists. He starts to lose his voice_…and in one fell swoop my whole world came crashing down on me. We, the ones who did right, were forced to run, while the ones who did wrong pursued us and forced us into hiding. For a long time, I couldn't make sense of it, and I couldn't sleep. But now I finally understand. _He moves to Schaeffer and grabs him by the collar. _The French agents beat us because they had the power to do so. They stole Project Carthage because they could. They turned us into criminals because they could. Don't you see?! Ethics, it's a load of garbage. The only thing that gets you anywhere in this mess of a world is power. Only might is right…

_Schaeffer lets his friend finish his monologue, and then slowly removes Moriarty's hands from his collar. _

**Schaeffer: **If you truly believe that, then why are you helping me? _He motions to their surroundings. _Why bother with all this?

**Moriarty: **Because we have the ability to stop them, and therefore since we have the ability, we are obligated by right of our own power to use it. _He turns around to the computer monitor. _However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about the results of our experiment.

**Schaeffer: **What are you talking about? They went better than expected!

**Moriarty: **Yes. On a small scale. But what happens when we continue to experiment on a larger scale? What happens when we try to perfect our methods, using up more and more of Project Carthage in the process? _Schaeffer listens closely, starting to see where Moriarty is going. _What will inevitably occur is that the French agents will find out and capture us before we can even complete our project. We are going to fail unless we can take out the program as a whole without leaving any window for them to find us. But how can we take it all out before testing it on a larger scale first? _He shakes his head. _We are really stuck here.

_Moriarty and Schaeffer stand quietly in the room, thinking over this potentially hostile situation. While Moriarty goes into deep thought, obvious signs of growing fear become evident on Schaeffer's face. He nervously digs his fingers into his beard, thinking over the unfortunate truth Moriarty has spoken. His throat begins to tighten, and the palms of his hands become clammy with sweat. A growing anxiety develops in its eyes, a strong anxiety that is concealed behind his dark glasses. Moriarty moves toward the door. _

**Moriarty: **Don't misunderstand me. We're not giving up. I'm not going to allow them to win. But we simply can't continue without some other way of going about this. The only way we could do at the moment is by finishing all of our work in one day. _Moriarty grimly laughs at this impossibility. _But we can't pause time.

_Moriarty leaves. Schaeffer slowly takes his seat by the monitor. He rubs his glasses and looks back at the screen, checking the results again. He searches through the data captured from Project Carthage and deletes it. As he finishes up, a slight creak in the walls catches his attention. His head spins toward the direction of the noise. _

**Schaeffer: **Hello? W-Who's there? _He gets no response. _André, is that you?

_Silence is his only answer. Schaeffer then returns to the computer. The second he does that, the creaking in the wall gets louder. Schaeffer turns around again, this time far more anxious then before. _

**Schaeffer: **Who's there?! _The creaking becomes louder. Schaeffer begins cowering in his chair. His body shakes. _I-I'm not afraid of you….

_A rat comes out of the hole in the wall, walking around the chamber with disinterest. Schaeffer breathes a sigh of relief, but his nerves are still on high alert. He turns back around. He places his hands on the sides of his head. _

**Schaeffer: **I have to calm down. If this keeps up, I'm going to lose my mind. _He looks up at the results again. He hangs his head. _He's right. We wouldn't have enough time. _His mind suddenly pulses with an idea. He sits upright in his chair, caught off guard by the sudden revelation. A slight, somewhat crazed smile forms on his face. _Or…do we? _He opens up files detailing the most fundamental components of the supercomputer's software. An image of several quibits shows up. _Quantum computation, combined with the energy of a nuclear-powered supercomputer. Could it really be done? _He looks at his keyboard with uncertainty. That uncertainty eventually transforms into a newfound resolve. _I'll never know unless I try.

_A day later, the elevator takes Moriarty down to the lab room. He keeps his hands in his pockets. He looks neither happy nor especially distressed. _

**Moriarty: **I hope I can convince him to hold off on the project for a little while. Or we are both doomed…

_The elevator doors open. Moriarty takes a step to walk out, but his feet quickly become frozen to the floor. The formerly dilapidated lab room has been converted into the state of the art facility it is today. The walls are finished. The monitor has been greatly improved. The command chair has been added. The holosphere has been perfected. Moriarty loses his ability to breathe. He backs up against the elevator wall. _

**Moriarty: **How…how is this possible? Just yesterday, none of this was here!

_The command chair moves slightly. Moriarty trains his eyes on it. He can see the back of Schaeffer's head. His fellow scientist speaks into a video diary. _

**Schaeffer: **June 6, 1994….Day 1,835. Lyoko has been performing brilliantly against Project Carthage. I am cautiously optimistic of complete success. Xana also worked well in the latest termination trial. In other news, all three scanners will soon be fully operational, and I am confident that Aelita and I will be able to…_He turns around when he notices that Morairty is behind him. At first he regards his partner with an unusual level of fear and hostility, but his combative look eventually dissolves into a calmer one of pure annoyance. _Pause transmission. _The video diary obeys the command and pauses. Schaeffer shakes his head. _I knew I was forgetting something. Locking the elevator every single time is annoying and very hard to remember sometimes.

_Schaeffer's words make absolutely no sense to Moriarty. His head spins and he lowers himself closer to the floor. He begins rubbing his eyes. _

**Moriarty: **This…this is a dream. This has to be a dream!

**Schaeffer: **Oh no. It's no dream. This is all so very real. _Schaeffer makes his command chair spin several times, almost like a loony kid who's been hyped up on caffeine. _Isn't it all wonderful?!

**Moriarty: **No! What the hell is going on?! How did this happen?!

_Schaeffer groans. _

**Schaeffer: **André, I've explained this to you so many times that I know exactly what you will do. _He lists the steps off his fingers. _First you start off with shock, then vigorous questioning, then disbelief and denial, and finally shock again. _He turns back around. _So please, spare me your usual nonsense.

_Moriarty digs his fingernails into his scalp with frustration. _

**Moriarty: **You are raving like a madman! Tell me what is going on this instant or so help me-

_Schaeffer dismisses him with a wave of his hand. _

**Schaeffer: **Vigorous questioning, right on schedule.

_Moriarty slams his fist against the elevator wall. _

**Moriarty: **Waldo!

**Schaeffer: **How rude. You know that isn't my name anymore. It's Franz Hopper now. I'm pretty sure we established that before the return trips to the past.

**Moriarty: **The return to the…what?!

_Schaeffer spins around and folds his hands together. He is clearly exasperated with his confused partner. _

**Schaeffer: **Since you insist on not letting me get work done until I explain everything again, I might as well give in. A couple of years ago, exactly yesterday to be precise, I discovered a tool locked within the fundamental laws of quantum computation, a power that allows one to reverse the very fabric of time for a brief period. _Moriarty's face becomes frozen with disbelief. The sheer magnitude of his colleague's statement makes him unable to respond. Schaeffer opens the return to the past program, showing the computer model of Earth. _Every detail of June 6, 1994, can be repeated indefinitely thanks to this program. Everything, down to the moment your alarm goes off, takes place exactly as it transpired before. With the exception-_He motions to the supercomputer monitor_-of this supercomputer…and myself, now that I have been scanned in one of the cabins downstairs. The data I work on for every June the 6th is saved and added on the next day, giving me all the time in the world to develop Lyoko without getting caught.

_Moriarty looks at his friend in horror. His eyes grow wide as the knowledge of his colleague's obvious insanity hit home. _

**Moriarty: **You have truly gone mad…Utterly and completely mad. Turning back time?!...The pressure has obviously gotten to your head. _He walks toward the command chair. _I'm sorry but I have no choice but to relieve you of control of this project.

_Schaeffer grabs Moriarty's wrist. _

**Schaeffer: **Madness you say? Then how would I know that you work up at 6:30 this morning precisely, having slept through your alarm? And how would I know that in your rush to get to work that you burned your toast, although you did it only on one side while the other half still tasted like bread? And at 7:30 a passing bus splashed mud on you while you were walking on the sidewalk? And finally, how would I know that at 10:45 two teenagers tormented you by letting their dog off the leash and allowing it to attack you? _He tightens his grip on Moriarty's wrist. _Now my old friend, answer me that.

_Moriarty pulls himself out of Schaeffer's grasp. He suddenly looks at his surroundings again. He moves over and touches the finished walls. His fingers tremble. He knows it is not an illusion. Schaeffer's knowledge of what has happened to him earlier in the day hit him like a ton of bricks. The blood pounds in his head. He becomes woozy and nauseous. But he maintains some composure as he comes to accept this impossible reality. _

**Moriarty: **You…you freak. You actually did it. You have broken the laws of our very universe. _In the midst of his astonishment, he realizes something. _But, why…why leave me in the dark? I'm your partner. Your colleague. We abandoned everything for this wild dream. Why was I left out?

**Schaeffer: **Oh André…or should I call you Sébastien now…you never would have believed me now matter what I told you. There was no way you were getting into that scanner. You made that very clear to me so many years ago…

_Moriarty groans. _

**Moriarty: **It was only a week ago!

**Schaeffer: **And don't you recall what happened yesterday, or what you call yesterday? You personally trampled on the guidelines of right and wrong, the only thing that has kept us going when all seemed lost. _He pushes his glasses higher up his nose. He forms a slight, eerie smile. _I can't have you working on MY project when you have become so morally deficient…

_A pit forms in Moriarty's stomach in the face of this grievous accusation. But he quickly shakes it off. _

**Moriarty: **You're playing with the laws of time, and you call me morally deficient?!

_Schaeffer's expression of smug confidence suddenly cracks. The muscles in his face twitch and tremble. A dark pall of fear and paranoia seep through his mask of control. He begins to make strange, unintelligible sounds under his breath. He looks at the floor and starts muttering gibberish. His breathing becomes more strained. He suddenly perks his head up, glaring at Moriarty with hostility. Moriarty backs up, amazed that he has made such a radical mood change. _

**Schaeffer: **They're…they're after me. It's only a matter of time before they find me. But the return trips…no they're not enough. _He suddenly points at Moriarty. _And you, you're working with them. You're…YOU'RE A TRAITOR! I KNEW IT! YOU BETRAYED ME!

**Moriarty: **You're spouting nonsense! I never did any such thing! You lost faith in me!

**Schaeffer: **Don't lie to me! I know you've sharing secrets with them. I can hear your voice in these walls, whispering to them!

**Moriarty: **Listen to yourself! You've become completely paranoid!

**Schaeffer: **Paranoid?! _He clutches his armrests and bends forward, with his head almost touching his knees. He begins laughing hysterically. _I should have been more paranoid! Then I wouldn't have lost my wife and my freedom! But I know how to fix you…_He goes back to the computer. _I'll just repeat this day over again like usual. _He starts up the return to the past program. _Have fun repeating this day over again. I'm glad we had this talk, even if you won't remember it.

_Moriarty watches in awe as the program starts up. But as the Earth model rotates on screen, it occurs to him that he cannot allow Schaeffer to continue, or he will be right back at square one. He reaches for the keyboard and tries to stop him. _

**Moriarty: **You think I'm just going to watch while you put my life on a permanent rerun?!

_Schaeffer tries to enter the finishing keys and push Moriarty away at the same time. _

**Schaeffer: **Stop! If you cause me to mess up, there's no telling what will happen!

**Moriarty: **Then stop!

**Schaeffer: **Never!

_Schaeffer manages to launch the return to the past, but his finger slips on a few of the keys. The system registers an error right before a blinding light emerges from the holosphere and sets the world back once again. Back in Moriarty's small apartment, he wakes up with his clock showing 6:30. At first he is disoriented, but then he bolts up in bed. His face is covered in sweat and the look in his eyes is distant and disturbed. He rubs his forehead. _

**Moriarty: **I…I remember. The day before. Or more like…today that was supposed to be the day before. _He gets out of bed and looks at himself in the bathroom mirror. He touches his face. _This is real. Real déjà vu. I have lived this day before. _He looks intently at his reflection. _But now what?

_Hours pass. Moriarty goes about his day. He walks down residential neighborhoods of Paris in his mailman uniform. He overhears the hum of a bus behind him. He stops walking and turns around. _

**Moriarty: **Oh no, I need to run! _Moriarty tries to bolt, but in spite of his best efforts, the bus passes by and splashes mud on him. He quietly absorbs the indignity and keeps walking down the sidewalk. _Great, I get to relive this again.

_A couple of hours later, Moriarty puts the mail on the driveway of one house and starts running. Two mischievous teenagers in the front yard see him and let their Rottweiler off its leash. The fearsome canine takes off after Moriarty down the sidewalk. The teenagers laugh hysterically as Moriarty is forced to flee with the dog biting off the lower half of his left pants leg. As he rounds the corner and escapes the dog's clutches, he trips over himself and lands on the sidewalk. He lies there for a moment, wallowing in the humiliation. _

**Moriarty: **And I couldn't avoid that either. _He slowly gets up. _I know everything that's going to happen to me, and I still can't avoid it.

_Later that night, Moriarty prepares for bed. He drifts into the covers, exhausted from the repeated nonsense he's been subjected to. He sits up again. _

**Moriarty: **What's the point of going to bed? In a few minutes or so, he's just going to repeat the day and I'll start all over again. How long is he going to keep doing this? _He grimaces at the thought of repeating the same day continuously. _I need to tell him and get him to end this nightmare. _He then gasps and pulls the covers up to his neck. His face becomes full of dread. _But seeing how crazy he's gotten lately, what will he do with me if he knows that I can remember everything?_ He shudders at the thought. _I don't even want to think about that…

_A blinding light enters his room. Once again, Moriarty wakes up at 6:30 with his alarm going off. Moriarty reluctantly gets up and goes about his day again. He attempts to avoid burning his toast, only to end up spilling his coffee on himself. He tries to avoid the bus, only to run into a cyclist. And to top it all off, the Rottweiler still chases him even though he intentionally avoids delivering mail at that house. Moriarty hobbles away from the dog while the canine tears up his mail bag. _

**Moriarty: **June 6th, 1994. It seems I was destined to have a terrible day no matter what I do. _Another day is repeated. Moriarty tries to avoid the same events again, only to create new ones or fail to avoid the old ones. The dog tackles Moriarty, growling at him and ripping his shirt collar apart. _How many times is he going to repeat this day? _The day repeats again, with similar results. The dog rips off his pants leg again. _This is Hell. _The day repeats once again. This time the Rottweiler makes away with one of Moriarty's shoes. Moriarty fumes and pounds the cement sidewalk with his fist. He looks behind him to see the dog taking the shoe to his young and immature masters. The teenagers laugh at this display of loyalty. One of them takes the shoe and throws it in the yard. Sure enough the dog returns it, and the two play fetch with the shoe. Moriarty glowers at them. _Is this what I get in return for my selfless sacrifice for the French people? _One of the teens punts the shoe into a large tree in the yard. The dog circles around the tree, barking at the shoe that is now stuck up there. More laughter ensues. _These…these punks. Are these the people I have sworn to protect? Are these the people for whom I sacrificed my career, my freedom, my well-being? _Moriarty stands up, still glaring at the teens, who don't pay any attention to him. _Every day it's the same. Every June 6th I encounter the people who I am supposedly protecting. And this is the reward I get…_Moriarty turns around and limps down the sidewalk. _And now that the last person in my life has fallen into madness, what is the point? _He looks up at the sky. _What is my motivation?

_Several nights later, Moriarty sits in bed exactly an hour before Schaeffer is due to reset the day. His apartment is dark. His mailman uniform is strewn across the floor. He hasn't gone to work for several days. A pizza box from earlier in the day lies in the corner. Although his clothes aren't disheveled and his body is normal, the faraway look in his eyes indicates that his mind has been stretched to its limits. Several tally marks lie near his bedside. He reaches for the chalk. _

**Moriarty: **16, no 18. Definitely 18 days. _He tries to put eighteen tallies. He then erases two. _No it has to be 16. It hasn't been 18 yet. But I feel like 18 is correct. _He adds the tallies again and erases it just as quickly. _No no no! Sixteen. It has been sixteen days! Or has it?...Oh I've lost count! Maybe it's been 17 days. _He throws the chalk down to the floor. _I can't take this anymore! _He gets out of bed and puts a coat on. _I'm confronting Schaeffer. I don't care what he does to me. Anything is better than living in this hell.

_He checks himself in the mirror, trying to make himself look somewhat presentable. As he does so, his vision blurs. He holds his head as flashing lights pop up in his field of vision. Dark splotches appear to take form on the wall as he starts to hallucinate. While his mind reels from the strange episode, a voice calls out to him from behind the glass mirror. _

**Reflection: **Are you living in Hell, or have you been presented with a golden opportunity?

_Moriarty instantly closes his eyes and tries to block out the voice. _

**Moriarty: **You are not real. You are a figment of my imagination. A hallucination brought on by the mental stress of these return trips.

**Reflection: **Of course I am. But since I represent a portion of your unconscious mind, you should still listen to me.

**Moriarty: **And why would I do that?

**Reflection: **Because I recognize a part of your desires that you refuse to acknowledge. _His reflection tightens its fists. _The urge to use Lyoko for our own quest for power.

_Moriarty looks at his talking reflection. He then runs his fingers through his hair and whistles in exasperation. He holds his hands up in defeat. _

**Moriarty: **That's it. I've lost it. I've officially fallen into madness…

**Reflection: **Is it madness-_ The reflection tilts its head to the side_- or enlightenment?

**Moriarty: **I'm currently having a conversation with my own overheated brain…_He laughs with a sad and frightening desperation in his voice_…I don't think the answer is that hard to come by.

**Reflection: **You're wrong. Madness is sitting on a gold mine of digital power at your fingertips and doing nothing about it. Running away from an opportunity to pull yourself out of hiding and humiliation is cowardice. _The reflection puts its hands behind its back. _Cowardice and madness are a bad combination.

_Moriarty turns his back on the mirror in an attempt to ignore him. _

**Moriarty: **I may be mad but I'm no coward. I stuck my neck out to save the privacy and freedom of Europe. I have lost everything for the sake of that cause. _He turns back around, stomping towards the mirror, suggesting that he might be about to punch it into pieces. _What you are asking me to do is exactly what the French secret agents are doing, using Project Carthage to start their own hegemony on the continent. This is the very thing I have been fighting against. _He presses his nose against the glass, looking straight into the eye of his reflection. _Why on Earth would I become the very thing that I have scientifically and ethically opposed from the very beginning?

_The reflection gives his counterpart an evil smile. The malicious look of glee present on his own face unnerves Moriarty, causing him to back up from the mirror. _

**Reflection: **'Ethics is a load of garbage. The only thing that gets you anywhere in this mess of a world is power. Only might is right'. Weren't those your exact words?

_Moriarty struggles with a reply. _

**Moriarty: **I admit that is true but-

**Reflection: **Then why hesitate?

**Moriarty: **There is a difference between the ability to do something and the desire to do it. _He shakes his head and chuckles. _I don't want to use Lyoko to give me power…_He throws his hands up in the air, expressing his view that the mere thought of it is lunacy. _That's just absurd.

**Reflection: **What? Are you scared? If morals aren't stopping you, then it has to be fear. Anyone else in your position wouldn't hesitate. The agents hunting you haven't hesitated.

**Moriarty: **Aha! _He points at the reflection, feeling that he has caught it in a trap. _I knew it! You just admitted that you want me to become like them. Well sorry, but that is never happening!

**Reflection: **You got it all wrong. I don't want you to be like them. I want you to be better…

_There is a pause as Moriarty thinks over what to say. The reflection presses its hands against the glass, as if it is trying to escape it. _

**Reflection: **Here are the facts my dear friend. You are sitting on a perfect weapon of power, one capable of probing every secret of every military on Earth and wrecking their communications. Your former friend who has clearly betrayed you again has lost his sanity but is unaware that you can remember everything from his return trips. He will never suspect that you are using the supercomputer for your own private campaign. _The reflection's face moves closer to the surface of the glass. _You know as well as I do that on June 6, 1994, Schaeffer is not at the factory all the time. He has a little girl to take care of after all. Spy on his house at the Hermitage, and in a few days you will have his schedule planned out perfectly. You will know when you can work and when you cannot. And then…._The reflection's face becomes full of mad excitement…_when you finally have things prepared and Schaeffer is still not the wiser, then you can wreak havoc. The world will fall into chaos and will be completely at your mercy.

_Moriarty releases his defensive stance as he processes his counterpart's long speech. The anger and fear directed toward his other half begins to subside. While most of his conscious mind still stubbornly refuses the idea, a certain part of him finds it intriguing. A kind of hunger develops in his eyes. He starts to see that what the reflection is suggesting is an extreme but surprisingly realistic possibility. Moriarty paces around, burdened with a reluctance that is not as strong as it was a few minutes earlier. _

**Moriarty: **Even though I can, I just simply don't want to. _He racks his brain, searching desperately for something to change the subject and get his mind of the idea. _Besides, within a few months, Waldo should be done with Lyoko. Project Carthage will be done with, we will still be safe, and I'll be able to move on with my life.

**Reflection: **What life?! _His voice becomes more threatening as he challenges Moriarty. _Being a postal worker?! Is that what you really want?! No, you want something more. You deserve more. Way more than this. _The reflection's comments sting Moriarty. He feels his argument for a future life caving in on itself. _What about France? Didn't you want to make it strong? Isn't that what the far-right nationalist of your youth always wanted? You can do that…right here. All you need to do is pull the trigger…

_Moriarty feels himself breaking down from the inside. The idea of being a postal worker his entire life, being degraded like the incident with the dog, comes across to him as unacceptable. A cluster of strong emotions pushes him to the brink. He puts his foot down. _

**Moriarty: **I will not accept that humiliation. I refuse to. But suggesting a grab for power as the only alternative…it's irrational.

_His reflection points at him, becoming ever more aggressive in his persuasion. _

**Reflection: **Just look at yourself! Look how far you've fallen! You've lost your career, the woman you loved, the man you called a friend, and your own dignity. There's only thing that remains…_He points to himself…_Me. I'm the only one you have left. Everyone else is gone. All of them. Don't you see? _He starts addressing him in a pleading tone. _I'm all you've got. There's only one place you can go. And that's toward power, and a lot of it.

_The hunger Moriarty experienced earlier increases twelvefold. The temptation to abuse his knowledge and resources, combined with the anger, guilt, and frustration of years of disappointment and tragedy, build into a climax that breaks down the last traces of resistance. Beads of sweat drip down his forehead as his mind and body reel with the struggle. The reflection folds its arms and goes it for the killer blow. _

**Reflection: **Think about it. You can either give in to our desires and make yourself great or you can refuse and die alone in this apartment. _The reflection shrugs. _Your choice.

_Moriarty looks down at the floor. He turns from side to side, gazing at the walls. He imagines dying, old and alone in that same apartment, without any gratitude for the sacrifices he has made. His anger and lust for power reach a critical point. He balls his fists and punches the walls. _

**Moriarty: **NO! _The blows leave his knuckles bloody and create marks on the walls, but he keeps going. He continues until he tires and his knuckles become thoroughly bruised. At last he stops. He slowly rises to and turns to face his reflection again. His face meets that of his reflection. He matches the evil smile of his other half. He giggles, then chuckles, then laughs hysterically as the last vestiges of an upright and sane Moriarty vanish without a trace. He rubs his hands together. _So…_A criminally insane look develops in his eyes…_when can we get started?

_Dream shifts. Moriarty enters the lab room alone. He takes possession of the command chair and sits down. He quickly gets to work. _

**Moriarty: **Schaeffer takes a break on June 6th, 1994 from 11 am to 2 pm. Three hours. Three hours to work every day. _He hacks into the factory cameras, erasing his presence from the footage. _He is a man of habit. No doubt that habit is one of the few things keeping him functional in the midst of his insanity. If I play my cards right-_He smiles wickedly_-He will never know I'm here. _Scene shifts to Sector Five, where the data streams flow to and from Carthage. Green lights appear around the data streams, collecting the gathered intelligence from Project Carthage. _Instead of using Lyoko to destroy Project Carthage, I will use Lyoko to capture it. _Thousands of classified documents detailing secrets about European nations and their military capabilities are downloaded into Moriarty's personal files. Recent research into nuclear and chemical warfare becomes part of his collection. The days pass. Moriarty's knowledge and power grows. Within weeks, Moriarty has tons of information on France's rivals and allies. As his resources grow, he begins targeting his enemies. Documents revealing the French agents as "Les Invisibles" are absorbed by his research as he directs Lyoko's power to actively sifting through Project Carthage data. Photos of the different agents in their black suits and sunglasses become easily accessible. The one missing piece is The Director, whose existence is mentioned by the documents but whose identity remains a mystery. _So these are the people who have ruined my lives. _He creates an advanced malware program. _Time to return the favor. _The malware program is launched, and Moriarty surveys its progress with glee. _This is getting really fun.

_More days go by. The green lights absorb more and more information from the data streams. He increases the rate of information retrieval. Time marches on, and Moriarty spends more and more time working, pushing his limits with his small window of opportunity. When his quarry of captured data becomes incredibly large, he begins moving in a more aggressive direction. At the end of one of his work periods, he pulls up the blueprints of a Russian military satellite. Moriarty examines the data while scratching his chin. Without any hesitation, he interferes with its orbit. _

**Moriarty: **Let's ground you…_The Russian satellite in space takes a nosedive from orbit, falling into Earth's atmosphere and burning into a crisp. Moriarty monitors its descent until it is reduced to burned chunks of metal. He shrugs. _Uh…I'm bored again. Let's see what my old hunters are up to today…

_The chaos continues. Moriarty, no longer content with staying put while his information arsenal grows, uses Lyoko's increasing power and captured Project Carthage programming to inflict more destruction. He personally shuts down the London Heathrow Airport for a day, grounding dozens of flights and sending air traffic into chaos. Several emerging websites from Fortune 500 companies are infected, ruining profits. The value of the Japanese Yen is artificially inflated, giving a major headache for world economies. All in all, the damage is not enough to permit anyone to connect the dots, but it is more than enough for a certain someone to relish in his work. One day, after surveying his work following a recent nuclear power plant scare in Belarus, Moriarty sits back in the command chair, fully satisfied with the intoxication of power. _

**Moriarty: **I've spent my whole life letting the world kick me from behind. _He watches several news stories in separate windows on the monitor, taking in all the fruits of his labor. His heart pounds with excitement while the hunger to cause more incidents escalates within him. He drums his fingers on the armrests. _But no more. _He leans forward, almost pressing his face to the monitor screen. _This time I'm the one doing the kicking! I can achieve what no despot has ever been able to accomplish: the complete domination of the human race. I am in total control, and this world will have no choice but to bow down to me…

_He is interrupted by a familiar voice from behind. _

**Schaeffer: **The world will bow to no one, especially you…

_Before Moriarty can do anything, a hand covers his mouth and a sharp pain goes into his neck. His world goes black. Several minutes later, Moriarty comes to, extremely groggy and confused. He feels around his surroudings. He finds himself in a narrow space encased with cold metal. He tries to stand but his muscles resist. _

**Moriarty: **Where, where am I? _Moriarty looks around and sees that he is inside one of Schaeffer's scanners. It takes a few moments for his brain to process the danger. When it does, he starts to panic, frantically looking around. _What's going on?

_Schaeffer walks around the corner and stands in front of the open scanner with his hands behind his back. _

**Schaeffer: **Exile. That is what's going on. _Seeing Moriarty struggling, he pulls out one of his hands from behind his back, revealing an empty syringe and needle. _Don't bother getting up, you've been drugged.

**Moriarty: **What is the meaning of this? And what did you mean by exile?!

**Schaeffer: **You didn't think you could pull this charade on me forever did you? I've used the return to the past far more than you have. And I've lived this day long enough to tell exactly when something seems out of place. _Moriarty looks helplessly at Schaeffer as he continues to explain. _Did you think your tampering with Project Carthage would slip past me? Did you think your little stunts on the world stage would go unnoticed? _Schaeffer chuckles with a wild, paranoid look in his eyes. _I've been convinced some imaginary enemy was sneaking behind my back for months! How did you think you could get away with it when I live in a constant state of suspicion?

_Moriarty scowls at Schaeffer in disgust. _

**Moriarty: **You paranoid lunatic! _He spits at him. _How dare you do this to me!

**Schaeffer: **Don't try to make this about me! I know what you've been doing behind my back. Your megalomania has finally done you in good this time! You've transformed yourself into a worse enemy than the ones we ran from!

_Moriarty quickly shouts down his old friend with venom spewing out of every word. _

**Moriarty: **Don't put me in the same league with those bastards! I am better than they will ever be!

_Schaeffer stares coldly at Moriarty, clearly not satisfied with his response. He remains quiet for a moment before delivering his ultimatum. _

**Schaeffer: **André, this is your last chance. Give up on this crazy conquest plan, and I will not exile you to Lyoko. _He extends his hand toward him as an olive branch. His look toward Moriarty softens. The emotions of condemning his best friend awaken in him, and genuine pain replaces his former anger. An expression of slight hope appears on his face. _I was wrong to leave you out of our project with the return to the past. Let's put this behind us. _He motions to the factory around him. _Our work is almost finished. We can perfect Lyoko and destroy Project Carthage once and for all. We can move on with our lives. We can finally be at peace.

_Moriarty's gaze meets Schaeffer's, and for a moment it looks like he might yield. But he shakes it off just as quickly. A countenance of hatred is aimed directly at Schaeffer. He scoffs at the offer._

**Moriarty: **So you can live the life of a respected teacher while I let my life rot as a postal worker! No thanks! I can do so much more with my life, and I will not hold back_. He points up at the top of the scanner. _Besides, this thing won't send me to Lyoko. It will only fry me. And you don't have the guts to do that.

_Schaeffer's soft look disappears, quickly replaced with a visage of paranoid resolve. He turns his back on Moriarty and starts to walk away. His pace toward the elevator is slow and reluctant. _

**Schaeffer: **I'm sorry it had to come to this. You give me no choice.

_Panic starts to set in as Moriarty senses that Schaeffer isn't bluffing. _

**Moriarty: **Wait, what are you doing? Stop! _The scanner doors shut close. Moriarty feebly reaches for the metal door. He begins sweating profusely. _Don't do it! IN THE NAME OF GOD DON'T! _The scanner warms up and begins to transfer him_. _Moriarty looks up at the scanner, which hits him with a blinding light. _NO! NO!

_Moriarty is successfully virtualized. In the Desert Sector, a dark amorphous smoke cloud hovers above a tower. Schaeffer speaks to him from the factory. _

**Schaeffer: **This is your home now André. I'm sorry to say that I haven't perfected human like virtual bodies, but you'll be glad to know that my pointless attempts at scenery will allow you to escape the drudgery of your imprisonment. Feel free to collect as much information as you wish. You can do no further harm here.

_Moriarty has no mouth or face, but a pulsing red energy inside his smoke cloud glows brightly in response to his voice. _

**Moriarty: **Like hell I'm going to accept that!

_Moriarty wanders throughout the sector, ultimately traveling to the others. For weeks, he explores relentlessly, learning more and more about his new home. Finally, after circling a tower in the Forest Sector for a long time, he manages to activate it. _

**Schaeffer: **What…what are you doing?

**Moriarty: **Turning my prison into my domain….

_He moves to the Mountain Sector. He hovers over several rocks. The rocks then turn into humanoids. As Morairty continues to move, his monsters begin to pop up all over Lyoko. _

**Schaeffer: **Stop this! You are abusing Lyoko's power. You are ruining my creation!

**Moriarty: **And you ruined my life, so it's only fair that I destroy your precious toy. But I'm not stopping there. I will be a constant thorn in your side! I will overturn your precious world until your potential refuge becomes your living hell! You have made a mistake making an enemy out of me! _He flies over the Ice Sector as scorpions march below him. _I will be the Iago to your Othello…the Salieri to your Mozart…the Moriarty to your Sherlock Holmes!

**Schaeffer: **Yes. It's true. A Moriarty is what you are now. The old André I once knew is dead. All that's left is his twisted, empty shell. You are my sworn enemy now, and so I have no other option…_an army of krabs marches forward, meeting the scorpions in battle_…but to send Xana to destroy you.

_Battles rage over Lyoko as Xana engages Moriarty. The smoke monster now known as Moriarty gains more power and fights his attacker, but to no avail. His monsters grow fewer and fewer in number. One by one the sectors fall into Xana's hands, until he has no other recourse but to flee into the digital sea. While he sinks into its depths, Schaeffer continues to deride him. _

**Schaeffer: **You can't keep going forever. This is my world, and you have nowhere to run.

_Moriarty disappears into the abyss. _

**Moriarty: **And pretty soon, neither will you.

_Some time later, Moriarty revolves around the South Pole of Carthage. His form enlarges to that of a smoky black and red skull. He growls and shouts loud enough for the entire sector to hear. _

**Moriarty: **WALDO, COME OUT! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE!

_Below him, a swarm of bright little orbs approaches. _

**Schaeffer: **Looking for me?

_Moriarty takes one look at him and immediately breaks into a hearty, insidious laugh. _

**Moriarty: **That is your form?! Oh how the mighty have fallen!

**Schaeffer: **May you rot forever in Hell for revealing the location of the Hermitage! You have forced me to this drastic point! Now step aside…

**Moriarty: **Oh no. You didn't think I was going to let you pull the plug without a fight, did you? _He grows more menacing and reaches his tentacle arms toward Schaeffer. His eyes are ablaze with murderous intent. _And I'm not going to miss the opportunity to kill you! _His smoke cloud starts to envelop the bright orbs. _I'm going to savor every second of this!

_Moriarty entangles Schaeffer in his tentacles, but right when it seems that he has won, a bright light breaks through his grip and burns him. _

**Moriarty: **AHH!

**Schaeffer: **Be gone Moriarty! You are finished!

_Schaeffer slips by Moriarty into the Core Chamber of Lyoko. Moriarty tries to follow, but a program from Xana keeps him out. He struggles against the shield desperately. _

**Moriarty: **You fool! If you do this then we all will be shut down!

_Schaeffer enters the Core. _

**Schaeffer: **A necessary sacrifice. To keep you and Xana from destroying the world, I must destroy my own.

_Schaeffer powers down the core. Immediately Carthage goes dark. The Sectors vanish, and all traces of Moriarty, Xana, Schaeffer, and Aelita are snuffed out. Lyoko is sealed in perfect darkness and silence. Odd drifts in the inky blackness, letting the invisible currents carry his body. _

**Odd: **Well I guess that's it then. We have everything we need to know. _He looks around. _Now I just need to find a way to wake up. How am I going to do that?

_While Odd thinks over a possible exit strategy, a restless presence churns from behind him. He feels a chill move across his shoulders. _

**Moriarty: **Hey, what are you doing here? _Odd turns around. From out of the darkness Moriarty appears, clearly not happy to see Odd. _Get out of my head…

_Odd faces Moriarty with his usual amount of caution and restrained fear. Even though he had floated aimlessly in the void for some time, he feels more alone next to Moriarty now than he did before. _

**Odd: **I could say the same thing to you.

**Moriarty: **You're not the one whose memories are being downloaded into a dream and played back like a DVD. _He glares spitefully at Odd. _Did you think I wasn't going to notice you stalking around the most personal parts of my mind?

_Odd shrugs. _

**Odd: **It was worth a shot. I figured not talking much was the key to keeping you from noticing me.

**Moriarty: **Be that as it may, you have overstayed your welcome. Get out.

**Odd: **I'd love to. But that's not under my control. I have to wait for my alarm to go off, or for Kiwi to jump on me, or for Ulrich to talk loudly in his sleep while dreaming about Yumi…

_Moriarty stuffs his hands in his pockets, slightly amused by the situation. _

**Moriarty: **Then it looks like we are at an impasse. How annoying. I don't suppose I could kill you here, could I?

**Odd: **Probably not.

_Moriarty sighs, obviously disappointed with that limitation. _

**Moriarty: **In that case, did you enjoy the show?

**Odd: **Your memories are always both interesting and disturbing. I can't say it's clear whether I hate or enjoy experiencing them.

**Moriarty: **I'm intrigued. Now that you've seen everything, do you hate me more, or less? _He smiles at Odd. _Are you even more determined to destroy me, or are you convinced that I am merely a victim of circumstance, a miserable creature to be pitied?

_Odd takes time with his response, choosing his words carefully. _

**Odd: **I am just as determined to destroy you as ever. If I was any more determined, it would become an obsession that would destroy me. And as for your memories…_He folds his arms across his chest_...you definitely went through a lot of stuff that you didn't deserve. I can't deny that. But what has happened to you does not excuse your decisions. No one forced you to become what you are.

**Moriarty: **You fool. Were you even listening to my dream? _He reaches his arm forward and clenches his fist as if he grasping some intangible object of desire. _Power was the only thing I had left. I was boxed into a corner with only one door left to go into. I had no other choice.

**Odd:** You always had a choice. You could have reconciled with Schaeffer. You could have put your Carthage days behind you. You could have lived a normal life.

_Moriarty shakes his head. _

**Moriarty: **When you can take power, you take it. That is the law of nature. Might is right. That's how the world operates, and neither you nor I can change it. Those who choose to ignore it become the losers in this merciless world. And losing was definitely not an option for me.

_Odd lowers his eyebrows in anger. _

**Odd: **Stop acting like the mere access to power forced you to do this. You had a choice. So what if the guys in black abused their power. That doesn't mean you had to play their game. Every day, you wake up, choosing to go about creating your hellish world. Even now, you still have a choice. You can still stop this. _Odd pauses, somewhat caught off-guard by the direction of his own conversation. He struggles over his words a second time. _You…can still stop this…

_Moriarty looks at Odd in confusion. _

**Moriarty: **What are you talking about?

_Odd does nothing for almost fifteen seconds. He keeps his head down, staring at the blackness below his feet. Revulsion kicks in as his mind starts to work out a rather drastic idea. He takes a deep breath, resisting the urge to condemn Moriarty as he is accustomed to. Instead, he slowly raises his hand to Moriarty in the form of an offer. Moriarty watches the gesture, greatly humored by Odd's surprising behavior. _

**Moriarty: **What's this?

**Odd: **Your last chance.

**Moriarty: **Pardon me?

_Odd gives Moriarty a deadly serious look. _

**Odd: **Give up on this madness. You and I, the rest of the warriors, Kadic, France…we don't need to be fighting. The people who hunted you are gone. You've had your revenge. So end this insanity. Stop it, before it's too late. It's true that the Lyoko Warriors hate you. We want you to meet a horrific end, but we want to save the world more. If you give up, I could convince Jeremie to help you. We could give you your body back. Your real body…You can have your normal life back. You can finally have some peace.

_Moriarty stares dumbfounded at Odd for a second. Then he bursts out laughing, completely floored by Odd's compassionate and unexpected gesture. He finally calms down and wipes his eyes. _

**Moriarty: **Oh Odd, you never cease to amaze me. I have to say, you are finally starting to act like a man. But if you think I'm going to stop now then I'm afraid you are the one who's insane. I finally have everything I need in place. France is in the palm of my hand. I've pretty much won the fight already. No Odd…your olive branch is appreciated but denied. I've waded in too far to stop now. This world will bow to me. Surrender is not an option and it never will be.

_Odd lowers his hand. He looks at Moriarty with some level of sadness. _

**Odd: **I knew you would say that. But I thought it would be appropriate for me to give you the same chance Schaeffer gave you. _Odd turns his back on him. _But I see that both of our efforts were pointless.

_He drifts away from Moriarty while his sworn enemy continues to taunt him. _

**Moriarty: **It's been fun Odd. Enjoy yourself in these next few weeks. Pretty soon you will have nowhere else to hide.

_Odd looks over his shoulder. _

**Odd: **And pretty soon, neither will you.

_Odd dissolves into the darkness as his dream comes to a close. _

**The die is cast. The War between the Lyoko Warriors and Moriarty cannot come to a peaceful solution. It is the point of no return. Is the suspense killing you yet? Let's have some reviews and I might just speed things along…**


	25. Chapter 25

**Looks like I have to apologize….again. But as you can see, this installment is a lot longer than usual, so hopefully you will be satisfied with that. The fight continues and France teeters on the edge of chaos. What does Moriarty have in store for them? How will the warriors respond? Obviously I know that answer, so just start reading already. **

**Part 39**

_The Order holds a rally in a small soccer stadium to the south of Boulogne-Billancourt. Students from across Paris come to give their support, but the group from Kadic is by far the largest. Other supporters appear in the trademark black and purple of the Order. Some curious observers sit in the back of the stands. Before the ceremony begins, Emmanuel and his sister Angeline walk down the stadium steps to the Kadic section. His hammer necklace dangles beneath his loose fitting long sleeve black shirt. He and his sister move across their aisle in front of fellow students. _

**Emmanuel: **Excuse me, pardon me.

_The two force their way through to their seats. He finds himself standing next to Mathias. They share a curt greeting and then focus on the center of the field, waiting for Moriarty to show up. While Emmanuel's eyes dart around, he sees Herb to the left of Mathias. He notes with alarm that he is carrying The Order flag for Kadic. _

**Emmanuel: **Hey…_Herb turns to face him_…just what the hell are you doing carrying MY flag?

**Herb: **This flag isn't yours. It belongs to all of us. And if you remember correctly, Chardin told us not to fight over it. _He holds his head up arrogantly. _The least you could do to honor his memory is to respect his wishes.

**Emmanuel: **That doesn't negate the fact that it's the duty of the Commandant's most trusted student to wave it.

**Herb: **Yes, and that's an honor you have lost…

_The Order students of Kadic stop what they're doing and watch with anxiety as the confrontation between the two heats up. Angeline steps in front of Emmanuel, glaring at Herb. _

**Angeline: **How dare you…have you forgotten who was selected to be the student trustee?! What gives you the right to-?

_Emmanuel places a hand on her shoulders. _

**Emmanuel: **Angeline, let me handle this- _She backs off, respecting his wishes. He forms a fist in his right hand and approaches Herb. _You want to run that by me again?

_Herb swallows nervously in response to Emmanuel's obvious attempt at intimidation. But he does manage a verbal rebuttal. _

**Herb: **F-F-Face the facts. You were absent from the last Order meeting in the auditorium. And you didn't show up for the one at the park four days ago. _Herb smiles maliciously, becoming bolder with every accusation. _In fact, you've been missing Order events left and right for the last two weeks. Care to explain that to your loyal subordinates?

_The Order members look at Emmanuel with suspicion. Herb's statement has done its work. Even Angeline waits eagerly for her brother to answer. Emmanuel fidgets a little, feeling the pressure on him. At the same time, he searches his brain for an answer that seems to escape him. _

**Emmanuel: **I…I've been. I've been…._The necklace starts to glow. Emmanuel becomes temporarily lost in a frozen stupor_…I…I've just been studying a lot lately.

_Herb pretends to think for a moment, enjoying having the upper hand for once. _

**Herb: **Hmm…interesting. That's a pretty lame excuse to forego Order events that many times. But what makes it worse is that it doesn't hold water. You've been missing classes as well, including ones with the Commandant! _He turns to his fellow students, grinning as he goes for the killer blow. _What's the point of studying when you don't show up to class in the first place? And furthermore-_He turns to Emmanuel_- how can he claim to be the Commandant's most trusted student when he doesn't even show up to his classes anymore?

_The other students begin to talk under their breath as the pressure starts to mount. Mathias, still caught between the two, rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably. _

**Mathias: **You know, I hate to say it, but he's got a point. You've been really MIA lately, and we're starting to ask questions…

_Emmanuel looks behind him at the other Order students. There is a mixture of coldness and confusion among them as they scrutinize him. Their faces are full of distrust. Faced with public humiliation, Emmanuel takes his seat. _

**Emmanuel: **Fine. Keep the flag. _He shoots Herb one last piercing glare. _Try not to break your arms.

_Herb smiles with glee. _

**Herb: **Oh Emmanuel, if I didn't know better, I would say that sounded like a threat.

_Mathias holds his hands out between them, establishing himself as peacemaker. _

**Mathias: **Enough. Both of you. The Commandant is about to make his speech, so let's put our differences aside for a little bit. _Herb and Emmanuel look in opposite directions, making it known that they grudgingly accept his advice. Mathias puts his hand on Emmanuel's shoulder. _Hey, don't sweat it. _He leans in closer to Emmanuel's ear to whisper to him. _No one likes this creep anyway. He's just taking advantage of your absence. Just stop disappearing, and you will have their respect back in no time.

**Emmanuel: **Thanks for the consolation. I guess I needed it. _Emmanuel turns his head to face him. His eyes catch a glimpse of Mathias' hand, which looks somewhat bruised. _What happened to your hand? Your knuckles look all beaten up. What happened to you?

_Mathias quickly removes his hand from Emmanuel's shoulder. He pauses awkwardly, hesitating to respond._

**Mathias: **Oh…this? _He forces a smile. _It's nothing. I was trying to blow off some steam after bombing a test and I punched my gym locker. Not my smartest move…

**Emmanuel: **Well, whatever the case, you must have hit it pretty hard.

_While the crowd continues to gather, a lone student in a black hoodie enters at the back of a large group. This large group does not wear the uniform of The Order. Most of them are spectators and some have the red maple leaf of Canada on their T-shirts and hats. The student at the back picks up a cellphone and conceals it under his hood as he makes the call. His signature Texas accent quickly reveals his identity. _

**Tobias: **Alright then, I'm inside. Neither the Order nor the Canucks have noticed me yet.

_Back at Kadic, Jeremie and Jim listen to Tobias on speaker phone in an abandoned classroom in the science building. Jeremie takes notes on his laptop while Jim checks the door to make sure no one is listening. _

**Jeremie: **Okay Tobias, good work. Do you have any questions before you proceed?

**Tobias: **Yeah, just one small one…_He speaks to Jeremie in a harsh whisper. _Remind me why I was chosen to do this?

**Jeremie: **The visiting students from Alberta who were invited by The Order provided the perfect cover for one of us to infiltrate the meeting. We needed you to fill the role of someone from rural North America.

**Tobias: **But I'm American, not Canadian!

_Jeremie shrugs. _

**Jeremie: **You're the closest thing we had. Just keep your mouth shut and your accent won't give you away. Make sure you keep a sharp eye on the group as well. Do they seem to be especially interested in this Order rally?

_Tobias overhears a couple of the Canadians talking. _

**First Canadian: **Eh, I'm already bored. Remind me why we came here again?

**Second Canadian: **The hell if I know. I'm not the chaperone. Hey, did you see the hockey game last night?

**First Canadian: **It was that or American reality TV. What do you think I chose?

**Tobias: **Uh…define interested…_A large cheer rings out from the other side of the stadium. _Wait, I think Renard has arrived.

_At the center of the field, Moriarty waves to the crowd with a microphone in his other hand. The more radical members in the stadium immediately start chanting "COMMANDANT! COMMANDANT!". Moriarty does the cross-armed salute. _

**Moriarty: **Strength through discipline! Strength through community!

_The stadium replies in a deafening roar. _

**Stadium: **STRENGTH THROUGH DISCIPLINE! STRENGTH THROUGH COMMUNITY!

_The crowd breaks out into applause and cheers again. Moriarty allows the spectacle to continue for a few seconds and then raises his right hand for quiet. The crowd instantly becomes silent, leaving an uncanny vacuum in its wake. Moriarty lifts the microphone to his mouth. _

**Moriarty: **Ladies and Gentlemen of the Order and associated guests, it's my privilege to speak to you today. Our very presence here is evidence of our emerging success. Some of you who were with me from the very beginning know that we started out in a single classroom. We progressed to park rallies, political debates, and finally…_He motions to the field_…even our nation's favorite sport is now accommodating us. That alone should make you proud to be a part of this movement. I know I am. But now that we have progressed this far, now that we have made national and even international news, one burning question remains: What do we do next? We have reached a critical point, one that requires us to either rise or decline. Countless grass-roots movements have fallen apart at the seams because they lacked direction. We cannot allow that to happen to us. If we do, everything we have worked for, everything we have clamored for from our government will be for nothing. That's why I am telling you that the time to act is now. _Moriarty pauses before going into another lengthy explanation. _These cowardly and heinous atrocities have rocked France to its core. France is now looking at us to see how we respond. The world is watching to see how we respond. As you may have heard, critics in the press and in other….underground subversive groups…

**Tobias: **You think he's talking about us?

**Jeremie: **I think sneaking in to a rally to listen to his plans counts as subversive.

**Moriarty: **….have recklessly and maliciously predicted that we would respond to these crimes with inexcusable acts of violence. In essence, they have accused us of being capable of the same level of inhumanity that has plagued our nation. They have painted us as radicals no better than the Islamic Republic of France. Will this outrage be tolerated?!

_A resounding NO echoes throughout the stadium. _

**Moriarty: **Then let's make a statement. One that this nation will be unable to avoid. I am not advocating violence at all, despite what the enforcers of the status quo may believe. But I am advocating a show of strength, a march en masse to show that although we respect law and order, we will not feebly accept the blows against our country. And I have just the ideal place to march-

_Moriarty is suddenly interrupted by some shouting on the other side of the stadium. All eyes and ears turn to Section K in the stands, where a small group of teenagers and adults emerge from the walkway and begin verbally lambasting The Order. They carry megaphones and signs wish messages that condemn The Order. Several of the signs have a large O on them, the symbol of the Outcasts. _

**Outcast Group: **THE ORDER IS A POISON TO FRANCE! DOWN WITH THE COMMANDANT! END FRENCH FASCISM NOW!

_The sudden entrance of this Outcast group immediately provokes a chorus of boos and catcalls from the crowd, demanding that they be quiet. Moriarty stands there in the field, waiting patiently for the intruders to heap abuse onto themselves. Tobias watches the scene with confusion and fear. Jeremie contacts him, snapping him out of his shock. _

**Jeremie: **Tobias, what's going on there?

**Tobias: **It's one of our Outcast branches. They've crashed the party!

**Jeremie: **What?! All on their own? _Jeremie places his hands on his head. _Oh this is bad…We told them to stay away from that rally! 

**Jim: **It must be the group from Lincoln. Those guys never listen to me.

**Jeremie: **Yeah, and it's about to backfire on them big time!

_Back at the stadium, a girl spokesperson for the Outcasts calls out to the crowd with her megaphone. _

**Outcast Spokesperson: **People of France, stop supporting this movement! It's an extremist time-bomb directed by a madman! France is not doing great right now, but this is not the answer! Stop before it's too late!

_The cacophony of jeers pummels them more intensely than before. _

**Order Member #1: **Shut up you left-wing pansy!

**Order Member #2: **You're not welcome here!

**Order Member #3: **This is the future. Get used to it!

_They rain down similar insults to try and silence her, but the spokesperson holds firm. _

**Outcast Spokesperson: **Please…I am trying to appeal to your sense of reason. Your tactics and agenda are dangerously similar to movements that created the last World War. Do not let this demagogue sway you to his side. _She points at Moriarty, who is still standing quietly. _He is a master manipulator trying to turn you into monsters! If he succeeds, then France will become a hotbed for far-right militants who will persecute the minorities in this country!

_After the third round of angry verbal abuse, Moriarty finally decides to step in. He calmly makes eye contact with his opponent. _

**Moriarty: **Now, now. This may be a free country and you have the right to freedom of speech, but the last part you said about minorities is simply not true. _He points to the crowd. _I'll have you know that we have representatives from every minority group in France within our midst. And they don't feel threatened at all by us.

**Outcast Spokesperson: **That's because they haven't figured out yet what you really want!

_Moriarty covers his mouth, feigning disbelief in response to her comment. _

**Moriarty: **Are you saying they're stupid? Too dumb to figure out my "evil plan"? How is that respectful to minorities?

_The spokesperson falters with embarrassment, realizing she has been tricked. _

**Outcast: **No…that…that's not what I meant! _The crowd continues to torment her. _He's twisting my words around!

**Tobias: **Jeremie, this is bad. Renard is making mincemeat out of her. At this rate, the whole Outcast movement will be ruined!

_Jeremie turns to Jim. _

**Jeremie: **Call their leader. Tell them to back off now!

_Jim obeys but gets no response. _

**Jim: **They're not answering! _He anxiously looks to Jeremie for help. _What should we do?

**Jeremie: **You're the leader! You're supposed to decide!

_Jim stammers and talks rapidly as a result of the unbearable pressure resting on his shoulders. _

**Jim: **Uh…I-I-I'm not sure. I haven't been this nervous since my run in with the beaver. And when I get nervous, I have nothing to use but my instincts.

**Jeremie: **Then use your instincts!

_Jim takes a deep breath and becomes calm. _

**Jim: **You're right. I have to take charge! _Jim takes the cellphone from Jeremie's hand and bellows a command at Tobias. _Tobias, initiate the emergency distraction protocol! CODENAME: TIGER ALPHA!

_Jeremie's head hits the table. _

**Jeremie: **On second thought, maybe instincts were a bad idea.

_Tobias loses a few brain cells as he processes that unintelligible request. He replies in a much louder voice than he intended. _

**Tobias: **What?! What the hell are you talking about?!

_Several Canadians in front of him notice his accent and turn around in surprise. _

**First Canadian: **Hey, you're not from our group…

_Tobias smiles innocently and starts backing away. _

**Tobias: **I don't suppose any of you guys are Dallas Stars fans…

_Moriarty begins speaking again, saving Tobias from further questioning. _

**Moriarty: **It's like I've been telling my critics all this time, you have misunderstood our central message. Just because we want a strong and patriotic France does not mean we won't accept those who aren't ethnically French. Our enemies don't belong to specific races. Our enemies are those who purposefully and deliberately drain French society by being parasitic, subversive, and generally selfish and unhelpful. Those who refuse to help build France up are in turn consciously or subconsciously working to tear it down. That's how it works.

**Outcast Spokesperson: **But many of the neighborhoods you claim to be parasitic and subversive are mostly composed of minorities. You can't get around that fact.

**Moriarty: **You do have a point. _He shrugs. _It is an unfortunate fact that many minority groups who find themselves unable to assimilate to French society in turn have the potential to drag French society down…

_The spokesperson addresses Moriarty with renewed confidence, feeling she has scored a major victory. _

**Outcast Spokesperson: **So you admit that minorities are The Order's enemy!

**Moriarty: **No. I admit that their communities need work. And I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. If they can come to terms with our vision of France, I see no reason for our relationship to be strained. And as a symbol of good faith…._He turns to the rest of the crowd again_…the location for our march against terrorism will be the suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois!

_The crowd reacts with stunned silence. The Outcasts look at each other in horror and the spokesperson trips over her words. _

**Outcast Spokesperson: **Clichy-sous-Bois?! You're going to march in one of the roughest parts of Paris?! You're going to provoke the people there into a fight!

**Moriarty: **If they are civilized people like ourselves, then we should have nothing to fear. The citizens of Clichy-sous-Bois should see it as an act of solidarity. _Moriarty smiles with an evil glint in his eye. _But if the confrontation does not go as peacefully as planned, then…my dear…it will be proof that YOUR ideology is flawed, not ours.

_Tobias speaks in a hushed whisper over the phone. _

**Tobias: **Jeremie, are you getting all this?

_Jeremie turns slightly pale. His fingers hesitate on the keyboard of his laptop. _

**Jeremie: **Unfortunately…._He curses under his breath_…That psychopath is going to ignite a firestorm…

_Moriarty mercilessly continues with his counterattack. _

**Moriarty: **And another thing-_He looks off to the side_-I'm getting rather sick of being called a fascist. We are not fascists, or xenophobic extremists. So stop comparing us to monsters when you don't know anything about us. Why, we're not even on the same level as the National Front…

**NF Supporter: **TRAITOR!

_Moriarty and half the stadium turn their heads in response to the sudden outburst in the crowd. A man at the south side of the stadium on the front row shouts at Moriarty. He and several people beside him wear shirts with the French tricolor in the form of a flame, which is the symbol of the National Front. _

**NF Supporter: **You've turned your backs on us! _His friends nod their heads and begin shouting with him._ We thought you had something big going here, but you're just as spineless as our politicians!

_Moriarty levels a murderous gaze at the troublemaker. He quickly eases the look when he remembers that he is being watched by thousands. He resumes his calm and collected expression and approaches the recent disturbance with caution. _

**Moriarty: **I'm sorry. But I really have no idea what you are talking about.

**NF Supporter: **Don't play dumb! We in the National Front thought you could do a lot of good in this country, but you've caved in to pressure in an attempt to please everyone. Well, we're not buying it! The Order should be joining us to do what needs to be done in this country, not denouncing us!

_A woman in another section steps up to counter him. _

**Order Moderate: **No way! The Order should not be that radical! If you neo-fascists want to take control, then I want nothing to do with it!

_Arguments start to break out on both sides. The crowd in the stands becomes sharply divided between those who agree with the National Front and those who are for a more moderate stance. Moriarty holds his hands out for peace, hoping to pacify any current divisions. _

**Moriarty: **People of The Order, this is not the way to behave. I'm sure we can work something out. We may not agree with each other but cooler heads need to prevail. Now please stop this!

_To Moriarty's chagrin, the crowd does not obey as eagerly as before. They seem more interested in fighting each other than paying respect to their leader. Tobias watches as the crowd angrily starts yelling amongst themselves. The Canadians start to get nervous. _

**Second Canadian: **I told you this was a bad idea. Think we should get lost, eh?

**First Canadian: **We should have done that twenty minutes ago.

_Even in the Kadic group, some of the students clash. Emmanuel waits for Moriarty's next move with disappointment. _

**Emmanuel: **We're not supposed to consider the National Front as friends? But that makes no sense. Everything we've worked for has been moving in that direction!

_Paul Gilliard, who sits behind Emmanuel, interjects. _

**Paul: **Hold on a minute, I didn't sign up for that!

**Emmanuel: **Then what did you think you signed up for? The Order is all about strength and building a new and independent France. Isn't that what we both want?

**Paul: **Yes, but they…they're too extreme for my taste.

_More arguments break out in the stands, bringing the entire rally to a standstill. Moriarty watches the chaos with increasing anxiety. He becomes visibly flustered as he loses control of the situation. His pleas for calm become more and more urgent. _

**Moriarty: **People, this is your Commandant speaking! We can work this situation out! If you could just give me a minute to….

_He is drowned out by the shouting. As the conflict reaches a critical point, several disgruntled Order members leave the stadium in a huff. Half the stands start to empty without any regard to Moriarty. As Moriarty starts to lose his firm composure over the disaster, Tobias watches with muted optimism. _

**Tobias: **Okay, did not see that one coming.

_Later on Ulrich, Yumi, and Jeremie talk together in the lab room. Jeremie sits in the command chair with his back facing the computer. Yumi puts her hands on her hips and loses herself in thought for a moment. _

**Yumi: **So, The Order is finally starting to suffer from some infighting?

**Jeremie: **That's right. Thanks to Tobias, Jim can finally start the Outcast meeting tomorrow with good news. _He gives his friends a slight frown. _I guess we could use that.

**Ulrich: **If it's good news, then why are you acting like it's bad?

**Jeremie: **Moriarty is far too good for this to continue indefinitely. He'll solve this issue rather soon and make The Order stronger than ever. All we can do is enjoy his temporary discomfort. My primary concern is that the Outcasts will get their hopes too high and build themselves up for disappointment. And of course-_He shakes his head with exasperation_-we have the matter of Outcast branches doing whatever the hell they feel like regardless of Jim's orders…

_Ulrich rolls his eyes. _

**Ulrich: **Man, you sure are a ray of sunshine. Even when there's good news you still manage to find a dark side to it…

**Yumi: **Yeah, and don't forget, if the Outcasts from Lincoln hadn't intervened, Moriarty would never have lost control of the crowd.

**Jeremie: **A lucky break. Don't assume that wanton recklessness is going to pay off every time.

_Ulrich laughs. _

**Ulrich: **Why not? It's worked for me so far.

**Jeremie: **Hilarious. _He turns the command chair around to face the computer. _We've chatted long enough. I think it's time we checked in on Aelita and the others. _Jeremie puts his earpiece on. _Aelita, how are things going over there?

_The scene shifts to the Network, where the Skidbladnir drifts in the open blue sea. Two of the Nav Skids remain attached to the Skid while two others swim around it. Aelita answers Jeremie from the cockpit. _

**Aelita: **All good so far. Natalya and Christophe are certainly enjoying their Nav Skid training.

_Christophe zips by, spinning around in circles. _

**Christophe: **THIS…IS…AWESOME!

_Natalya flies past him, moving around erratically and holding onto the controls for dear life. _

**Natalya: **AH! How do you stop this thing?!

**Aelita: **Well…more or less.

_Odd and William watch the spectacle from their motionless Nav Skids. _

**Odd: **I'm bored. When do we join in?

**William: **This is not a game Odd. We aren't just here for practice. We are still on a mission.

**Odd: **Right, right. Send Jeremie's little prototype into one of the black things…blah blah blah….

_Jeremie's voice butts into the conversation. _

**Jeremie: **Not just a prototype, it's the trial program for the Cannae Initiative. If we can inflict damage onto one of Moriarty's corrupted databases, then it might be a sign of success for taking him out for good.

**William: **If it's that important, why not fire it at Moriarty's core and see if it works? That way, we can finish this whole thing today?

_Jeremie responds in a rather condescending tone. _

**Jeremie: **William, don't be so naïve. The odds of eliminating Moriarty completely with such a rudimentary weapon protocol are 8% at best. I've decoded enough of Waldo Schaeffer's third level of encryption to know that the Cannae Initiative involves separating the virtual base pairs in an entity's DNA sequence code, but little more than that right now. So my synthesized product isn't fully developed yet. At this point hitting the Core will more than likely backfire and make Moriarty immune to the Cannae Initiative….or do something spontaneous and random to the Network like engulfing the Internet with millions of photos of last year's top female swimsuit models.

_Odd leans back in his Nav Skid, clearly entertaining the thought. _

**Odd: **I'm not seeing a down side to that…

**Aelita: **Anyway Odd…._Her tone toward him is slightly patronizing after that last comment_…Jeremie and William are right. We should probably put this practice on hold and move on with the mission.

**Christophe: **Okay…_He starts to move back to the Skid…_Let me just test out the weapons first.

_He charges up a torpedo, aiming at the Skid. Aelita stares in horror. _

**Aelita: **Christophe, stop! You don't know how to use those yet!

_The torpedo goes off, destroying Natalya's Nav Skid as she tries to dock with the Skid. A blue light envelops her and takes her back to Lyoko. William looks at the area where Natalya once was and fumes in anger. _

**William: **Christophe, you idiot! You blew up my girlfriend!

**Christophe: **Um…sorry. It was an honest mistake.

**William: **Sorry?! If it wasn't for the Trans-Network Cyber Bridge, you would have killed her! _He shakes his fist at him. _I should be honor bound to blow YOU up for doing that!

_Christophe laughs uneasily. _

**Christophe: **William, you wouldn't do something that drastic, would you? I mean…_He turns to Aelita for help_… Aelita would never let you do that, right?

_Aelita smiles mischievously and moves her right hand playfully toward the controls. She releases William's Nav Skid. _

**Aelita: **Oh…perish the thought.

_William's Nav Skid approaches Christophe, causing him to back up uneasily. _

**Christophe: **William…come on. Let's be reasonable. _A torpedo narrowly misses Christophe's Nav Skid. _AH! _Christophe starts to flee William. The two engage in a humorous chase around the Skid. _Jeremie, don't just sit there! Call off your attack dog!

_In the factory, Jeremie pretends to think over the issue while Ulrich and Yumi laugh their heads off. _

**Jeremie: **Hmm…you know, it wouldn't be hard at all to get the mission done with three people.

**Christophe: **Not funny Jeremie! DO SOMETHING!

_Several minutes later, the Skid moves into the outer rim of the Moriarty-infected Network. Aelita hangs close to the edge of his territory. _

**Aelita: **We better be careful. If we go any deeper inside, his turrets will open fire on us.

_Christophe looks to his left and stares into the thick purple haze. The black narrow passageways leading to the Core appear menacing, as if inviting him to his own doom. He strains his eyes and just barely gets a glimpse of the Core in the distance. His expression becomes deadly serious. _

**Christophe: **So…that's really him. What he really is. A giant parasite infecting this Network…

**Aelita: **That's right Christophe. He's straight in front of us.

**William: **But don't get any bright ideas. We've tried to destroy him several times and failed. We came very close to losing Ulrich one time. Attacking him is not a good idea right now.

_Christophe stares intently down the passageway, chafing for a chance to move down there and blow several holes into Moriarty. He presses his hand against the glass. _

**Christophe: **That being said, I want to be here when we do attack and finally destroy him.

**Jeremie: **God willing, you might get your wish. Now let's get this over with. Aelita, target the large database at your 3 o'clock and fire the trial weapon.

_The Skid rotates at Aelita's command and aims at a long, black obelisk in the infected zone. The Skid's torpedoes warm up, emitting a green light before firing. Then the weapon goes off, hitting the obelisk dead on. _

**Aelita: **Direct hit. Standing by for effect…

_The black database begins to crack. The infected shell starts to fall off, revealing the normal aqua blue database underneath. Aelita reacts with initial satisfaction. _

**Aelita: **It seems to be working Jeremie. Moriarty's corrupting power is receding.

_To her dismay, the shell's destruction abruptly halts, splitting the database evenly between a corrupted and non-corrupted half. Aelita frowns. Odd, William, and Christophe watch with disappointment. _

**Aelita: **I'm sorry Jeremie. The trial weapon was only able to remove half of Moriarty's presence.

_Aelita waits for a response, expecting Jeremie to be upset and frustrated. But he is quite the opposite. The happiness in his voice quickly becomes obvious. _

**Jeremie: **Half? Are you serious?! Fantastic! _In the factory Jeremie raises his fist in the air from excitement while Yumi, Ulrich, and Natalya look at each other in confusion. _That means we're halfway there!

**Aelita: **But Jeremie, 50% efficiency is…

**Jeremie: **50% more than we had to start with. This is excellent!

**Christophe: **Wait, does that mean, if we attack Moriarty now, we could eliminate half of his power right now?!

**Jeremie: **Well theoretically yes, assuming we could get past the turrets. But we shouldn't. If we give Moriarty a taste of this program, he'll apply a countermeasure and develop an immunity against it. Our victory relies on a one-shot certain kill scenario. We can't afford to squander the opportunity now.

_Christophe folds his arms across his chest and looks longingly back at the Core. _

**Christophe: **Yeah, I understand.

_The Skid turns back around toward Lyoko. _

**Aelita: **Okay Jeremie, we're heading home now.

**Jeremie: **Be sure you send me the recorded data on the Skid's log.

**Aelita: **Will do. I-_She stops midsentence when something below the Skid catches her eye. The Skid starts to slow down._-What…what is that?

**Jeremie: **What is what?

_Odd, William, and Christophe look below. They too gaze wide-eyed at the scene. _

**Odd: **That's not normal.

**William: **Not in the slightest.

**Christophe: **What's it doing?

**Jeremie: **Hello…I can't see what you see…can someone give me answers here?!

_Aelita keeps her eyes pinned at an emerging pink energy field slowly start to grow from the bottom up toward the Skid. Bit by bit, millimeter by millimeter, the energy field gains in size, approaching them at the speed of a glacier. Aelita looks to her left and her right. Her breath is taken away when she sees this pink energy field building around the infected zone of the Network. She looks up and feels her blood run cold when she sees the energy field growing above her, reaching downward to connect with the bottom half. Aelita's voice becomes weak and grave when she finally contacts Jeremie. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, it's a wall. _All around the infected area, two energy fields grow from the Southern and Northern poles of Moriarty's territory, reaching inward to eventually form a solid sphere. _He's building a wall around the corrupted Network!

_Half an hour later at the factory, the entire group stands behind Jeremie at the computer. Jeremie cracks his knuckles and inhales deeply to calm his nerves. He begins to type. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, moment of truth…

_On the outer rim of the Lyoko Network access gate, four objects resembling satellite dishes react and aim directly at Moriarty's emerging shield. All of them glow white as Jeremie modifies the Trans-Network Cyber Bridge into a weapon. Jeremie wavers before launching the attack. A bead of sweat drips down his forehead. _

**Jeremie: **This is the strongest thing we have in our arsenal. If it can't break through, then it is truly indestructible. _He moves through with the attack. _Here goes nothing.

_The dishes fire, converging together in a massive blast that barrels toward the pink energy shield. The impact is so powerful that it shakes the very Network. For three solid seconds, the enormous blast hammers the shields. But when it dies down and Jeremie checks the results of the attack, his heart sinks. _

**Jeremie: **Nothing. _The energy wall around the infected zone remains unharmed and continues to expand at a snail's pace. _Not even a scratch. _Jeremie takes his earpiece out and sadly turns to face his friends. _I'm sorry guys. That energy wall simply cannot be broken.

_The wheels in Yumi's head begin to turn and she suddenly appears very uncomfortable. _

**Yumi: **But if reaching the Core is the only way to defeat Moriarty, how do stop him when the walls close up?

**Jeremie: **Simple. We can't. _The warriors become extremely alarmed when Jeremie unveils this dire news. They look at him with panicked faces, desperately hoping that their leader didn't just say that. On the outside, Jeremie looks grimly calm, but Aelita can tell by the trembling in his hands that he is coming undone on the inside. _Our only choice is to go in and destroy Moriarty before the walls close up.

_Ten seconds of silence goes by before William finally breaks it. _

**William: **How long do we have?

**Jeremie: **I can only give a rough estimate, but most likely three weeks. Maybe less.

_An aura of desperation and despair sinks into the factory as the full weight of the oppressive time limit falls on their young shoulders. Natalya covers her mouth and stares off into space, looking like she might lose it at any second. Odd sits down and hugs his knees close to his body. Aelita walks toward Jeremie and takes his hand, holding it tight and refusing to let go. The rest are too overwhelmed to even react. _

**Ulrich: **Three weeks. We have three weeks to save the world…

_Ulrich feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns around to see Christophe looking confidently at him, radiating with a hope and courage that makes Ulrich envious. Everyone, including Jeremie, turn to Christophe, blown away by his positive reaction. _

**Christophe: **Three weeks? Well, then…we'd better get started.

_The next day Lucas Maes washes his hands in one of the dormitory bathrooms. Herb approaches the sink to the side of him and washes his hands as well. Knowing full well that Herb is a big shot in The Order, Lucas tries to avoid eye contact. But as Herb reaches for a paper towel, he catches sight of several bruises on The Order member's right hand. Curiosity gets the best of him before he can rein his mouth in. _

**Lucas: **Y-Y-Your hand…

_Herb shoots him a dirty look, making Lucas feel uneasy. _

**Herb: **What about it?

**Lucas: **W-What happened t-t-to it?

_Herb looks back at the mirror as he dries his hands. He stuffs the wet paper towels into the trash can and turns his back on Lucas. He answers his question in a sarcastic tone. _

**Herb: **I hit a punching bag too hard.

_He exits the bathroom. A minute later, as Lucas walks down the hall, he thinks over Herb's slipshod explanation. _

**Lucas: **P-Punching bag? That m-m-makes no sense. You can't b-bruise like that from a p-punching bag. _Lucas probes his mind for a possible explanation. A sudden memory takes him back to his old middle school days in Belgium, where he was viciously bullied. He recounts how several adolescent punks beat him up after school, with one of them punching him in the face. He then remembers how the day afterward he saw the same thug walk down the school hallway. As he hid behind a locker, he noticed that the bully had several bandages wrapped around his hand; the same hand that had hit him in the head. _But h-hitting a human sk-kull can…_He stops in his tracks as a major revelation dawns on him. _T-T-THAT'S IT!

_He starts running down the hall. On the floor above, Azra is tending to her recent wounds. Her room is bare and frugal, with only one small poster written in Turkish adorning the walls. The lack of décor makes the room feel larger and emptier than it really is. But she is not alone. Bastien Roux_ _kneels next to her, putting a little disinfectant on her arm. _

**Bastien: **Now hold still, this is going to sting a little…

_Azra winces from the pain but quickly recovers her smile. She looks at Bastien somewhat awkwardly while he re-bandages her arm. _

**Azra: **You know, you didn't need to do this for me. _She looks off to the side. _…Or get new bandages for me at the nurse's office.

**Bastien: **Don't be silly. It was on the way. Besides, you've been cooped up in your room too long. I-_He rubs the back of his neck and smiles nervously_- figured you could use some company.

**Azra: **That was sweet of you to think of me. I admit I've been a little lonely…

_The two meet each other's eyes. They stare at each other for a moment, frozen with a loss for words. Some heat rises to their faces as the exchange becomes more embarrassing. Azra fakes some pain in her right shoulder to break the tension. _

**Azra: **Ow! My shoulder…it's bothering me again.

**Bastien: **Here, let me have a look…

**Azra: **No! I mean-_She backs up closer to the wall._-it's not really that bad. _She clears her throat and changes the subject. _So, how's Claire doing? I haven't seen her around much.

_Bastien frowns and takes out several other medical supplies Nurse Yolanda lent him. _

**Bastien: **She has been investigating on her own nonstop, trying to find out who did this to you- _Evidence of a strong temper boiling under the surface appears on Bastien's face at the mention of the merciless attack on Azra. _I swear, if she ever finds out who did this-_He balls a fist_-I'll make them pay big time.

_Azra watches Bastien's reaction with curiosity, stunned by how animated he has become for her sake. _

**Azra: **Wow…how…noble of you. _She forces a smile, trying to turn the heartfelt compliment into a joke. _It's really unlike you.

**Bastien: **Oh come on. When have I not been noble, especially with a lady?

_Azra gives him a cold look and folds her arms across her chest. _

**Azra: **Angeline. _Venom and perhaps some jealousy drips from her voice at the mention of that name. _Does that ring any bells?

_Bastien is struck with panic when Azra mentions her big messup with the main seductress of The Order. The intense glare Azra inflicts on him makes him queasy. He lowers his head with shame. _

**Bastien: **I'm really really sorry. I…_He lowers his head further. He works up a sincere apology_…gave into weakness. It should never have happened. I hurt the Outcasts, but even worse, I lost you and Claire's trust. Can you ever forgive me?

_Seeing Bastien in such a penitent position softens Azra's heart. Almost against her will she loses a lot of the anger from that betrayal. She sighs. _

**Azra: **Yeah whatever. I guess I can't criticize you too much. It's not like the Outcasts have too many girls that can match Angeline.

**Bastien: **That's not true. _In a flurry of excitement, Bastien inches closer to Azra, looking intently at her. _I can think of a lot of girls in our group who are far prettier and nicer than her!

_The shortened distance between her and Bastien in addition to the weight of his comment makes her heart pound feverishly. _

**Azra: **L-Like who?

_Bastien loses the ability to speak as he finds that he has fallen into his own trap. He begins to stumble on his words. _

**Bastien: **I…_His face moves closer to hers. Azra shows no signs of resistance. _I…

_Lucas bursts through the door at that exact moment. _

**Lucas: **AZRA!

_Bastien and Azra, completely caught off guard at the worst possible moment, turn in alarm toward the sudden intruder. Both of them blush from the sudden interruption. _

**Bastien: **It's not what you think!

**Azra: **We're not…Can't you knock before entering a girl's room?!

_Lucas completely disregards the two's sharp statements and prepares to deliver his message. _

**Lucas: **Azra, I k-know who one of the p-p-people who attacked y-y-you is!

**Azra: **What?!

_Bastien stands up, very eager to hear the news. _

**Bastien: **Who is it? Tell me now!

**Lucas: **Herb. Herb was de-definitely one of them. He had b-b-bruise on his knuckles. C-Can't be a coinc-c-cidence.

_Bastien stands still for a second, inhaling deeply through his nose. Rage overtakes his features and his muscles tense up. The blood in his head begins to roar. He tightens his fist until the veins are visible. Lucas watches Bastien with concern, somewhat worried that he will take his anger out on the messenger. _

**Lucas: **B-Bah-Bastien?

**Bastien: **So….that creep had the audacity to hit Azra…a girl…. in cold blood? _He cracks his knuckles. He looks at Lucas, his heart and mind hellbent on vengeance. _That is the last mistake he will ever make.

_He rushes out of the room, slamming Lucas out of the way and runs into the hall. Azra hobbles toward the door. _

**Azra: **Bastien no! Don't be an idiot! _She watches helplessly as he rounds the corner of the hall. _THE ORDER WILL KILL YOU!

_Midday sets in at Kadic. The Lyoko Warriors minus Odd and Christophe make their way to the cafeteria for lunch. They march around with more caution than usual, for they see a lot of Order members around them. Aelita receives the nasty looks from them with sadness. _

**Aelita: **I remember when this school had a sense of community…when we weren't divided because of ideology. _They pass the vending machine facilities, where the purple fleur-de-lis is spray painted on the wall. _Not anymore. Now we're completely divided. There is no one who is neutral anymore.

_No one deigns to give a response, not even Jeremie. He is too lost in thought and anxiety to do so. Meanwhile Ulrich overlooks a poor math test he recently got back. _

**Ulrich: **Alright that does it. I've run the numbers on this test. I should have gotten a 75. But the evil Moriarty suck-up known as Mrs. Meyer took off five points for "subversive behavior". Can they even do that now? Is this what the school has finally come to? Openly taking off points for being a part of the Outcasts?

**Jeremie: **It's the steady slope Ulrich. You start out with a few changes until they gradually become absurd. That's how all totalitarian regimes work.

_Five second pause in the group. _

**William: **Where's Odd and Christophe?

**Yumi: **They ran ahead to be first in line. Christophe got excited because they're serving salsberry steak and fries for lunch. And Odd is well…Odd. No explanation needed there.

**Aelita: **If only we had power equivalent to Odd's appetite. _She turns to Jeremie, trying to cheer him up. _Right Jeremie? We'd beat Moriarty in-_Her attempt is obviously not working on him_-no time….

_Jeremie's sour mood becomes contagious, and pretty soon they all have an invisible dark cloud hovering over their heads. They stay this way for a few moments before suddenly running into Lucas. The Belgian student pants as he approaches them. _

**Lucas: **Outcasts h-help! T-Trouble. B-B-BIG TROUBLE!

**William: **Whoa slow down there Lucas. What's going on?

**Lucas: **Bah-Bastien! He's lost it! I f-figured out Herb hurt Azra and t-told them both, and n-now he's out for bla-bla-blood! _The warriors quickly get the message and become alarmed. _The l-look in his eyes. S-s-scary. No s-s-stopping him now!

**Ulrich: **We're going to have to, or it will cause a riot!

**Jeremie: **Everyone to the cafeteria! If we hurry maybe we can-

_They hear a loud bang in the direction of the cafeteria building. _

**Natalya: **Did someone just violently throw open the cafeteria doors?

**Jeremie: **Crap….

_In the cafeteria, Order and Outcast members alike watch in shock as a furious Bastien looms in the doorway. _

**Bastien: **WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS HERB?!

_Herb, who sits at a table with Nicholas and some other Order members, nearly chokes on his food as he hears his name called. Before he realizes what is happening, Bastien spots his prey and stalks toward him. The other Order members, initially overwhelmed by his tenacity and killer look, start to back away. Herb sits frozen in his seat while Bastien corners him. The avenger pauses a moment, and then in a frightening display of anger, knocks over Herb's table, scattering trays of food everywhere. Herb turns to Nicholas. _

**Herb: **Nah-Nah-Nicholas…HELP ME!

_Nicholas wisely chooses to run off and leaves Herb to face his fate. Bastien picks Herb up by the shirt collar. Herb is too frightened to look directly into Bastien's ferocious eyes. _

**Herb: **What do you want with me?

_Bastien inspects Herb's right hand and sees the bruises. The hatred in Bastien's eyes intensifies. _

**Bastien: **You hurt Azra. You struck a defenseless girl. Now…you're going to die.

**Herb: **You…you wouldn't hit a guy with glasses would you?

**Bastien: **No. I wouldn't.

_Herb feels a temporary relief, naïvely thinking he has escaped disaster. But Bastien soon dashes his hopes when he drives a fist into his stomach. Herb smarts from the blow. _

**Bastien: **At least-_He hits Herb again_-not in the face.

_He flings Herb onto the next table. His victim desperately tries to crawl away, but Bastien will have none of it. He grabs his shirt from behind. _

**Bastien: **Hold it! I'm not done with you yet!

**Mathias: **BASTIEN!

_Bastien turns around to see Mathias and Emmanuel emerge from the pack of students gawking at the scene. Both appear determined to confront him. Mathias pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. _

**Mathias: **Do you think we're just going to sit by while you beat the crap out of one of our guys?

**Emmanuel: **Let go of him. Now…

**Bastien: **He attacked Azra! He dared to hit a defenseless girl! _Some of the girls in the cafeteria cover their mouths and gasp, shocked by the news. _I'm just paying him back for what he did. An eye for an eye!

_Emmanuel remains eerily calm in the face of Bastien's outburst. _

**Emmanuel: **Haven't you heard? An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

**Mathias: **This is your last chance, Bastien. _He points at him, revealing his bruised hand. _Let go of him.

_Bastien catches sight of the damning evidence and immediately seethes with a newfound rage. He lets go of Herb and launches himself headlong at Mathias. _

**Bastien: **You…you did it too!

_An unexpected roundhouse kick from Emmanuel knocks Bastien onto his back. The left side of his face becomes bruised. Mathias jams his foot onto Bastien's abdomen, making his victim reel with pain. _

**Mathias: **Don't take it too personally, Bastien. Think of it more as an act of service to my country. _He stomps on Bastien again. _Kind of like what I'm doing right now.

_Emmanuel viciously kicks Bastien and Mathias continues with his own form of abuse. Several Outcast students in the cafeteria shout in protest, but the presence of other Order members available to back them up discourages them from a fight. At the cafeteria line, Odd and Christophe watch in outrage as the merciless attack continues. Seeing that no one else is going to stop them, the two exchange glances. They nod their heads and slowly move toward Emmanuel and Mathias. Mathias keeps dishing out some brutal justice. _

**Emmanuel: **Alright. Give it a rest Mathias. I think he's had enough.

**Christophe: **Yes, but you haven't.

_Emmanuel and Mathias look up in surprise. Odd hits Mathias in the side of the head, stunning him before he can fight back. Both Christophe and Odd raise their fists to fight as they stand side by side. _

**Christophe: **How about I go for the racist traitor, and you go for glasses?

**Odd: **Sounds good to me.

_A true fight begins in earnest. The students in the cafeteria explode into an uproar. Emmanuel and Mathias are no strangers to fighting, but Christophe and Odd are quick and able to hold their ground against them. Paul and Henri of The Order move in. _

**Paul: **This has gone far enough!

**Henri: **Looks like we have to teach these Outcasts some order…

_Tobias steps in and blocks them from reaching Emmanuel and Mathias. He drives his right fist into his left palm, flexing his rather impressive Texas-bred muscles. _

**Tobias: **Teach us, huh? We'll I'd be happy to learn, but I warn you-_ He gives Henri a nasty uppercut to the chin._-I've never been a really good student.

_Complete pandemonium breaks out in the cafeteria. The Outcasts and The Order clash in an all out brawl. The built up tensions of weeks of mostly nonviolent conflict boil over into this one heated moment. Even the girls fight each other, pulling hair and hitting each other. Rosa, the cafeteria lady, hunkers away in the kitchen, too terrified to step in to stop the mayhem. _

**Rosa: **Students please! STOP THIS CHAOS!

_The fight quickly progresses against the Outcasts' favor when it becomes clear that they are outnumbered. But three Outcast ringers, Theo, Jean-Baptiste, and Romain enter the cafeteria from the back. _

**Romain: **A cafeteria fight and we weren't invited?!

_Jean-Baptiste glares at his Order prey, eager for violence. _

**Jean-Baptiste: **We'll have to fix that.

**Theo: **Gentlemen, pick your Order prick and destroy him. The one who pummels the most will earn the one Eurovision ticket we have. May the best man win!

_The battle intensifies and spills outside the cafeteria. The warriors arrive, awestruck at how fast the situation has deteroriated. Aelita covers her face and Jeremie shakes his head sadly. _

**Natalya: **We have to stop them!

**William: **I don't think that's really an option at this point.

**Aelita: **Whatever the case, the last thing we should do is join-

**Angeline: **Yumi! Natalya!

_The two girls turn their heads in the direction of the demanding voice. They turn to see Angeline and Anais holding Isabel by her hair. The Brazilian girl twists and writhes to get herself free. _

**Isabel: **Let me go!

_Yumi and Natalya quickly become infuriated at the sight. While Anais handles Isabel, Angeline glowers haughtily at the two female warriors. While she is as still as beautiful as ever, the look of incredible cruelty on her face is too disturbing to overlook. _

**Angeline: **So nice of you to join us! I was getting bored.

_Isabel screams. _

**Yumi: **Let her go!

**Angeline: **Don't worry. We're almost finished with her. _She moves her index finger to the hemline of her shirt, pulling the fabric down seductively in the direction of her breasts._ And when I'm done with her I think I'll move on to your boyfriends!

_While Ulrich and William look at each other awkwardly, Natalya and Yumi blaze with anger on the inside. The invisible claws of a woman's fury come out, primed for a nasty fight. Natalya colorfully addresses Angeline in Russian and Yumi rolls up her sleeves. _

**Yumi: **That does it. Let's get her!

**Natalya: **Right behind you!

**Aelita: **NO!

_Aelita's pleas fall on deaf ears. Yumi and Natalya scrap with Angeline and Anais, resulting in a rather ugly clash. Meanwhile Ulrich and William, noticing that the Outcasts are outnumbered in the brawl, become pumped up to fight as well. _

**Ulrich: **Forget stopping this thing. We need to help our fellow Outcasts!

**William: **Right. They are our allies. This is what we are supposed to do.

**Aelita: **Please don't!

_Jeremie and Aelita step in front of them. _

**Jeremie: **This isn't our fight! Any further confrontation will only fan the flames of this violence!

_William and Ulrich look at each other for a brief moment. _

**William: **Want to go fan some flames?

**Ulrich: **Yep.

_William and Ulrich throw themselves into the fight. Both of them pounce on a couple of unsuspecting Order students and hurl them flat on the ground. Thomas and Nicholas soon rise to the challenge to face them. The brawl goes on with no signs of letting up. It seems the whole school has been sucked into the mayhem. Several students lie on the ground or hobble, evidence that the fight has taken its toll. Jeremie and Aelita hide behind one of the side buildings near the cafeteria, refusing to become a part of the madness. _

**Aelita: **This is awful! Jeremie what do we do?

**Jeremie: **There's nothing we can do. The hatred between our two sides has been building up to this point like a pressure cooker, and now that the pressure's been released, we can't stop it. At this stage, the only one who can interfere is-

**Jim: **ENOUGH!

_Jim's booming voice in the courtyard makes everyone participating in the fight halt abruptly. Everyone turns to see Jim and Mr. Delmas marching over to the cafeteria, looking ready to bring down the ultimate punishment. The usual goofy and incompetent Jim comes onto the scene with an expression of terrible anger. The students, temporarily forgetting their brewing enmity between them, suddenly cower in the face of Kadic's authoritarian figure. The large gym teacher pushes his way through the crowd and busts into the cafeteria. All of the students silently gasp, remembering the disciplinary might of a man who has dominated the campus long before Moriarty arrived. Jim walks in, pauses for a brief second, and then focuses his intense gaze directly at a random Order member, nearly making the kid wet his pants. _

**Jim: **YOU MIND TELLING ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!

_The kid cannot reply and quickly backs away in terror. Jim looks down at the floor, where tables, chairs, and food are scattered everywhere. _

**Jim: **OH A MESS! Well that's it…I get it…_Jim looks around the room, pretending to be slightly humored in the midst of his uncontrollable anger_…it's fun to make a mess isn't it?! You like to make a mess of this place, don't you?! Well then don't mind me! _He kicks over a chair and steps on a tray_. I'LL JUST JOIN IN! _The students look at Jim uncomfortably as the display continues. _What's the matter?! Is it no longer fun? No longer fun to make a mess and beat each other senseless?! _When no one answers, Jim walks to the center of the room. _GOOD, BECAUSE I NEVER THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY AT ALL! _He points to the scattered furniture and food on the floor. _CLEAN THIS UP RIGHT NOW AND CLEAN IT UP TOGETHER! Fix this now and just might not expel the whole lot of you!

_Mr. Delmas walks up behind them, putting his hands on his hips as he surveys the carnage. He notices with a heavy heart that several students are so beat up that they can hardly stand. His lower lip trembles and there is a tormented look in his eyes. Unlike Jim, he does not seem angry but rather emotionally and mentally unstable. In some ways, the Kadic principal's tortured visage is more frightening than Jim. He weakly begins to address the students. _

**Delmas: **Before you do that, I want everyone to send the most injured students to the infirmary right away. Nurse Yolanda will determine if any of them need to go to a hospital.

**Jim: **Mr. Delmas, should there not be more punishment than just cleaning up the cafeteria?!

_Delmas almost shakes with rage at the question, unnerving even Jim in the process. _

**Delmas: **Oh there will be….There will be. But for now I'm going to make an example out of the one who started this whole mess! _He suddenly grabs Herb's arm. _COME WITH ME!

_Herb stammers in shock as he is dragged toward the door. He covers a bloody nose with a paper towel. _

**Herb: **What?! Me?! I….I WAS THE VICTIM! Bastien attacked me without provocation!

_Delmas stops walking and shouts down Herb in a thundering voice. _

**Delmas: **AND WHAT ABOUT AZRA?! WHAT WAS YOUR PROVOCATION?! _Herb stares at his principal, stunned and terrified. _That's right. She has informed me of what you did, and you're not getting away with it. Not now. Not this time. _His grip on Herb's wrist tightens to the point of pain. Herb begins to shake. _Rest assured Bastien will endure my wrath as well, but I have far more respect for a young man who stands up for a young lady than one who hurts her! I may not be able to expel you, Herb Pinchon. BUT I AM YOUR PRINCIPAL, AND YOU WILL LEARN TO FEAR ME AGAIN!

_He pulls Herb out of the cafeteria. Jim then faces the rest of the crowd. _

**Jim: **You heard your principal. Get the injured students to the infirmary!

_The guilty parties quickly go to work, eager to avoid another round of the gym teacher's wrath. Thirty minutes later, after most of the wreck has been cleaned up, the six warriors who went into the cafeteria hobble over to Jeremie and Aelita, who wait patiently for their comrades to show up. The two geniuses behold a sorry sight. Odd and Christophe are being supported by Ulrich and William. Both look like they have taken the worst of it, with bruises and black eyes from being in the thick of the fight. Yumi limps with Natalya in tow. Yumi has a large bruise forming on the side of her face and cut marks from Angeline's sharp nails. Natalya's left ear is bloodied and covered with a bandage, and her hair is disheveled. Ulrich holds his stomach and has a bloody nose. William looks like he has weathered the fight better than the rest (most likely because he was doing more of the injuring instead of getting injured) but he too looks battered. As soon as they show up, Jeremie stands up to face them. The injured warriors fear an impending lecture, but Jeremie holds his hands up to calm their nerves. _

**Jeremie: **Before you ask, I'm not mad. Not even a little bit. _He puts his hands in his pockets. _I'm no fool. I know that nonviolent confrontation with The Order is not possible at this point in Moriarty's game. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be smart about it.

_Odd spits out some blood. _

**Odd: **Jeremie, Christophe and I had to step in…_He wheezes_…no choice.

**Jeremie: **Maybe not for you two. But the rest of you have no excuse. The minute we showed up you should have realized that the fight was out of control and already in The Order's favor. Besides, you had to have known that Jim was on his way. But your personal interests were more important. _He turns toward the two female warriors. _Yumi, Natalya, you seemed more interested in settling a longstanding catfight with Angeline in a misguided attempt to hold onto your significant others. And speaking of your significant others-_He then glares at William and Ulrich_-You have even less of an excuse! You just wanted to beat the crap out of as many Order people as possible!

_Ulrich and William nod with acceptance. _

**Ulrich: **Very true.

**William: **I won't deny it.

**Yumi: **Jeremie, we didn't do it just for us. The Outcasts were in trouble. We had to help!

_Jeremie walks up close to Yumi and looks her in the eye. _

**Jeremie: **Knowing when and when not to help your cause is the difference between a soldier and a general.

**Aelita: **Jeremie's right. We should use our heads to fight The Order. Fists should be a last resort.

_Jeremie adjusts his glasses. He hesitates before continuing. _

**Jeremie: **Actually Aelita, that's not what I meant. _The warriors pay close attention to Jeremie, wondering what he is about to say. Jeremie gives them a look of unyielding intensity. _I meant that we should have waited for an opportunity to ambush them when they least expect it. We shouldn't rush into their battles. We should pick our own!

_The warriors, Aelita most of all, look at Jeremie as if he is from Mars. Jeremie remains unfazed and deadly serious. _

**Jeremie: **You want to teach them not to mess with our own? Don't rush into the fray like kids. Wait until they are weak and unsuspecting. That is how you truly intimidate them. _Jeremie turns his back on them and starts walking. _Anyway, I need to take care of some things in the factory. Coming Aelita?

_Aelita, still stunned by the previous comment, forces a reply. _

**Aelita: **Uh…yeah

_Aelita takes off, and the warriors take the opportunity to rest Odd and Christophe on the bench. Odd leans back and looks at the sky. _

**Odd: **Does anyone else thing Jeremie is REALLY in general mode right now?

**Ulrich: **Yes.

**Yumi: **No doubt about it.

**Natalya: **But this time…he's actually really scary.

**William: **Hey guys, give him a break. I mean, he is pretty much our general. _He turns to watch Jeremie disappear into the woods. Even from the back, William can tell that Jeremie is holding his head up high. _And we are at war. And Jeremie knows more than any of us that war isn't pretty or kind. _Jeremie keeps walking in front of Aelita, not bothering to talk to her. The kindness appears to have been zapped from his face, replaced by a cold and firm resolve. _And like a good general, he is doing what he must to win this war.

_Two days later in the neighborhood of Clichy-sous-Bois, the banners and legions of The Order descend in full force. An army of black and purple soon marches down the streets filled with graffiti. They pass by housing projects and buildings that are hollowed out, serving as grim examples of urban decay on a large scale. Combat boots hit the dirty streets in perfect unison. At the front of the marching brigade, Moriarty and Klotz stay together. Klotz glances behind him. _

**Klotz: **Commandant.

**Moriarty: **Yes?

**Klotz: **No disrespect, but I'm surprised that most of them came together as they did. With our current divisions over the National Front fiasco I was sure-

**Moriarty: **Yes that certainly was inconvenient. And I'll be honest. It gave me quite a scare. But never underestimate the human ability to put aside personal squabbles for a greater good.

**Klotz: **Incredible. You really know how to keep them together. _He still seems unsure. He glances back at the stone faces behind him. _Even so, they are acting like nothing happened the other day.

**Moriarty: **Don't be so naïve. _Klotz turns back around to look at Moriarty. _Right now I bet they secretly want to fight again, but if there's one thing that both sides agree on…_Moriarty exudes his trademark grin of pure malice_…it's that marching into these rotten streets and showing the residents the power of The Order is too great an opportunity to give up.

**Klotz: **That's all fine and good for the long term, but what about when this thing is over?

**Moriarty: **Oh don't worry about that. We will handle the situation. You just focus on the here and now.

_As The Order march moves into the more populated areas of the suburb, the residents begin to take notice. Parisian police show up, setting up barricades along the sidewalks to keep the locals away from the members of The Order. Moriarty storms by with his large force. His presence provokes the ire of the residents. Several of them call out at them from second story windows, insulting them and demanding that they go home. One middle-aged Afro-French resident, who has seen his fair share of hard times, angrily approaches the police barricade. _

**Resident: **What is the meaning of this? What are these fascists doing here?!

**Police Officer: **Marching apparently…

_The angry resident steams at the officer's sarcastic response. _

**Resident: **I can see that much. What I want to know is why you are allowing them to do it!

**Police Officer: **It's within their rights. So long as they remain peaceful about it, neither you nor I have any right to interfere with it.

**Resident: **Don't give me that crap! _He points at the officer. _You're here to support them. This is an invasion! A crackdown! Don't think we've forgotten what you did to us back in 2005!

**Police Officer: **Your conspiracy theory is entertaining but no. We are just here to keep the peace.

_Moriarty's voice interrupts the two. _

**Moriarty: **People of The Order, halt!

_His army of followers obeys. They stay deadly quiet, and the watchful citizens follow suit, wondering what this so called "Hero of France" is planning. A megaphone is handed to him and he starts to speak. _

**Moriarty: **People of Clichy-sous-Bois, before we march any further, let me take this opportunity to make our intentions clear. We are not here to threaten you. We are not here for violent purposes. _The residents start to pay more attention. _Although we are here to protest the plague of terrorism in our country, we are not labeling you as the culprits. Even though three of the suicide bombers came from this area, we are not as heartless as to believe the community itself is to blame. We know that people from this neighborhood have also died from these heinous crimes. Rather, you should see this as an act of solidarity. France is changing before our very eyes. Change can be scary, but it can also be exciting. Change is happening in our favor. I do not mean any offense, but I can guess that you don't want your community to remain in the same condition it is now. Fall in with The Order, and we can change that. We want to improve France, and you can be a part of that improvement.

_The angry resident from before butts in. _

**Resident: **Liar! You'll try to improve France by shipping us in boats back to Africa the minute you gain power!

_The people join with him and jeer at Moriarty and The Order. The atmosphere becomes hostile and the police warily watch the crowd. Moriarty addresses them in a harsher tone. _

**Moriarty: **It doesn't have to be this way, but if you insist on making yourselves enemies of The Order, don't expect us not to respond in kind.

**Resident: **I knew it! He doesn't care about us at all. He and his Nazi friends are here to scare us!

_The surrounding residents become more and more hostile to The Order. Back towards the middle of The Order group, the Kadic supporters stay put. Many of them still have bruises and bandages from the fight with the Outcasts, and none of them look too eager to face these people on the fringes of French society. _

**Mathias: **This is getting bad. _He looks at Angeline and notices that her brother is not at her side. He groans. _And Emmanuel is a no-show again.

_Angeline cringes. The words from Mathias seem to make her very uncomfortable. She bites her lip. _

**Angeline: **He said he would be here. He promised…_Her gaze becomes distant and pained_…Why? Why did he come up with another ridiculous excuse? The Order is his life…

**Mathias: **Yeah…anyway, the Commandant doesn't seem to mind. Come to think of it, I've never heard him complain about his absences. Not even once. Does he even care?

_A violent anger erupts in Angeline's eyes. She twirls her head to Mathias and gives him the death stare. _

**Angeline: **Don't…ever say that again! The Commandant cares. He has to!

**Herb: **She's right. _Mathias twists his head to see Herb, who stands at the head of the Kadic pack. _You can question Emmanuel's motives if you want, but I won't have you speaking blasphemy about the Commandant. We will just have to continue on without him.

_Paul Gilliard, who stands behind Mathias, speaks up. _

**Paul: **Yes, but what about you? Didn't Delmas forbid you from coming to any Order events off-.

_Herb glowers with anger at the mention of Delmas and his punishment. _

**Herb: **I'd watch your tongue if I were you. Our dear principal may have the guts to give me orders with Jim around but we all know who has the power in this school! Don't you ever question me again, understand?

_Herb turns back around. Mathias folds his arms across his chest. _

**Mathias: **There he goes again. _Someone taps him on the shoulder. He sees that it is Paul, who doesn't seem to be in a great mood right now. _Huh? What is it?

**Paul: **You have to do something man.

**Mathias: **Do something? About what?

**Paul: **About Herb. We can't deal with him. If Emmanuel keeps being absent, then he'll be in a perfect position to replace him. We can't have that.

**Mathias: **I know, but what do you want me to do about it?

**Paul: **Simple. _Paul looks left and right and lowers his voice. _Replace him.

_Mathias' eyes widen with surprise. _

**Mathias: **What?!

**Paul: **We want Emmanuel back, but if he is permanently missing, we need someone to lead the students. If we have to make a choice, then we'd rather have you do it.

**Henri: **He's right. _Mathias sees Henri and Morgane have joined the conversation. _You're always at Emmanuel's side. You've followed his example well. If there's anyone who deserves to be our new leader, it's you.

**Morgane: **Yes. I've heard some of the others talk at school. I can't speak for the guys but the girls in my class would definitely support you.

**Mathias: **But…what about Angeline? Couldn't she do it?

**Morgane: **Ordinarily yes but-_She whispers into his ear_-you know she's a real headcase without her brother. We all like her but she's too unstable.

**Paul: **Face it man. You're no Emmanuel but you're the closest thing we have. You have to save us from Herb.

**Henri: **You've got to get rid of that weasel. We want you, not him.

**Morgane: **You'd make a great leader!

_Mathias listens intently, amazed that his Order comrades appear to trust him so much. The smiling and eager faces of his friends fill him with a confidence that he did not have before. In addition to that, ambition swells in his mind as he imagines himself at Moriarty's side. He smiles and turns a threatening eye toward an unsuspecting Herb Pinchon. _

**Mathias: **Okay. Don't get too comfortable Herb, because I'm coming for you.

_Jeremie and Aelita stay busy in the lab room, glued to the monitor screen. Both of them have bags under their eyes due to their lack of sleep over the past couple of days. Jeremie wipes his forehead and drinks from a soda can. He exhales. _

**Jeremie: **The scanner is almost repaired. All that remains is for us to clean out the last terabyte of Moriarty's presence, rearrange it, and finally_- He rubs his head_-reboot it.

**Aelita: **We're almost there, Jeremie.

_Jeremie solemnly nods. _

**Jeremie: **We should have started fixing it two days ago. But the Cannae Initiative- _Jeremie groans_-Ugh I'm so sick of those two words I could throw up.

**Aelita: **We were making so much progress. The third level of encryption is 60% complete! It's only natural that we focused on that instead of the scanner.

**Jeremie: **Very true, but we should have dealt with the scanner first. No point in making big plans to eliminate Moriarty when we can't even prevent Emmanuel from walking in the front door.

_Jeremie continues his work for another twenty minutes. At one point Aelita takes control, allowing Jeremie to rest. After a long, tedious process, a green exclamation point appears on the screen. Aelita's face beams with joy. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie!

_Jeremie is startled awake and looks around with confusion. _

**Jeremie: **What? What?

**Aelita: **Look! _Jeremie rushes to her side. The scanner data disappears and reboots. _It's almost completely fixed. _She looks at Jeremie, radiating with hope. _All we need to do is wait seven minutes and the Emmanuel nightmare will be completely over.

_Jeremie sighs with relief and quickly wraps his arms around Aelita, causing her to blush. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, I love you! Now we won't have to do the unthinkable.

_They share a quick kiss. But just as things seem to be going in their direction, Aelita catches sight of something on the camera monitor. Her heart sinks. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie…

**Jeremie: **What? What's wrong?

_Aelita's look of hope is replaced with despair. _

**Aelita: **Remember when you were talking about Emmanuel knocking on the front door?

_Jeremie looks at the camera monitor. Sure enough, he sees Emmanuel jump onto the factory floor. Jeremie's hands latch onto the top of his head. He tugs on his hair. _

**Jeremie: **No! NO! Seven minutes! We just need seven minutes! WHY NOW?!

**Aelita: **Because now is the best time….no…the only time for Moriarty to use him again! _Aelita turns to Jeremie with concern. _What do we do?!

_Jeremie quickly regains his composure and barks an order at Aelita. _

**Jeremie: **Find as much spare wood and metal as you can. If we hurry we might be able to seal the boiler room entrance. It may not be much, but at the very least, it'll slow him down. Go! I'll handle the elevators!

_Aelita nods and climbs down the stairs to fetch the materials requested. Jeremie runs to the keyboard and starts locking the elevators. _

**Emmanuel: **A vain gesture Jeremie…_Jeremie looks up to see Emmanuel looking down on him from the top of the computer interface's support beams. _Or were you just trying to get Aelita out of the way so she wouldn't get hurt?

_Jeremie steels his nerves and holds his ground against Moriarty's trusted servant. _

**Jeremie: **That may have had something to do with it, but that's not important right now. _He pauses for a moment. _Emmanuel, if there's any part of you that can hear me, stop this right now! The person you call your Commandant is going to kill you. _Jeremie points to the floor below him. _If you go to Lyoko we can't be held accountable for what will happen to you!

_Emmanuel pulls his hammer necklace from under his shirt and dangles it in the air. _

**Emmanuel: **I guess I could. But that would be violating my duties as a student trustee.

_Jeremie eyes the necklace with understanding. _

**Jeremie: **So that's it…

_Emmanuel leaps from the ceiling and kicks Jeremie in midair, sending him sprawling onto the floor. He wipes the dust from his shirt. _

**Emmanuel: **You really should have invested in a guard dog. _Emmanuel starts walking only to find out that he is being held back. _What?

_Jeremie has hold of Emmanuel's heel and desperately holds on from his position on the floor. _

**Jeremie: **I will not….let you enter Lyoko again…I will not have someone else on my conscience! _He reaches upward. _I have to get that necklace!

_Emmanuel smirks at Jeremie's desperate effort. _

**Emmanuel: **You're too late.

_A solid kick to Jeremie's wrist forces him to let go. Emmanuel slips away to the scanner room. With only five minutes left in the reboot cycle, the slightly infected scanner welcomes Emmanuel and virtualizes him. Jeremie stays on the floor, banging his fists several times. _

**Jeremie: **Seven minutes…was that too much to ask?! _He growls and cranes his neck toward the ceiling. _God do you ever give me a break?!

_Aelita soon returns, carrying wood and metal scraps in her arms. She soon drops them when she sees Jeremie on the floor. Panic materializes on her face. _

**Aelita: **Please tell me he didn't-

**Jeremie: **He did. _The super scan goes off, warning of an activated tower in the Forest Sector. Jeremie moans in response. _How typical of Moriarty. Activating the tower after Emmanuel is already there... _He slams his fist against the floor again. _Idiot! I should have fixed the scanner when I had the chance!

_An uneasy silence settles in the room. Jeremie remains on the floor. Before Aelita can say anything, Jeremie's head turns in her direction. A tear forms in his eye as determination and guilt wage war in his waking thoughts. He clenches his teeth. _

**Jeremie: **Call the others. _He pushes himself up from the floor. _If Moriarty wants to play chicken again, then we have no choice but to oblige him.

_The Lyoko Warriors soon get word of Moriarty's attack and answer the call. They go through the sewer entrance and make their way to the factory as quickly as possible. Some of them, especially Christophe and Odd, still hobble from their extensive injuries. As they climb the ladder to the manhole cover on the bridge, Moriarty delivers his ultimatum to Jeremie and Aelita. _

**Moriarty: **My dear friends, how nice to see you again. I'm sorry that I've been too busy to deal with you lately. _Jeremie and Aelita silently simmer in anger while Moriarty goes on. _Since Emmanuel has already gotten your attention and I have a feeling that you want to avoid small talk, I'll cut right to the chase. _Scene shifts to Clichy-sous-Bois, where The Order continues its march and futile attempt to appeal to the masses there. The police officers stand at attention, nervously hoping that the confrontation doesn't explode into violence. Meanwhile, a single specter crawls into an unsuspecting officer and takes control. _As we speak, my faithful followers are marching into Clichy-sous-Bois. The locals here aren't being too friendly toward us, but they are surprisingly restraining themselves from violence. It appears they need some…encouragement.

_An officer next to the possessed one takes a moment to remark on the situation. _

**Police Officer: **What a nightmare. These protesters better leave or things might get ugly. _He looks over his shoulder and sees several schoolchildren gawking at the scene from behind one of the buildings. Though it is midday, the kids seem to be in no hurry to return to their school and leave the spectacle. He swears. _And to make things worse, we have kids here! _He turns to his companion. _Keep a sharp eye out, Marcel. I don't like where this is going.

_The possessed officer glances behind him at the children. He sees their curious faces and moves his hand down toward his sidearm. _

**Marcel: **Nonsense. It will go just fine…

_Back at the factory, Moriarty continues the explanation. _

**Moriarty: **In exactly six minutes, my possessed enforcer of the law will target an innocent. _Jeremie and Aelita turn white with horror from the threat. _Knowing this community's history, I do think you know where this is going.

_Jeremie shakes his head with disbelief. _

**Jeremie: **You idiot! If you set that neighborhood ablaze, you'll be caught up in the chaos too! Is that what you really want?!

**Moriarty: **Oh Jeremie your concern for me is touching. But I think I can handle myself.

**Aelita: **You may be superhuman, but your followers aren't! Are you seriously going to endanger the very people you've manipulated?!

_Moriarty ponders the thought for a moment. _

**Moriarty: **When you put it that way it sounds very harsh, Aelita. _Scene shifts back to Moriarty in his human form with his steadfast army in tow. The Order members stand at attention, secretly glaring at the hostile mob around them with increasing disgust. _But I wouldn't worry about them either. You might even say I'm doing them a favor.

_Aelita yells at the monitor. _

**Aelita: **How could you?! Our fellow students are out there!

**Moriarty: **Don't be so foolish. _Herb turns to the students behind him. The students nod and subtly position their feet to a more defensive stance. Herb reaches into his pocket and reveals a small taser weapon. He taps it against his pants leg, gleefully wondering if the residents will have the gall to attack them. _You should know that they are not your fellow students anymore. War is war. _The Lyoko Warriors slip down the ropes onto the factory floor, wincing from the impact. They trudge to the elevators, ready to face Moriarty once again. _Our conflict has leaked out of Lyoko's boundaries long ago, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. So I would worry less about The Order and more about how you can stop me.

_Moriarty finishes his usual introduction and vanishes from the monitor. The warriors enter the scanner room and listen to Jeremie's instructions. _

**Jeremie: **I wish I had good news for you guys, but I don't. The infected scanner is fixed, but Emmanuel got in before we had time to repair it. I'm afraid you know what that means. _The Lyoko Warriors swallow the news in grim silence. _The stakes are really high this time. We have six minutes before a full-fledged riot breaks out in Clichy-sous-Bois, a disaster that will play right into Moriarty's campaign of extremism. _The scanner doors open. Aelita, Odd, and Yumi take the lead and enter first. _We cannot let that happen…under any circumstances. _Ulrich, Natalya, Christophe, and William watch as the scanners warm up to deliver the first responders to the battlefield. _Good luck…and do what you must.

_Natalya looks at the floor. She takes hold of William's arm. _

**Natalya: **Who is going to be the one to…do it?

**William: **Whoever has to…

_The Lyoko Warriors are virtualized into the Forest Sector, at the edge of a large sinkhole. Several tree logs lead diagonally to the center of the hole, where the activated tower stands. The logs are intertangled with each other, making a path down to the tower difficult. Below the web of logs rests a pond of knee-deep water. The warriors take a moment to contemplate their options. Ulrich puts his foot at the edge of the hole. _

**Ulrich: **Any idea how to navigate this?

_Aelita's wings pop out. _

**Aelita: **If I can see the tower, then I can fly to it. No need to deal with those logs. Of course Moriarty would never make it this ea-

_She is interrupted by several strange and harsh bird squawks, followed by the flap of wings. Natalya looks up at the sky. _

**Natalya: **We have company!

_A group of ten vultures fly in from the north and attempt to take the warriors by surprise. Natalya notches an arrow and Yumi prepares to throw her fans, but they are soon caught off guard when they hear the noise coming from a different direction. _

**Odd: **Don't tell me…

**Jeremie: **Look out! There's an entire flock of them heading your way. I'm counting twenty-four, no twenty-eight about to surround you!

_Sure enough, the sky above them soon fills with vultures. The warriors drop their weapons, abandoning any hope of beating them. A shower of lasers descends on them. _

**Yumi: **Quick! Hide in the logs!

_Seeing no other way to escape, the warriors try to slide down the logs toward the tower. But the many obstacles and the lasers above cause all of them to lose their footing and fall. Aelita is hit in the left shoulder and tumbles down into the network of logs. By the time she has fallen several layers deep in the web, a hand reaches out to grab her. She looks up to see Christophe greeting her. _

**Christophe: **I got you.

_He pulls her up onto the log he landed on. The forest entanglement shakes under the pressure of the vultures' continued bombardment. _

**Christophe: **It looks like Moriarty wanted to make sure flying wasn't an option. Or vehicles for that matter…

**Aelita: **And to make things even better, we're separated from the others.

_Christophe examines the terrain. He does not see the warriors, but he does pick up the sound of several other potential warriors up ahead. He turns back to Aelita. _

**Christophe: **I don't suppose calling them would be a good idea…

**Aelita: **No. _She looks around. _I have a feeling we're not alone in this jungle, and not in the good way…

**Jeremie: **Aelita makes a good point. _From his vantage point in the factory, Jeremie locates the various green dots scattered throughout the environment. _I can't locate any extra monsters, but they could easily be concealed. I have found William. He's not that far from you. Try to meet up with him and get to the tower before you know who shows up.

_The two warriors nod. Christophe and Aelita jump onto the log below them. _

**Christophe: **Alright, let's get going.

_Several meters to the left, Odd and Yumi crawl through a particular dense part of the web. _

**Odd: **Are we headed in the right direction?

_Yumi looks around. _

**Yumi: **We should be. This entire network is slanted down toward the tower. As long as we keep descending, we should get there.

_The pair pushes their way past the dense section and start moving forward at standing level. Yumi holds on to the logs above her for support. _

**Yumi: **Do your best to keep your balance. If we fall off, there's no telling where we might end up.

**Odd: **Haven't you heard that cats always land on their feet?

**Yumi: **Hilarious…

_Odd's cat ears suddenly pick up something. He stops and can hear a low, menacing growl. Yumi hears it as well and stops walking. They share a worried look. _

**Yumi: **I just realized….with all these logs around us.

**Odd: **Yeah…_Odd's left hand moves to his right wrist. _It's the perfect environment for tigers.

_Another growl much closer to the pair startles them. Yumi reaches for her fans and catches sight of a tiger to her left. _

**Yumi: **I got you! _Yumi throws her fan, but it misses and ricochets off the logs. _Or not…

_The growls grow louder and approach them from every side. Odd and Yumi stand back to back, fearful of an imminent attack. _

**Odd: **I don't like this…

_A single tiger pounces on Yumi, knocking her off the log. _

**Odd: **Yumi!

_Yumi destroys the tiger on the log below them and stands up. _

**Yumi: **Don't worry, I'm oka-

_Several lasers nail her and she vanishes. _

**Odd: **Just my luck.

_The tigers appear, surrounding Odd and waiting to pounce. They growl at him, but Odd responds with a hiss of his own, provoking them to make their move. _

**Odd: **Alright ladies, if it's a catfight you want, it's a catfight you're going to get! _He leaps up to the log above him and latches on with his claws. He begins running and dashing between the logs on all fours. _Come and get me!

_The tigers comply and a battle of feline agility soon commences. A little bit farther away, Natalya and Ulrich find themselves dealing with five other tigers encircling them. The two stand at the very bottom of the entanglement, wading in the forest water. Natalya aims straight for the center of one of the tiger's skulls. She lets it fly. The tiger devirtualizes quickly, but the other four take the successful hit as a signal to start their attack. Natalya tries to reach for another arrow, but a tiger starts to pounce on her. Ulrich defends her and takes out the monster. He then turns around in time to shove both sabers down another one's maw. Natalya fires a second arrow. It grazes the tiger's leg and the monster fires in response. Natalya turns brilliantly white and the hit ricochets off her and destroys the tiger. But as soon as her invulnerability dies down, the last one comes from behind and devirtualizes her. Ulrich cuts it down, frustrated that he couldn't defend her. He sheathes his sabers. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, I lost Natalya. How are the others doing?

**Jeremie: **I'm afraid Yumi's already down for the count as well. Odd is busy entertaining some feline friends. Christophe and Aelita are trying to meet up with William. I'd suggest you do the same. _Jeremie checks the countdown. _Hurry, you have less than four minutes to deactivate it.

**Ulrich: **Right.

_He starts to wade forward in the water. Suddenly the logs above him start to creak. He glances over his shoulder. A second, louder creak soon follows. Ulrich's hands slowy reach toward his sabers. _

**Jeremie: **Ulrich, what's wrong?

**Ulrich: **He's here…

_Ulrich pulls his sabers out and remains deathly still. The slow movement of the water laps against his knees, producing the only audible sound in his area. His eyes dart from left to right. He remains utterly expressionless as he listens for anything out of the ordinary. One abrupt creak catches his attention and in a flash he spins around and comes face to face with Emmanuel's hammer. He slams his sabers against the blunt weapon and digs his heels into the ground. He somersaults and lands behind Emmanuel. The two face each other. Ulrich stares at him for a total of two seconds and charges in a super sprint. He attempts to cut Emmanuel down before he can react, but Emmanuel's reflexes are faster than he anticipated. He is greeted with the full weight of the hammer and vanishes. Jeremie watches Ulrich's virtualization card disappear. _

**Jeremie: **And so the nightmare begins again. We're going to need everyone together to fight him. _He readjusts his earpiece. _Odd, are you there? I need you to get together with William, Christophe, and Aelita.

_Towards the southern edge of the sinkhole, Odd has been caught in a corner. The logs have blocked his escape, and the tigers are stalking toward him. _

**Odd: **That's not really easy at this point. I have one way out, and that way's not looking so hot right now.

**Jeremie: **Please Odd. We only have three and a half minutes before chaos breaks loose. We can't afford to have anyone else devirtualized.

**Odd: **I guess it's all up to me as usual. _Odd raises his wrist, ready to fire._ What are you waiting for scaredy-cats? I'm right here!

_The tigers move in. Odd fires madly at his attackers, but there are too many to hit all of them. The last two remaining monsters take him out. Jeremie's anxiety rises another notch with the loss of Odd. _

**Jeremie: **No…we're not going to let him win this time. _He shuts his eyes tightly. _We can't let him win this time!

_William stands in a dry section of the forest floor surrounded by water. He hangs his two-handed sword over his shoulder. The sound of splashing makes him spin around and point his sword in the direction of the noise. _

**Christophe: **Easy-_Christophe and Aelita appear from below a low-hanging log._It's us.

_William lowers his weapon, breathing a sigh of relief. _

**William: **Are we the only ones left?

**Aelita: **I'm afraid so. This terrain has made us fall apart quickly.

**Jeremie: **The terrain is not the only problematic factor…

_Christophe's expression darkens. _

**Christophe: **He's shown himself?

**Jeremie: **And already defeated Ulrich.

_Out of the corner of his eye, William perceives a shape moving. His virtual body goes on high alert. The grip on his hilt tightens. _

**William: **And he's not wasting any time. _He faces Christophe and Aelita. _Get going. I'll hold him off as long as I can.

**Christophe: **On your own? Shouldn't we both stay and let Aelita make a run for it?

**Jeremie: **Don't argue. _The scene shifts back to the lab room, where the timer continues to count down on the monitor. _You have two minutes and thirty seconds before this thing goes off. If he defeats both of you Aelita won't have any backup. So go!

_Christophe reluctantly turns and leaves with Aelita. William watches them go and then does an about face. _

**William: **I know you're there Emmanuel. Come on out. You're not going farther without going through me first.

_Emmanuel appears to his right and hits his hammer against William's sword. The shockwave creates waves in the water below them. Emmanuel's face is cool and pitiless. _

**Emmanuel: **I wouldn't expect anything less.

_Emmanuel swings at William's head. His opponent ducks and then somersaults backwards. Using a log as a springboard, William tries to come in for the kill. But Emmanuel jumps out of the way. The two then face each other in another quiet standstill. While William contemplates his next move, Xana's voice enters his thoughts. _

**Xana: **Incredible.

**William: **What?

**Xana: **Your mind is calm. Your attacks are not half-hearted. Any notion of pity is being surpressed. You're actually ready to kill him.

**William: **I am.

**Xana: **Then forgive me if I try to savor this moment of ruthless efficiency.

**William: **It's not like I'm enjoying it. You keep that to yourself.

_Emmanuel hits his hammer impatiently into the water. _

**Emmanuel: **Are you done talking to yourself?

**William: **Sorry, just chatting with an old friend.

_Emmanuel's hammer lights up. He swings and a swathe of energy sails toward William. William goes into super smoke and dodges it. Emmanuel pretends to swing his hammer to the right to hit him. William moves to the left and is nailed by the hammer. He transforms back into his virtual body and goes to his knees. Emmanuel towers above him. _

**William: **You, you can hit me even when I'm in smoke form? _Emmanuel doesn't answer but lifts his hammer to put him out of commission for the day. William stares at the water. _I know you're not truly yourself right now Emmanuel, but why? Why all this? Why support Moriarty?

_Emmanuel doesn't hesitate to reply. _

**Emmanuel: **All of France's enemies must be hammered out of existence. I wanted a new Charles Martel to follow, and my new master serves that role nicely. _Emmanuel devirtualizes William. _I need no other reason…

_Meanwhile, Christophe and Aelita see the tower up ahead. _

**Jeremie: **Less than two minutes! PLEASE HURRY!

**Christophe: **Shut up! We're doing our best!

**Aelita: **Come on, just a little farther…

_Aelita is grazed by Emmanuel's hammer without warning. She lands in the water behind Christophe. _

**Christophe: **Aelita!

_Jeremie nearly has a heart attack as he watches the scene. _

**Jeremie: **One more hit like that and it's all over!

_Emmanuel jumps from log to log and stands in front of Christophe. The two enemies share a look of deep enmity. Christophe's feelings of rage begin to come to the surface. He stomps his feet in the water and seethes with anger. Emmanuel seems intrigued by his opponent's lack of composure. _

**Emmanuel: **So, you're the one who is most eager to kill me. How ironic it is that you're also the least capable of doing it.

_Emmanuel catches sight of Aelita trying to slip past him. He strikes his hammer into the water. A wall of solid white energy cuts across the pond, blocking off the way to the tower. Emmanuel's armor and body glow with the curtain of energy behind him. _

**Emmanuel: **No one is getting past that easily. Moriarty doesn't like cheaters. _His eyes widen. _The only way through is to end my life!

_Aelita rushes to Christophe's side. _

**Aelita: **Come on! Let's do this together!

**Jeremie: **No, you need to stay back. You can't afford to fight anymore. Let Christophe handle it!

**Aelita: **But there's no way he can do it alone!

**Jeremie: **Well…DO SOMETHING! We only have a minute and thirty-

**Christophe: **I SAID SHUT UP!

_Jeremie and Aelita stop their argument, silenced by Christophe's sudden outburst. Christophe holds out his hands. The weapons on his wrists warm up. _

**Christophe: **I'll do this on my own.

_Emmanuel scoffs at the bold statement. _

**Emmanuel: **Predictable as always. Let me guess…this is the point where you give me one last speech where you explain that you're going to kill me but that it's still painful in spite of our history…

**Christophe: **Well, I might have considered that-_Christophe aims and fires his discs._-But I don't have time!

_Emmanuel blocks them with his hammer and moves in. Christophe narrowly avoids getting hit by the hammer. He spins around and fires again, only to be denied. _

**Emmanuel: **Face it, you can't land a hit on me. _An energy shield hits Emmanuel's back. He spins around to see another energy field in her hands. _I thought you were going to play fair. _Christophe tries to ambush him from behind. Emmanuel deflects the discs with his hammer without even looking back. _Don't think for a second that I forgot about you.

**Aelita: **Christophe, look out!

_Emmanuel attempts to nail Christophe on the top of his head, but his opponent manages to avoid it and flip over Emmanuel's head by launching himself off his opponent's weapon. Christophe quickly gets to his feet. At the same time, Jeremie bites his fingernails as time continues to ebb away. _

**Jeremie: **Seventy seconds left.

_Christophe kicks up some water to use it as a distraction. He fires through the water at Emmanuel. But his opponent sees through the ruse and easily knocks them down. Christophe keeps firing, hoping to get a lucky break, but it never comes. He runs out of discs. _

**Christophe: **Are you kidding me?! I'm out already?!

_Emmanuel shakes his head with disappointment. _

**Emmanuel: **How sad. _Emmanuel stretches his arm back. _You're boring me now. It's time for you to be hammered out of existence as well.

_A band of energy emerges from the swing of his hammer and barrels toward Emmanuel. In a split second, Christophe assesses the situation and makes a final decision. He jumps above the band of energy and concentrates all of his pent-up energy in his chest. His speakers light up. Emmanuel gets one glimpse of Christophe in midair and has just enough time to recognize what is about to happen. A concussive blast of sonic energy shakes the area. Emmanuel is knocked up in the air. He starts dissolving into black smoke. By the time he is half dissolved, Christophe gets a look at his opponent's face. For a brief moment in his mind's eye, Christophe sees the same boy who he used to call his friend. The mental imagery takes him back to a memory of his elementary school days. At a field by a river, two boys play a one-on-one game of soccer. The gaps between trees serve as goals for both children. A younger Emmanuel kicks it past Christophe into the net. _

**Emmanuel: **Another goal! _He stops to think. _What is that now…ten goals to zero?

_Christophe, who dove to try to block the ball, gets back on his feet. _

**Christophe: **That was a lucky shot. I'll be ready for the next one!

**Emmanuel: **You said that six goals ago.

**Christophe: **Well this time, I'll really be ready!

_Emmanuel takes the ball again and bounces it off his foot. _

**Emmanuel: **If you say so…

_The two duke it out again. For a solid minute, they are even in their match. But Emmanuel's talent and agility get the better of Christophe and he slips in another goal. _

**Emmanuel: **And that makes number eleven. _He yawns. _Come on man, I'm bored and hungry. Can't we give it a rest?

_Christophe gets off his knees. _

**Christophe: **Not yet.

**Emmanuel: **I don't get you. I've trounced you every single time. Why do you keep this up?

_Christophe breathes heavily for a few seconds. He then breaks out into a laugh, which confuses Emmanuel. He greets his superior opponent with a sly grin. _

**Christophe: **Because if I can win once, it will be enough. _He points at Emmanuel. _You're better than me at soccer, math, running, swimming, and pretty much anything I can think of. But if I work hard enough, I will be able to beat you in something. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, it may not be next year, but I will beat you in something. And I won't stop working until I do!

_Emmanuel listens to the speech with a stunned expression. After considering his words for a little bit, he shrugs and laughs it off. He extends his hand to Christophe. _

**Emmanuel: **Cool. I like your toughness. You may not be the best but you don't quit. So go ahead and work to beat me. _They shake hands like grownups. _And when you beat me in something, I'll be there to congratulate you. I won't be a sore loser about it. I'm not like that.

**Christophe: **Awesome! Now I really can't wait for that day!

**Emmanuel: **Alright, but don't expect me to go easy on you. You're going to have to earn it…

_Back in reality, Christophe watches the final vestiges of Emmanuel disappear from sight. He remains frozen in place while Aelita runs to the tower. He stands there, lost to the world around him. He sinks to his knees, causing ripples to form in the water around him. _

**Christophe: **Yeah…I didn't have time.

_Back in Clichy-sous-Bois, the officer reaching for his pistol suddenly faints and falls to the ground. Confusion ensues among the officers, but order is quickly restored. The residents continue to simmer but keep their distance. At the front of the march, Klotz sees that Moriarty is deep in thought. _

**Klotz: **Commandant, is something wrong?

_A half-smile appears on his leader's face. _

**Moriarty: **Yes. He had to be the one to do it. It wouldn't work any other way…

**Klotz: **Pardon me?

**Moriarty: **Never mind. Signal the brigade leaders to take a left at the next street. We're done here.

_A somber silence falls in the factory as Jeremie goes over the final details of the battle. While everyone seems to be in various degrees of pain, Jeremie's expression sets him apart. His face is hollow and worn out. _

**Jeremie: **It's over.

_Long pause. _

**Natalya: **I don't suppose Moriarty will give him a delayed devirtualization this time?

**Jeremie: **It's possible, but not likely. I wouldn't hold my breath on it.

_Seconds later, Aelita and Christophe come up together on the elevator. All eyes focus their gaze on Christophe. Aelita reaches to touch his shoulder but withdraws at the last moment. Christophe says nothing and greets their stares with guarded and feigned indifference. A tight emotional seal has wrapped over him, and some of the more intelligent warriors can tell that he is doing his best to keep it in his place. Christophe taps his foot on the floor and looks at the ceiling. _

**Christophe: **Did I do it in time?

_Jeremie nods. _

**Jeremie: **Yes. The riot was averted.

**Christophe: **Good. _He turns away. _I would hate for that all to be for nothing.

_The warriors depart with little conversation to speak of. Later that night in the men's bathroom, Christophe sits on a bench outside the showers. He wears shorts and no shirt. Students pass by him and he barely detects their presence. He rests his chin on his fists, remaining silent and still for what seems like hours. He hears someone approaching him. He looks up. It is Jeremie. _

**Jeremie: **Hey.

**Christophe: **Hey.

**Jeremie: **Can I sit down?

**Christophe: **Sure. The bench doesn't belong to me.

_Jeremie sits. For a little while they sit side by side, not uttering a word. Christophe lifts his head up slightly. _

**Christophe: **Did you…do what I asked?

**Jeremie: **Yes. It's been eight hours. I've scoured all of the sectors. There is no trace of him at all.

**Christophe: **Thank you. I don't like being unsure about it…

_They remain silent for a little longer. _

**Jeremie: **I just wanted to say that-

**Christophe: **I don't need any sympathy or consolation. I did what I had to. That's all.

_Jeremie's tone becomes far stricter. _

**Jeremie: **No. You will listen to me. There's something you need to understand. After you did what you did, several members of the gang came to me in private and confessed that they weren't sure that they would have the guts to do what was necessary. I know William was, but he simply couldn't do it. _Jeremie's look softens. _I just want to remind you that no matter what pain you're feeling right now, you saved lives today. And that counts for something. You're a strong Lyoko Warrior, Christophe. Stronger than I could ever hope to be…

_Christophe swallows saliva and hesitates to respond. He leans back and rests his head against the wall. His hands tremble slightly. That trembling passes from his hands to the rest of his body. He opens his mouth, waiting a bit for the right words to come out. _

**Christophe: **Most of you guys have to carry painful things as a result of our fight against Moriarty. Aelita has to deal with the loss of her parents and her family's history with Moriarty. William has to carry around Xana inside his head. Odd has to deal with PTSD from Moriarty's trauma. You have to deal with the time you went crazy and the loss of Mr. Stern. _He faces Jeremie. _You older warriors have already been through enough. It's time for the new guy to carry the weight. We all have to carry something painful, and now it's my turn. _Christophe looks at his hands as they tremble. He can't help but imagining seeing Emmanuel's blood on them. He closes those hands into fists. _I made an oath as a Lyoko Warrior to fight Moriarty with everything I have, and I am a man of my word. So…I will carry my burden-_He loses his voice for a moment_-even if it is very hard to carry.

_Jeremie tries to say something in response, but he is suddenly cut off by a scream coming from the showers. _

**Bastien: **STOP! GET AWAY!

_Jeremie and Christophe bolt up from the bench and enter the shower area. In the third shower stall, they see Nicholas and Thomas from The Order attacking a naked and still injured Bastien while hot water still falls on him. At the head of front of the pack, Herb watches his thugs do his dirty work. Herb looks at the two intruders with disdain. _

**Herb: **I would highly recommend you leave. There's nothing to see here.

_Christophe's blood boils intensely and Jeremie's reaction is by no means tame. Christophe's five fingers curl into a fist. _

**Christophe: **I'm going to wipe that smile off your face…permanently!

_Jeremie places a hand on Christophe's shoulder. Christophe turns to his friend. Jeremie's face is now strangely calm, though he can sense a powerful anger still resonating under the surface. _

**Jeremie: **Herb, I'm giving you one warning and one warning only. Call off your attack dogs.

_Thomas stops hitting Bastien. _

**Thomas: **Hey, who you calling dogs?!

_Herb raises a hand, signaling his lackey to back off. He raises an eyebrow at Jeremie. _

**Herb: **And if I don't? Are you and muscle-for-brains going to attack us on your own?

**Jeremie: **Of course not. _Christophe looks at Jeremie in disbelief. _Christophe is still beaten up and too weak to fight…even if he says otherwise. And I am not much of a physical fighter. But…I have an edge on you that will force you to leave him alone.

_Herb breaks out into laughter. _

**Herb: **Please, what could you possibly do to me?

_Jeremie grins, obviously pleased that Herb has taken his bait. He slicks his hair back and pretends to be cool and oblivious to the situation. But then he shoots Herb a vicious look that makes Herb weak in the knees. _

**Jeremie: **Or you'll never be able to shower in peace!

**Herb: **W-What?!

**Jeremie: **That's right. _Jeremie's stare becomes crueler as he takes a few threatening steps toward Herb. _The Outcasts will repay you triple for what you are doing to Bastien. We will pummel you when you are most vulnerable and do it without mercy. _He chuckles to himself. _I will even get the three Outcast pack dogs on you. I think you know who I'm talking about.

_Nicholas steps in front of Jeremie. _

**Nicholas: **You think we're just going to allow that to happen?

**Jeremie: **What? Are you two goons going to defend him every time he takes a shower? Are you that dumb? _He refocuses his glare on Herb. _What kind of leader are you when you rely on your boys to do all the work for you?

_Herb begins to shake in the face of this new and rather terrifying Jeremie. His opponent gets up closer to his face. Thomas and Henri are too stunned to intervene. Christophe stares in wonder and a beaten Bastien slowly lifts his head up to watch. _

**Jeremie: **It doesn't matter how much you outnumber us. We will find a way to get to you, and we will make your life a living hell. So…what's it going to be, Herb?

_Herb stammers, taking an uncomfortable amount of time to make his reply. Jeremie's intense gaze rattles him. His old bravado a minute ago is nowhere to be found. A few seconds later he manages to collect himself. _

**Herb: **I….I…

_Jim throws open the door to the shower area. The door slams against the wall so hard it makes everyone in the room turn in surprise. _

**Jim: **STOP THIS ATTACK IMMEDIATELY!

**Herb: **Jim, oh thank goodness you're he-_The gym teacher lifts Herb up by the collar and directs his wrathful stare at The Order leader._-w-what are you doing?

**Jim: **Don't play dumb with me! I received a tip that you and a couple of others were going to gang up on Bastien. _Jim looks over at the shower stall. Bastien forces himself to stand. Jim's anger triples in intensity. _AND IT LOOKS LIKE YOU CAN'T COVER UP THE EVIDENCE!

**Herb: **Sir, please let me-

**Jim: **SHUT UP! _The thunderous response silents Herb and intimidates even Jeremie and Christophe, who are still caught up in the scene. Jim takes a moment to let his wrath fester and become ripe before hitting his victim with a storm of words. _You know Herb, when I started this job, I made a personal oath that I would never, under any circumstances, swear at a student. _He lowers his eyebrows. _But out of all the rotten apples I have had to deal with, you are the one who has made it the hardest to keep my promise.

_Thomas and Nicholas slowly start to back away, hoping to escape unnoticed. But Jim's watchful eyes latch onto them before they move more than two steps. _

**Jim: **AND DON'T THINK YOU'RE GETTING AWAY THIS EASILY! I'LL MAKE SURE ALL OF YOU HAVE HELL TO PAY!

_Herb lowers his head and starts to mutter under his breath. _

**Jim: **What was that?

_Herb raises his head. He trembles with a mixture of hurt and black anger that are beyond words. _

**Herb: **I said what else is new?! _Jim is so stunned by Herb's reckless statement that he doesn't say a word. Herb begins to laugh. _I've been punished all my life, becoming the butt of every joke, receiving the knuckles of every punch. I've been nothing but a mat for other students to step on at this school. And when I try to do some punishing of my own…._He points at Jim…_you come in to enforce the injustice! _Herb's expression becomes so enraged that it reaches the point of a frightening mania. _Is is any wonder-_He looks up at the ceiling_-is it any wonder that I resorted to this?!

_Water from the leaky shower faucets drip down, filling the void of silence left by Herb. Jeremie watches Jim carefully, wondering what he might do. The gym teacher inhales through his nose and exhales. He then releases his grip on Herb's shirt collar. Some of his anger slackens and moves in the direction of disgust. _

**Jim: **Do you think I was never your age? Do you think I was never bullied? I have news for you-_He motions to his large body_-I wasn't always as impressive as I am today, and life wasn't easy for me. The kids in my school were brutal. It didn't matter to them that my mother was struggling to provide for the two of us, or that I had recently lost my father in a peacekeeping mission in the Congo. None of that mattered. But when I hit puberty and became bigger and stronger than them, did I pay them back for every injury they gave me? _He gets in Herb's face. _NO! Having the ability to inflict equal damage on those that have hurt you does not make you a man. Taking the high road and retaining your dignity in spite of your pain does. _He takes hold of Herb's shoulder and motions to the two other offenders. _Let's go…Jeremie, Christophe-_The two warriors suddenly stand up straight, afraid of suffering the aftershocks of his anger_-Help Bastien to the infirmary. And find him some pants while you're at it…

_Several minutes later, Christophe and Jeremie return from the infirmary to the boys' hallway. Neither of them says a word for a while. Christophe occasionally glances at Jeremie awkwardly. He finally manages to break the silence. _

**Christophe: **You were…pretty scary back there.

**Jeremie: **Nothing compared to what Jim did to him.

**Christophe: **Did you really mean what you said to Herb? About attacking him in kind when he was most vulnerable?

_Jeremie nods casually. _

**Jeremie: **Every word of it. Moriarty has made it quite clear that our allies are never safe from harm. The only way to push back is to remind Moriarty that his allies aren't safe either.

**Christophe: **No offense…but that's pretty harsh. We don't want to stoop to his tactics to deal with our classmates that have strayed to his side, do we? _Christophe's eyes suddenly widen with realization. He looks away. His voice becomes very soft. _Of course, I have absolutely no room to talk.

_Jeremie's hand touches Christophe's shoulder. _

**Jeremie: **You and I aren't that different, Christophe. We both know that we have to win. It's going to be messy, but we have to win. We simply must win and that's all there is to it.

_Before they make it to their rooms, Christophe and Jeremie run into Tobias and Lucas. The two exchange students stand in their way in the hall. _

**Jeremie: **Guys, what are you still doing up?

**Lucas: **We h-heard what h-h-happened.

**Tobias: **Is it true they beat the tar out of Bastien when he was just taking a shower?

_Jeremie's expression sours and he adjusts his glasses. _

**Jeremie: **Unfortunately, yes. We were there.

**Christophe: **It was really ugly.

**Tobias: **I was afraid you would say that. Lucas and I have been thinking and-_ He looks at Lucas. Lucas nods with encouragement. Tobias sighs._-we've decided that we have to leave.

**Christophe: **What? Now?! _Both Jeremie and Christophe become deeply concerned. _You can't be serious…

**Tobias: **We are. We were planning on telling the rest of the Outcasts tomorrow, but you might as well know now. We can't do this anymore.

_Lucas shakes his head. _

**Lucas: **T-Too dangerous in this s-s-school. In this c-country…

**Tobias: **We can't go on like this, fearing what Renard might do next, looking over our shoulders at every turn. It's too much. And not to mention-_He hesitates to deliver some brutal honesty_- we are foreigners. This isn't our fight. We just need to go back home.

**Jeremie: **But the Outcasts need you. Tobias, you saw how big the crowd was at the soccer stadium. This is a major problem and we need your help.

**Christophe:** We already lost César. We don't want to lose you two too!

_Tobias holds his hands up in defense. _

**Tobias: **You're right. I did see that crowd. I listened to every word. _His face darkens. A sense of hopelessness looms about him. _That's when I understood that one person wasn't going to make a difference against something that strong and powerful. And after that fight-_He touches the side of his face, which is still bruised_-well, that was the final straw.

**Lucas: **And it's not l-like our p-parents gave us a ch-ch-choice.

**Tobias: **He's right. They have been paying attention to the news and they don't like what they see happening in France. Now that the United States has finally determined that I ain't a health hazard and reapproved my passport, my parents are ordering me to come home on the double. And I guess Belgium has done the same. There is no debating it.

_Lucas hangs his head in sadness. _

**Lucas: **We're sorry. W-We did our b-b-best….

**Tobias: **But it's time for us to leave.

_Jeremie and Christophe briefly exchange looks and come to the understanding that this is an unwinnable battle. _

**Jeremie: **Are you not even staying for the rest of the semester?

**Lucas: **No. We l-leave as soon as pos-possible.

_Jeremie frowns and reaches to shake their hands. Both of them do so. _

**Jeremie: **Well, I suppose there's no helping it. Goodbye and good luck. I'm sorry we caused you so much trouble.

_Lucas forces a weak smile. _

**Lucas: **It's o-okay. I survived….b-barely.

**Tobias: **Don't apologize. You are the sane ones here. And besides, all of this will make for excellent stories back home.

**Christophe: **Yes. Please tell everyone you can about what's happening here. If more people know about the problem here, together we can make things very difficult for Renard.

_Lucas nods, clearly pleased with this nonthreatening way of helping the cause. _

**Lucas: **Yes. It's t-the l-least we could do.

_Tobias tips his baseball cap to Christophe and Jeremie. The two foreign exchange students take their leave. _

**Tobias: **So long guys. Thanks for understanding. _Tobias starts walking but then turns around. _Oh, I almost forgot. If it's any consolation, Isabel has decided to stay.

**Jeremie: **Really? I thought she was the most eager to leave.

_Tobias shrugs. _

**Tobias: **So did I. But she has changed her mind for some reason. I'm not sure, but my guess is The Order girls have pushed her too far, and now the fight has become real personal. Who knows? All I now is we can't do the same. _He turns back around. _So keep an eye on her for me, will ya?

_Jeremie and Christophe wave goodbye. _

**Jeremie: **We will. Take care.

_Lucas and Tobias walk away. Jeremie and Christophe wait until they are out of earshot and then talk privately. _

**Jeremie: **I should have seen that coming. All of these foreign students have no incentive to hang around in the midst of such a nightmare.

**Christophe: **I just wish we could convince them otherwise.

**Jeremie: **I do too. It's a real shame though.

_Christophe looks at Jeremie with peaked interest. _

**Christophe: **What do you mean?

**Jeremie: **It's a real shame…no I guess it's a good thing that they don't know that- _Jeremie's expression becomes grave and serious._-if Moriarty succeeds, fleeing back to their own countries will not be enough to protect them.

_The night slowly transitions to day and approaching winter sunlight falls onto the scenic campus. Students begin to wake up and trudge to the showers and breakfast. But in the basement of the one of the dormitory buildings, two young adolescents who are already awake and dressed pass the time in one of the spare rooms. Over the course of the semester this windowless space has become one of The Order's many popular hangouts. An Order banner is pinned to the wall and the space is complete with chairs, a refrigerator, and a couch. Mathias Burel sits on the couch underneath the banner with a sly and superior grin etched onto his face. Henri walks about the room, laughing while drinking a soda. _

**Henri: **You really knew how to throw him under the bus. Ratting Herb out to Jim? That's pretty underhanded. _He takes another sip. _I like it.

_Mathias takes in the praise from his comrade, beaming with a false modesty. _

**Mathias: **I can't take all the credit though. Herb is his own worst enemy. Even I think he went way too far. But I knew he was going to do it.

**Henri: **Yeah, no way he was going to let that humiliation from Bastien go.

**Mathias: **Exactly. All I had to do was wait for him to do the inevitable…_Mathias makes an execution motion across his neck_…and go in for the kill.

**Henri: **And that you did. Though I wonder if you really spelled his doom. _Henri sits down on a chair and puts his soda on a nearby table. _Beating Bastien to a pulp might be the last straw. Even Delmas could manage a way to expel him with something that outrageous. I wonder if the Commandant could even put a stop to it.

**Mathias: **He definitely has the power. The question is whether he will use it. _He rubs his hands together, working over a sinister fantasy in his mind. _With all the trouble he's caused, the Commandant may determine that he's more trouble than he's worth. And with him out of the way and Emmanuel still acting strange…

_Henri smiles, eager to finish his comrade's sentence. _

**Henri: **Then there's no one stopping you from being the student leader of The Order. Of course…_He motions to himself in a not so subtle way…_.There's always a need for a right hand man…

_Mathias shrugs at the idea. _

**Mathias: **I figured you had your motives for backing me up on this. Not that I blame you…_Mathias loses himself in another positive fantasy_…either way, the future is looking bright.

_Paul Gilliard suddenly bursts into the room. The two Order members look up in surprise. The unexpected interruption makes them slightly nervous that they have been caught in a compromising position. But Mathias overcomes the feeling and addresses the intruder. _

**Mathias: **Paul, what's wrong?

_Paul looks pale and distraught. He swallows and clears his throat before answering. _

**Paul: **It's Emmanuel. He's gone.

**Henri: **What? Gone? What do you mean gone?!

**Paul: **I mean gone! He's nowhere on campus. He's gone missing! _The temporary confusion between the two evaporates into serious worry. _The police are already here.

_As the campus becomes more active, news of the awful truth spread like wildfire. Outcast and Order supporter alike receive the news with astonishment. Before long the Parisian police arrive, and the student crowd soon surrounds them. Jim and several other teachers, regardless of their allegiance, help keep the distance between the officers and the students. Chief of Police Benoit arrives on the scene, quickly greeting Mr. Delmas. After a brief conversation between the two, Mr. Delmas motions for someone in the crowd. All eyes turn to a shaking and frail figure approaching the two men. Her eyes are dark red and splotched from tears. Her hair is a mess and she wears a black sweater and sweatpants. Her attire and appearance are so unusual that it takes several seconds for students to recognize her as the once beautiful Angeline Maillard. Seeing her in such a poor state, even Benoit's hard look softens in her presence. Delmas touches her lightly on the shoulder. _

**Delmas: **It's going to be okay. This gentleman has a few questions for you to answer.

_Jim and Delmas escort Benoit and Angeline into the main building. As they walk past, rumors and concerns spread among The Order crowd. The students all dressed in black and purple begin to recognize that their fearless leader is not present for this crisis. _

**Morgane: **Where is the Commandant? Why isn't he here for this?

**Louis: **This has to be some sort of mistake. The Commandant would never ignore something as serious as Emmanuel's disappearance.

**Anais: **A mistake?! You saw Angeline's face. This is no mistake, this is serious!

_Amongst the younger students, Hiroki and Johnny also propose their theories. _

**Johnny: **You don't think the Outcasts did this, do you?

_Hiroki scoffs at the thought. _

**Hiroki: **Please, those cowards wouldn't dare try to hurt him. And even if they did, it won't be long before they regretted it.

**Johnny: **Then, he just deserted us?

**Hiroki: **No! How could you say such a thing?! _Hiroki starts to become visibly upset as doubt creeps into his own words. _Emmanuel would never, never just run off. _His words lose their strength. _Especially now…

_Mathias, Paul, and Henri watch the teachers and police force move into the main building. A heavy silence entangles them. They stay eerily still in the back of the group, slowly trying to understand the disappearance of Emmanuel. The sight of their comrades so worried and fragile fills them with unease. Paul and Henri turn to Mathias, looking to him for answers. Mathias becomes slightly overwhelmed, realizing with trepidation that he is the closest thing The Order has to a leader. _

**Paul: **Well, what do we do now?

_Henri scans the crowd in vain for Moriarty. He shakes his head. _

**Henri: **Klotz isn't here either. _He rubs the top of his head and grimaces. _Maybe we should get Herb.

**Mathias: **NO! Anything but that. He's been confined to the dorms anyway. No….I asked for this…_He stops himself…_well not this specifically, but that's not important. We have to make a decision without him. _He freezes as more and more people listen and look to him for direction. He stumbles on his words for a second. _Fi-First off…we need to let the police do their job. And since they're here, we should not target the Outcasts. At least not until we know more. But in the meantime we should….we should-_Mathias musters what courage and leadership skills he can. He finally comes to a decision and speaks up._-our main priority should be to find the Commandant and inform him of what has happened.

_At the corner of the building, William watches the scene from behind the shadows. A chilly breeze moves past him. He hugs his jacket closer to his body. Gradually the crowd disperses, and what remains of The Order at Kadic follows Mathias' lead. William continues to stare off into space, not saying a word. From inside the building, he can hear Angeline begin to cry again, followed by the police urging her to remain calm. William warms his hands in his jacket pockets. He turns around and starts walking to class. _

**William: **Winter's coming. _His feet trudge across the mud and dirt. _I wonder if I will ever see the spring.

_Many kilometers away toward the center of the city, Moriarty and Klotz spend time at a luxurious but rather secluded condominium. In this condominium, the two men sit in a small parlor cut off from the rest of the residence. The two representatives of The Order are dressed nicely. Moriarty has discarded his lab coat and now wears a royal purple button-down shirt, while Klotz sports a black button-down shirt. They sit in elegant chairs across from a somewhat short and old man. The elderly host has pure white hair with a large bald spot on top. His face is wrinkled with sure signs of age, but his dignity and sense of purpose stay strong. He is none other than Jean-Marie Le Pen, the chairman and founder of The National Front in France. He rubs his hands together. _

**Le Pen: **My apologies for the secrecy and calling you here at such an early hour. But you see, I am a man who likes to keep exchanges of this kind quiet and out of the public eye.

**Moriarty: **A form of prudence that no doubt has brought you this far.

_Le Pen glances at Moriarty with an obvious flair of arrogance. _

**Le Pen: **I am not interested in flattery Dr. Renard, I am here to talk business.

_Moriarty conceals his anger at the reproach with a brighter smile than usual. But Klotz, recognizing that his superior was not pleased by that comment, decides to make the first move. _

**Klotz: **As you are already well aware Mr. Le Pen, we're having some of an issue with divisions in our ranks. Specifically with regard to whether our organization should be united with yours or not…

_The leader of the National Front grunts in response, absorbing Klotz's remark with scorn. _

**Le Pen: **An alliance with The Order? I highly doubt it. The National Front already has a Youth wing to bolster our ranks. We don't need you.

**Moriarty: **Agreed. _Moriarty adjusts his collar, matching Le Pen's coolness in the face of the rising tension. _And with all due respect, The Order doesn't need the National Front or you.

_Le Pen eyes Moriarty with slight interest. Moriarty maintains his firm gaze, sending a signal that he is not intimidated by this aging political figure. Le Pen shrugs and reaches for a coffee mug on the table. He takes a sip. _

**Le Pen: **Well that's reassuring. When you contacted me, I was slightly concerned that you would want a merger between our two groups. And that was not what I wanted.

**Klotz: **We promise you that is not the case. The Order wishes to stay as it is.

**Le Pen: **The issue with that is that our two groups have very similar ideologies. It's only natural that there would be some overlap.

_Klotz adjusts his glasses. He has a somewhat devious smile on his face. Moriarty watches his protégé go to work while he remains quiet for the moment. He starts to realize that Klotz's mannerisms, his tone of voice, even his facial expressions now bear a striking resemblance to his own. The master manipulator exudes a slight smile, overjoyed that he has transformed a timid school psychologist into a brilliant and cunning right-hand man. _

**Klotz: **Unfortunately Mr. Le Pen, that overlap is doing us some serious harm. More and more of your people are flocking to our side and demanding some….adjustments. Some are demanding a merger. _Klotz takes a moment to clear his throat. _As you could imagine, that puts us in a precarious position. Some of your ideals are…_Klotz's smile brightens as he gingerly treads on thin ice_...a tad too radical for our tastes. There is also the problem that your organization has a very controversial history with the French public. Though we do respect you, we unfortunately have to keep our distance from you.

**Le Pen: **That is understandable. _He leans back on the couch. He gives his guests a smug look. _But don't think that keeping your distance from me will save you from falling into disfavor with the majority of the French public. Right now The Order is young. But soon enough your ideals will not sit favorably with most people and your popularity will fall.

**Klotz: **While I'm afraid we don't agree with your theory, we would still like you to do us a favor and help us deal with the situation.

_The leader of the National Front gives Klotz a puzzled look. _

**Le Pen: **And what exactly do you want me to do?

**Klotz: **It's rather simple really. All we want you to do is make a public announcement stating that although you appreciate The Order in many ways, the National Front does not have the same goals and ideals. And you must encourage your own supporters not to get too involved in our movement. _Klotz looks Le Pen straight in the eye, proud that he has been so clear and eloquent with such a major French political figure. _That is all.

_Le Pen rubs his chin, thinking over Klotz's proposal. _

**Le Pen: **Okay. That makes sense. Only one thing. Why should I help you? What's in it for me?

_Moriarty finally breaks his silence and takes over from where Klotz left off. _

**Moriarty: **Simply put, I can move things in the right direction for you…

_Moriarty intentionally stops talking and has some coffee while he lets the fishing lure sit in the water for Le Pen to take. _

**Le Pen: **How so?

**Moriarty: **Even if The Order is a failed enterprise, you must admit that I have brought more people into the arms of the French right than you have over your entire career. And I can continue to do so for the time being. Our numbers continue to grow in spite of our latest divisions. But if we alleviate those tensions, it will allow us to grow further. And the extra time you give us will be useful to you.

**Le Pen: **Go on…

**Moriarty: **If The Order crashes and burns further down the road, then you will have the advantage of catching the windfall from all of the people I have coerced to my side. In other words, The Order's loss is The National Front's gain.

_Le Pen taps his fingers on the coffee table. Though he appears somewhat unimpressed, his eyes gleam with some admiration for Moriarty's shrewdness. _

**Le Pen: **Interesting. You do make a convincing argument. Though it seems like this deal only works in your favor because you believe that I am wrong about your organization's demise.

**Moriarty: **Naturally.

**Le Pen: **So from my point of view, I have nothing to lose from this deal. I just need to work behind the scenes to make sure you stay around a little longer…

**Klotz: **Exactly.

_The elderly man smirks and adjusts his glasses. He eases himself off the couch and reaches out to shake Moriarty's hand. _

**Le Pen: **Gentlemen, you have yourself a deal. I will make sure that the National Front and The Order stay their separate ways.

_Moriarty accepts the handshake. _

**Moriarty: **I had a feeling you would see things our way.

**Le Pen: **Yes…._He breaks off the handshake and moves toward the door…_Though I have a policy of being nothing but brutally honest, I might as well wish you the best of luck Dr. Renard. _He opens the door. _My assistants will see you out.

_Moriarty stands up. _

**Moriarty:** Wait just a moment, I have one question.

_Le Pen looks back at his guest with some measure of impatience. _

**Le Pen: **Yes?

**Moriarty: **Would you by chance be attending Eurovision this month?

_Jean-Marie Le Pen stares at Moriarty for a moment, surprised the randomness of his question. He looks off to the side for a moment and then nods his head. _

**Le Pen: **Ordinarily I wouldn't, but a very important donor to the National Front who also happens to be a higher up in the European Broadcasting Union is coming to Paris for the event. And we thought the concert was the best place to meet. Why do you ask?

_Moriarty cracks open another smile, but there is a certain malevolence behind it that escapes the naked eye. _

**Moriarty: **I was just wondering if you would like to meet me as well, as I am also attending the event. In case there is anything else we need to discuss…

_Le Pen quickly turns his back on Moriarty. _

**Le Pen: **I'll think about it.

_He exits without bothering to let Moriarty reply. The two are left alone in the spacious and ornate room. Moriarty quickly drops his charming act. He mutters under his breath. _

**Moriarty: **That is the last time I brownnose a politician.

**Klotz: **Careful Commandant. He might have cameras around here.

_Moriarty scoffs at the notion and paces the room. _

**Moriarty: **Oh let him listen. He's too arrogant to think this plan could backfire on him. _Moriarty lets the anger from Le Pen's demeaning tone simmer, building it up for a later date when it can be unleashed. But on the surface, he is unnervingly calm. He shoots a smile in Klotz's direction. _How sad it is that age does not always produce wisdom.

_The day passes and night falls on Paris. At a Gothic church in front of a city park, a late mass is being held. A small gathering of the faithful takes their seats in the pews, awaiting the message of God. The lit candles in the church combined with the images of Christ and Catholic saints paint a scene of haunting beauty. Shortly before the mass begins, Yumi Ishiyama enters, wearing a black blouse and skirt. She takes a seat near the back and remains quiet. Two minutes pass. Ulrich then sits next to her, wearing a green collared shirt and black pants. Yumi gives him a half-smile. _

**Yumi: **Cutting it a little close, aren't you?

**Ulrich: **Hey, you have no idea how hard it is to get permission to leave campus nowadays.

**Yumi: **Right. Things just keep getting worse and worse.

_Both of them stay quiet for some time. _

**Ulrich: **Is that why we're here?

**Yumi: **I suppose so…

_Soon afterwards the priest Rosaire enters, followed by altar servers and a deacon. The mass commences. Rosaire performs the opening liturgy and calls the people to prayer. Further on in the service, he gives the homily. He opens it with a scripture reading from the New Testament. _

**Rosaire: **Today's scripture is from 2 Corinthians 4:7-9: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed". This is the Word of the Lord.

**Congregation: **Thanks be to God.

_Rosaire looks down at the altar and then back at the congregation. He takes a lengthy pause before beginning. _

**Rosaire: **Fear. I look around this sanctuary and I see it on all of your faces. For some of you, it may be the reason you are here. Because you are afraid. And given the nature of current events in our country, one would be completely justified to be afraid. I see this same fear on the faces of other French men and women on the streets. It is pervasive. And its effects are already starting to be seen. Many of those fearful faces have turned into a mob of black and purple, marching on the streets of cities across the nation. _His hands touch the edges of the altar. _I think everyone here knows what I'm talking about. Joining together into one loud extreme voice is one way to deal with fear. But is it God's way? I would argue that is isn't. At the time this book was written, the early Church was surrounded by hostile forces seeking to destroy it. They feared for their very lives. That kind of fear in times of uncertainty has a particular and dangerous impact on the human psyche. Individuals begin to realize just how weak and vulnerable they are to danger. And that fear can foster an extreme response to make up for that weakness. _His expression becomes increasingly solemn as he continues. _But ultimately this fear reveals a critical error in judgment. As humans, we naturally assume that the strength to endure hardship must be supplied from ourselves. But that is not the case. The beauty of the Gospel is that we will never suffer hardship alone and we will never have to. Yes we may be afflicted….sometimes terribly afflicted by the trials of an uncertain future. Yes we may be bent-_His face suddenly lights up with a fiery passion that surprises his congregation_-but we can never be broken! _He lifts his right hand to the ceiling. _God is our refuge, and as long as that is the case, we can walk into the valley of the shadow of death and not be afraid! It is true that I do not know what lies in wait for us, but take comfort in the fact that Satan's goal in all of this will be thwarted!

_Rosaire goes on with his powerful homily. After a while the mass comes to a close and Rosaire prays and dismisses the congregation. Ulrich and Yumi silently walk out of the church. A terrible chill greets them outside the door. Yumi shivers. _

**Yumi: **I so did not dress for this weather.

**Ulrich: **Yeah, I should have known better too. It's December after all.

_They move down the front steps and start walking down the sidewalk. Yumi glances at Ulrich. His expression is unreadable. She looks away, but curiosity prompts her to glance at him again. He still appears indifferent. _

**Yumi: **Well?

**Ulrich: **Well what?

**Yumi: **Well, what did you think?

_Ulrich looks up at the night sky. He inhales through his nose and sighs before giving a response. _

**Ulrich: **William's brother has a knack for public speaking, but I'm a tough sell. I have nothing against religion or anything, but the fact remains that God has allowed some terrible things to happen. _He centers his eyes on the sidewalk. _Maybe I can overlook letting my father die, but letting Moriarty get this far is unacceptable. I don't see why I should believe in him when he's left the world completely undefended against him.

_Yumi stares at Ulrich for a moment. Then she looks forward and nods her head. _

**Yumi: **Yes, leaving humanity undefended is unacceptable.

**Ulrich: **Exactly…

**Yumi: **But you're wrong.

_Ulrich stops walking. He turns to Yumi and gives her a puzzled look. _

**Ulrich: **Wrong? About it being unacceptable?

_Yumi shakes her head and smiles. Her eyes shine with a kind of radiance Ulrich hasn't seen in a long time. _

**Yumi: **No, about leaving humanity unprotected. He didn't abandon the world to that madman. He made sure that he would not be unopposed. And the proof-_She points down at the side of the sidewalk_-is right here. _Ulrich looks down into a clear puddle gleaming at the side of the road. His reflection stares back at him, accompanied by that of Yumi's. Ulrich's eyes brighten with understanding but stay glued to the little puddle. The air suddenly feels warmer. _Don't you see? He never abandoned the world to Moriarty. He has been fighting him from the very beginning of this mess…

_A glimmer of sunlight pierces through Jeremie's room. At first it centers on the empty space where César's bed used to be, but gradually it shifts to his door. It is 6 AM. Jeremie stays awake at the computer, having woken up rather early to continue his work on the Cannae Initiative. After two hours of work, he catches a lucky break and reaches the last barrier to complete the decryption. In front of him is a digital model of human DNA. The double helix structure rotates slowly, giving Jeremie a full perspective on the subject he is examining. There are no instructions. There are no hints as to what he is supposed to do. He is simply given the model and expected to solve whatever he is supposed to solve. Jeremie at first tries separating the base pairs that lie horizontally between the spiraling strands. But no matter what code or algorithm he uses, he comes up empty. He situates the adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine in different patterns, hoping to get a result. But every time he tries, the program merely rearranges what he did and returns to its original state. Realizing that separating base pairs isn't working, he zooms in on specific nucleotides, hoping to find a chink in the digital armor. But his luck fails him. Frustrated, he stares at the model for some time, hoping to glean the slightest bit of information from the impossible problem. He grimaces and rubs his head. _

**Jeremie: **I was certain the final answer had to do with digital polynucleotide separation. What am I missing? I've exhausted every scenario with the base pairs…._He groans_…I should have brushed up on my biology before trying this.

_Jeremie eyes his clock. It's 7 AM now. He taps his fingers on the desk. _

**Jeremie: **20 minutes till I have to get ready….but I can't stop now. I can't leave this computer when I'm just so close. _He drums his fingers on his head, trying to reorient his brain back to the basics. _Separation. I know that the answer has to do with separation. But the base pairs aren't cooperating. _His mind overheats as it claws for answers. For a moment he feels desperation start to give way to frustration and despair. He combats the feeling and continues demanding his brain for answers. Then, when his brain cells are almost at the point of giving up, he looks at the problem in a new light. _What if I'm not supposed to separate the base pairs? What if….what if it's something else? Something that's been staring at my face the entire time. _He zooms in on the DNA model. He looks for any clues he might have missed along the spiraled strands of the helix. Then, he comes across an anomaly along the spiral at the junction between a biopolymer and a base pair. He scrutinizes every detail of it. _What are you trying to tell me here, Hopper? Why is that there? _He begins to play around with it a little. After exploring it in detail, he triggers a protocol that highlights the two biopolymers. Intrigued, Jeremie tries some of the formulas he used before. At first nothing happens, but after the third trial, the whole model begins to change. Jeremie watches in awe as the biopolymers separate from the base pairs, and suddenly every nucleotide is cut apart and separated by white lines until the whole structure is reduced to nothingness. Lines of code suddenly appear and form a long sequence of data. Jeremie's eyes widen in wonder as everything comes together. A final product comes together labeled: CANNAE WEAPONIZED PROTOCOL. Finally the stream of data stops. The encryption is complete. Jeremie looks at the screen for a full five minutes, unable to comprehend what his eyes are telling him; he has succeeded. _I….I get it now. _He almost laughs with hysteria from the euphoria of triumph. _It's so terrible but so beautiful….and it can work! IT CAN WORK!

_Jeremie gets up and is at the point of running to Aelita's room to tell her the good news. But a sudden message pops up on his computer screen. Jeremie does an about face, fearing that he might have reacted prematurely to his success. The message is sent under the simple alias "D". The message reads: Glad that you have finally succeeded. Meet me in the Bois de Boulogne Park. I will be at the second bench on your left next to the botanical gardens. Please arrive promptly at noon. And come alone. –D _

_Jeremie raises an eyebrow at the message. He reacts initially with contempt, fearing Moriarty is trying to take the wind out of his sails by laying a trap. He scoffs at the message and attempts to delete it. _

**Jeremie: **No way Moriarty. I'm not falling for your desperate tricks. You're not going to lure me in a corner and kill me that easily.

_When he tries to delete the message, a second message pops up. It reads: P.S. Not all of Les Invisibles have perished. Despite the irreparable damage Moriarty has done to us, our mission remains the same. Also, think about it for a moment. I knew exactly when you finished your work on the Cannae Initiative. If I was Moriarty, don't you think I would have interfered? _

_Jeremie stares at the secondary message dumbfounded. The infallible logic of the stranger catches him off guard. Plus, the mention of Les Invisibles peaks his curiosity. _

_Around noon Jeremie finds himself in the Bois de Boulogne Park, ignoring the voices in his head warning him to stay away. He wears a gray jacket over his red shirt and stuffs his hands in the jacket pockets. His feet trudge over dead leaves and his eyes take in his surroundings. The trees around him are leafless and lifeless. To his left lies a small pond idly collecting algae. He crosses a bridge over the pond and makes his way down a path lined by the barren trees. There is evidence of flowers and other colorful plants having been in the area recently, but they have since receded. Jeremie sees a faded plaque that reads: BOIS DE BOULOGNE BOTANICAL GARDENS. Jeremie looks up and to his left. Sure enough, on the second bench, an old man in a black trenchcoat and hat sits patiently for him. Jeremie freezes with hesitation, fearing some kind of ambush. He looks around, half-expecting Les Invisibles agents to appear out of nowhere and arrest him. But the gruesome images of the massacre Moriarty sent remind him that this scenario is very unlikely. Convinced that he can't lose this opportunity, Jeremie sits down next to him on the bench. The two face forward, staring at the dead trees. After a minute, the middle-aged man clears his throat. _

**Director: **So, how long until it's ready?

**Jeremie: **The supercomputer is still running a diagnostic. It will take some time for the program to become synced with our systems and become fully operational.

**Director: **Usually I am not an impatient man, but it better not take three weeks…

_Jeremie feels his pulse increase dramatically. He looks at the man from the corner of his eye, wondering how much he knows about Lyoko and their mission. _

**Jeremie: **I know. I highly doubt it will, but my fear is that it may be cutting it close…

_The two stop chatting for a little bit. Jeremie's eyes dart in the man's direction. _

**Jeremie: **Okay I'm here. So tell me…how did you get access to the supercomputer and my own personal files?

**Director: **It was difficult dealing with a machine that complicated, but we managed to sneak our way in and observe you. We figured it would be easier to avoid detection when you and your team were dealing with a far more pressing threat. And we were right.

_Jeremie feels somewhat embarrassed knowing they managed to sneak past his watchful eyes. _

**Jeremie: **I was very thorough in dealing with security, especially after Moriarty came around.

**Director: **Ah…but we had been monitoring you before Moriarty's resurgence.

**Jeremie: **Then you know about Xana, don't you?

**Director: **We watched it grow into a dangerous threat and then be defeated at the height of its power. And we have you to thank for that.

_Jeremie stares at the Director with a perplexed look. The Director appears very calm, as if this whole conversation is completely normal. Jeremie taps his forehead trying to think. _

**Jeremie: **So you knew about our fight with Xana, and you didn't arrest us?

**Director: **No.

**Jeremie: **And you didn't interfere?

**Director: **Only to observe you.

**Jeremie: **Why? _Jeremie's face begins to cloud with anger. An old resentment, fueled by the tragedy of his girlfriend's life, starts to come up to the surface. _You had no problem ruining the Schaeffers' lives in every conceivable way. Why not do the same to us?

_The Director regards Jeremie's anger with a lack of interest. _

**Director: **It would have not been very smart. We only discovered about your Lyoko group and Xana after Xana escaped from your supercomputer. We picked up a massive surge in electromagnetic energy and followed the trail of breadcrumbs back to your factory. When we realized that Waldo Schaeffer's work had fallen into the hands of a bunch of middle-school kids, our natural reaction should have been to stop you. But Xana was already on the loose and we had to acquire the humility to accept that you understood the situation better than we did. Plus, capturing middle-school children from a well-known boarding school is frowned upon in a liberal democracy. We reserve that for a last resort. And we never had to do that, although we came close several times. And when Moriarty came around we had reasons to fear our own annihilation. We knew he would stop at nothing to have revenge. So, all in all, we have kept our separate ways up till this point.

_Jeremie absorbs the answer with rapt attention. His anger starts to soften a little. While the explanation does make sense, Jeremie does feel a wave of revulsion and fear for what could have happened. _

**Jeremie: **If you had to, would you have done it? Make us disappear, like Antea Hopper? Destroy our families for good?

**Director: **Yes. If it meant saving France I would have done it. But I would have loathed the decision greatly.

**Jeremie: **Do you have any idea how much that disgusts me?

**Director: **Do you have any idea how unethical nearly starting a nuclear war is?

_The Director's sharp retort silences Jeremie rather quickly. He looks away. _

**Jeremie: **Touché

_The Director takes a deep breath. _

**Director: **I didn't come here to defend my actions Jeremie. I came to tell you what you are up against.

_Jeremie blinks several times in confusion. He looks at the Director like he's from Mars. _

**Jeremie: **Don't you think I should be telling you that?

**Director: **Ordinarily yes. But I know what Moriarty is really after, and I have spent a good deal of my time making sure he does not get it.

**Jeremie: **World domination. Isn't it obvious?

**Director: **And how will he go about doing that?

**Jeremie: **Easy. Manipulating the masses to make himself leader of France. That's what The Order is for.

**Director: **And then he's the President of France. Then what? Do the United States, Russia, China, and the rest of the world simply bow to him?

**Jeremie: **Of course not, then he'll probably…_Jeremie stops for a moment and rubs the back of his neck. The pause becomes uncomfortably long. _Well, my initial guess was that he would gain access to the world's nuclear weapons and force humanity to surrender unconditionally.

_The Director looks off into space and nods with understanding. _

**Director: **Simple enough, but why would Moriarty need to be elected president for that to happen? Could he not simply take power from The Network?

**Jeremie: **That's what we thought. But after a while he reversed his strategy and appeared on Earth. We are still not a hundred percent sure why, but I believe he wanted to do what he enjoys the most: to humiliate us and manipulate as many people as he can. He's not practical like Xana was. He wants the most fantastic route to victory, not the most efficient.

**Director: **All of those are very true. _His visage suddenly becomes very grim. He looks up at the sky and pulls his hat closer to his eyes. _But it is not enough to explain his behavior. Don't you think he would keep the nuclear weapons as a backup at the very least?

**Jeremie: **To do that would require either activated towers or spheres. Both of which would not go unnoticed by us. Given the sheer amount of power the Core expends to do maintain his human form and construct that shield, I highly doubt he has enough reserves to infiltrate the world's nuclear stockpile.

**Director: **Which once again goes back to the big question: Why did he abandon those spheres? Speaking purely from a realistic point of view, why did he do it?

_Jeremie stops to think. A long silence passes between them. While he considers the possibilities, bird noises fill the void of their conversation. The tranquil sounds of nature in the midst of looming disaster irritate him greatly. He shakes off the temporary annoyance. _

**Jeremie: **From a realistic perspective, I honestly don't know.

**Director: **As I thought. Quite simply, it's because he can't access the world's nuclear weapons.

_Jeremie raises an eyebrow. _

**Jeremie: **Pardon me?

_The Director raises his right hand to ask for patience. _

**Director: **As leader of _Les Invisibles_, I have been privy to a lot of information you don't know and are too busy to find out. For instance, you probably don't know that after the nuclear war scare, the fear of cyber warfare caused nations to bring their best and brightest together to strengthen their security in that area. As it stands, the level and complexity of global cyber security has increased threefold. The massive effort in cyber counterintelligence made it difficult for even Moriarty to maneuver. At the very least, it made it impossible for him to go completely unnoticed before having absolute control of the world's nuclear arsenal. So he had no choice but to radically change his strategy.

_Jeremie nods with understanding. He scratches his chin, dwelling for a moment on the significance of this information. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, then the million dollar question is what is his endgame now?

**Director: **The Harbinger.

**Jeremie: **The what?

**Director: **The Harbinger. Otherwise known as France's greatest and most dangerous weapon.

_He fishes into his coat pockets and gives Jeremie a sheet of paper with the schematics of a small data storage device. Jeremie double takes when he looks at it. _

**Jeremie: **This looks exactly like a flash drive.

**Director: **In many ways it is. But make no mistake. Inside that little device is the mother of all malware programs. It puts all possible forms of cyberwarfare to shame. In laymen's terms, it is a mega-virus, a self-replicating, highly adaptable digital monster purposefully designed to simultaneously infect the world's computer networks, spreading down routing paths like a plague until it has devoured everything in its path. _Jeremie's eyes widen as the Director's description continues. _Within a matter of hours, it could wreck the world's interconnected economies, shut down global communications and power grids, send false information to nations' militaries, and even cause meltdowns in every nuclear reactor on the planet. And those are only the things I can think of off the top of my head. _The Director's face suddenly appears to be cast in iron. _It is France's most desperate weapon. And it can fit into the palm of your hand…

_Jeremie's hand trembles on the page. He swallows saliva as his throat tightens. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, second million dollar question: Why on Earth does the government have such a terrible device?!

**Director: **Simple. So that the President of France can confront any enemy, no matter how dangerous, if the very survival of the nation is at stake. That way, even the most insane opponents can be intimidated into backing down. Of course in the wrong hands it could…

**Jeremie: **Conquer the world overnight?! _Jeremie becomes highly animated and must restrain the urge to try and strangle the old man. His hands tense up. _Are you telling me the President knows about this super-weapon?

**Director: **Of course not. None of our executives ever know the truth. Only _Les Invisibles _know. We would have to inform the President in such an emergency of the weapon's existence. All he would have to do would be to go into the Presidential safe room in the Élysée Palace and activate the program by plugging it into any available computer connected to a server. Of course, now we will have to take the secret to our graves.

**Jeremie: **Except Moriarty knows about it….

_The Director solemnly nods. A slight tremor runs across his face, but it vanishes just as soon as it appears. _

**Director: **Yes. During Project Carthage, we used him to develop the Harbinger's firewall evasion protocols. But the entire thing was a collaborative effort by us and the scientists at Carthage who weren't part of Schaeffer's rebellion. That's why Moriarty needs it. He can't recreate it on his own, so he must become President to use it.

_Jeremie stands up and shouts at the Director. _

**Jeremie: **CAN'T YOU JUST DESTROY IT?!

**Director: **No. Only the President can access that room. We were willing to inform him if everything seemed lost, but Moriarty killed us off beforehand.

**Jeremie: **YOU IDIOT!

_Jeremie pulls at his hair and looks at the sky, not able to believe what he is hearing. _

**Director: **Please stop. You're making a scene.

_Jeremie slowly sits down, feeling completely overwhelmed. _

**Jeremie: **So if he is elected, all is lost.

**Director: **Elections are in a year, but with the shield developing in the core…

**Jeremie: **We have less than three weeks. _Jeremie covers his face with his hands. _Is there any hope that he couldn't be elected? I mean, this is still a democracy…

_The Director shakes his head sadly. _

**Director: **No. The Eurovision concert will end any hope of that.

**Jeremie: **Eurovision? What does this have to do with Eurovision?

**Director: **In exactly three weeks, the concert will take place right here in Paris. Jean-Marie Le Pen and his daughter Marine will be there. They are Moriarty's only obstacle for garnering the full support of the far-right. Moriarty will kill them and other innocents in the arena, with the world watching in horror. The consequences of such an attack will finally set France over the edge of no return. Extremism will take root in the nation and Moriarty will be the only light shining in the darkness.

_Jeremie stares at the ground, looking completely worn out just listening to the Director. He bites his lip and breathes deeply through his nose. _

**Jeremie: **You're completely right. It is the perfect time to put France fully in the palm of his hand. There will be no more room for moderates. So tell me…what do you want me to do, now that I know this?

_The Director shrugs. _

**Director: **Nothing that you weren't already going to do. I just thought it would be best for you to know Moriarty's intentions, so you don't go into these next few weeks completely blind. _He puts his hands on his knees, indicating that he is about to stand up. _And with that I think I must be going.

**Jeremie: **Hold on. _Jeremie's voice becomes very stern. _You're not getting away that easily. I still have some questions. First and foremost, why on Earth would you create such a weapon? I have heard you talk about France's security, but I'm not convinced. _He lowers his eyebrows with increasing scrutiny. _What's your motivation? What made you go to such extreme lengths?

_The Director looks Jeremie in the eye for a few seconds, and then glances behind him at the pond. The crystal clear waters put him into a kind of a trance. He sighs. _

**Director: **When you've seen Nazis enter your home as a little boy, threatening your mother and turning the place upside down, and you can do nothing but crawl under the kitchen table and hide….maybe then later in life you become desperate to prevent that from happening again and work tirelessly to prevent it-_He lifts his head up toward the midday sun._-until you become the very monster you tried to stop.

_Jeremie's harshness ebbs. Behind the old man's cold eyes, he detects a high level of pain and paranoia. He imagines himself in the Director's shoes, cowering under a table and crying while soldiers shout in harsh German at his mother. He then sees himself growing up as a young man, fearful and hateful of everyone around him, with nothing but fierce patriotism as his motivation for existence. He can see his hatred gradually fester like an old cheese with age, until he becomes willing to go to any means to defend his nation, even if it means hurting others. And Jeremie can in the end see himself as an old man, having a conversation with a young boy such as himself, warning him of the consequences of his actions. Jeremie leans back on the bench. _

**Jeremie: **One more thing. About…Antea Hopper…._Jeremie looks away from him_…we still don't know what happened to her. Please, tell me the truth. For Aelita's sake….

**Director: **…I suppose there's no longer any point in withholding the truth. _He pauses again. He speaks the following without any emotion or obvious sentiments of remorse. _After we abducted her, we interrogated her to try and find out where Schaeffer and Moriarty were hiding. My men tortured her….more severely than I intended. During one of their "breaks"…..the agents under my command tried to pressure me to let them use more extreme methods. I had already come to the conclusion that she didn't know anything, but they weren't convinced. Before they could get their way, she privately begged me to end her misery. _His right hand trembles slightly. _I complied with her wishes…

_Jeremie absorbs the information with a quiet sorrow. He closes his eyes. _

**Jeremie: **Thank you.

**Director: **Now that you know, in return I need you to do me a favor.

**Jeremie: **What's that?

**Director: **As far as it is in your power, please protect my son from the coming turmoil.

**Jeremie: **You have a son?

**Director: **Yes, and he is very close to you. He's your gym teacher after all…

_Jeremie takes three seconds to process the statement. His mouth drops a little, and he struggles to speak for a moment. _

**Jeremie: **You're….you're Jim's dad? Impossible! Jim told me that his father died in the Congo!

**Director: **A necessary lie to keep my family safe while I served my country. _He stands up. _Out of all the terrible things I have done in my life, abandoning my family has to be the worst. _He turns around and walks away from Jeremie, waving him a final goodbye. _Try to keep him safe.

**Jeremie: **W-Wait a minute. _He bolts up from the bench, watching the Director leave. _Where are you going? Now that you've told me everything, what happens to you now?

_The Director briefly looks over his shoulder. To Jeremie's great surprise, he smiles at him. _

**Director: **Now I'm probably going to go on a trip. Travel somewhere where it's warm….very warm. I think that could do me some good.

_The Director leaves Jeremie without another word of explanation. He walks slowly down the stone path and out of the park. As he goes on his way, a layer of clouds moves from the west and blocks out the sun halfway. The air becomes colder. The Director keeps walking. After about fifteen minutes, he arrives at a dimly lit apartment in a crowded neighborhood. He walks inside and places his hat on the coatrack. He steps over scattered papers into the kitchen, which is full of dirty dishes that will never be washed. He sets a kettle on the stove and makes a pot of tea. After a few minutes he walks from the kitchen into a small living room, carrying his cup of tea. The minute he rounds the corner, an intruder greets him, sitting in his own chair. Moriarty greets him with a bloodthirsty smile. _

**Moriarty: **You're late.

**Director: **Sorry. Traffic was a bother.

_The two stare at each other, listening to the steady tick-tock of the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. _

**Moriarty: **Did you honestly think I wouldn't be watching Jeremie's movements?

_The Director takes a long sip of tea. _

**Director: **I never had any such illusions.

**Moriarty: **You knew I was here, didn't you?

**Director: **I knew the moment I walked in the door.

**Moriarty: **You can't run from me any longer.

**Director: **I'm not running. _He drinks some more. _I knew you would never stop hunting me, so I figured I might as well stay where I was and get comfortable.

**Moriarty: **You're going to die.

**Director: **I'm an old man. Death takes us all eventually…

_Moriarty's hands electrify and get ready to strike. _

**Moriarty: **Some more painfully than others.

_The Director stares at his attacker with an unimpressed look. _

**Director: **Do you think I'm intimidated by you? As far as I'm concerned, you're a spineless failure of a scientist and a human being, and you will always be. _Moriarty boils with murderous anger as the Director continues. _No amount of power can change who you really are. _Moriarty stands up, the energy in his hands growing. _Deep down inside you still fear me, and you hate me for it. The fact that you're here proves you're weak, that you're so afraid that you have no choice but to come here and kill your nightmare.

_Moriarty's entire arms become potent weapons. _

**Moriarty: **YOU WRETCH! _His pupils light on fire with sheer, unbridled hatred. _I WILL END YOU!

_The Director throws the rest of his tea into Moriarty's face. He holds out his arms, inviting Moriarty to do his worst. _

**Director: **THEN WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! COME AND KILL YOUR NIGHTMARE!

_Moriarty lunges on him with animalistic rage. With his left hand he grabs the Director's neck and pins him against the wall. With the other he punches him in the stomach, sending lethal amounts of electricity into his victim's body. The Director has an uncontrollable seizure. He can neither breathe nor cry out in pain. The life drains out of his very eyes. Moriarty temporarily stops the current and leans forward to whisper into his ear. _

**Moriarty: **Have fun in Hell….

_The Director coughs up blood, with some of it landing on Moriarty's face. He manages to give on final weak reply. _

**Director: **…I'll see you there…shortly.

_The Director falls dead in his killer's grasp, leaving Moriarty alone in the dark apartment. _

_Inside the sewers and away from watchful eyes, Jeremie gives his account of his meeting with The Director. The warriors listen intently, not uttering a word until Jeremie has finished. For a long time, no one says anything. William, who maintains watch near the sewer path to the gym, decides to speak first. _

**William: **So, Moriarty does have to be elected to become a world dictator…how ironic…

**Yumi: **I can see why you decided to speak down here. If there is even the slightest chance Moriarty has bugged the factory recently…

**Jeremie: **Everything would be undone. And we don't have that option. The Cannae Initiative will be ready in two and a half weeks or so. If Moriarty knew that information, we would be doomed. Our attack has to be unexpected.

**Ulrich: **But he does know that we have to act soon. He will be expecting something. If he doesn't know we have the Cannae Initiative ready, he has to at least know that we are getting close.

_Natalya nods in agreement. While she puts up the façade that she is ready to handle this, her eyes reveal an intense fear that she is trying desperately to hide. _

**Natalya: **Yes, and isn't two and a half weeks cutting it really close?

**Jeremie: **Yes. That's why every minute we have counts. Once the program is ready, we have to be ready to move at a moment's notice.

_Aelita frowns. _

**Aelita: **It looks like we will miss Eurovision after all.

**Odd: **Sounds to me like you two shouldn't be there anyway.

**Jeremie: **Forget the concert. In fact-_Jeremie assumes his general mode again._-forget The Order. Forget the Outcasts. Forget your schoolwork. Forget all other obligations. From this point forward, we have to be completely and totally dedicated to Moriarty's annihilation. Until the Cannae Initiative cuts him apart and reduces him to infinitesimal scraps of data, the Lyoko Warriors have to be ready for this final battle.

_The Lyoko Warriors do not hesitate to respond. _

**Odd: **We're with you Jeremie.

**Yumi: **We'll finish this war.

**Ulrich: **Even if it ends up killing us.

_Natalya, slightly jarred by Ulrich's dark comment, tries to shake off the pressing anxiety with an outward show of bravery. She grabs Jeremie by the shoulders and looks straight down at the concrete floor. _

**Natalya: **I-I'll do whatever I can to help! Even if I'm terrified I-I-I…

_William touches her shoulder. His grip is firm but caring. _

**William: **We're all scared out of our wits. But we will fight anyway.

_Christophe, who has remained somewhat aloof from the group, suddenly comes closer to the others. He avoids eye contact with everyone. A quick glance at him reveals that he has not had much sleep lately. There are dark lines under his eyes and his gaze is distant and removed from the situation. _

**Christophe: **He…he made me commit murder. And that is a crime I will never forgive. Let's kill him.

**Yumi: **Agreed.

_Odd forces a smile. _

**Odd: **I think I'm ready to save the world a second time.

**Ulrich: **As long as I don't have to do it a third time….

**Jeremie: **So, we're all on the same page. Good. Get some rest. We will need it over these coming weeks.

_The warriors disperse and start walking back to the gym entrance to Kadic. Jeremie and Aelita hang in the back. Aelita touches his hand. _

**Aelita: **There's still one thing you haven't told me.

**Jeremie: **Yes?

**Aelita: **What did the Director say about my mother?

_Jeremie stops walking. He looks away from her and takes a deep breath. With a deep reluctance, he pulls Aelita close to her. His voice trembles as he whispers into her ear. The warriors in the front stop walking and look back in surprise when Aelita starts audibly crying. She cries into Jeremie's shoulder. Jeremie's face becomes encased in pain as he turns to the others. _

**Jeremie: **After this, there will be no more crying. Once these three weeks are over, we will all be happy again. And we won't cry all the time. Do you understand? _Tears fill his eyes due to grief and paralyzing fear. _None of us are going to die! I won't let you die and you can't let yourselves die! _The tears run down his face. _We are going to beat Moriarty and live! Don't you get it? That is an order. _He pauses to get control of himself. _I'M ORDERING YOU NOT TO DIE!

**N.B: In the episode "False Lead", two government agents showed up in response to Xana framing Jeremie for a government infiltration. But they launched a return to the past and the agents didn't show up the second time. Therefore, the Director would not remember that event. **

**N.B. 2: I know that in the Evolution universe, Antea is still alive, but I started writing the story before Evolution came out and I already had planned out her fate before I watched it. My story obviously diverges from the canon on several points, so it's not surprising that not all of the details would match up. **

**Okay, enough buildup. The epic climax is next. The final confrontation is upon us. Is the suspense killing you? It should be. How long until I update? Let's try to get some reviews and you won't have to wait long. **


	26. Chapter 26

**You know how I promised to have the climax finished for you? Well, I guess I lied. In my defense, I've been very busy with schoolwork and I had to deal with an unexpected death in the family. Nevertheless, it would be a crime against humanity not to give you this Christmas present, even though I planned on having this done by Christmas. Oh well, enjoy it. I promise to have the other part done soon. **

**So yeah, Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year or something…**

**Part 40**

_The days tick on into weeks. The terrorist attacks come to an end, but a lingering sense of dread hangs over the nation of France. The typical hustle and bustle of the nation's cities slows down to the pace of fear and uncertainty. Christmas Day nears and decorations are put up as usual. But there is no heart in it. The usual joy of the season is completely gone. The temperature drops, and the first snow of the winter descends on Paris a couple of days before the Eurovision concert. A few inches of snow coat the campus of Kadic in a wintry pall, shrouding the school in white. The land is colder, but beneath the icy exterior, the tension elevates to its breaking point, ready to burst at the seams into a fiery inferno. _

_Monday morning- Five days before the Eurovision concert on Saturday night. _

_Angeline stands at attention in Moriarty's classroom. Her body is taut, not allowing a single muscle to become lax in the presence of the Commandant. Her hair and appearance have returned to their former radiance, but the red marks under her eyes reveal the scars of her intense emotional trauma. She stares intently into the eyes of Moriarty, who sits across from her at his desk, but the fire in her eyes is gone. Moriarty sits with a rigid posture, mirroring her tensity. He drums his fingers on the desk, looking at her with a limited amount of interest. Mathias stands at Moriarty's side, watching the scene with some level of discomfort. _

**Moriarty: **So…you wish to leave?

**Angeline: **Yes Commandant. I do.

_Moriarty exhales through his nose, regarding the news with only the slightest bit of disappointment. He arches his shoulders and briefly glances out the window toward the early morning sun. _

**Moriarty: **I see. I'm not going to be so callous as to ask you why….but I can't help but point out your poor timing.

**Angeline: **Commandant, The Order….no…Kadic has not been the same since I…came back. I thought I would adjust over time but-_Her voice stops short_-I was wrong.

**Moriarty: **But it's almost the end of the semester. It would do you good to stay. _He leans forward slightly. _And Mr. Delmas and I gave you plenty of time to be with your family and rec-

_Angeline suddenly interjects with a hint of desperation in her voice. _

**Angeline: **I-I can't!

_Moriarty raises an eyebrow. The sternness in his tone elevates. _

**Moriarty: **Why not?

**Angeline: **There…._She shuts her eyes tightly…_.There's no place for me at this school!

_Moriarty remains quiet for a moment. Mathias glances at him, wondering what his response will be. _

**Moriarty: **No place for you? What a terrible self-deprecating thing to say. Your place is here, with The Order. Don't forget that they look up to you. Especially the girls. You are an inspiration to them.

_Angeline shakes her head in disagreement. Her eyes start to examine the floor instead of her leader. _

**Angeline: **Commandant-_She swallows_-with all due respect, I am not Emman-

**Moriarty: **Which is why I am denying your request to leave the school and The Order…

_Angeline takes this news painfully. She stares at Moriarty with alarm, hoping against hope that he didn't say what he did. Her body begins to shake a little bit. Her mouth opens and closes several times before she speaks again. _

**Angeline: **Commandant, I….please…

**Moriarty: **You only have a week more to endure. I need you for the demonstration at Eurovision. _He stands up and turns to the door. _I would encourage you to visit Klotz again. I'm sure he can help you work through your-

**Angeline: **And if I refuse?

_Moriarty stops, still facing toward the door. Mathias' eyes widen with trepidation and shock. No one in The Order has dared speak to the Commandant in that way. Moriarty cranes his neck back toward Angeline, who still remains firm in spite of her fragile state. The leader of The Order shows no visible signs of anger in his response. _

**Moriarty: **Well, I suppose I can't prevent you from leaving. But if you do leave-_Angeline listens intently to Moriarty-_I'm afraid I can't promise the full support of The Order in locating your brother. _Angeline's face contorts as if she had been directly punched in the stomach. Mathias double takes, not believing what he has just heard. _I've sent word out to all the organization branches to help in the search. They've been working tirelessly on your behalf. I would hate for you to reward their efforts by leaving us. It wouldn't be fair to them, and it would be wrong of me to continue to demand information on Emmanuel's whereabouts in such a case. _Short pause. _We need you Angeline, and that is all there is to it. _He opens the door and motions for Mathias to leave. _I'm sure you will make the right choice for both yourself…and The Order.

_Moriarty walks out the door with his subordinate behind him. Mathias glances back at Angeline. Her eyes fix themselves to the floor. All feeling has been drained from her face. She is hollow, completely stripped of any pride or hope. He can't help but feel a measure of pity for her. He makes his way down the hallway with Moriarty, sensing a pit forming in his stomach. His head twists back in the direction of the classroom, and he is tempted to go back and try to comfort her. To his disappointment, his leader does not seem to share his unease. In fact, he marches down the hallway at a quick and confident pace, forcing Mathias to walk faster to keep up. Moriarty looks back at the straggler out of the corner of his eye. _

**Moriarty: **Mathias…

_Mathias looks forward again, caught off guard by Moriarty's sudden call for his attention. _

**Mathias: **Yes Commandant.

**Moriarty: **It would be suiting for us to keep that little exchange our little secret. _He puts his hands behind his back and holds them together. _I truly want the best for Angeline, and unfortunately right now I need to be forceful to do what's best for her. You can comprehend that well enough, right?

_Mathias finds himself nodding by pure instinct. Words of affirmation leave his mouth before he has time to reflect on them. _

**Mathias: **Yes I can Commandant.

**Moriarty: **Good. It's just that I'm afraid not everyone in The Order would. So it's best to keep such minor details secret from the rest until we are at our full strength. _He hums a low tune that possesses a slightly haunting tone. _Things have been going very well for you lately, haven't they Mathias? Though it pains me to admit that your success had to come from another's tragedy, you should be happy all the same that fate has brought you here. _A slightly threatening edge emerges in his voice. _You are happy having such an enviable position, are you not?

_Mathias endures a small, but poignant moment of hesitation before he answers. For the first time in a while, doubt creeps into his mind about the Commandant's intentions. But his normal Order mentality immediately rescues him. _

**Mathias: **Yes Commandant….absolutely.

_Wednesday morning- Only three days away from the Eurovision concert. _

_Christophe stares out the sole window in his dorm room, looking out at the snow cascading softly onto the ground. His phone is attached to his ear. He speaks slowly and with obvious emotional reservation to the person on the other line. His fingers tap nervously on the windowsill. _

**Christophe: **I'm telling you, I can't do it.

_A deeper and increasingly authoritarian voice quickly answers him. _

**Mr. M'Bala: **What do you mean 'you can't'? Of course you can. It's just a school. You can leave and you need to leave. Kadic is no longer the place for you.

**Christophe: **No. It still is. I need to stay.

**Mr. M'Bala: **Based on what logic? You just finished your last exam. Your semester is essentially done. All that remains are a few winter events and some preparations for the spring semester, which would be entirely useless to you. It's time to go son. That academic environment is nothing but a danger to you.

_Christophe stares off into space with his eyes dimly focused on the snow. He initially does not reply to his father. His face freezes with tension as he contemplates his next move. But his father does not give him a chance to think of a response. _

**Mr. M'Bala: **Christophe, are you listening to me?

_Christophe closes his eyes and inhales. _

**Christophe: **Dad, please…just give Kadic another chance.

**Mr. M'Bala: **I've given that school far more chances than it deserves. As a matter of fact, I've given this country far more chances than it deserves. Only the need for you to finish the semester made me decide to hold off on leaving. _He takes a moment to pause and articulate his point. _But now your semester is essentially over. Now is the perfect time to leave.

_Christophe grunts into the phone and sticks his hand in his pocket. He slouches against the wall, acting as if his dad were physically with him in the room so he could show him this obvious sign of disrespect. _

**Christophe: **You know, you're kinda dropping this on me at the last minute.

**Mr. M'Bala: **I'm sorry. But it took me a while to find a new home and a job in Italy. And your mother took some convincing before she understood that this country is no longer good for us. But no matter, I did what I could. Besides, you should like Milan. You already have taken Italian classes so-

_Christophe's palm hits firmly against the windowsill. _

**Christophe: **I don't want to go!

_Mr. M'Bala fires back with an equally firm retort. Christophe can sense the tension and frustration rising in his father's voice. _

**Mr. M'Bala: **That is not your choice to make! I don't know what kind of foolish bravery this Outcast bunch has stuffed into your skull, but either way you are going with us. _Christophe's grip on the phone tightens. His right hand trembles slightly. _Am I making myself clear? _Christophe doesn't answer. His father receives the silence as an indication that the matter has been settled in his favor. _Good. Now to give you plenty of time to pack and say your goodbyes, your mother and I will come on Friday-

**Christophe: **NO!-_Christophe blurts out his refusal before he even knows what he is doing. The fear of his parents' interference with the mission heightens. His growing resentment quickly transforms into desperation as he seeks to prevent that from happening. _Not that day! Not Friday! You can't come before…_He stops himself for a moment_….Saturday…

_Christophe's gaze turns toward the calendar, one of the few things hanging on his wall. On the Saturday mentioned, there is a red circle around the date with the words JUDGMENT DAY written on it. The light in his eyes disappears. His muscles relax, but not out of physical relief. An indescribable misery overtakes him. He walks forward toward the calendar, cautiously measuring his steps as if he were walking over landmines. As the date marked in red burrows into his mind, a reality he had repressed for a long time forces its way back to his conscious thoughts: If they fail to defeat Moriarty by Saturday night, nothing will matter anymore. Christophe backs up and slowly sits down on his bed. _

**Mr. M'Bala: **What are you talking about?! Why Saturday?

_Christophe tries to reply, but he has been robbed of the ability of speech. _

**Mr. M'Bala: **Son, what is it?! Why are you being so stubborn? I just don't under-

**Christophe: **I'll do it.

_His bewildered father takes a moment to process his sudden victory. The anger in his tone transitions to confusion. _

**Mr. M'Bala: **You, you're suddenly okay with leaving Kadic and going to Italy?

**Christophe: **Yes. _His voice has become hollow. _Just not before Saturday. There is one last big rally against The Order on Saturday and I want to be there. _He nervously swallows saliva. _Can you please just wait two days? If you come on Sunday, I'll be all yours.

_Mr. M'Bala takes a moment to think this over. But seeing no possible danger with this small request, he agrees. _

**Mr. M'Bala: **Alright, we'll pick you up on Sunday. But I expect you to be ready for us when we get there.

_Christophe forces a half-smile to this victory. But the inescapable feelings of dread pounce on him, denying him any joy from the success. In the midst of the psychological storm plaguing him, a sudden gush of admiration and love for his father breaks to the surface. Without truly understanding why, his eyes start to water and his heart sinks. Words exit haphazardly from his mouth. _

**Christophe: **Yeah…we…we'll have a great time in Italy. It'll be a new start for us-_His throat becomes dry and his lips tremble_- a new beginning.

_Mr. M'Bala marks Christophe's sudden emotional change with alarm. _

**Mr. M'Bala: **Christophe, are you doing okay? Is something wrong?

**Christophe: **I'm sorry I have to go.

_Without letting his father say another word, Christophe hangs up. The phone drops from his hand to the bed. His watery eyes look at the calendar, focusing on the red circle for a very, very long time. _

_Wednesday evening- Three days before the Eurovision concert_

_Jeremie sits at his desk, staring blankly at the computer screen. The Cannae Initiative program stares back at him, taunting him with the never-changing status report: WEAPONIZED PROTOCOL IN PROCESS. Estimated time for its completion is 3 days and 7-8 hours. But this guess gives Jeremie little comfort. Every couple of minutes the estimated time changes, sometimes lowering to barely 3 days and sometimes it goes as high as 3 days and 13 hours. Jeremie remains in place at the computer for what seems like hours, watching, waiting. At times he almost forgets to blink. Beneath his expressionless exterior, his inner mind works feverishly, running countless calculations in his head, all to try to answer one fundamental question: When? The night grows darker outside. For some reason his room also appears to be darker as well. To alleviate any possible strain on his eyes, Jeremie turns on a couple of lamps to brighten the room. But they have little effect. The darkness he perceives around him is inexorable, insatiable, and unyielding. He hears a knock on his door. It takes a moment for him to snap out of his trance. _

**Jeremie: **Come in…

_Aelita opens the door. She steps in and softly treads on the floor. She stops a few paces behind his chair. She waits a moment. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, please try to be patient. _No response. _When it happens we will know. _She pauses. Still nothing from him. _All of our laptops and phones are primed to sound an alarm as soon as it's ready.

_The two are quiet. Aelita monitors his movements, or rather the lack thereof. She can faintly hear the rhythm of his slow, deep breathing. Just as she is about to turn around, Jeremie speaks. _

**Jeremie: **I know.

**Aelita: **Then why are you still looking at the computer?

**Jeremie: **I don't know. _He checks a few minor details on the program. _I can't stop. I just keep staring at it, hoping it will change. Demanding it to go faster. I don't want to but I keep doing it. _He looks down at the keyboard. _We've practiced the final assault six times already…

**Aelita: **Actually, it's been seven.

**Jeremie: **And yet I'm not satisfied. _He rubs his forehead. _When I'm not driving you guys harder and harder I can't do anything but look at this stupid screen. _He groans. _What do I do?

_Aelita walks over to his side and presses the shut down button before he can stop her. At first Jeremie reacts with alarm, but before he speaks he gets a hold of himself. _

**Jeremie: **Thank you. I needed that.

_Aelita looks him straight in the eye. _

**Aelita: **Go. To. Bed. You need sleep. _She walks over to his bed and lays down on it, pretending to get comfortable. _I'll spend the night here if I have to, to keep you from checking on the program.

_Jeremie turns a deep shade of red. _

**Jeremie: **Uh…That won't be necessary. I…I promise I'll go to bed…straight away.

_Aelita gets off the bed and stretches. She gives him a mischievous smile. _

**Aelita: **You better. _She opens the door. _Because if I come back here and you're still glued to the computer, you and I might have some explaining to do with Jim the next morning.

_On that note, she leaves Jeremie. The nerve-wracked general takes in a deep sigh. He reluctantly gets out of his chair and gets dressed for bed. When he is comfortable, he reaches into his medicine drawer and pulls out a bottle of strong sleeping pills. He takes two more than the recommended dose. _

_Thursday morning- Two days before the Eurovision concert. _

_Natalya takes a shower before going to breakfast. She shampoos her hair and lets the steam around her calm her nerves. She briefly turns her face to the water and lets it wash over her. For a moment she finds peace, but it does not last. Out of the darker, repressed portions of her mind come the memories of the fight on the island. She sees the twisted, demonic figure of Moriarty mercilessly trying to extinguish the life of William. She sees the mad look in his burning eyes, the smoking skull. The evil gaze envelops her, dragging her helplessly into the abyss of his unrelenting power. The shock of her painful memory jars her to the point that she screams in terror. When she recovers, she finds herself back in the shower, still safe from his grasp. Natalya leans against the shower walls. She looks up at the ceiling. _

**Natalya: **Why me?...Why now? _Her face darkens with fear and sorrow. _Why all of this?

_Thursday evening- Two days before the Eurovision concert. _

_The Ishiyama residence. Yumi and Ulrich both sit on Yumi's bed, looking up at the clock. Their eyes remain transfixed on the hands that move across the white circle without emotion, without any compassion on them. The face looks down on them with indifference, chugging at the same pace it always does. Its rhythm sinks into their thoughts. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. The cycle goes on and on. Ulrich leans back slightly, gazing up at the ceiling. _

**Ulrich: **So…what do you want to do? _Yumi hears but does not answer. Her eyes stay on the clock. Ulrich hugs his knees close to his body. _We've been staring at this clock for almost an hour. We should do something.

**Yumi: **Like what?

**Ulrich: **Anything. Anything that doesn't involve sitting here. _He glances back at the clock, hating its presence on the wall more every minute. He longs to look away but his eyes do not obey him. _Watching the clock is not going to accomplish anything. We need to go out, see the city, just….leave this room.

_Silence seizes the bedroom. Yumi shifts her position on the bed, stretching to ease the discomfort of her own inertia. The ticking of the clock burrows in her ears until it becomes almost unbearable. She covers her ears. _

**Yumi: **Ah, I can't stand that noise!

**Ulrich: **Then don't listen to it.

**Yumi: **I can't. _She sighs. _I want to not hear it, but wanting to not hear only makes it harder to ignore.

_Ulrich gets off the bed and walks to her dresser. He focuses on her iPod SoundDock System. _

**Ulrich: **Fine. Then I'll drown it out. _He turns on the system. The Subdigitals begin to play. He turns the volume up to a moderate setting and turns back to her. _Better?

_Relief becomes immediately evident in Yumi's face. She falls back onto her bed. _

**Yumi: **Yes. Very much so.

_Ulrich walks over to the bed and plops down, mimicking Yumi's theatrical display. His head rests very close to hers. Yumi gives him her typical look and Ulrich responds with his innocent grin. The two start to laugh. For a moment the fear in their hearts evaporates, but it doesn't last nearly long enough. The couple becomes very somber and quiet. _

**Yumi: **You know what?

**Ulrich: **What?

**Yumi: **In the movies, whenever a character only has a limited time to live, it always shows them living life to the fullest, doing the things they always wanted to do. _Her expression becomes wistful and dreamlike. _And at the very end that person is always happier than they were before, because they finally appreciated life. _She bites her lip and makes a face, as if she is trying to hold back the instinct to cry. _But here I am, only days away from what could be our final fight, and I can't do anything. Nothing. I can only sit here and wait. 

_Ulrich gives a solemn nod. _

**Ulrich: **Yeah. It's very hard to do anything in this situation. I've tried to do my normal activities, but none of it works. The only thing I have been able to do is train….train for our final attack.

**Yumi: **Every time we get in the Skid, I become calm for a moment. I know that what we are doing could give us an edge over Moriarty when the battle comes. But at the same time it terrifies me. _She rubs her forehead, which starts to become damp with cold sweat. _Odd's vision still haunts me. I see myself in that Nav Skid, doomed to get annihilated.

_Ulrich closes his eyes for a second and inhales through his nose. He hums the lyrics of the song "Planet Net", which is being played in the room at the moment. But his humming soon breaks down, almost degenerating into a whimper. He rolls over on the bed away from Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **Any update from Jeremie on the program?

**Yumi: **Not a thing. He said it should be ready in a day or so, but he also mentioned that it's hard to predict.

_Ulrich looks at the clock again and immediately hates himself for doing so. _

**Ulrich: **It better happen soon. It's already Thursday. How much longer is it going to take? _He pauses. After a long silence he cautiously looks over at Yumi. _Uh Yumi?

**Yumi: **Yeah?

**Ulrich: **What if…hypothetically….it's not ready in time?

_Yumi does not answer. The hollowness in her stare deepens, mirroring the complete apathy of the ceiling she observes. Then, without warning, she pops off the bed and walks toward the closet. _

**Yumi: **I have an idea of what we could do.

**Ulrich: **What?

_Yumi reaches into her private mini-fridge and pulls out a red can of soda. She holds it from the top, letting it dangle in her fingers. Ulrich raises an eyebrow at his girlfriend. _

**Ulrich: **Drink soda? That's all?

**Yumi: **Not just any soda. _Her eyes focus on the can. _This was the soda you gave me….well, you gave Odd who then gave it to me….before Jeremie tested out his direct materialization to Sector 5 thing on you. _Her grip on the can tightens. _And then when I thought we…_Her voice cracks slightly. _When I thought I lost you, I decided to keep it. _Her fingers drift to the tab. _I don't remember why I saved it for so long when you came back but…_She pops it open. The drink fizzes, still fresh after all this time_…just in case, I want to put it to good use, while we still can.

_Warmth rises to Ulrich's face when he hears Yumi's explanation. The symbolic gesture overwhelms him for a second, as he starts to feel his pent-up emotions come to the surface. He turns away and rises from the bed. _

**Ulrich: **I'll get some cups.

_Two plastic cups are set on the table. Yumi pours the soda out equally. They raise their cups and tap them together. _

**Ulrich: **Cheers.

_Yumi chuckles a little. _

**Yumi: **Cheers.

_The two take a sip. The drink is cold, comforting, and familiar. Ulrich swallows. _

**Ulrich: **Hmm…root beer. I made a good choice back then. _He leans forward and lets his forehead touch hers. _Thank you for this.

**Yumi: **No, thank you. _She sighs. _Let's just forget about everything, just for a second.

_Almost immediately after she says this, the sound of an old man wandering through the hall disrupts their state of peace. Grandpa Ishiyama moans with pain. _

**Grandpa: **Son, where are the laxatives? _He groans. _I feel like I'm about to give birth to a baby cow.

_Ulrich and Yumi's eyes widen to their fullest extent. The two stare at each other for a moment. _

**Ulrich: **How many seconds was that?

**Yumi: **Two.

**Ulrich: **Oh….how fitting.

_Friday evening- One day before the Eurovision concert. _

_A bus travels on a French Autoroute highway, making its way from Rouen to Paris. A massive traffic jam blocks the bus' path, turning the hour and a half trek into an almost three hour trip. Dr. Basil, the leader of the Lycée Jeanne d'Arc Outcast group, taps the wheel impatiently as the cars continue to crawl along. _

**Basil: ** I should have known leaving this late was a bad idea. It seems like everyone and their cat is trying to get to this concert.

_Behind him, most of the Order group has fallen asleep. The students are blissfully unaware of the situation outside. Towards the back row, Patrick starts to stir. He eventually opens his eyes and looks around. He is initially confused as to how night could have fallen so suddenly without them reaching their destination. A quick glimpse at his surroundings answers his question. Once he recovers from his grogginess, he senses a head resting on his shoulder. He glances over to his left and quickly becomes both embarrassed and surprised when he sees Jacqueline sleeping on his shoulder. She appears to be very innocent and comfortable where she is, and Patrick ponders over whether he should move her or not. As he considers his options for the unusual scenario, he feels her begin to stir as well. She opens her eyes and looks up. Her eyes suddenly become very wide, but she doesn't move from her position. Suddenly she gives him an accusatory glare. _

**Jacqueline: **Patrick, did you purposefully let me sleep on your shoulder?

_Patrick turns red and quickly denies it. _

**Patrick: **Uh, n-no. I just woke up and there you were and I didn't want to wake you so…

**Jacqueline: **Ha! _She sits up. _A likely story. _She stretches her back and gives him a playful smile. _I'm just kidding. The truth is I was awake the entire time.

**Patrick: **What?!

_A light punch hits him in the shoulder. Jacqueline laughs. _

**Jacqueline: **Kidding again! I was conked out big time. Your shoulder is comfy!

**Patrick: **Thanks…I think. _He rolls his eyes. _Just don't make up stuff like that again.

**Jacqueline: **Oh…are you upset because I made you feel uncomfortable? _She gives him a fake pout. _I'm sorry. I'm terrible, aren't I?

**Patrick: **No. You're just insane. Besides, we came here to join the Outcast protest against The Order outside the Eurovision concert. Not for you to goof around and make non-platonic advances on me for your own amusement…

_She leans in close to his ear with the same playful look on her face. _

**Jacqueline: **Oh don't be so Victorian. After all, we're going to be in the city of love. It brings everyone together. Even your nerdy cousin has a girlfriend.

**Patrick: **Knock it off.

**Jacqueline: **Oh? _The slim brunette leans back and lays her head in his lap, much to his chagrin. She pretends to be offended. _Are you saying I'm not attractive?

**Patrick: **No comment.

**Jacqueline: **Are you saying I wouldn't be a good girlfriend?

**Patrick: **No comment.

**Jacqueline: **Are you saying I'm not-_She puts an erotic emphasis on the final word_- sexy?

**Patrick: **Definitely no comment…

_Jacqueline laughs and pats him on the cheek. Patrick remains mostly unfazed. _

**Jacqueline: **Oh relax already. You know I only do this for laughs.

**Patrick: **Yeah. _He opens the bus window. _Now it's my turn to laugh.

_A wintry blast enters the bus. Jacqueline recoils in horror from the cold wind. _

**Jacqueline: **Ah! You monster! _Patrick laughs hysterically from her reaction. _That's cruel and unusual punishment!

**Patrick: **That's what you get for playing your games again.

**Jacqueline: **Why you…_She prepares to hit him with one of her gloves, but she quickly stops. Her eyes are distracted by something she sees out the window. Her carefree attitude suddenly disappears and is replaced by genuine horror. Her mouth drops. Patrick observes her reaction with deep concern. He has never seen her look like that. Jacqueline points out the window. _Patrick, look.

_Patrick turns around. The first thing he sees is flames. The second thing is the sirens. Police cars and fire trucks swarm a burning building on the side of the autoroute. The cars on the freeway have slowed down to watch the spectacle, thus explaining the origins of the traffic jam. Amidst the yelling and chaos, Patrick notices a crescent moon on top of the building. Realization soon hits him like a lead brick. _

**Jacqueline: **Patrick, that's a mosque, right?

_Patrick's throat becomes very dry. _

**Patrick: **Yes.

**Jacqueline: **And that fire….was an accident, right?

_Patrick takes a closer look. At the front of the burning mosque, he notices a purple and black symbol sprayed over the welcome sign to the mosque. It is the fleur-de-lis that they have come to loathe. _

**Patrick: **Unfortunately no.

_Back at the driver's seat, Dr. Basil looks away, trying to focus on the road. _

**Basil: **This country has gone to hell.

_Odd finds himself in a haze of purple, engulfed by the sights and sounds of battle. All around him, chaos reigns supreme. The turrets in Moriarty's corrupted bubble in the Network fire with cold precision at the Skid, which launches torpedoes in response. Infected databases explode at every turn. Nav Skids fly past him, reeling from the impact of the turret fire and ready to be torn in pieces. At this time Odd recognizes that he too is in a Nav Skid, caught in the middle of the crossfire like a plane in the eye of a raging hurricane. Without warning Jeremie's demanding voice rings in his ears. _

**Jeremie: **It's all up to you Odd! GO! YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE US!

_Odd's hands glue to the controls against his will. He pushes the Nav Skid forward toward the core, which has become encased in black smoke. He locks on with his torpedo and prepares to fire. Apprehension seizes him as the thought of being able to destroy Moriarty almost overwhelms his senses. _

**Odd: **I can do this…I can do this…

_He presses the button to fire, but nothing happens. Panic instantly grips him, and he presses buttons like a madman. At that instant the Nav Skid jerks forward, heading straight for the glass core. Odd pulls back on the controls but they don't respond. He hyperventilates, completely distraught at what has happened. Jeremie's tone becomes sinister and unforgiving. _

**Jeremie: **ODD WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU'LL DOOM US ALL!

_Odd frantically tries to fix the situation, his mind racing at a million miles an hour. He swoons from the draining effects of his own state of terror. _

**Odd: **I'm trying but..._The systems go haywire. Red emergency lights burn in the Nav Skid. His computer interface lights on fire. _NO! NO! NO! _He pulls back on the controls with all of his crazed might but they simply don't budge. He claws at the hatch, willing to be exposed to the Network rather than die in the Nav Skid. He gazes at the approaching core in horror as the Nav Skid continues its deadly course. _LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!

**Jeremie: **ODD, PULL UP! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!

_Before him the black smoke converts into the skull of Moriarty. His jaw opens wide, ready to swallow him whole. Odd presses himself against the back of the Nav Skid, desperate to escape by whatever means necessary. He becomes feverish with the fear of death and watches as the flames inside his tomb begin to crawl towards him. _

**Odd: **GOD NO! ANYTHING BUT THIS! _The fiery black smoke begins to close around him. Odd can hear Moriarty's sinister laughing, elevated several decibels above normal. He cries out with wild abandon. _I DON'T WANT TO DIE!

_Moriarty's mouth closes on him. Odd pops out of bed, screaming. Kiwi starts barking and Ulrich sits up in shock. Odd doesn't pay attention to them, for he is too busy recovering. He pants heavily and his body drips with icy sweat that makes his very bones become numb. The nightmare victim stumbles out of bed, stumbling clumsily over to the window. A clock on the desk reads 07:00. His bloodshot eyes take in a scenic campus covered in snow, with the sun shining brightly in a beautiful clear blue sky. The signs of normal civilian life begin to appear. Cars and pedestrians bustle about on their way for Christmas shopping. Odd grasps the window pane and tries to calm down. _

_Saturday morning- Twelve hours before the start of the Eurovision concert. _

_Ulrich walks up behind him. _

**Ulrich: **Same dream again?

**Odd: **Yeah.

_Pause. Ulrich puts his hands in his shorts pockets. _

**Ulrich: **You nearly gave Kiwi a heart attack this time.

_Odd doesn't say anything. Ulrich looks around uncomfortably. _

**Ulrich: **Beautiful day isn't it? We couldn't have asked for anything better. Yep. _Ulrich's pleasant expression shows signs of cracking. _It just makes you want to get up and get going, you know? _He loses his voice for a second. _Go out and live without a care in the world. _Odd's face remains glued to the window. Convinced that there is nothing more he can do, Ulrich turns back around. _Well, I better get a shower.

**Odd: **I'm not ready to go. _His expression becomes tortured and terrified. He inhales deeply and somehow manages to speak again. _I'm not ready…

**Ulrich: **Odd, don't talk like that. _He glances over his shoulder. _Have you forgotten that you're not even going to be in a Nav Skid? The prophecy can't come true for you.

_Ulrich's words don't even put a dent in Odd's despair. His face darkens even more. _

**Odd: **Never underestimate the ability of things to go wrong. _He looks down at the window ledge. _We'd be complete idiots if we thought everything is going to go according to plan. _For a moment, he is silent again. Then, he repeats the same mantra. _I'm not ready to go.

_Ulrich remains frozen in a forced state of optimism, absorbing Odd's pleas with unyielding self-control. Yet his reply is soft and pained. _

**Ulrich: **Of course you're not ready. You're not even sixteen. _He drapes a towel over his shoulder and briefly looks at the floor. _None of us are ready.

_Eleven hours before the start of the Eurovision concert. _

_Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, the largest in France. Given the day's event, the crowded air hub is packed even more than usual. Various musical artists and all their entourages soon arrive, greeted by enthusiastic welcomes from their local fans. However, one arrival soon finds that he is anything but welcome at his destination. As a young male Russian artist and his posse exit from the gate, they are greeted with a chorus of jeers and other threatening insults from members of The Order and the National Front alike. The protestors carry signs such as "Go Home!" or "We don't forgive or forget!". The terrified Russians quickly try to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. A familiar reporter stands by at the scene. _

**Diane: **Tensions run high here at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, as the Russian pop sensation Alexsandr Yanokuvich has found his welcome to be less than exemplary. Protestors from The Order and the National Front seem to be intent on taking out their anger over the nuclear scare a couple of months ago on the Eurovision contestant, who…

_Airport security and police soon intervene in the scene. _

**Security: **Back up! BACK UP! Violence here will not be tolerated!

_The scene shifts to Hans Klotz's office in Kadic Academy, where Moriarty and his colleague observe the situation. Klotz watches the screen with growing frustration. _

**Klotz: **They're supposed to be focusing on the big march tonight, not wasting their time at the airport!

**Moriarty: **It doesn't matter. _He turns off the TV. _We've gotten the world's attention, and that is what's truly important.

_The school psychiatrist, clearly not satisfied with this dismissal, looks over some papers on his desk, detailing the plans for the march. He rubs his forehead with annoyance. _

**Klotz: **We have only nine hours before the big event and things are still not fully worked out. How can we be the symbol of discipline in France if we can't solve our own problems? The schools from Lyons are complaining about hotel arrangements even though I gave them specific instructions on what to do. The group from Lincoln still hasn't given me a confirmation on the number of people attending the march, and that idiot gym teacher from Lycée Jeanne d'Arc failed to produce the banners he promised. _He growls in frustration and tosses some papers off his desk. _Does the name Hans Klotz not get anything done in this organization?!

_Moriarty registers his subordinate's anger with some level of amusement. _

**Moriarty: **My, my, aren't you the controlling type? You need to relax more, Hans. A grand moment like this will not succeed without some minor bumps along the road. _He stares out the window into the wintry sunlight. _Don't worry…everything will come into place today. It must.

_Klotz taps a pen against his head, still wrapped up in the details. _

**Klotz: **There are still other things we need to be concerned about. Our own group for example. The Order students are ready to go, but I can tell their hearts are not in it. _He shuts his eyes tightly as he contemplates the problem with obvious stress. _Ever since Emmanuel disappeared, they've been listless, lacking the spirit they used to have. Mathias has tried his best, but they don't have the same fire. We need them to be with us one hundred percent.

_Moriarty's gaze remains far off, immersed in other things that are beyond Klotz's knowledge. His expression radiates an internal hunger that manifests itself in a slight smile. His right-hand man becomes shocked when Moriarty appears to glibly ignore his warnings. _

**Moriarty: **They will do what they have to do. I have faith in them.

_Klotz clicks his pen incessantly while his leader shrugs off his pressing concerns. He uncomfortably shifts in his desk chair. _

**Klotz: **And I suppose we can just ignore the obvious emotional instability of Angeline Maillard? _Hints of elevated frustration emerge in his aggravated tone. _I understand that this is bigger than one person, but may I remind you that the psychological health of the students is still MY responsibility, and I specifically requested that you let her leave school.

_Moriarty finally turns his head toward Klotz. His expression of calm arrogance remains firmly intact. _

**Moriarty: **Psychologist or not, you must have faith in her, as I do. Of course, I do not mean to downplay the emotional trauma of her brother's loss. _He looks out the window again and relaxes his shoulders. _And of course suffering a frightening episode of sexual harassment doesn't help either.

_For a split second, neither of the two reacts at all. Then, out of nowhere, Klotz's face becomes lost in a tide of confusion and disbelief. The pen in his hand totters ever so slightly in his fingers and then drops onto the floor, louder than Klotz expected. Moriarty does not notice his friend's sudden change, but Klotz continues to sink with an unexpected fear and suspicion gripping his thoughts. _

**Klotz: **How did you know?

**Moriarty: **Huh?

_Klotz swallows. _

**Klotz: **That traumatic memory was a well-kept secret of the Maillard family, shared only to me as her counselor. _He lowers his eyebrows. _How did you know about that?

_At first, Moriarty does not realize the magnitude of his admission. But after he glances at his underling out of the corner of his eye, he quickly gathers that Klotz is deadly serious. The psychiatrist's glare targets him with pinpoint accuracy, attempting to force an answer out of him. Moriarty pauses, thinking in earnest over his next move. His right hand, out of Klotz's sight, sparks a little. But he thinks the better of it and closes his right hand, killing the electricity. He looks over at Klotz and brushes over the matter with a smile. _

**Moriarty: **Well of course she told me. It was not an easy thing for her to do, but given her emotional circumstances she had to tell me what was weighing on her about her brother's disappearance. Besides, if there's anyone she trusts besides her brother, it's me. _He does an about face and begins walking toward the door. _Sorry for the confusion.

**Klotz: **So, are you telling me that she informed you of her own free will?

**Moriarty: **Correct. _Moriarty tries to laugh it off. _I mean, how else would I know? It's not like that information was available on file for me to read.

_Moriarty exits the room, leaving Klotz still stunned that the leader of The Order possesses this sensitive information. _

_At the same time, at another terminal away from all the chaos in Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, a single private jet makes its landing. Inside, a brooding young man in a luxurious seat looks out at the backdrop of downtown Paris. He wears a gray fleece jacket with the coat of arms of the Spanish monarchy embroidered on it. Tiny specks of snow tap against his window. He leans back in his chair for a moment. _

**César: **_Ah….París, nos reunimos de nuevo. _(Ah…Paris, we meet again.)

_Ten and a half hours before the Eurovision concert_

_Jeremie wakes up from an uneasy night of sleep. He groggily glances over at his alarm clock. It reads 08:30. He checks his phone, but no long-awaited alert pops up. Filled with despair, he barely finds the energy to get out of bed. Usually he rushes to the computer to analyze any odds and ends of the prediction time, but this morning he doesn't feel like it. The burdened general undresses, puts a towel on, and heads over to the showers. The lights in the hallway hum with ill intent, cracking what is left of his strong composure. He soon finds himself in front of the shower stalls. He drops his keys and phone on the bench and turns on the hot water. Immersing himself in the steam and flow from the shower head, Jeremie finally starts to wake up some. But the new state of alertness does not improve his mood. Over the sound of the water, Jeremie hears a familiar sound outside the shower. It takes him a moment to realize it is his phone's alarm. He groans in a half-awake state. _

**Jeremie: **I don't remember setting an alarm. _His hair droops under the water while he stands still. Without warning his heart almost stops. His eyes become wider than they ever have been before. He grips the tile of the shower stall. _I didn't set an alarm!

_Without bothering to turn off the water, he leaps out of the shower and reaches for his phone. His trembling wet hands grasp his phone, which beeps incessantly. The message alert confirm his hopes: WEAPONIZED PROTOCOL COMPLETE: SKID OPERATIONAL STATUS IN EXACTLY NINE HOURS. Jeremie's hands tremble even more as he quickly does the math in his head. _

**Jeremie: **An hour and a half window…._He suddenly becomes hysterical, laughing wildly at the news. _AN HOUR AND A HALF WINDOW! _He rubs his forehead in disbelief. _It's cutting it close but we're going to make it. WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT!

_He rushes out of the showers into the main area of the boys' locker room. He hoops and hollers without any concern for those around him. Thankfully the only one around is William, who brushes his teeth wrapped in a towel, fully convinced that Jeremie has lost it…again. Jeremie quickly notices his friend and rushes him, triumphantly showing his phone. _

**Jeremie: **IT HAPPENED…FINALLY! WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO WIN! _He grabs William's shoulders. His face is ecstatic. _An hour and a half window!

_William immediately bursts into a smile. _

**William: **So we'll have time before the concert?! THAT'S FANTASTIC!

**Jeremie: **I KNOW!

_William tries to quiet him down. _

**William: **Okay, yes it's great…but keep your voice down. What if you know who is listening?

**Jeremie: **Oh, you're right….But I can't let that keep me down! I'm going to tell the others in person right now!

_Jeremie tries to run out into the hall but William quickly grabs him by the shoulders. The seriously crazed leader turns on him with an almost violent annoyance. _

**Jeremie: **What are you doing? I'VE GOT TO TELL THEM!

**William: **Jeremie, before you do, it's important that you know two things. One: They probably all know now because their phones have probably alerted them as well. Two: Well…._He rubs the back of his neck and looks away. _You're kinda….still naked.

_Jeremie blinks several times with surprise. He quickly glances down, quickly remembering that he did just run out of the shower. He looks back up at William. _

**Jeremie: **That I am. I should probably put some clothes on first.

**William: **Yes. End of the world or not…clothes would still be preferable.

_Nine and a half hours before the Eurovision concert. _

_The basement of the science building. Jim leads the members of the Outcasts in a meeting concerning their counter protest against The Order at the Eurovision concert. A detailed plan of their march is written out on a large sheet of paper resting on an easel. Jim points out the different schools marked by circles. His posture is rigid and his face is firm. He carries the demeanor and dignity of a general preparing for war. _

**Jim: **As you can see, Reilley has been kind enough to draw a clear picture for us. Our group will take the lead with the other schools and other supporters following close behind. We will all carry the main banner in the vanguard of our entire demonstration. _He turns to face the audience. _Brace yourselves ladies and gentlemen. This will be by far the largest group the Outcasts have ever assembled. We are expecting three hundred people within our ranks. _Some people cheer and whistle at this news, but Jim is quick to regain their attention. _Don't get too excited. The Order is projected to bring at least five times that number.

_Delmas stands up, adjusting his collar. _

**Delmas: **It does not matter. We will face them like we always do in spite of the odds. _Some people clap in agreement. _If the media pays attention to the larger group, then we will just have to shout even louder than them! _At this, the meeting breaks out into enthusiastic applause. A passionate Delmas, in a measure of strength never seen in the taciturn principal before, rallies his students and faculty to action. _Let's bring Dr. Renard down!

_The Outcasts stand and cheer. Jim also claps his hands and then quickly regains their attention. _

**Jim: **Alright then, now that we have that settled, I believe I will dismiss us for today-

**Mrs. Hertz**: Not so fast Jim. _She puts her hands on her hips and gives him a slightly pretentious smile. _We wanted to give you something first.

**Jim: **Huh? _He scratches his head. _What do you mean?

_Sissi Delmas stands up from her seat by her father's side. She keeps her hands behind her back and clears her throat. _

**Sissi: **Jim, the Outcasts wanted to show our thanks for all that you have done for us. We know it's not much compared to your personal self-sacrifice, but you deserve it nonetheless.

_Jim still appears to be confused. _

**Jim: **Deserve it? What do you mean? I was just doing my job, protecting this school and making sure everyone is in top physical condition.

**Sissi: **No Jim. You and I both know that you went above your position as our gym teacher and helped us and organized us when we had no one else. So for that- _Sissi reveals a small certificate from behind her back._-We'd like to give you this year's distinguished faculty award! _Jim's mouth drops in awe when he hears this, and the Outcasts soon start clapping. _The Order may think Dr. Renard is the best, but we all know who the real leader is on campus. You've waited long enough to receive this award. Congratulations!

_Sissi hands him the award and the crowd keeps clapping. Jim holds the certificate in his hands, beside himself with joy. He rubs a tear from his left eye and struggles to form words amidst the thunderous applause. _

**Jim: **I…I don't know what to say. But…thank you. Thank you all! _He chokes up on stage in front of everyone. _You have no idea how much this means to me…

_Several minutes later, the warriors file out of the meeting along with the other Outcasts. The non-Lyoko peers are jubilant, but the atmosphere surrounding them is much more conflicted. They exit the science building, walking into the blinding sunlight and the bitter cold. Their boots trudge slowly into the snow. To their left in the courtyard, Mathias leads The Order in a practice demonstration. Their black and purple flags fly in the semi-freezing wind. _

**Mathias: **STRENGTH THROUGH DISCIPLINE! STRENGTH THROUGH COMMUNITY!

_His comrades repeat the motto, somewhat less spirited than usual. The warriors give them a wide berth. Yumi glances back at some of the Outcasts who disperse behind them. _

**Yumi: **We won't be able to join them.

**Jeremie: **No. We helped foster the Outcasts for our own purposes. As long as Moriarty is still alive, there are vital to our fight, but now they must continue without us. The Eurovision counter protest is pointless unless we are taking care of the real matter at hand.

**Yumi: **That doesn't make it easy. Jim, Claire, Bastien, Delmas…they'll all be counting on us to show up. _She frowns. _Even if we win, the Outcasts will still look down on us. We'll be forever known as the cowards who didn't show up when they needed us the most.

_Jeremie keeps walking, not even bothering to look back at Yumi. _

**Jeremie: **I'll take that reputation if it means putting a permanent stop to Moriarty.

**Odd: **Ditto on that.

**Aelita: **We've always been the silent heroes. If this is our only consequence of victory, I'd say we've done an excellent job.

_While they keep walking, Christophe's phone vibrates in his pocket. He quickly answers it without a second thought. _

**Christophe: **Hello?

**Mr. M'Bala: **Hello son. _Scene shifts to the French autoroute system, where a small blue Renault sedan struggles to get through heavy traffic. An Afro-French man and his wife impatiently hobble along toward Paris. _I know we agreed to leave on Sunday, but with all the commotion happening in this city your mother and I were worried that we wouldn't be able to get into Paris at all if we didn't get there now.

_Christophe immediately senses danger and takes on a rebellious tone. _

**Christophe: **What?! But we agreed that you wouldn't make me leave until-

**Mr. M'Bala: **Now calm down, we're still not picking you up until Sunday. However, we were wondering if you would like to join us for a very early dinner downtown. If we try to find a place at 17:00, we'll never get a table, so I wondered if you wanted to eat with us before going to the-

**Christophe: **Yes.

**Mr. M'Bala: **What? Are you sure? Because if you don't want to, it's perfectly

**Christophe: **No, please…._Christophe catches himself before he talks any further. He manages to curtail the swell of emotions wrestling inside him. _I mean, I would love to. _He takes a deep breath. _I'd love to see you guys again.

_Mr. M'Bala becomes puzzled, once again noting the strange emotional tone that is very much unlike the son he remembers. He taps his fingers against the wheel, passing a concerned glance to his wife. _

**Mr. M'Bala: **Christophe, are you feeling alright? You sound…very tense.

_His throat dries up as he quickly comes up with a response. _

**Christophe: **That's because things are very tense over here. It seems like the school is really reaching a boiling point.

**Mr. M'Bala: **Okay…I guess that makes sense. But if it does boil over, make sure you do all you can to stay out of it. We'll pick you up at 16:00.

**Christophe: **Okay, see you then.

_They hang up. Christophe instantly runs to catch up with the others, who are about to enter the main dormitory building. He makes his way to Jeremie. _

**Christophe: **Jeremie, wait!

**Jeremie: **What? What is it?

**Christophe: **I…have a bit of a favor to ask you.

_Eight hours before the Eurovision concert. _

_Herb Pinchon sits at a table in the abandoned library, angrily stewing over his punishment. He glares down at the book, but the words mean nothing to him. He just keeps flipping back and forth from one page to the other, pretending to actually do something. All the while, the pencil is in hands nearly breaks in his death grip. The contents of his stare are vacant, full of nothing but a growing, festering rage that leaves a permanent imprint on his wrathful visage. The clock in the corner ticks on the wall, marking with each second the possible implosion of Herb's self-control. Across the table, Hans Klotz looks down upon him with arms crossed, passing judgment on the already unstable pupil. _

**Klotz: **The answer is no Mr. Pinchon, and you know it. There is no way we are allowing you to join us in our march.

_Herb's fingernails dig into the wooden table. _

**Herb: **The Order…needs me…They need a student leader.

**Klotz: **And a student leader you are not. _The retort wounds Herb like a knife to the chest. At first, the blow crushes his spirit, but then it only serves to increase his anger. _Your behavior does not reflect the true spirit of The Order. Outcast or not what you did was unacceptable. Mathias Burel will lead the students tonight…not you.

**Herb: **Burel?! _He says the name with ample disgust. _He couldn't lead The Order even in his dreams!

_Klotz authoritatively raises his voice and points directly at him. _

**Klotz: **He's preferable to a troubled youth who can't control his temper! Accept the facts Herb. You will not be joining us tonight.

_Herb balls his fists in front of the school psychologist, who lacks his usual pity toward troubled students. Klotz lowers his voice but retains its sternness. He makes a ninety degree turn away from Herb. _

**Klotz: **I'm sorry Herb. I really tried to get through to you these past few weeks. But if anything, your callous attitude has informed me that you are in no way capable of being present with The Order, much less leading our Kadic group.

_Reality weighs on Herb unbearably as he processes this news. Suddenly his passion for The Order, his devotion to the Commandant, and all that he has worked for these past few months serve only to mock him. His standing in The Order, which had lately been so high, now disappears into smoke. All that's left is a chaotic vacuum that feeds off his disappointment. Herb bends his head toward the table. _

**Herb: **The Commandant….he told me…he told me I was capable of so much more. _He rests his forehead on his right hand and sinks lower to the table. His expression becomes more pained. _I tried so hard to do just that. _He lifts his head up and shouts in outrage, breaking the silence of the library. _AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?!

_Klotz closes his eyes, remaining completely unmoved by Herb's desperate pleas. _

**Klotz: **The Commandant was probably right. But you didn't do it in the right way.

_He leaves. The large wooden doors to the library creak open, then slowly creak back and reverberate together as they are closed. Herb is left alone, abandoned by The Order and his own sense of dignity. He stares down at the book again, incredibly bitter at his own fate. Isolation gradually turns to despair, and despair gradually turns to violence. Herb grabs the book and flings it across the room. When that proves to not be satisfactory, he knocks over his chair and several books off the shelves behind him. He slowly sinks down onto the floor, covering his face with his hands. The despair finally moves him to tears, and he covers his face with his hands. _

**Herb: **Dr. Renard….the Commandant….has abandoned me. He doesn't care anymore.

_His thoughts drift to his recent fall from grace. He begins putting the pieces back together, remembering how it happened from his perspective. One moment suddenly sticks out in his mind. Delmas' heavy-handed response to the lunchroom battle and Herb's subsequent punishment absorbs his attention. He recalls the event with painful clarity. _

**Delmas: **I may not be able to expel you, Herb Pinchon. BUT I AM YOUR PRINCIPAL, AND YOU WILL LEARN TO FEAR ME AGAIN!

_Something clicks in Herb's mind. He removes his hands from his face. As he reestablishes the line between his emotions and the facts, he comes to one simple conclusion: Delmas has been responsible for his loss of rank in The Order. Herb Pinchon stands up, wiping the tears away from his eyes. The confused whirlwind of anger and misery within him now has a direction. The veins in his scrawny arms become visible. _

**Herb: **No. That's not it. Delmas forced the Commandant to make me a liability….Fool. Why didn't I see it before. This is his fault! _He knocks over another chair. After an initial bout of renewed frustration, Herb suddenly becomes eerily calm. He glances up at the ceiling…and then starts laughing. A wild, unfettered look of dangerous intent becomes visible in his eyes, courtesy of his experience at the feet of the master. _But he hasn't won. No….I'm the one who will get the last laugh!

_Meanwhile Klotz makes his way back to his office. He opens the door and leaves his coat on the rack. The work on his desk involving The Order protest is there to greet him. He groans and plops down on his chair, wondering if he will be able to make things perfect tonight. _

**Klotz: **What a nightmare. _He adjusts his glasses. _Sébastien…are you going to make me do all the work for tonight?

_He checks his email, which doesn't improve his mood. His inbox is full of complaints and requests from The Order branches from all over the country. The sheer amount aggravates him to no end. While he tirelessly keeps up the effort, a folder on his desktop happens to catch his eye. It reads STUDENT COUNSELING FILES. He goes back to his work without a second thought. But a few moments later, his eyes return to that folder. The student files compel him to recall his awkward conversation with Moriarty a few hours ago. The knowledge that Moriarty was aware of Angeline's painful secret still bothers him, making it difficult for him to concentrate on his work. He sighs and backs away from his desk. _

**Klotz: **Even if Angeline adored the Commandant, a young lady does not typically reveal something like that to anyone, especially an older man. _He shakes his head. _This makes no sense.

_Klotz remains hopelessly puzzled for several minutes. He replays the conversation he had in his mind. One sentence from The Order leader stands out to him. _

**Moriarty: **It's not like that information was available on file for me to read.

_Klotz suddenly remembers something. _

**Klotz: **But…it was on file. I had already had a counseling session with her before she transferred to Kadic. _At that moment, a major realization hits him like a speeding truck. His mouth opens in shock. His face becomes pale. His hands tense up at the keyboard. Klotz takes off his glasses and sits there, spellbound by disbelief. His mouth utters a painful admission. _He did it. _He leaps from his desk. _He stole my files! Of course-_He curses his own stupidity to the depths of perdition. _Why would he mention the files at all unless he was tying to allay his guilt? We weren't even talking about files. 'On file for me to read'….no…no that's not a coincidence. It can't be. Ahh!...I've been so stupid! Why didn't I see this before?! _He pauses to process the magnitude of this new revelation. _And he was the one who recovered my files back for me. _A nervous panic starts to grab hold of him._ He never explained to me how he did it. And…._His face contorts with horror…._the way he so easily formed relationships with the students, getting them to trust him, making them feel special….He already knew them. _He sits back down at his desk, too overwhelmed to stand. For a while he isn't able to speak. Then, he begins to talk in a whisper. _My God. Who….What have we let into our school?

_His room is silent. The esteemed school psychologist stares into an empty corner of the room, drowning in the whirlpool of lies he has stumbled upon. For ten minutes, he can hardly move. After a while, the hum of the computer catches his attention. More questions come to mind, fervently demanding more answers to this disturbing predicament. He lunges back to the computer and begins to do some in-depth research. _

**Klotz: **I need to know more.

_Six hours before the Eurovision concert. _

_Jeremie takes command in the lab room, prepping for the final confrontation. Aelita stays by his side, running every necessary diagnostic on her laptop. _

**Aelita: **Turbine engines stabilized. Skidbladnir's shields at 100%. Cannae missiles standing by for launch.

_Jeremie spins around the room in his throne, ready to do battle. He puts his earpiece on and calls everyone. _

**Jeremie: **Attention all Lyoko Warriors. This is your commander speaking. _He checks up on the status of the Network before continuing. _In approximately four hours and ten minutes we will assemble at the factory for what will no doubt be the last time. This is the real deal people. Tonight we rid the Earth of this cancerous parasite for good. _Scene shifts to the different warriors. Ulrich holds two kendo swords in his hands and breathes deeply. In a flash, he knocks down the dummies in his path, gritting his teeth while he does it. _If everything goes to plan, we'll be finished with Moriarty before the concert even begins. _Back at her own house, Yumi dresses in light-fitting clothing and inhales. She proceeds to practice her Pencak Silat with a purpose, facing down an invisible enemy with determination and unrestrained hate. _I'm not going to sugarcoat this one guys. This may be a lot tougher than Xana's defeat. Moriarty is not going to let us get near his core without giving us the fight of our lives. _Several arrows pierce the wood in the woods outside Kadic. In the bitter cold, Natalya targets the frozen trees with merciless precision. Her breath slowly escapes from her mouth in a fog. _But that's not going to stop us. _In the boys' locker room near the gym, William and Christophe face each other when no one is around. They take their shirts off and spar, holding back to avoid injury but making sure they both get a workout. _However, remember that those of you going into the Network will only have one Cannae missile. We only have enough power to give each of you one. So use it wisely. _Odd walks down the hallway, looking pale and weak. His legs shake to the point that he can barely stand on his own two feet. Fear drains the color out of his body, and he holds onto the walls for support. But the pressure soon overcomes him, and he stumbles into the bathroom and retches into the nearest toilet. As he gets momentary relief from the episode, he looks up at the ceiling. Despite his bodily weakness, the fire in his eyes has not died. _I know that you're afraid. So am I. Until he is defeated, we will never be free. So let's be rid of him once and for all! _The scene shifts back to Jeremie, who radiates an inexorable drive for ultimate victory. _Let's show Moriarty the true power of the Lyoko Warriors!

_Five hours before the Eurovision concert _

_Yumi takes a bath after her training. She sinks in the tub, too overwhelmed to think and too numb to feel. She prepares herself mentally for the challenge ahead, refusing to let any other concern stand in her way. After soaking, for a good long while, she rises from the tub and puts her towel on. Her feet step out and recoil from the cold tile. She then makes her way back to her room, dressing herself in a slow, methodical fashion. In these confined, private moments Yumi absorbs the surroundings of her room, paying close attention to any detail she once looked for granted. She can't help but think that this small, bare, and cozy room may never be occupied by her again. Her body and mind rebel from the thought and push it aside. She finishes putting her clothes on and checks her phone. She still has more than three hours before she needs to leave. Nevertheless, sixteen year-old Yumi Ishiyama is restless, unable to cope with the thought of staying at home any longer. Her parents argue downstairs over something trivial involving her father's laziness, the same as always. The same incoherent mumblings from her grandfather accompany the conversation. The same smell of her mother's authentic Japanese cuisine permeates the house. Everything in her home that is perceived by her senses remains the same, a beautiful tapestry of chaotic and stable domesticity. A tear forms in her right eye, glistening in the afternoon sun from her window. It is too much; her emotions tell her to leave and get ready for the inevitable. She walks out of her room and slowly shuts the door, banishing the contents of the interior from her sight. Yumi makes her way down the hallway. As she walks, she comes across her brother's room. Immediately the area gives her a definite repugnance, and her instincts tell her to leave. But the door is wide open, and Yumi can't help but see the shape of her brother, sitting with his back turned on his bed, completely motionless. He wears a white undershirt and dress pants, which is an odd sight for the older sister. To her confusion, the black Order shirt she has come to loathe lies tossed into the corner, devoid of any care or respect. At first, Yumi can't make sense of it, but then she hears him crying. The amoral and misguided younger brother she has come to know now chokes in occasional sobs before her. Yumi doesn't move, not sure what to think initially. But the pitiful sight of her brother and the pressing circumstances surrounding her prompt her to act. She taps on his open door. _

**Yumi: **Hey, can I come in?

_Hiroki doesn't answer, so Yumi decides to repeat herself. _

**Yumi: **Can I come in?

_Her brother finally manages a response. _

**Hiroki: **The door's open, isn't it?

_With this half-hearted invitation, Yumi decides to cautiously approach. She sits down on the edge of his bed, staying at a comfortable distance. The two don't say anything for a long time. _

**Hiroki: **Burn the shirt.

**Yumi: **What?

**Hiroki: **Burn the shirt! _He turns around to her with anger and sorrow etched on his face. A few tears flow down his cheeks. _I've been the biggest idiot in the world. All that time and energy and dedication-_Anger temporarily tips the scale in his emotional tumult._-flushed down the toilet! _He shakes his head. _All that Order stuff was a complete lie…

_For a few seconds, Yumi can't grasp what she has heard. The news opens up a wellspring of emotions encompassing her betrayal that she had repressed for some time. But gradually her brother's words relieve her of this burden, and she covers her mouth in an attempt to suppress her joy, lest it provoke Hiroki to recant what he has said. _

**Yumi: **What…what happened?

_Hiroki stares idly at his bedsheets and pauses. _

**Hiroki: **I went with the Kadic group to a local rally to prepare for tonight. I came out with the right uniform and everything, but when I showed up at the park to practice the event, some big guys at the rally stopped me from entering. _Self-disgust creeps into Hiroki's face as he continues to explain. _I gave them the proper salute and everything, but they kept questioning me, asking if I was really a part of The Order. _He bites his lip. _No matter what I did, they still weren't satisfied with my answers. It didn't matter that I had the right shirt. It didn't matter that I knew all of the salutes and slogans. They didn't accept me. I….I tried to get the Kadic students to help me, to vouch for me, but they all kept walking and hardly even noticed. Even Johnny-_His expression darkens with the sting of treachery._-even Johnny looked away, and pretended that he didn't even know me. _He looks down at his hands, touching the skin of his palm with his left index finger. _All this time I tried to pretend…tried to believe what they were telling me…that it didn't matter that I wasn't really French. But I was wrong. _He looks up into her eyes again. He immediately begins to break down and cry with greater intensity. _I'm sorry. I'm so….so sorry. Please for-

_Hiroki doesn't even finish his sentence. Her older sister instantly wraps her arms around him and holds him tight. Hiroki sits there passively, absolutely stunned by the embrace. _

**Hiroki: **Why? Why are you hugging me? I…I don't deserve it!

_Yumi smiles broadly and refuses to let go. _

**Yumi: **Don't deserve it? Is that what being brother and sister is all about? _She leans back and wipes a tear from his eye. _Giving to each other only as they deserve? No. That's not love. So…apology accepted. I'm just glad you found out the truth.

_Hiroki, completely blown away by his sister's reply, begins to cry into her shoulder. Yumi holds him firmly, sending a silent prayer of thanks that her little baby brother has finally returned. _

_Four hours before the Eurovision concert. _

_The Catholic Church in France is in the midst of preparation as well, but not for The Order march. The solemn atmosphere inside the sanctuary is somewhat lifted by the decorations for Christmas. Nativity scenes greet any visiting parishioner in both wooden and contemporary models. Ornate wreaths hang above the crucifix and two small twin Christmas trees stand on opposite sides of the altar. A children's choir completely clothed in white practices for an upcoming mass. A lay director leads them, encouraging them to smile as they sing. Rosaire emerges from the back part of the church and observes the scene. He walks down the aisle away from them and adjusts a wreath that had been crooked. He then turns back around and listens to the choir near the entrance to the cathedral. _

**William: **They're pretty good.

_Rosaire does an abrupt about-face, greatly surprised to see his younger brother leaning against the doorway to the sanctuary. _

**William: **Though I personally am a fan of more modern music.

**Rosaire: **William, what are you doing here?

_William pretends to be offended. _

**William: **Isn't the church welcome to anyone?

**Rosaire: **Of course. But that does not mean that everyone is expected. Occasionally in the church one encounters a few- _He somewhat politely motions to William._-surprises.

**William: **But isn't that the fun part of the job?

**Rosaire: **One of many. So…_The young priest becomes slightly more serious…_.What can I do for you? Are you here to confess or… something else?

_William glances down at the floor for a minute and rubs the back of his neck. _

**William: **I confess that I havn't been able to correct my faults as I would like to-

**Rosaire: **We all suffer from that moral deficiency-

**William: **Or protect the people I promised I would protect.

_Rosaire gazes at his brother with some measure of confusion. _

**Rosaire: **Protect who and from wha-?

**William: **But I am not here to talk about that. _He walks past his older brother and stares up at the crucifix. There is a slight amount of indifference in his stare, but he maintains that look for several seconds. _I am here to ask you a question.

_Rosaire walks up and stands next to him. _

**Rosaire: **Which is?

_William turns his head to Rosaire. _

**William: **If God exists like you say he does, does he promise to not let evil win? Does he promise to stop those who seek to…hurt the world?

_Rosaire loses himself in thought for a moment as he contemplates this unexpected question. _

**Rosaire: **Evil may be able to get a temporary foothold in this world, but God will not let it last. At the end of all things, all forms of evil, both on this Earth and beyond it, will be vanquished.

**William: **Okay…but what about the people involved?

**Rosaire: **I…don't follow.

_William pauses, showing some level of discomfort. He chooses his words very careful. _

**William: **Say…God used some certain people to bring about the downfall of that evil. Does God promise to keep all of those people safe? Does he guarantee that all of those people will…survive the battle?

**Rosaire: **No. _William's heart sinks at his brother's rapid response. _Many persecutions throughout history have claimed untold numbers of martyrs. The defeat of evil often claims many casualties along the way. Catholics who have gone to war have died just as any other soldier. Believers are not entirely immune to danger.

_William stands there in silence, reflecting on his brother's reply. He puts his hands in his pockets and taps his foot on the floor. He inhales through his nose and becomes strangely calm. _

**William: **In that case-_He suddenly hugs Rosaire, shocking his stern older brother to no end._-I'll see you around.

_Rosaire slowly returns his brother's embrace, looking up at the ceiling as if it this were a miracle of God. _

**Rosaire: **Yes. I'll stop by at the old house at Christmas. We'll see each other then.

_William doesn't reply. He breaks off the hug almost immediately and makes his way out the door. Rosaire watches him leave. _

**Rosaire: **William, were you referring to some kind of personal spiritual battle?

_William looks over his shoulder and meets Rosaire's concerned expression with a forced grin. _

**William: **Something like that…

_Three hours and ten minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_Christophe stands outside the Kadic gate, patiently waiting as the temperature continues to drop. He hugs his jacket closer to his body with one hand while he talks to Jeremie on the phone. _

**Jeremie: **I let you have this dinner for obvious reasons. But I don't need to remind you how crucial it is for you to stick to our schedule.

**Christophe: **I know. I want this done too. I told you, I won't let you down.

_Scene shifts to the factory. Jeremie continues to work tirelessly over the details on the program's functionality. He maintains his steel gaze on the screen while on the phone with Christophe. _

**Jeremie: **Okay. But be careful and keep your phone on at all times. There's no telling what could happen.

**Christophe: **Relax. It's just a dinner with my parents. I'm not going into Lyoko wrists blazing. _His parents' car pulls up. _I gotta go. See you soon.

_Christophe hangs up. As soon as the car stops, Mrs. M'Bala gets out of the car and hugs his son tightly. _

**Mr. M'Bala: **Oh Christophe, it's been so long. You should have called more.

_Christophe winces from the unusually tight squeeze. _

**Christophe: **Oh yeah, sorry about that. I've just been…quite busy.

_While his family makes idle conversation, a security camera at Kadic's front gate slowly rotates in their direction. _

_Two hours and fifty minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_Moriarty looks on from the stands as The Order group performs a robust demonstration of fervent nationalism. They march together, displaying an impressive example of structural unity and strength in numbers. All the while they chant The Order slogans. Despite their initial lack of enthusiasm, Mathias Burel whips them up into a frenzy that culminates in a large shout to end the practice. They keep their rigid posture as they wait for Moriarty to respond. Their leader slowly claps their hands. _

**Moriarty: **Very well done. _The Order relaxes, breathing a sigh of relief. Mathias bends over and puts his hands on his knees, worn out by the event. _But don't get too into it just yet. You need to wait for tonight to show the rest of Europe what you are truly capable of. It's time for us to truly come out of the shadows as a movement that the rest of the world can't ignore. Are you ready, loyal members of The Order?

_The Order students give their leader the salute, feeling slightly more inspired by his presence. _

**All Students: **YES COMMANDANT!

_Moriarty shakes his head with glib approval. _

**Moriarty: **Good…good. Okay then, you're dismissed for now. Go eat, get dressed, take a shower, rest a bit….whatever you need to do before we leave for downtown.

_Once the group disperses, Moriarty slinks away from the area and makes his way back to his own residence on campus. He passes by students and faculty, greeting his allies as warmly as he can. However, his mind is elsewhere, working at a thousand miles an hour while his human form continues to go about its business. Though his stress has increased with the approaching of what should be his finest hour, on the outside he remains calm and serene, showing no hostile intent to anyone, not even the Outcasts he encounters. He goes inside and enters his hall, suspecting nothing to be amiss. But when he opens his door, those illusions are quickly shattered. Greeting him from the inside on a chair facing him is Hans Klotz, who vilifies Moriarty with unfriendly eyes. Moriarty shuts the door behind him, slightly perturbed by this sudden glitch in his meticulous plans for the evening. _

**Moriarty: **Hans, what a pleasant surprise. Though I have to say…_He tries to downplay the awkward situation with a laugh…_most people wait until their friends are home before they visit them…

_Klotz doesn't laugh. _

**Klotz: **What are you doing?

**Moriarty: **I think I have the right to ask you that. After all, you are sitting in my apartment…

**Klotz: **No. I mean what are you doing here…at this school? _Hans Klotz holds up a series of papers printed from the Internet and lays them on his desk. Klotz glares at the leader of The Order. _I've been doing some research, asking some questions about things I have ignored before. And I don't like the answers I have found.

_Behind Moriarty's cheerful and playful expression, the wheels of violence begin to turn. Yet on the surface, he acts like nothing major is wrong. _

**Moriarty: **Research? I thought you were busy with the details of the march toni-

**Klotz: **Fifty-two branches. Fifty-two branches in total are gathering tonight to show their loyalty to your ideal of being a French citizen. To show fealty for their leader. But-_Klotz points an accusatory finger at Moriarty_-who exactly is their leader? A humble teacher who inspires people and just happened to fall into the spotlight? Or a master manipulator who weaseled his way into the school and used my-_Anger seeps through his voice_-personal student files to get a hold of the students and me?

_Moriarty scoffs at the idea and acts like his friend has gone completely insane. He pretends that Klotz is going to end this terrible joke at any time. All the while the wheels in his head begin to turn with greater urgency. _

**Moriarty: **Hans, you can't seriously be putting the blame for that on-

**Klotz: **How did you return the files to me so easily? I'm no expert with computers but retrieving hacked information can't be easy. How did you know about Angeline's sexual trauma? That information WAS on file before it was stolen, yet you claimed it wasn't. _Klotz increases the pressure, figuratively putting Moriarty in a corner. _But how would you know it was or wasn't on file in the first place?!

_Moriarty drops his smile. The warm façade disappears from his face, revealing his cold, calculating nature. The wheels turn in earnest. _

**Moriarty: **How did you get in here?

_Klotz stands up, getting up right in Moriarty's face. _

**Klotz: **I'm the one asking the questions here. _He picks up the printed papers._ I have done some research on you. There's no record of you being in the armed forces. I know your supporters say that's because the information is probably classified, but how did you take out five gunmen all by yourself? You may have had a secret life that could have given you those skills, but if so why on Earth have you come to this school?! It makes no sense. And there's more…_Klotz continues his attack, gloating with satisfaction for having unraveled this great lie…_Your biography doesn't make sense. You've given some details to the press, but when I looked into your supposed childhood history, it doesn't add up. You say you grew up in Gascony but there's no evidence of you living there from any school records I could find. One of your childhood photos-_He holds up an image of a blonde boy in a wide open field_-turned out to be very similar to one I found of a boy in New Zealand! _He shows the two photos side by side. It is clear that Moriarty's version is merely a doctored take on the original. _The only record I could find of a Sebastién Renard that fit your description was a postal worker here in Paris that supposedly disappeared more than ten years ago…_He shows a missing persons news clipping from the 90s with a faded black and white photo of Moriarty in his postal uniform. Klotz casts all these papers aside and takes several deep breaths, almost worn out by his long tirade. He storms up to his former companion, coming with centimeters of his opponent's face. _The million-dollar question that I want to know is…who are you really, Dr. Sebastién Renard?

_Moriarty does nothing for a few seconds. The wheels turn madly, ready to explode at any moment. At that point, Moriarty drops his expression of hostile anxiety. He looks away and sighs, pretending that he has been caught and now it is time to confess. He turns back to Klotz. _

**Moriarty: **Oh dear…how inconvenient. And here I thought you were an idiot. _He shrugs. _Oh well. _In a flash, Moriarty viciously grabs Klotz by his neck with his right hand and covers his mouth with his left. Klotz struggles in panic, but he is helpless in his attacker's grasp. Moriarty puts his index finger over his lips to tell Klotz to hush. His left hand becomes smoky and the vapors enter through his victim's nose. Klotz staggers and eventually passes out in Moriarty's clutches. _Still, you didn't find out everything…

_Moriarty sheds off one of his specters, which then possesses Klotz's limp body. He strains from the effort needed to control a comatose person without activating a tower, but eventually Klotz stands back up. Moriarty pats the zombie on the shoulder. _

**Moriarty: **Let's go for a drive, shall we?

_Twelve minutes later Hans Klotz wakes up….in gravel and snow. The completely disoriented psychologist hazily checks out his surroundings. On every side, stationary boxcars sit on railroad tracks, slowly rusting from the elements. His left hand reaches over and touches the cold steel of another track. Above him stands a low-hanging railroad bridge that is covered with graffiti. Klotz tries to stand, but quickly falls back down. _

**Moriarty: **I wouldn't try that if I were you. The gas hasn't worn off yet.

_Klotz spins his head around. Moriarty is there to greet him, glaring down at his prey with cold satisfaction. He stuffs his hands in his lab coat pockets and slowly draws closer to him. Klotz begins to hyperventilate, almost at the point of screaming from fear. _

**Moriarty: **Oh don't bother to call for help. _He motions to the surrounding railroad tracks and boxcars. _We're at a railroad junction. A very old railroad junction. No one is going to hear you scream.

_Klotz digs his fingers into the gravel in a desperate and foolhardy attempt to escape. His face, incredulous of the mortal danger he is in, emits a pure, unadulterated terror of death. _

**Klotz: **W-Wh-Who are you?!

_Moriarty shakes his head with disappointment. _

**Moriarty: **Hans, Hans…if you're going to ruin someone's reputation you could have at least done it thoroughly. If you had figured out everything about me, you wouldn't have confronted me. You would have taken off and left on the next flight to Siberia. _He looks down on Klotz with fake pitying eyes. _But you didn't. You didn't bother to investigate the Islamic Republic of France and realize that the group doesn't exist. You never connected the dots between me and the untimely demise of Mr. Stern. _Klotz's countenance of horror doubles with this new information._ _Moriarty basks in the moment with excessive satisfaction. _And that's only to name a few. But no…_Moriarty drops his pleasant act. _You only went halfway, and now you're going to suffer the consequences.

_Moriarty fires on Klotz with a purple electric strike. Klotz screams and shakes in complete agony. He cuts off the attack briefly, letting his hopeless victim cough and breath before continuing. _

**Klotz: **WH-WHAT ARE YOU?!

**Moriarty: **Poor, poor Hans. You could have accomplished so much if you hadn't stood in your own way. You could have gone to the top-_Moriarty chuckles_-well, not THE top. That is reserved for me of course. _His fingers spark with deadly power and strike Klotz again, who screams with the full force of a wild animal in its death throes. Moriarty doesn't even blink an eye. _But now I've got to get rid of you. How unfortunate. _Klotz trembles, unable to speak or move. His right hand extends toward Moriarty in a desperate attempt to make him stop. Unintelligible moans and cries of fear escape from Klotz's mouth. _Hmm, should I burn you to a crisp and leave no traces, or should I be nice and leave them something to bury? _Tears of horror drip down from Klotz's eyes. _I assume I owe you that much. After all, I could always use you as a martyr. _Moriarty calmly walks up and steps on Klotz's chest. The school psychologist closes his eyes and prepares for the end while Moriarty's gaze remains completely hollow. _Anyway, time to get this over with.

_The entire bottom half of the bridge lights up, quickly followed by one last scream from Klotz. Smoke rises from Klotz's skin as Moriarty walks away. He looks up into the fading sunlight. _

**Moriarty: **Glad that's over with. _He looks back at Klotz's body. _It's been fun, but I have business elsewhere. _He heads back toward the car. _It's time I take care of some more pressing loose ends.

_When Moriarty enters his car and drives away, a slight muscle twitch can be seen from Klotz's half-burned fingers. _

_Two hours and eight minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_Jeremie maps out the projected attack route for the Skid. While he is at work, he checks the time at least every fifteen seconds. His heart races like never before. He wipes his brow and drinks from a water bottle. As he screws the cap back on, he talks to Aelita. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, can you check on the status of the exterior of Moriarty's zone in the Network. _No answer. He turns around. _Aelita?

_Aelita comes out of the elevator, wiping her hands a little bit on her dark purple dress. Jeremie sighs with exasperation. _

**Jeremie: **You went to the bathroom again?

_Aelita immediately becomes defensive. _

**Aelita: **I can't help it. With time running out like it is, I get really nervous.

**Jeremie: **I know. I'm sorry. I just…I need you to be here. _He checks the time. _The others will be here in about fifteen minutes or so. After that…it's go time. But a lot can be done in fifteen minutes.

**Aelita: **Jeremie, we've been working all afternoon on this, checking every possible detail. Why don't you take a breather, just for a few minutes at least?

_Jeremie takes off his glasses and handles them improperly, nearly breaking them due to his stress. _

**Jeremie: **Just think about it, Aelita. The fate of the free world could very well depend on these fifteen minutes. One mistake of mine could-_He snaps his fingers_-unravel everything. Just think about it…fifteen minutes.

**Aelita: **Well at least go to the bathroom or something. The fate of the world can't be unraveled by a full bladder, you know.

_Jeremie leans back in his command chair, taking a deep breath. He forces himself to become calm. _

**Jeremie: **You make a good point. _He gets out of the chair. _I'll be back shortly.

_Aelita and Jeremie switch places while Jeremie exits via the elevator. Aelita checks on a few things, but in a matter of about thirty seconds, the unexpected happens. The super scan picks up an activated tower. Aelita stops everything, feeling the breath leave her body. _

**Aelita: **No. _She shakes her head with disbelief. _No, it's too early. What is he doing?

_Two hours and five minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_Downtown Paris. The Renault sedan belonging to the M'Balas drives on a road to the right of the lovely River Seine. Christophe sits in the back, checking his watch every five seconds. _

**Christophe: **16:55. _He checks the status of the traffic. _I should have just enough time.

_His mother glances back at him. _

**Mrs. M'Bala: **Did you say something dear?

**Christophe: **Uh…it was nothing.

**Mrs. M'Bala: **Are you sure you're okay? You were mostly pretty quiet during dinner.

_Christophe looks out the window, purposely avoiding his parents' gaze. _

**Christophe: **I'll be a lot better after tonight.

_Mrs. M'Bala tries to force more information from her son, but her husband then distracts her. _

**Mr. M'Bala: **Just like at that mess over there. _He points to a road on the other side of the river, where traffic is especially heavy. Christophe's father looks at the scene with loathing. _This city's commute is a disaster. I tell you one thing I won't miss when we're in Italy, this country's traffic. _He looks at his son through the rearview mirror. _Congestion in this city sure is murder, eh son?

**Christophe: **Yeah. _Christophe replies to the question absentmindedly. _Murder.

_Three seconds later, the seemingly perfect world around them is completely undone. Two sniper shots ring out in the air, piercing the front windows. Glass shatters. Blood spatters on the windshield like a red Rorschach ink blot. The car veers out of control. Christophe instantly grabs hold of the back seat, relying on his instincts while everything spins out of control. He is unable to think, for things change too fast for him to have time to do so. First he feels the car swerve. Then, the impact of the vehicle on the stone guardrails and the subsequent recoil. Next he is weightless, losing all semblance of control. Finally he is surrounded by water. Christophe becomes seized with shock, unable to comprehend or do anything until water starts to leak into the interior and rise up to his knees. His breathing becomes sharp and irregular. The water is cold, and he looks down and then up again. The water creeps up on the windows, increasing its stranglehold on the car and its occupants with every second. Finally sensing the pressing danger, he leans forward to the front seat and jostles his parents' shoulders. _

**Christophe: **Mom! Dad! We need to-_His parents slump to the side in their seats. Two clean bloody holes in their heads are his only answer. Christophe chokes out a silent gasp, trembling uncontrollably at the sight. He looks down again. Profuse amounts of blood mix with the water in the interior. The terrible concoction elevates rapidly, threatening to drown Christophe on his parents' own blood. Christophe looks at the windshield and promptly screams for all he is worth. _MOM! DAD!

_One of the front windows breaks and the torrent of rushing water comes in. Christophe barely has time to get a breath in. His senses panic as he opens his eyes in an underwater world of blood and polluted river water. He nearly gasps for air from the sheer hellishness of the sight. The terror quickly makes him desperate for air. He vainly kicks at his back windows, but they do not budge. Every physical action only makes his need to breathe even worse. His half-crazed eyes note the broken window at his mother's side. Trading bodily necessities for decency, he swims past his mother's body and swims out of the car. Confused and nearly dying for air, Christophe eyes what he prays is the surface. He launches himself up with all his might, fearing that he won't make it. But just as his lungs are about to collapse, he finds himself above the surface. He gasps for all he's worth for almost twenty seconds, becoming almost drunk on oxygen. His eyes dart madly about, quickly finding that he is in an underground canal of the River Seine. The roar of cars continues above him. As soon as Christophe gets hold of his surroundings, everything inside him breaks apart. He splashes like a wild man, churning in the waters with no purpose. As the facts begin to set in, Christophe loses all hope and sense of self. He yells at the top of his lungs the cry of a young man who has just lost everything. _

_One hour and fifty minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_Jeremie and Aelita work feverishly in their recent analysis of the activated tower. Jeremie pulls his hair in frustration, torn by indecision. _

**Aelita: **It's still activated. Either Moriarty is actually doing something or this is just an elaborate delaying tactic. We can't just-

_Jeremie quickly interjects. _

**Jeremie: **We cannot just run after one random activated tower right now. It could throw off our whole operation!

**Aelita: **But what if it's not random? What if Moriarty is doing something we don't expect? _The elevator hums above them. Aelita turns around. _Finally, they're here. We can get some different opinions on this.

_In the elevator, every other warrior besides Christophe is present. None of them say a word. Natalya leans on William's shoulder and holds him close, but no one else moves at all. The doors creak open, revealing the tense situation at hand between Aelita and Jeremie. The warriors file out of the elevator. _

**Ulrich: **Don't tell me we already have a problem…

**Aelita: **Unfortunately, yes. There's an activated tower in the Ice Sector.

**William: **This early? What is he doing?

_Jeremie turns around in his chair to face them. _

**Jeremie: **Probably a distraction. What better way to keep us busy on the last day he could possibly lose than to send us running around to different towers in a pointless chase?

**Aelita: **But we don't know that for sure. That's what I've been trying to tell you!

_Jeremie quickly counters, aggressively proving his point by raising his voice. _

**Jeremie: **And until we have evidence of that, we shouldn't move forward!

**Aelita: **By then it might be too la-!

**Odd: **Hey, hey, hey! _He forces the two to break off their argument. All eyes quickly turn on him. _I think we're all missing something more urgent here. _He looks around. _Where's Christophe?

_Jeremie eyes the group, lifting himself a little in his chair to see if he is behind some of the taller members of the group. When he fails to see him, a pang of anxiety emerges in his strained voice. _

**Jeremie: **You mean he didn't come with you?!

_The other warriors shrug. _

**Yumi: **We thought he got eager to do this and joined you two a bit early.

_Jeremie and Aelita shake their heads. The other warriors quickly become concerned. Jeremie begins to think aloud. _

**Jeremie: **He was outside Kadic, eating with his parents. He…he promised to come back in time…_He cuts off his own conversation and rushes to the computer. He quickly calls Christophe. The phone rings but no one picks up. Every unanswered beep increases Jeremie's fear. _Come on…come on….What are you doing Christophe? _The call ends and Christophe doesn't reply. Jeremie bangs his fists against the armrests in frustration. _You've got to be kidding me! I let him take one personal trip outside Kadic, and when we need him the most…_He grinds his teeth together, ready to rip the main monitor apart from anger…_.he…has the…._He suddenly starts shouting_…NERVE TO NOT ANSWER HIS-!

_Jermeie is quickly cut off. A voice, not belonging to Christophe but still one they are all too acquainted with, makes its presence known in the room. _

**Moriarty: **Having a little trouble locating a friend? _Jeremie's blood runs cold. The others stop what they're doing and listen with barely restrained dread. _Oh, but in all fairness, it is partly your fault. You did let the little birdie leave the nest.

_The commander of the Lyoko Warriors shakes in his own skin as he asks the terrible question. _

**Jeremie: **What…have you done?

**Moriarty: **What haven't I done is a better question. You really out to take better care of your comrades.

**Jeremie: **If you have taken him hostage, don't expect that to stop us from-

**Moriarty: **Hostage? There's no hostage situation here. _The room temperature drops twenty degrees as the warriors listen to this information with horror. _And this is no game. In fact, the games are long over. You all survived them, so congratulations. You deserve credit for that. However-_The tone of his voice becomes infinitely more sinister._-even I tire of entertaining my enemies. _He shows a clip of Christophe entering the Renault sedan with his family from the front gate. He then shows a clip of the same sedan in the River Seine, sinking slowly below the water. The doomed vehicle is close to the concrete wall separating the river from the road. The stunned warriors see no one come up to the surface. The car disappears below the dark water, carrying everyone inside to their unmarked grave. Several seconds pass. No head comes above the surface. No signs of life disturb the river. There is nothing to lift any bit of hope in their hearts and minds. The warriors don't speak. They don't move. They can't even breathe. The face of death stares into their souls, seizing them with a speechless truth that torments every fiber of their being. Moriarty continues the conversation casually. _So I decided to get it over with. I know you must be planning something at the last minute to stop me. I don't know if you have the Cannae Initiative ready or not, but either way, your efforts will be fruitless. I just needed to show you how helpless you really are. Honestly, I should have done this a long time ago, but I am quite the procrastinator. Oh well, better late then never.

_Natalya ends the silence with one enormous, ear-piercing scream. Her agonized face matches that of the tortured souls in hell. She falls to her knees and becomes hysterical, pointing at the screen like a madwoman. _

**Natalya: **MURDERER! MURDERER! HE MURDERED CHRISTOPHE! _She tugs on her hair and screams even louder than the first time. _WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!

_Natalya's initial response sets off a chain reaction in the group. Jeremie sinks from his chair onto the floor. An unstable mixture of uncalculable sorrow and rage wage war in his conflicted expression. His closes his eyes, shutting out the unbearable reality. The others react in simpler ways. Aelita immediately starts to cry. Odd trembles in place, unable to avert his eyes from the screen. Ulrich looks away and stomps his right foot on the ground. William and Yumi curse Moriarty for all their worth, refusing to let up until their throats become hoarse. Meanwhile Natalya continues her meltdown and becomes curled up on the floor. _

**Moriarty: **Despair and die Lyoko Warriors. Christophe was only the first of all of you. _Tears come to all of their eyes. _Why bother to throw yourself into a hopeless fight? Would it not be better to enjoy what time you have left? _The conflicted sorrow and rage in Jeremie's expression begin to transform. He puts his hands on his knees and slowly starts to rise. _After all, I have this nation in the palm of my-

**Jeremie: **Like Hell we're going to accept that-_Jeremie goes onto the computer and cuts off Moriarty's transmission. As soon as that's done with, he wheels around towards his friends. The overwhelmed warriors look at Jeremie, their strength almost completely drained from them. He points at the screen. _Do you not see what he's doing here? _No one replies. Jeremie shouts at them to knock them out of their stupor. _Do you not see what he's doing?! _He gets up in their face. _He's trying to discourage us! Frighten us into submission by taking away someone we love. _He pauses. _But he's made a big mistake. If anything, it should only make us more eager to do this. _A lust for vengeance takes hold of him. Hatred beyond any possible description occupies his complete body, soul, and mind. _LET'S AVENGE HIM! _This hunger for vengeance soon becomes contagious. The warriors begin to drop their misery and replace the vacuum with murderous intent. _Christophe was a Lyoko Warrior, and when you kill one of us….you invite the whole wrath of Hell upon you!

_Aelita wipes her eyes and stammers out a reply. _

**Aelita: **Christophe would want us to keep going. _She starts to break down again. _He would want us to finish this!

**Ulrich: **Then let's finish this then. _Ulrich's face darkens with a merciless, violent passion. _Once and for all!

**Yumi: **For Christophe!

_All of the warriors besides Natalya cheer with bloody determination. William slowly helps her off the floor. She continues to resist, still in shock from the event. _

**Natalya: **NO! NO I CAN'T!

**William: **Yes you can!

**Natalya: **NO! _She becomes completely hysterical. _THERE'S NO WAY I COULD-

**William: **Natalya, look at me! _He forces her to face him. She looks at him through teary eyes. His face has become set in steel, with every weak emotion purposely cut off from his conscious thoughts. _We have two options here. One: we let Moriarty kill us at his own discretion. Two: We kill him first. _He starts to shake her a little. _Which do you want?!

_Natalya cries some more. She sniffs and finally regains some composure. In a weak yet passionate voice, she gives her reply. _

**Natalya: **I…I want to kill him.

_William gives her a look of approval. _

**William: **Then let's do it.

_The scanners hum to life. Smoke vapor exits from the cabins, greeting the incoming warriors. Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd enter first at Jeremie's command. Upstairs, Jeremie prepares the Skidbladnir for battle. He updates the new weapons he's programmed onto their Network vehicle. _

**Jeremie: **Alright Moriarty. I hope you like my latest toys. _He finishes that and begins the virtualization process. After fixing his earpiece, he gives one last message to the people below. _Does anyone need to review the plan? _No one answers, which Jeremie interprets to be a good thing. _Good. _He cracks his knuckles. _This is for you Christophe…

_A few minutes later, Odd, William, Ulrich, and Yumi step onto the Skid docking platform. They are quickly energized into their war machine. Odd grasps the controls. The mortal terror he experienced earlier does not show up in his expression. Right now, only the cold desire to inflict pain on Moriarty remains. _

**Odd: **You know I'm not as qualified for this as Aelita.

**Jeremie: **I know. But we've practiced. And Aelita is the only one who can deactivate towers. _He closes his eyes for a moment. _I have faith in you Odd.

_Odd smiles, inspired by Jeremie's vote of confidence. He takes command. _

**Odd: **Undocking…_The Skid detaches from the hangar and soars upward toward the exit. Odd expertly pilots the Skid out of the Network Access Gate to Lyoko. The Skid quietly and unassumingly enters the vast Network. Odd looks out calmly into the deep and turns on the lights. _Okay Jeremie. _He pushes the Skid forward on a course to Moriarty's infected zone. _We're on our way.

_Back in the scanner room, Natalya and Aelita are virtualized as well. They drop onto a waiting Overwing in Sector Five and take off down the purple walls. _

**Jeremie: **Be in position at the Celestial dome when an activated tower goes off. You need to be ready at a moment's notice.

_Aelita rounds a corner in the Core Zone. _

**Aelita: **We're on it Jeremie.

_One hour and forty minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_Christophe continues to flail in the water, screaming and crying without any control. Shock and horror exercise total dominion over his body and mind. Though the blood stains from his parents' murder have been physically washed away in the Seine, everywhere he looks he sees blood. He is swimming in it and the concrete walls above him are soaked with it. Nothing seems to allay his breakdown into madness and despair. However, with time his body becomes exhausted and the need to keep his head above water overrules his trauma. The current continues to take him further away from the river, setting him adrift in the underground canal. Eventually Christophe notices a concrete walkway he can grab onto. The beleaguered warrior crawls up out of the water, sprawling onto the cold stone in a soggy wet heap. He screams again but this time he simply doesn't have the energy to continue. He has lost the ability to continue his emotional tailspin. Despite the drain on his body, Christophe finds himself getting up and walking down the path. He has no purpose to his movements, he just keeps going. All he knows is that to stop means to face reality, and he wants no part of that. Gradually he makes it from the canal to the sewers, which immediately assault him with a terribly foul odor. But he doesn't care. He keeps on going, heedless of direction or any sort of idea on what to do. _

_One hour and thirty minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_Downtown Paris. Outside the Eurovision concert arena, massive crowds gather for the upcoming event. News teams from around Europe come to film the concert goers, who immediately cheer in an attempt to get noticed. On the surface, everything appears to be normal. But the sheer amount of law enforcement at the scene proves otherwise. A police fence is set up in the middle of the expansive boulevard. On the left side of the fence, three hundred or so Outcast members and other anti-Order dissidents gather, proclaiming their displeasure with the upcoming Order march. The characteristic "O" letter of resistance can be seen on their banners, signs, flags, and even clothing. Most of the crowd comes from student, faculty, or other academic backgrounds. Jim and the Kadic group begin to struggle their way to the front. _

**Jim: **Excuse me, pardon me, coming through…_He squeezes in between a couple of people…_I'm not as thin as I once was.

_Delmas follows Jim close behind. He taps him on the shoulder to get his attention. _

**Delmas: **Jim, wait…

**Jim: **Not now, Mr. Delmas. We're already late enough as it is.

**Delmas: **But this is important.

**Jim: **I'm sure it can wait.

_Delmas presses him with greater urgency. _

**Delmas: **As a matter of fact, it can't. _Jim finally turns around. _Jeremie, Yumi, and the rest of their gang are not here.

_Jim registers this news with complete disbelief. _

**Jim: **What?! What do you mean? Wasn't there supposed to be a head count on Bus 2? Come to think of it, wasn't your daughter supposed to call roll for that bus? _Jim quickly becomes exasperated. _Why didn't she call me about this?!

_Delmas scratches his head. _

**Jim: **Um, she said…she did. Six times…

_Jim's face becomes blank. He takes his phone from out of his pocket and briefly looks at it. He realizes with horror that his phone was accidentally put on silent. Sure enough, he has six missed calls. Jim slaps his forehead with embarrassment. _

**Jim: **I don't suppose that bus is still waiting for them at Kadic?

**Delmas: **No. Once they heard we left, they saw no choice but to leave them behind.

_Jim slowly puts his phone back in his pocket. Disappointment takes shape on his crestfallen face. He stares back at his very small group from Kadic, which has been further reduced by the lack of the Lyoko Warriors. Their disheartened looks weigh heavily on his heart. He suddenly becomes very quiet. _

**Jim: **There's nothing that can be done now. They are not here. We will just have to accept that and continue without them.

**Delmas: **Of all the times to abandon us, why now? _Delmas looks back at the small number of student and faculty with despair. _They were dead set against Renard from the very beginning. Why would they desert us?

_Jim glances over his shoulder, reprimanding Delmas with his authoritative eyes. _

**Jim: **I said they weren't here. I didn't say they deserted us. _Before Delmas can question what Jim means, the gym teacher cuts him off. _I trust Jeremie. Whatever he and his friends are doing, I'm sure they have a good reason.

_Elsewhere in the crowd, Jacqueline and Patrick stand with their school group, ready for the counter protest. While the people around them chant against Dr. Renard and The Order, they remain quiet. Jacqueline hugs her jacket close to her body. _

**Jacqueline: **It's cold.

**Patrick: **Yeah.

_Another round of silence. _

**Jacqueline: **Does it not bother you?

_Patrick doesn't answer. His eyes lock on to something in the distance. _

**Jacqueline: **Patrick? _He still doesn't reply. _Patrick did you hear me?

**Patrick: **Yeah. It bothers me. _He points in the distance. _But that bothers me way more.

_The two turn and look down the empty boulevard. On the other side of the fence, the rumble of footsteps echoes over to the Outcast side. Jacqueline and Patrick start to notice a large sea of black and purple descending on them like a roaring tsunami. And that roar develops into a loud, thunderous chant. _

**Order March: **STRENGTH THROUGH DISCIPLINE! STRENGTH THROUGH COMMUNITY!

_The uniform force marches forward at a steady rhythm, hungry for action. Foreigners waiting outside the arena receive the march with a combination of awe and fearful uncertainty. The Outcast crowd quickly boos their presence, but The Order replies with a deafening shout. Several rows back in the march, Mathias Burel leads his Order comrades. _

**Mathias: **Remember your discipline! Remember your combined strength as a group! The Commandant will be here soon, so make him proud!

_Back at the Outcast side, a chill moves down Jacqueline's spine. The numerical advantage of The Order with respect to them quickly settles in. Patrick swallows with unease. _

**Patrick: **Well, that's one way to make an entrance…

_One hour and twenty minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_The Skidbladnir hovers outside Moriarty's corrupted zone, staring at the pink wall that has almost filled in all the gaps leading to the core. Odd sits at the helm impatiently. _

**Odd: **Jeremie, it's been ten minutes. We need the go ahead.

_Jeremie stares at the schematics of the Cannae Initiative missiles, biting his fingernails uncomfortably as he scrutinizes over every detail until his eyes feel heavy and sore in his head. He finds himself whispering a prayer for this one last effort to win. _

**Odd: **Jeremie!

_Jeremie closes his eyes and then slowly opens them again. _

**Jeremie: **Do it Odd. Just do it.

_Odd doesn't hesitate. The Skid jerks forward to his movements, entering through a slowly shrinking circle in the energy wall. The warriors enter through a narrow pathway with the core slowly emerging up ahead. _

**Ulrich: **This space is a bit cramped…as usual.

_Odd cracks a smile. _

**Odd: **Let's fix that.

_A wide net of blue lasers streams out from the Skid. The black infected databases are quickly turned into Swiss cheese. The nearby turrets quickly explode. Once the debris passes, a wide open space to the core reveals itself. _

**Odd: **I'd say we got his attention. _He begins undocking the Nav Skids. _Now, let's give him hell.

_As soon as Yumi is released, she accelerates forward at a speed William and Ulrich didn't expect. _

**William: **Yumi wait!

**Ulrich: **We should do this together!

_Yumi completely ignores their warnings to slow down. All she can focus on is the approaching core and how glorious it will be to see it go down in flames. _

**Yumi: **Sorry boys, I'm not giving him any time to respond. _A mad desperation creeps into her voice. _He will suffer eternally for what he did to Christophe!

**Jeremie: **Yumi's right. _His eyes lock onto Yumi's Nav Skid as it closes the distance to the core. _Let's finish this. Begin the firing sequence.

_Yumi prepares to fire her torpedo, just as she has practiced. But once the core comes within firing distance, she suddenly freezes. The impressive structure looms over her, echoing the same uncomfortable vibe that Moriarty always gives her. Memories of Moriarty's psychological abuse return with a vengeance, and her fingers start to freeze. Try as she might, she cannot block out the paralyzing fear from her mind. Doubt leaks in to her thoughts, making her second guess herself before firing. Jeremie quickly breaks her out of her trance. _

**Jeremie: **What are you doing Yumi?! DO IT NOW!

_Yumi shakes herself awake and rapidly starts to activate the firing sequence. But in her haste, she accidentally hits a wrong button. The minute the torpedo is activated, error messages light up the Nav Skid. This error quickly spreads to the other Nav Skids and the main computer back in the lab. Jeremie turns white. Slowly and robotically he puts his hands on his head. His nails dig into his cranium almost to the point of puncturing the skin around his skull. He speaks through his earpiece in a hoarse, distraught whisper. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi…what…have you done?

_Yumi trembles as she contemplates the enormity of her mistake. _

**Yumi: **I…I messed up….I messed up…

_The turrets in the corrupted Network reappear and unleash a barrage on the Nav Skids. William and Ulrich dodge the onslaught. _

**William: **Jeremie, we're under attack! What do you want us to do!

_The red light of the malfunction alert burns into Jeremie's corneas. He looks up at the ceiling and shouts so loud that it nearly destroys the warriors eardrums. _

**Jeremie: **Pull back! Pull back! Retreat from the corrupted zone until I can fix this bug. _He tries to communicate with Odd. _Odd, get ready to dock with the Nav Skids again. _Odd does not reply. _Odd? _Still no answer. _Odd? _His message goes unanswered. He frantically checks the Network map. He sees all three Nav Skids piloted by his warriors, but the Skid and Odd are nowhere to be found. _Odd where are you?!

_The Nav Skids dart back and forth through the Network for dear life. All the while Jeremie begins to lose it as the reality of another major problem manifests itself. _

**Jeremie: **ODD!

**To be continued…**


	27. Chapter 27

**Everyone, buckle your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride. **

**Part 41 **

_One hour and fifteen minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_The Nav Skids turn tail and run, heading towards the edge of the purple corrupted zone. Turrets fire at them from behind, complicating their escape in the process. William maneuvers his transport expertly and exits Moriarty's vice grip first. Ulrich takes some damage to the rear of his vessel, but he too makes it out of the zone. Yumi, however, has much more trouble doing so. Her mind races as she attempts to find an exit, all the while dodging incoming lasers. At last she sees a gap in the pink energy wall and barrels forward. But the circular hole is closing fast. She urgently accelerates, eyeing the limited space with trepidation. Ulrich and William hold their breath as they watch her effort to get through. Just as the energy wall begins to close in, Yumi's Nav Skid escapes and joins the others. Ulrich quickly breathes a sigh of relief. Yumi sits still with her hands still shaking on the controls. The warriors look back at the infected Network, cursing their rotten luck. Back on Earth, Jeremie assesses the situation with increasing paranoia. _

**Jeremie: **Everything was planned….so perfectly. _He glares at the system bug that mocks his shot at victory. _And here we are, already simultaneously swamped with problems.

_Yumi leans her head to her knees and hugs them. She shuts her eyes, sensing the wrathful judgment of Jeremie on her failure. She timidly tries to speak. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, I'm so-

**Jeremie: **Don't even say it.

**Yumi: **But I-

**Jeremie: **I said-_The obvious hostility in his voice increases threefold_. _His expression becomes ugly and pitiless_.-Don't say it! _Yumi recoils from the rebuke_. You already have seriously compromised our mission. I don't need you making worse by taking up my time…TRYING TO MAKE UP FOR YOUR FAILURE!

_Yumi buries her face in her hands. _

**Yumi: **I…I'm sorry.

**Jeremie: **I am not interested in what you have to say. Now shut up and let me fix the mess you made!

_Ulrich calmly presses a button to communicate with Jeremie. He explains his intentions slowly and clearly. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, do you think you might want to take back some of the things you said? Because I do…

**Jeremie: **I couldn't care less about your chivalric threats right now…

**Ulrich: **Oh you better care…It doesn't matter if she messed up or not. It doesn't matter if she hurt the mission. You do not talk to Yumi that way…ever. Understand?

_Jeremie stews in his own frustration and the callousness of his conduct. Before he can come up with a reply, Aelita intervenes. She and Natalya stand ready at the Celestial Dome while she tries to encourage calm on both sides. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, lashing out at Ulrich and Yumi is not going to fix the situation. Finding Odd and fixing the Cannae Initiative should be the main priority. Don't forget we still have more than an hour before the concert starts. We have time. _She pulls up a holographic panel. _I'll try to help you correct the system error from my end. So focus on recovering Odd and repairing our silver bullet.

_The Lyoko general reluctantly listens to Aelita's advice. The hostility in his face begins to ebb. After his brief loss of control, Jeremie now starts to patiently deal with the matter at hand. _

**Jeremie: **Okay. _He briefly searches the Network for Odd, but still finds no trace of him. Attempts at communication turn up nothing as well. _I can't get through to Odd, but the good news is he has to be out there. If the Skid was destroyed, I would know about it. He must be lost somewhere in the Network.

_As Yumi begins to recover from her shame and guilt, she suddenly remembers something. _

**Yumi: **What if he was sucked into a Network Hub? That happened to me once.

**Jeremie: **True, but you were in a Nav Skid. It's unlikely that a Network Hub could suck up the entire Skid.

_Aelita continues to work on the bug back in Sector Five. _

**Aelita: **But if the hub was in Moriarty's zone of control, he could have manipulated it to target the Skid.

**Jeremie: **….True. Even so, there are at least two dozen exit points he could have come out of. Unless I receive some signal from the Skid, it will be really hard to track him down. Combine that with the bug we're dealing with-_He wipes his forehead in exasperation_-and we have one hell of a nightmare on our hands. _The warriors scattered across the Network and Lyoko absorb this news with grave, silent concern. The burden of the situation bends Jeremie for a few moments, but it does not break him. He shakes off his initial meltdown. _But we knew this would not be a cakewalk. I'll do what I can. Until then, I want all Nav Skids to retreat further from Moriarty's dominion and power down all non-essential systems. We need to conserve as much energy as possible.

_The warriors in the Network nod with understanding. _

**William: **Got it. Let's go. _William leads the way as the three travel farther into the neutral void. They reach a somewhat secure spot and come to a stop. The lights in the Nav Skids turn off, leaving the trio in darkness. _We'll be here waiting when you're ready.

_One hour before the Eurovision concert. _

_Towards the southern pole of the corrupted zone, the Skidbladnir floats in total isolation. Inside the cabin, Odd is groggy and confused, courtesy of the whiplash from the violent vortex he went through. He looks out into the sea of violet, barely able to make sense of his surroundings. But he soon regains his bearings. Remembering that he is in the Network, he tries to contact Jeremie. _

**Odd: **Hello? Jeremie?_ He gets no answer. _Jeremie, are you there? _Still nothing. He then switches to the Nav Skids. _Hello, Ulrich? Yumi? _He quickly becomes disheartened. _William?

_Seeing that all communication lines are busted, Odd pulls up a holomap of the surrounding area. But the projection quickly fizzes out and he is left with nothing. Odd growls with annoyance. _

**Odd: **For the love of…Is anything in this tin can working? _He looks from the left to the right. _I guess I have to rely on my eyes. _He scratches his chin. _I must still be in Moriarty's twisted snowglobe…which is…bad. _He grabs hold of the controls. _Time to get out of here and regroup with the others. _The Skid slightly moves forward, but other than that, it doesn't budge. System malfunction warnings greet his unwelcoming gaze. _Oh but of course…I forgot that nothing's working in this thing. _He laughs at his own joke, but his attempt at humor quickly peters out into a silence of fright. Odd looks up at the database ceiling above him. The black obelisks appear to groan and echo, threatening to wipe him out at every turn. Icy chills work up his virtual body. To his alarm, he notices several turrets surrounding his position. Odd closes his eyes, expecting to be blown apart at any minute. Slowly, he opens one eye. The turrets are inactive, obviously unaware of his presence. He hardly breathes. The fiery explosion of his nightmare returns with the upmost clarity and horror. He trembles to no end, yet at the same time he tries desperately to not move. _A mouse has wandered into the lion's den. _The strength of his speech is robbed of him. _And it looks like I'm the mouse…

_Fifty minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_In the midst of the intense confrontation between The Order and the Outcasts, separated by only two fences with a space in between of about two meters, the police set up a space for the VIP arrivals. Celebrities from every corner of Europe waltz in, welcomed by enthusiastic supporters from the neutral crowd. These fans, who are solely interested in the concert, are constantly hounded by an Order spokesperson armed with a megaphone and a raised platform. _

**Order Spokesperson: **We are here to protect France from the subversives who seek to undermine our nation! Those of you in the crowd out there…true people of France, do not remain ignorant any longer. This is not the time to merely seek your own entertainment and worship a few-

_The motorcade of the Spanish royal family arrives. Security personnel on motorcycles watch everyone warily, refusing to allow another assassination attempt. The central limousine soon comes to a halt in front of a red carpet. Instantly César pops out in a black suit with red pinstripes. The lithe acrobat does a few somersaults for the crowd, who promptly cheer in response. Felipe exits and silently stands by his side. The Spanish prince then turns back and lets Isabel Cacais out of the vehicle. She wears a lovely green strapless dress and smiles with obvious unease. The two walk together up the steps to the VIP arena entrance with Felipe trailing behind. They are immediately assaulted with camera shots. She leans over to her rather illustrious date. _

**Isabel: **You promised we weren't going to make a big scene when we got here.

**César: **Isa, Isa…._He tries to downplay the deception…_I make a lot of promises I can't keep. I promised that I wouldn't give Felipe a heart attack by doing something risky in public. _Felipe groans in response. _I promised that I wouldn't go out dancing when the royal family has an important event to attend. I promised not to spend too much money abroad ever again. I promised to not give Madrid police the chase of their lives by stealing a motorcycle from the palace and going on a joyride down the Calle Mayor in nothing but my pajamas.

**Isabel: **Isn't that last one the reason your parents "banished" you to a boarding school in France for a while?

_The crown prince pauses while the paparazzi fanfare continues. _

**César: **_Sabes que no me importa los detalles. _(You know I don't care about the details.)

_Isabel rolls her eyes in annoyance. _

**Isabel: **_Oh perdonéme vuestra majestad. _(Oh forgive me your majesty.)

**César: **I don't appreciate your sarcasm.

_Before they make it across the red carpet, another limousine pulls up. All eyes briefly turn away from the young couple and watch as the luxury vehicle carrying two small fleur-de-lis flags of The Order arrives on the scene. The passenger doors soon open. The Hero of France steps out of the limousine, dressed in a fabulous black suit with a vest of royal purple. His immaculately combed blonde hair matches his deceiving smile perfectly, providing perfect material for the cameras. A few members of The Order get out of the car as well, ready to escort him. Moriarty, absorbing the attention with pure bliss, turns to The Order crowd and salutes them. The entire army of supporters roars in response, shouting the name of their commandant. He continues to bask in the spotlight, carrying the same mannerisms of the kings of old who once ruled over the land. The Order leader then turns back to the cameras, making sure they get a full appreciation of his perfect attire. On his way up the red carpet, he comes across César and Isabel, who have stopped to express their displeasure with him. Moriarty remains unfazed. _

**Moriarty: **Your highness. _A lot of sarcasm was put on that remark. _So glad that you found the courage to return to France after your…leave of absence.

_César is not amused. _

**César: **Assasination attempts don't usually sit well with anyone, especially royalty. But I guess you already understand what it's like to have such an important title. Oh wait_-He starts to correct himself_-I guess you don't, do you?

_Moriarty bristles at the unwelcome jab at his lack of royal blood. _

**Moriarty: **No. But I understand assassination attempts quite well. Besides…_He sneers at César with obvious disdain_...the quality and usefulness of royalty has clearly deteriorated over the centuries.

_Isabel glowers at her teacher with unrestrained disgust. _

**Isabel: **And the quality of teachers has improved?

_Moriarty shoots a warning glance at her while he straightens his tie. _

**Moriarty: **Be careful young lady. Outcast or not, you are still my pupil, and I would watch your tone if I were you.

_She holds her hands up in feigned innocence. _

**Isabel: **Oh don't mind me. I'm just a psychologically troubled teenager who didn't join The Order. I can't help myself. _She pauses to sharpen her verbal daggers for another blow. _Isn't that how that creep psychologist of yours "diagnosed" us? Where is he anyway? Shouldn't he be with you?

_Moriarty finds the question amusing and hums for a second. _

**Moriarty: **Oh yes…I'm afraid he was feeling a little under the weather and couldn't make it.

**César: **Ah, so he truly is useless. _The prince steps forward in front of his date._ Just like me. Except-_He gives Moriarty his signature mischievous smile_- I'm afraid I'm not at his level yet. _He motions to his bodyguard./ _ _Hazlo. _(Do it.)

_Felipe speaks briefly into his radio. Shortly after ending the conversation, the bodyguard directs his eyes toward the sky. César then looks up into the night, grinning from ear to ear. A slightly confused Isabel follows his lead. Moriarty, who becomes greatly aggravated at the fact that he is being ignored, finds himself looking up with them. The associated press watching the confrontation move their cameras to the sky out of instinct. In a matter of moments, fireworks explode above downtown Paris. They display the national colors of Spain, red and yellow. One cluster of fireworks outlines the Spanish national flag. The rest explode into circles across the night sky, forming definite "O"s . To the casual foreign observer, these "O"s are nothing more than a coincidence, but to the Outcasts the message is quite clear. The vastly outnumbered group suddenly breaks out into a roar of renewed energy, leaving The Order temporarily distracted and perturbed. Moriarty faces César again, silently and begrudgingly acknowledging a brilliant move by his opponent in this elaborate chess game. _

**César: **It appears royalty is still good for something, don't you think?

**Moriarty: **Did the city of Paris even permit this?

_César remains completely straight-faced in his response. _

**César: **I haven't the slightest idea. I guess I'll find out soon enough. But for now-_He looks back up at the light show._-I repay my debt for desertion.

**Moriarty: **Well-_He adjusts his cuffs and calmly sidesteps the pair on his way to the entrance. He talks to the prince without looking over his shoulder. _Don't expect the powers that are…or will be to easily overlook this stunt.

**César: **All's fair in love and war-_He pauses to put a scornful emphasis on the following elaborate title._-Caudillo Renard…

**Moriarty: **Oh…_Moriarty delights in his former pupil's remark…_of that I am well aware.

_In the Outcast camp, Jim watches the fireworks show with pride swelling up in his rather enlarged belly. He pats Delmas on the shoulder a bit harder than Delmas would have liked. _

**Jim: **César has done us proud. _He inhales through his nose. _But now it's our turn. _He looks back at the Outcast group, who are waiting for him to lead. The Kadic group huddles close to him, like frightened children staying close to a campfire during a dark night in the woods. Jim clears his throat and then picks up a megaphone. His voice booms over the crowd. _Fellow Outcasts -_He points behind him._- Behind those two fences is The Order in full force. To say they outnumber us would be an understatement. Thousands are right there, trying to shout us down. And we can expect more to come. _He walks through the crowd, drawing all eyes toward him. _We can be sure what they are going to do here. _Pause. _The question is what will you do? _He carries himself about with a dignity and purpose_ _worthy of a leader. Everyone watches him in silence. _Millions of people are watching this broadcast. And what will they see? That France has been overrun by extremists led by a madman? No! _He storms from place to place, making sure everyone can hear him loud and clear. _They will see that the France that stands for liberty and equality has never left…That it has been here the entire time. They will see that no matter what Dr. Renard says, no matter how much he manipulates, he can't silence us. They will see a small, but passionate bunch of people standing up to this fanaticism, informing both The Order and the world that we will not yield. Say it with me! We will not yield!

_Jim begins the chant that soon spreads across the hundreds of gathered Outcasts boldly confronting the army of black and purple. It is infectious, spreading like wildfire and quickly gaining in magnitude with every shouting member. Kadic, Lycée Jeanne d'Arc, and everyone else cry out in one loud voice._

**All Outcasts: **WE WILL NOT YIELD! WE WILL NOT YIELD!

_The press for the concert moves their cameras away from The Order and focus on this small group, proud to stand up against the Goliath in front of them as Davids worthy to be called the noble underdog. _

_Thirty-five minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_Jeremie works feverishly on the issue from his command chair. He scans the bug, scrutinizing every single detail. Any scrap of damaged data becomes his helpless prey. After several minutes at the helm, he anxiously wipes his brow and takes a moment to breathe. Aelita's voice interrupts his train of thought. _

**Aelita: **How are things looking at your end?

_Jeremie adjusts his analysis to get a broader look at the problem. He highlights the troubled areas in the program. _

**Jeremie: **The bug itself isn't a problem. It seems like a simple search and removal procedure should do the trick.

_Aelita monitors the problem from her position in Lyoko. _

**Aelita: **Yeah. I was about to say the same thing. I'm guessing it will only take a few more minutes to sort out. _She pauses. _Of course, with Odd missing…

**Jeremie: **I know. It doesn't solve all of our problems at the moment.

_Natalya steps closer to Aelita on the Celestial Dome. _

**Natalya: **Isn't there anything Odd can do to get our attention so we can locate him? Can't he just fire off a torpedo or something?

**Jeremie: **That would work Natalya, but he may have forgotten that and there's no way for us to tell him otherwise. Or worse-_His face becomes grave and decidedly distraught._-He does know that, but he's not in a position to do so…

_Thirty minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_Odd still remains trapped in the southern pole of the corrupted zone, completely surrounded by inactive turrets. He taps at the controls, eyeing the silent defenders with extreme unease. He quietly questions his next move. _

**Odd: **What to do? What to do?...What do I do?

_Only the restless hum of the infected Network answer his pleas for guidance. Odd closes his eyes and stops a moment to think. _

**Odd: **Weapons…Do I still have weapons? _Odd tries to warm up his torpedoes. The weapon systems respond and the gunports below the cockpit begin to warm up. The turrets start to rotate slightly in his direction. Odd almost panics and silences the torpedoes. _No. No…._He makes everything in the Skid go quiet again. _Pay no attention to the cat piloting the heavily-armed submarine right next to you. _The turrets become still again. Odd breathes a sigh of relief. _Good, that was close. _He looks down at the lifeless control panel, considering his options in earnest. _If I fired a torpedo, the others could find me. But with me stuck here like a sitting duck, there's no way they could rescue me in time. _He then glances at the infected databases overhead. _The cyber bridge should be able to save me, but with the Skid gone…._He shakes his head…_No. I can't allow that to happen. The others need me. And a re-destroyed Skid would not sit well with Jeremie. _Odd groans. He stares out into the motionless abyss. _Oh man, we're running out of time. I have to do something…_For a minute, Odd sits there in silence, burdened by the seemingly impossible situation. Without warning, his faulty sensor picks up something and then quickly shuts back off. Odd notes this sudden blip with suspicion. Before he can investigate further, he senses something moving out of the corner of his eye. Odd looks to his right and sees…nothing. But then he perceives a groaning coming from his left. He wildly turns to the other side. A black shape darts through his line of sight and vanishes as soon as it appeared. Odd finds himself instinctively moving his hands to his weapons' controls. _And it looks like I don't have a choice in the matter.

_Twenty-five minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_On the other side of the city, away from the commotion of the concert, the old railroad junction remains mostly quiet. A cold wind passes through the motionless train cars, creating a hollow, haunting noise. Footsteps in the gravel soon disrupt the cold wind's song. From out of the shadows emerges a homeless man bundled head-to-toe in ratty but warm clothing. He curses the cold and his lack of some much needed lip balm. As he nears the graffiti-covered bridge, he starts to become cynical. _

**Homeless Man: **Oh….Merry Christmas! _He laughs at the thought of anything being "merry" for him. _And a Happy New Year! …Give me a break. _He stares up at the sky. _I mean, how much worse can it get for me at this point?

_A muffled groan soon answers his question. The vagabond glances down to see the charred body of Hans Klotz, who still miracously struggles for breath. Klotz tries desperately to reach for help. The poor hobo, now having lost several years off his life, staggers backward and falls onto the gravel. He then scrambles up and shouts in the air, running in the direction of anyone who might listen. _

**Homeless Man: **Help! HELP! SOMEONE GET AN AMBULANCE QUICK!

_Twenty minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_After a long hour of hard work, Jeremie finally sees what he has wanted to see all this time: a green plus sign. He slumps in his chair, thanking whatever deity there might be that the bug has been fixed. He takes a long sip of water and covers his eyes with his left hand. The weary general lets out a sigh. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, it's fixed.

_A quiet celebration spreads from the Celestial Dome to the three isolated Nav Skids in the Network. The mood amongst the warriors elevates just a little bit. Yumi shuts her eyes and lets the relieving news relax her virtual body. _

**Yumi: **Finally…

**Ulrich: **So let's go! It's time to blow that core to pieces!

**Jeremie: **Except-_His feeling of relief soon ebbs from his body, starting with his face._-In order to fully reload the program, I need to feed it through the main conduit so it can then be passed on to the Nav Skids. And that main conduit just so happens to be…

**William: **Let me guess…the Skid.

**Jeremie: **Which of course is a little bit difficult without-

_The scene shifts back to the Celestial Dome. _

**Aelita: **Odd…_Aelita adjusts the resources on the holographic panel at the Celestial Dome to comb the Network for any sign of him…_Then that settles it. We have to recover Odd now.

**Natalya: **But how? If he doesn't send out some sort of signal for us to locate him, then-

**Aelita: **Then I'll just have to scan every area inside or around the corrupted zone until I locate him.

_William shakes his head and presses against the sides of his cockpit in frustration. _

**William: **That's going to take too long. Moriarty's energy shield will be complete by the time you-

_Aelita quickly snaps back without hesitation. _

**Aelita: **Do you have a better idea?

**Jeremie: **None of us do at the moment. But I'm afraid I might have to take over for you Aelita. _Jeremie hones in on an alert from the super scan. At a high altitude in the Mountain Sector, a single tower changes from blue to purple. _Moriarty is starting to make his move.

_Aelita's hands pause at the holographic panel. She reluctantly turns her gaze to the waiting Overwing. She glances back at the Network map, wishing that Odd would materialize. Her heart sinks as her hands drop back to her side. She closes the panel and motions for Natalya to get on. _

**Aelita: **Find him Jeremie. Please find him.

**Jeremie: **I will.

_Aelita climbs onto the Overwing with Natalya clutching on to her from behind. She starts up the vehicle. _

**Aelita: **Let's go.

_The two take off towards the edge of the Celestial Dome, preparing to enter the Mountain Sector. _

_Fifteen minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_Despite the continued chaos outside, the Eurovision concert arena comes to life as the stands and the area around the large circular stage become filled with fans. A myriad of different colored lights and sounds assault the eyes and ears of the concertgoers, quickly raising their excitement. The spectacular modern design of the interior of the arena in addition to the light and sound display captivates the crowd, drawing them into the frenzy has been prepared for them. Flags from the different nations of Europe can be seen near the front section, and some wave them to practice for the arrival of their country's representative. The euphoric and wild atmosphere of approaching entertainment masks the fault lines growing amongst the crowd, at least for the moment. Behind and above the clustered mass of humanity, a private box on one of the upper levels is oddly quiet. The small suite has a postmodern décor complete with oddly shaped furniture, square lamps, an oval rug, and an abstract painting that suggests an oriental influence. The magnificentally dressed Order leader, alone in his den, stands in front of his personal bar. Vodka trickles into a small glass, making the ice dance to his pleasure. As he walks away from the bar, he stops and looks down at his drink. _

**Moriarty: **Hmm…strange. Have I had any alcohol since I created this human form? I don't remember…_He makes his way to the main viewing area and settles into a chair. Once he is settled, he stares through the glass out onto the concert arena. The conglomeration of vibrant sights and sounds slightly amuses him. The backstage wall serves as a giant jumbotron, counting down the minutes before the concert begins. Moriarty impatiently watches it count down. His fingers tap his knees erratically. _Thirteen minutes…not quite yet. Not quite yet….

_Moriarty nearly jumps out of his seat when he hears a knock on his door. His surprise quickly transforms into annoyance. _

**Moriarty: **What? What is it?

_A somewhat timid voice answers him. _

**Order Aide: **Um…Commandant. The Order crowd outside would like a quick word from you before-

_Moriarty quickly starts to sit down. _

**Moriarty: **Not now. It's almost time for the concert.

**Order Aide: **But Commandant….your student leader at Kadic…Mathias Burel I believe… specifically requested that you-

**Moriarty: **I said no! I don't want to be bothered right now.

_The hapless messenger, sensing that he is getting nowhere with his commandant, quickly retreats from the door. Moriarty hears his footsteps as he walks away. He is once again left in relative silence. The vibrant hum of the music outside continues to echo through the windows. He holds up his glass, letting the light display illuminate through the clear liquid. His eyes dart to the left. The private box of the LePens is within his sight. He can clearly make out the aging figure of Jean-Marie, who watches the pre-show without interest. A deep sense of impending satisfaction coupled with just the slightest hint of anxiety begins to creep across his facial expression. Moriarty watches the countdown. The seconds begin to move toward the eleven minute mark. Tension and excitement well up inside as time moves at a pace far slower than he desires. _

**Moriarty: **Not yet. Come on…come on…_He pauses and reflects on the impending showdown…_I can't let Jeremie have any time to maneuver. _Twenty seconds from the eleven minute mark. _Not yet…not yet…_The last twenty seconds last for what seems like an eternity. Moriarty does not take his eyes off the jumbotron. Finally the last second ticks away. Though the countdown for the concert continues, for Moriarty the final performance has officially commenced. He raises his right hand in a solitary toast and downs a large gulp of vodka. He sets the glass down on a nearby table and sits upright in his chair. _Show time…

_Ten minutes before the Eurovision concert. _

_Jeremie scours the Network for any sign of the Skid and its invaluable pilot. Several sectors come up completely empty. He glances every fifteen seconds at the time, feeling his blood pumping with increasing urgency with every lost second. _

**Jeremie: **Where are you Odd?...Where are you? _He stops a moment to think. _Maybe he's lost somewhere inside the corrupted zone. _Before Jeremie can act on that train of thought, the main monitor begins to light up like a Christmas tree. Another alert, this time not the super scan, forces itself to Jeremie's attention. Immediately upon assessing the situation, Jeremie's heart lodges in his throat. For a moment he is choked by disbelief and cannot speak. Fortunately his frozen stance suddenly turns into frantic action. He quickly contacts the girls in the Mountain Sector. _Aelita, about face! About face! Get back to Sector Five now!

_High in the Mountain Sector, Aelita flies with Natalya on the Overwing. She is immediately stunned by the strange order. _

**Aelita: **What?! But the tower is right in our sight. We can stop this thing right now and secure the fight on Lyoko!

**Jeremie: **There won't be a Lyoko in a few minutes if you don't get back now. _Scene shifts to the Core of Lyoko at the southern pole of Sector Five. In the long purple cylindrical chamber, a floating sphere protected by two cube shields endures heavy fire by a collection of humanoids, cobras, and tigers. The shields recoil from the impact. _Moriarty is trying to destroy the Core of Lyoko!

**Aelita: **What?! _The Overwing suddenly turns around back in the direction of Carthage. _That makes no sense…why would he do that?

_Jeremie's blood starts to run cold from a grim understanding of the matter at hand. _

**Jeremie: **No. It makes perfect sense. Without Lyoko, the others are trapped in the Network, even if they complete the mission. And he waited until you two had already left the scene, lured by the tower.

_Back in the Network, the Nav Skid warriors register this news with definite alarm. _

**Ulrich: **Trapped?!

**William: **Oh man…he's really trying to screw us this time…

**Yumi: **Is…is he really going to do it?!

**Jeremie: **I have no reason to believe he wouldn't.

_While heading to the edge of the sector, Aelita realizes something critical. _

**Aelita: **But still…the concert. He can't launch his attack without the tower.

_Jeremie's eyes widen. He silently curses his intellect for not realizing that. _

**Jeremie: **Of course…But then-_Jeremie monitors the shields, which start to cave under the monsters' attack._-what is he doing? _The aggravation in his voice increases significantly. _What is he planning?

_Several seconds pass and no one in Lyoko or in the Network can answer that question. Then, William speaks up. _

**William: **What if he's not really trying to destroy Lyoko?

_Ulrich and Yumi stare at William in bewilderment from their respective cockpits. Jeremie blinks a few times before responding. _

**Jeremie: **Come again?

**William: **He doesn't need to destroy Lyoko. He just needs to weaken its shields enough until it has been rendered completely defenseless. Then, once his attack is complete, all he needs to do is snap his fingers to end it for us. We would have no time to stop him.

_No one says a word. William's explanation sets in, giving them a chilling awareness of Moriarty's true intentions for them. Jeremie stares blankly at the main monitor for a moment. After a few short moments, his eyebrows lower with muted anger. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, Natalya, clear the core chamber of monsters. Whatever happens, you can't let those shields fail. If we let Moriarty hold the mission hostage…everything will be lost.

_Aelita and Natalya glance at each other, sharing a certain insight that words cannot easily describe. _

**Aelita: **Right. We'll get there as fast as we can.

_Jeremie diverts his attention away from the Core of Lyoko back to the other sectors. He goes through a short list of neutral towers and selects one near the center of the Forest Sector. He cracks his knuckles before going in. _

**Jeremie: **In the meantime it's time we stopped being blind to Moriarty's endgame. _He activates the tower, causing the aura around it to become green. Almost immediately a deluge of camera angles drops into his lap, giving him a perspective of the entire arena. His eyes pour over every image with the highest level of scrutiny. _Come on Lyoko, show me everything.

_Back in the Network, the three warriors continue to wait out the storm in their stalled Nav Skids. They keep their hands on the controls, their eyes glued to the indifferent abyss that surrounds them. Every slight sound, every fluctuation in the Network adds to their sense of doom and unease. After a solid minute of painful silence, Yumi finally breaks it. _

**Yumi: **He's not done yet.

**Ulrich: **What?

**Yumi:** Trying to destroy the Core of Lyoko…he won't stop there. This is the time for him to overwhelm us. Odd's disappeared, the core is under attack, and the Cannae Initiative is still bugged…but he's not out of the woods yet. _She starts to lose strength in her voice. _And he won't stop until the situation is completely unsalvageable.

_Ulrich and William exchange a battle-weary look. _

**William: **Then what will he do?

_Jeremie narrows in on the basement of the arena underneath the main stage. Out of sight from the crowd and security, members of the Czech Republic band and their support technicians load a large black metal box on top of a hidden platform that can be raised onto the stage above. The device contains a glowing circular center that quickly arouses Jeremie's suspicions. These suspicions are only heightened when one member of the road crew turns around with his eyes visible to the camera. The heinous insignia of Moriarty greets Jeremie's watching eyes. Jeremie quickly zooms in on the device and quickly analyzes it. _

**Jeremie: **There are definitely some abnormal electromagnetic waves coming out of that thing. Could it be a-_The strange device begins to interfere with the camera, infusing it with a heavy amount of static. Jeremie's blood temperature drops two degrees as his fears are confirmed. _So that's his game. _He contacts his scattered warriors. _I've found it.

_Aelita and Natalya arrive once again at the Celestial Dome. _

**Aelita: **Found what?

**Jeremie: **I've found Moriarty's Eurovision weapon. He's got a transient electromagnetic weapon.

**Ulrich: **Translation?

**Jeremie: **In laymen's terms, an EMP bomb. And a powerful one at that. _His eyes fixate on the device, feeling the pit in his stomach grow in spite of his attempts to control it. _No doubt about it. He's got the whole Czech Republic group under his control, and when they perform, that thing will go off. _His upper torso becomes icy with dread as he continues his explanation. _A good portion of downtown will have its electricity zapped away. In the confusion, Moriarty will kill the LePens, and the resulting chaos and violence will finally bring France to its breaking point.

_The warriors hardly react, having assumed the worst from the very start. Still, it doesn't take long for the implications of the situation to sink in. _

**Yumi: **We won't let that happen Jeremie.

**William: **Right. The best thing we can do right now is find Odd and get back in Moriarty's zone before the protective shield closes completely.

_Ulrich seconds William with a good deal of optimism. _

**Ulrich: **Yeah. Plus, even if the thing does go off, we can still win as long as we are inside the area when the whole thing closes. Right Jeremie?

_Jeremie doesn't respond to this. His cold hands cover his eyes and slowly rub his temples. _

**Ulrich: ** Uh…Jeremie?

_While on their way to the southern pole of Carthage, Aelita has likewise become silent and deeply troubled. Her grip on the Overwing tightens. _

**Natalya: **Aelita, what's wrong?

_Back in the lab, the silence continues. _

**Yumi: **We should be in the clear once we get inside, right?

**Jeremie: **You don't understand. _His vocal chords fail him from a moment. He keeps his gaze away from the monitor. _Do you know what an EMP does?

**Yumi: **Yes, it fries everything electric within its blast zone.

**Jeremie: **And what do you think you're surrounded by?

_The three warriors don't respond for a moment. They glance outside their cockpits. _

**Jeremie: **Think about it. The World Network is not just some place you dive into from Lyoko. It's deeply connected to our world. If the EMP goes off, France's servers will be wrecked. Entire sections of the Network would shut down. The resulting shockwaves will produce untold damage. And that means anyone inside the Network will also be affected. _The mood amongst the three in the Network suddenly plummets as they start to understand the message. _Even in the best case scenario, your access to Lyoko will be permanently cut off. More than likely though…._He braces himself for the unfortunate truth_…you will be erased…immediately and permanently.

_Silence on Earth, Lyoko, and in the Network. The full weight of their limited time now becomes painfully obvious. Inside the Nav Skids, all lips are sealed. There is very little that can be said. Eventually Aelita manages to break the silence. _

**Aelita: **Is protecting the Core of Lyoko still the main priority for us? 

**Jeremie: **In terms of immediate threats, yes. Go now. We'll just have to rely on the Cannae Initiative to recover. Which makes finding Odd our number one-_Another round of urgent alerts come to his attention, prompting Jeremie to nearly pull his hair out._-WHAT NOW?! _His anger soon subsides when he realizes that all three scanners have become active on their own. He freezes in place when it becomes clear that they are transporting something from the other side. Jeremie's mouth opens but it takes a second or two for words to follow. _Oh no…

_On the floor below him, each one of the cabins open, filling the chamber with smoke. After about thirty seconds, every last dark warrior files out, clad in the typical clothing worn on Earth by the real Lyoko Warriors. They inhale the air of the real world, most of them for the first time. Jeremie's skin tone becomes noticeably paler. His voice trembles as he warns the other warriors of the dire situation. _

**Jeremie: **The dark warriors…all of them. They're here. Moriarty has sent them to the factory.

_Aelita receives this news just as she and Natalya enter the Lyoko Core chamber from the southern pole of Sector Five. In her temporary shock, she fails to notice that the monsters have spotted them. They fire, knocking the two off of the Overwing and landing on the circular staircase at the other end of the chamber. Natalya and Aelita force themselves to stand up and fight as the monsters begin to focus on attacking them instead of the core. At the same time, a purple enemy Nav Skid emerges from hiding and launches an attack on Odd and the Skid. Meanwhile the dark shades make themselves comfortable by spreading out in the factory, with Dark Aelita and William climbing up to confront Jeremie and Dark Yumi and Ulrich descending down to the supercomputer room. In the Network, the three stranded warriors impatiently wallow in their apparent helplessness, fearing the destructive cataclysm coming their way. Back in the arena basement, the EMP bomb is loaded and ready for action just as the final seconds before the Eurovision concert count down. In his secluded box suite, Moriarty relishes the moment while his chess pieces push his weaker but doggedly determined enemy into a corner. _

**Moriarty: **Yes. That's it. Attack. Everyone attack without mercy.

_Deep in the corrupted zone, a lone warrior heeds his master's order. A sleek and purple Nav Skid unexpectedly emerges from hiding, setting its sights on the isolated Skidbladnir. The weapons system locks on and fires directly at Odd. _

_1900 hours. The Eurovision Concert begins. _

_The lights in the concert arena suddenly dim down. The crowd cheers in excitement, knowing full well what it means. About fifteen seconds later, a booming voice that seems to emanate all around the arena addresses the audience. At first, no one in the arena can tell where it is coming from, which adds to the mysterious and enticing nature of the voice. _

**Carlsson: **Ladies and Gentelmen…good evening. And welcome to the annual Eurovision Song Contest. _Another cheer goes up. _Prepare yourselves for what will undoubtedly be one of the most exciting nights of your lives. Tonight, forty-four nations are represented here for one reason: to see which nation has the right to be crowned Eurovision champion! _The lights pointed at the stage come back on, illuminating a well-dressed but eccentric man in his early thirties. He has a microphone attached to his ear. _Coming to you live from Paris, France, I am Erik Carlsson. _They clap for him, but he doesn't let it go on for long. _Enough delays already. You have waited long enough. _He storms across the stage, commanding the people's attention. _Who's ready to get this thing started?!

_While his enthusiastic crowd answers loudly in the affirmative, a rather different situation is taking place in a hospital nearby. Paramedics and nurses burst through hospital doors, escorting a man in very critical condition to the emergency room. _

**Nurse: **What do we have here?

**Paramedic 1: **Severe electrocution. His breathing has slowed substantially. Heart fibrillation may be imminent.

**Paramedic 2: **Keep him breathing. This guy may just have a chance.

_The charred but still breathing body of Hans Klotz stares upward at the lights, barely maintaining consciousness. He is wheeled into a private room, where the emergency room personnel quickly get to work. The senior doctor on staff takes one look at the patient and feels his own heart skip abnormally. Even for a veteran, the electrical burns on him are more severe than he has ever seen before. _

**Trauma Doctor: **Dear God…How did this happen?!

**Nurse: **We aren't sure. He wasn't found anywhere close to anything that could have shocked him this badly. The police have already been informed about the situation.

_The trauma doctor goes about his business. Despite the urgency of the case, he can't help but wonder briefly how the police could be involved in such a matter. It then occurs to him that they suspect this incident was not an accident. But then he finds it appalling and frankly impossible that such a terrible predicament could have been brought about by foul play. The doctor and his team work feverishly to save Klotz. But as the minutes pass, it quickly becomes clear that his tissues are damaged beyond repair. Organ shutdown begins in earnest though they try their best to prevent it. His breathing grounds almost to a halt. The heart rate reaches critical levels. The trauma doctor is beside himself, knowing full well that electrical defibrillation will only make things worse. Before he can come up with a desperate, last minute solution, his patient reaches out to him. The weak eyes of Hans Klotz greet him, pleading for him to listen before it's too late. The doctor leans in to listen. _

**Klotz: **Dr. Renard…..He-_Klotz gasps for some last final breaths_-did this to me…

_Klotz lapses into unconsciousness. The stunned doctor registers his last words with disbelief. A minute later, the school psychologist's heart stops permanently. The doctor waits a moment and then records the time of death. The nurses cover what's left of his body in a sheet. Before they do so, one of the nurses notices the purple fleur-de-lis still visible on his burned shirt. _

**Nurse: **Doctor, I think you may need to see this.

_The trauma doctor moves closer to see the symbol. The words his dying patient said sink in with renewed force. He quickly exits the emergency room and talks with the waiting police lieutenant outside. The conversation lasts only about thirty seconds. All the while the trauma doctor looks back and forth, suddenly fearful of what he has to say. _

**Trauma Doctor: **I'm not a politician, but if somehow…what he said was true-

_The female officer cuts him off. _

**Police Officer: **I see what you mean. I'll make sure Chief Benoit knows about this right away.

_The torpedoes from the enemy Nav Skid slam against the Skid's shields. Odd is thrown back in the cockpit. But he wastes no time responding. In an instant he raises the shields according to Jeremie's new improvements, which encases the Skid in a light blue bubble. A new round of torpedoes hits the Skid but the enhanced shields hold steady. Odd spots the purple vessel which turns around for another attack. Odd loads his own torpedoes and prepares to fire. _

**Odd: **Just because I look like a sitting duck doesn't mean I'm going to act like one.

_A torpedo sails off in the attacker's direction. Back in the lab room, Jeremie notes the sudden weapons fire in Odd's section of the Network. An enormous weight lifts from his chest once he confirms that it is the Skid. _

**Jeremie: **I've just located a battle happening in Moriarty's sphere in the Network. It's Odd!

_Arrows, lasers, and energy fields fire left and right in the Core chamber of Lyoko. Aelita and Natalya have managed to distract the monsters from their main target but have put themselves into an intense fight in the process. Aelita hears the news just as she destroys a humanoid. _

**Aelita: **What a relief! Is he okay?!

_While the enemy Nav Skid hangs back, the inactive turrets come to life in response to the fight. They target the Skid at the same time and initiate a heavy barrage. While the shields start to suffer, Odd retaliates. A wide field of lasers erupts from the Skid which blows up the nearby turrets and corrupted databases. But the intense attack continues. _

**Jeremie: **He is alive, but he is going to need help right away! _Jeremie suddenly hears the sounds of the dark shades coming up the ladder. _Come to think of it, I'm going to need help too. The dark warriors are going to destroy the factory and me in it!

**Yumi: **Then what are we supposed to do? We can't help both of you at the same time.

_At this crucial moment, William's old friend makes his presence known. _

**Xana: **Slave, you and I both know what must be done.

_William nods without a word. _

**William: **Jeremie, send me back.

**Jeremie: **What?

**William: **I still have Xana's powers. I can fight the shades on Earth. Send me back.

_Jeremie quickly realizes that what William is suggesting is there only option at this point. _

**Jeremie: **You're probably right, but that would require me to adjust the Trans Network Cyber-Bridge-_Dark William and Aelita reach the lab room with Jeremie in their sights._-which is time I really don't have right now…

**William: **Then we really have no choice. _He looks over to Yumi. _Yumi, I need you to blow me up.

_Ordinarily Yumi would question this rash choice of action, but this is no ordinary time. Given the growing list of dangers to their lives and the mission, she decides to acquiesce. She loads her torpedoes and orders Ulrich to stay out of the line of fire. _

**Yumi: **It looks like it's just you and me Ulrich. _She closes her eyes for a brief moment. _Be careful William.

_She fires while William stays still. His Nav Skid explodes and a flash of blue light absorbs him. The middle scanner hums back to life. Upstairs, Jeremie finds himself faced with Dark Aelita and William. The two break off from each other and encircle him, attempting to cut off any hope of a retreat. Jeremie remains in his command chair, refusing to move but keeping his eyes locked on his enemies nonetheless. The two dark shades watch their victim with predatory instinct etched on their faces. They shift in their specter forms and fix their gaze on Jeremie with bloodthirsty glee. _

**Dark William: **Finally, we meet the general at last.

_Dark Aelita's hand sparks with electricity. _

**Dark Aelita: **And he's unarmed, completely defenseless against us. _She licks her lips. _It almost makes me feel sorry for him.

_Dark William takes a threatening step forward. _

**Dark William: **Don't worry, we're not here to kill you. Our master would destroy us if we took that pleasure away from him. But still, we can't have you interfering any longer.

_As the two slowly close in on him, Jeremie still refuses to flinch. In fact, he seems to relax in his chair for a moment. _

**Jeremie: **Not kill me? Well that's unfortunate. Because I'm making no such promise to you.

_He reaches for his keyboard and activates a special defense program. High frequency soundwaves assault the two shades, causing them to shriek and fluctuate in pain. They both fall to their knees, fazing in and out of existence._

**Dark William: **Ahh! WHAT IS THAT?!

_Jeremie calmly gets out of his chair and reaches into a crack in the floor. He separates one of the cords and holds up an electrical wire that sparks with deadly voltage. _

**Jeremie: **Now remind me again who the defenseless one is...

_He jams the makeshift weapon into Dark William's chest. His victim lets out a vicious metallic scream and collapses on the foor, barely functioning after receiving the brunt of that much electricity. Jeremie looks over his fallen enemy, ready to finish the job, but Dark Aelita manages to send a painful electric shock to Jeremie's lower torso. Now the Lyoko general collapses. Meanwhile the improvised high frequency soundwave attack reaches its time limit and shuts off, allowing his two attackers to recover somewhat. Dark Aelita, brimming with murderous fury, stomps her foot on Jeremie's chest. A web of electricity dances between her fingers. Her voice becomes low and demonic. _

**Dark Aelita: **Die you worthless rat!

_Jeremie feebly looks up at his assailant, who bears the unimaginably corrupted image of his girlfriend. He glares at her in defiance. _

**Jeremie: **You truly are the worst impersonation of Aelita I've ever seen…

**William: **I'll say. _Jeremie breathes a deep sigh of relief when he sees William emerge from the floor below. He enters the scene just as Dark William struggles to get up following his painful brush with Jeremie. _And this one is not exactly a handsome image of me either.

_He promptly roundhouse kicks his double in the face, sending him onto the floor again. Dark Aelita lunges for him but William calmly grabs her by her neck, holding her up effortlessly due to his enhanced Xana strength. He then does the same thing to Dark William. _

**William: **Alright. Let's take this fight elsewhere, shall we?

_He phases into the floor, taking his two opponents with him. Jeremie, now left alone, slowly manages to get to his feet and make his way back to the command chair. He puts his earpiece in. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, can you hear me? Are you alright?!

_In the southern pole of Moriarty's corrupted zone, the beating continues. Despite Odd's best efforts, the enhanced shields around the Skid begin to fail. And since he is dead in the water, his mysterious attacker can maneuver and attack him at will. Odd desperately tries to maintain control while the enemy Nav Skid and the remaining turrets continue to batter him. _

**Odd: **Oh fine…aside from the fact that I can't move this thing and I'm about to be blown to bits.

**Jeremie: **Hold on. Help is on the way.

_Odd loses hold of the controls after absorbing another barrage. The Skid's alarms go off, warning of imminent shield failure. _

**Odd: **They better get here quickly! I won't be able to last much longer!

_Right at the moment things look dire, a flurry of torpedoes annihilates the remaining turrets attacking Odd. The stranded warrior looks to his right and left. Much to his relief, he finds Yumi and Ulrich at his side. His death grip on the controls relaxes slightly. _

**Odd: **Ulrich, I always love your sense of timing.

**Ulrich: **Hey, I'm not the one who let the Skid get sucked into a Network toilet. _He looks up ahead, eyeing the enemy Nav Skid, who appears far less aggressive with the arrival of his target's allies. _What do we have here?

_Odd spends a moment trying to repair some of the damage done to the Skid. It takes him a while for him to give Ulrich his attention. _

**Odd: **Beats me. It's not one of the shades. But it was trying to blow me to pieces, so I really didn't care.

_The enemy Nav Skid darts behind some databases to the right of Ulrich, hiding from their sight. Ulrich instinctively warms up the torpedoes. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie? Suggestions?

_Jeremie widens his view on the battle zone in the Network. The unknown attacker keeps a healthy distance with the possible intent of waiting for the right time to ambush them. The general winces, still smarting from the shock to his legs. _

**Jeremie: **I don't know what Moriarty is pulling here, but I need time to reboot the Skid's central operating system so we can get Odd unstuck and reupload the Cannae Initiative. Can I count on you to deal with our unexpected guest?

_The two active Nav Skids heat up their rear thrusters and prepare for battle. _

**Ulrich: **We'll take care of him.

**Yumi: **We should be cautious though. No telling where he's hiding.

_As the Nav Skids start to break off, Odd attempts to restore some measure of flight control from his end. _

**Jeremie: **Stop meddling, I've got it.

**Odd: **Sorry. _He takes his hands off the controls. _So, I've been out of the loop for a while. Care to bring me up to speed?

**Jeremie: **Um….do you know anything about EMPs?

**Odd: **I think I saw something like that in a movie once. Why?

**Jeremie: **Because Moriarty has one armed and ready at the Eurovision concert. And if it goes off, well…long story short, it will not only crush our chances of victory, but essentially eliminate any warrior in the Network.

_Icy dread sinks into a pit in Odd's stomach. He purses his lips together, trying to absorb the news with some element of calm. It takes him several moments for him to speak again. _

**Odd: **Then we should be using our full strength to stop that. Where in the world is William? We need him now more than ever.

**Jeremie: **I know. But I'm afraid he's busy with the dark warriors.

**Odd: **On Lyoko?

**Jeremie: **Uh…not exactly.

_Odd's eyes widen. _

**Odd: **You mean he's fighting them on Earth?! Is he defending the factory or something?

_A rumbling explosion from two floors down rocks Jeremie in his seat and nearly makes his glasses fall off the bridge of his nose. He tries to not let concern show in his face. _

**Jeremie: **'Defend' is a loose word.

_Ulrich and Yumi patrol the surrounding territory. They lower the volume on their engines in an attempt to avoid giving away their location. Yumi quietly eases her Nav Skid within visible distance of Ulrich. The two share a silent look of caution and then continue their search. The black databases seem to groan slightly while they pursue their elusive target. A minute passes in guarded silence. Yumi encounters a narrow opening in between databases. Almost instantly a purple battering ram shoots out of the gap, barreling right toward her. Yumi has just enough time to make a desperate retreat backwards, but the attacker still manages to graze the front of her Nav Skid. For a brief moment after the collision, Yumi manages to get a glimpse into the cockpit of the attacker. A pang of disbelief temporarily overwhelms her senses while her Nav Skid ricochets from the , as quickly as it appeared, the enemy Nav Skid darts away in the direction of Odd. A few precious seconds pass as she tries to make sense of what she has just witnessed. Ulrich encounters her still motionless in the Network, staring at her retreating assailant. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, what are you doing?! He's going to get Odd if we don't hurry!

_Yumi mechanically follows Ulrich back in the direction of Odd. During their pursuit, Yumi sets aside her shock and contacts Jeremie. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, we-

**Jeremie: **I know. I've almost fixed everything. Just keep him at bay for a little while-

**Yumi: **It's not just that. I saw who was inside. _Inside the enemy Nav Skid, a familiar warrior clad in the apparel of a Crusader moves in for one last strike at the Skid. The purple fleur-de-lis is engraved on his armor. _It's Emmanuel. Emmanuel is piloting the enemy Nav Skid!

_William drags Dark Aelita and Dark William down to the supercomputer room by phasing through the ceiling. They struggle in his grasp, but he knocks their heads together, which dazes them a bit. The three reach the metal floor of the room with the dark shades experiencing a rather unpleasant landing. William prepares to finish off his victims, but his attention is quickly distracted. The supercomputer has been released from its chamber and Dark Yumi and Ulrich are ripping apart the protective outer shell to get to the sensitive hardware. The lone warrior lets go of his opponents and turns his attention to them. His hands glow red. _

**William: ** I don't think you're qualified to mess with that equipment.

_He fires two minor electrical bursts, keeping his power under control lest he accidentally damage the supercomputer. The two shades fluctuate and groan from the pain. Unfortunately, William's lapse in attention to the other two proves to be a mistake. Dark William, still on the ground, plants a nasty kick into William's backside, sending him face first onto the floor. Dark Aelita retaliates as well by jamming a fistful of electricity into his back. William shakes uncontrollably for a few moments. His spine feels like it has been lit on fire. Unconsciousness threatens to settle in as his vision becomes blurry and unfocused. But his ever present ally will have none of it. _

**Xana: **Weakling! Now is not the time for you to pass out!

_Cold artificial hands grab him by the hair and yank him up. The world continues to spin as Dark Yumi and Ulrich approach him, eager for revenge. The hunters begin to gather around their human prey who remains limp and disoriented. His eyes blink in frustration while he tries in vain to recover. Dark William's electrically-charged hand moves toward his face. _

**William: **Xana…you're going to need to take over.

_A split second later, William's vision turns red. The eye of Xana comes alive and targets its dangerous opponents without mercy or emotion. His host's numb legs suddenly come alive and sweep Dark Aelita and Ulrich off their feet in one fluid motion. He aims his thumb and index finger in the form of a pistol and fires a small blast into Dark William's face. Once William/Xana is on his feet, he launches himself several meters in the air and lands on top of the supercomputer. He turns around to face them with his hands sparkling with red-tinged electricity. _

**William/Xana: **You all will die tonight.

_A moment passes. The dark warriors do not appear fazed. _

**Dark Aelita: **How are you going to kill us?! No matter how many times you destroy us, we always come back…

_Dark Yumi and Aelita then try to pounce on them. The combined fighter duo roundhouse kicks the first to the face and sends her sprawling against the wall. Dark Aelita is seized by the neck in midair, much to her shock and horror. The physically and mentally enhanced Lyoko Warrior tightens his grip. _

**William/Xana: **Not after we tear your master into pieces.

_His victim goes into an electrical seizure. After a howling scream, Dark Aelita vanishes into dark smoke. He watches her disappear without even blinking an eye. Now completely charged with power, William lowers a murderous glare down at his enemies. His normal voice returns for a moment. _

**William: **Let me make one thing clear to you. I fought Moriarty to a standstill. We completely destroyed an entire island. I have a rogue artificial intelligence living inside my brain that nearly subdued this entire planet. And that's not even the worst part. _His hair starts to stand on end with the amount of voltage running through his body. _I'm a Kadic student, a French citizen, a Lyoko Warrior whose world is about to be destroyed. My friends, family, and everyone else who wants to live in a free world are counting on me to stop you here and now. So make no mistake. You will die for the last time tonight.

_Three humanoids explode in the core chamber of Lyoko. Aelita hovers around the cylindrical staircase, utilizing her flight to gain the advantage over her opponents. Out of her line of sight, a tiger gets on his haunches and leaps toward Aelita. Aelita turns her head just in time to see a tiger within a meter of destroying her. Thankfully an arrow pierces its head and the beast falls to the bottom of the core chamber. The white huntress notches another arrow in her bow. A cobra slithers from behind in an attempt to ambush her. Natalya's eyes dart to the side as her ears pick up the approaching danger. In an instant, the cobra fires at her. Natalya drops to her knees and spins towards the monster. She lands on her backside facing the monster and eliminates it without a second thought. Though the two have lost some lifepoints, the battle seems to be going in their favor. The monsters' numbers are gradually dwindling. None of them are firing at the Core of Lyoko anymore; each one of them attacks Aelita and Natalya in a futile effort to destroy them. Another tiger leaps for Aelita but quickly meets its end via an energy field. A final squad of humanoids overwhelms Natalya by charging her. Before she can reach for an arrow, one of them smacks her off the ledge with its arm. Natalya falls over the edge. The dimwitted humanoids crowd around the ledge to see her fall to her virtual demise. Instead they see Aelita lift her back up, holding her arms. This time Natalya is ready. In rapid succession she obliterates the monsters with a flurry of arrows. After the last humanoid is eliminated, the two girls fly back to the edge and collapse. They spend some time staring up at the chamber ceiling, feeling winded by the intense struggle. Aelita slowly sits up. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, we did it. The core is safe.

**Jeremie: **Girls, you were fantastic. Thank you for stepping up.

**Aelita: **Is…is Odd okay?

**Jeremie: **I've repaired his shields and he should have complete mobility control over the Skid within a matter of moments. The Cannae Initiative is currently uploading back into the system and hopefully that should take only a few moments. _His voice suddenly falters. His bloodflow increases until he can start to feel a pounding in his head. He slowly adjusts his earpiece. _And there's something else. The unidentified Nav Skid, the one that's attacking Odd…..Emmanuel is piloting it.

_Two seconds of quiet shock pass between the two female warriors. They stare at each other in disbelief. Back in the Network, Emmanuel's purple Nav Skid makes a beeline for the still motionless Skid. Odd's fingers gingerly lay hold of the controls. His enemy closes the distance. _

**Odd: **Not yet…just a little more.

_Emmanuel comes within eight seconds of impact. _

**Odd: **A little more.

_Five seconds. _

**Odd: **Just a little more.

_Three. _

**Odd: **Now!

_Odd jerks the Skid to the side at just the right moment. Emmanuel just narrowly misses the wings and then collides into one of the infected databases, sending him spinning to a lower depth. Ulrich and Yumi pull up in their Nav Skids and descend in hot pursuit of their prey. _

**Ulrich: **How…how can he still be alive?

**Yumi: **Moriarty….He bluffed the entire time about killing him.

_Aelita butts in from her location in Sector Five. _

**Aelita: **Either that, or he is a copy of the real one.

_The enemy Nav Skid regains control and darts to the right. In a few seconds, he reemerges facing the two warriors and closing in on them fast. Ulrich easily recognizes his smug face that exudes arrogant hostility. Ulrich's mind boils in rage. _

**Ulrich: **Either way, it's an insult to Christophe, and all he's done for us…

_The mention of Christophe strikes a new chord of intense misery among the Lyoko Warriors in the Network, Carthage, and on Earth. Odd closes his eyes and tries to shut down the waves of emotional pain assaulting his conscience. Yumi keeps her eyes on target and moves forward to meet Emmanuel, but her currently stoic face shows signs of cracking. Natalya and Aelita hang their heads, distraught that their mental block on the matter has started to crumble. Jeremie's forehead tenses up, although the rest of him tenaciously holds onto his composure. _

**Jeremie: **I can't say either way for sure. But my guess is that Moriarty held onto Emmanuel for just this moment.

_Two torpedoes from the enemy Nav Skid head for Ulrich and Yumi, who break away from the line of fire. The explosives ram into the databases, creating a mini light show inside the southern pole of Moriarty's protected zone. The two warriors then start to hunt Emmanuel from behind. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, should we try to keep him alive?

**Jeremie: **Absolutely not. Not at this point. The Network is a ticking time bomb and every second counts. For the sake of the mission…and Christophe, you have to eliminate him.

_Ulrich and Yumi's sights move closer toward Emmanuel. They begin to lock onto their target. Their emotional sides are temporarily tossed out. Their focus only allows them to see an enemy that must be neutralized. _

**Ulrich: **Understood. _He shifts his attention to his partner. _Yumi, we're going to have to be aggressive on this one.

**Yumi: **Fine by me. _She glances at the enemy Nav Skid. _If we can encircle him, he won't be able to deal with both of us.

**Ulrich: **Then let's get him.

_Emmanuel pilots his Skid in a zigzag motion up away from his pursuers and backwards toward his target. Ulrich and Yumi are forced to swing back around and follow him in the opposite direction. Odd, instead of trying to avoid Emmanuel, voluntarily moves the Skid in front of him. Odd recharges his own weapons and zooms in on the attacker. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, what are you doing?

_Odd, armed with newfound information of Moriarty's dire intentions, glows with an almost feverish determination and gets ready to strike while the other two close in from behind. _

**Odd: **Don't worry, we have him now.

_In the Lyoko Core chamber, the flap of wings reaches Natalya's hearing. She reaches her right hand into her quiver. _

**Natalya: **I don't suppose that was you, Aelita?

_Aelita looks down at the staircase. A flock of vultures ascends in their direction. Two pink orbs appear in her hands. _

**Aelita: **Unfortunately not.

_Round two of their battle begins just as the three veterans inside the Network fire simultaneously at Emmanuel. But their enemy sagaciously avoids their torpedoes by reversing and spinning downwards at the same time. Once he recovers his bearings, he directs his Nav Skid slightly below the Skid as they pass each other. At this moment, he releases a cable that hooks around one of the Skid's wings. As soon as the cable is in place, Emmanuel takes a sharp dive. The now towed Skid is dragged down with its hostage taker. The force of the jerk throws Odd against the walls of the cockpit. _

**Odd: **Actually he has me now…

_Ulrich and Yumi chase after their snagged comrade. _

**Yumi: **Odd, he's using you as a shield! We can't fire at him with you blocking the way.

_Odd, now facing the pair's Nav Skids, tries to maintain his sense of humor. _

**Odd: **Tell me something I don't know.

_Jeremie becomes nauseated with frustration and dread when Emmanuel takes the battle to a lower depth. From his vantage point, it seems they are on a collision course with the southern pole of the infected sphere. To add to his displeasure, the screen to the right of the main monitor signals something alarming at the Eurovision concert. The lights in the arena have gone dark and the crowd lifts up another cheer. _

**Carlsson: **Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the performing group representing France, the Subdigitals!

_When the lights turn back on center stage, French flags fly in the air. Chris Morales and the rest of the band come up from a hole in the stage and greet the crowd with a loud opening to "Secret Life". Jeremie checks the order of performance by country. His heart quickly sinks into his stomach, which only increases his nausea. _

**Jeremie: **No…._In a fit of inexplicably manic energy, Jeremie races on his rearmament of the Cannae Initiative. _I have to hurry!

_Aelita hops onto the back of a vulture and destroys it while flipping onto the back of another. _

**Aelita: **What's happening?!

**Jeremie: **The Subdigitals are starting their song! They're only two places away from the Czech band! WE NEED TO END THIS NOW!

_In the supercomputer room, Dark Yumi signals for the others to attack. The three fire haphazard electrical blasts at William. He responds by forming an energy shield in front of his chest. Though he is protected, he loses his footing and falls onto the floor below. Dark Ulrich leaps on top of the supercomputer and aims a kick to his enemy's neck. The Lyoko Warrior saves himself by turning his head in the last moment. William quickly counterattacks and grabs the dark shade by his ankle. A second later Dark Ulrich is thrown onto the elevator door. His allies slowly approach from either side of the supercomputer, wary of attacking too soon. _

**Xana: **Slave, we cannot fight here. The supercomputer will surely be destroyed with this much violent energy in the room.

_Seeing Xana's point, William eyes the elevator button. He reaches his hand out and releases a short electrical burst that pries open the doors. Before Dark Ulrich can fully recover from his rough hit, the lone warrior charges and tackles him onto the elevator floor. Dark William and Yumi move in on William just as the dark shade beneath him turns the tables and pins him against the wall, holding him up by his neck. All three surround him inside the elevator. _

**Dark Ulrich: **I've had enough of you!

_Dark Yumi snarls with unrestrained malice engraved on her face. _

**Dark Yumi: **I don't care about gloating anymore. This one dies!

_The dark shades extend their fatally charged hands toward his neck. Meanwhile, William magnetizes his right hand and feet to the wall. He gives his enemies a sly grin. _

**William: **You are complete idiots.

_With a dash of his left hand, he electrocutes the electrical panel, which short circuits in response. The light in the elevator shuts off and the entire lift moves on a collision course to the factory floor. The dark shades are thrown to the ground while William starts to edge his way to the hatch in the ceiling using his magnetism to climb up. After considerable effort he forces the hatch open and crawls onto the elevator roof. Sparks fly everywhere in a vain attempt to stop the runaway elevator. He looks around for a way off of his improvised tower of terror. A ladder is available, but he is moving too fast. His hair shoots up in the air and his shouting voice can barely be heard over the elevator's screeching. _

**William: **THIS IS INSANE!

**Xana: **It was your idea! But if you insist on running to my aid…

_Xana reassumes command of William's body. He runs a brief calculation on the ladder's rapidly moving steps and determines the optimum trajectory to land safely on target. William's legs mechanically spring into action and he springs forward. With both hands he grabs hold of the ladder. Despite his success, the momentum makes sure he doesn't get a completely clean getaway. His wrists almost snap from the impact and the left side of his face bashes against the metal, leaving him dizzy and confused. He spends a second struggling to cope with the intense pain while he holds on. _

**Xana: **Stop whining! Your injuries would have been far worse if it weren't for me.

_Below him the elevator hits rock bottom with a thunderous crash. He can feel the heat from the blast reach his legs, which almost singes the bottom of his shoes. After a few moments, he glances down at the burning wreckage. Nothing stirs from the elevator's ruins. _

**William: **Are…are they dead?

_The sound of metal scraping against metal is heard amidst the burning. Two pairs of charred hands emerge from the crash. Before William can properly react, the half-scorched figures of Dark William and Dark Yumi claw their way to the top of the pile. They are barely standing and it takes them a while for their spectral framework to stabilize. They are also very VERY pissed off. _

**Xana: **Unfortunately not all of them.

_Deep in the sewers, Christophe's idle wandering continues. The utterly incapacitated Lyoko Warrior walks with no clear goal in mind. At a couple of points, his hand runs against the concrete walls, but eventually he stops. Ghastly odors enter his nostrils without effect. His clothes and body, covered in slime and other gunk, blend in easily into Paris' toxic underworld. Occasionally the sounds of cars and activity from above pierce the silence. He looks up. The cacophony of indifference calls out to him, neither reveling in his pain nor extending any pity. The Lyoko Warrior keeps walking. As he reaches the end of his path leading to another sewer channel to the left, Christophe silently resolves to get to the corner and give up. To collapse and never move again. He gets to his destination, drops to his knees, and falls on his face. Eyes close. His mind darkens and shuts everything out. Before he completely self-implodes with despair, he shifts his left hand slightly. His fingers run across something wooden. Slightly intrigued, he opens his eyes again. A skateboard lies a few centimeters from his face. Behind that, a collection of scooters and other skateboards rest against the sewer walls. Christophe, absolutely incredulous at what he is seeing, becomes lost in a trance of sudden palpable ease and a newfound hope. The pain in his muscles ebbs from the top of his head down to his feet. Mental and physical energy return and he lifts his head up. Past the skateboards and scooters, Christophe sees the path he had traveled several times before with more clarity than he ever had before, the mission to whom his soul belonged and was prepared to spill out for the sake of what it valued as noble and just in the eyes of mortals and the divine. _

_The Skid carries on sinking as a prisoner of Emmanuel's movements. Ulrich and Yumi make an effort to catch up to the Skid but Emmanuel is accelerating his Nav Skid at its maximum potential. Emmanuel swerves often, causing the Nav Skids to come within dangerous proximity of crashing into Odd. Ulrich, recognizing that they are getting nowhere, growls in frustration. _

**Ulrich: **This is ridiculous. We can't get to him!

**Yumi: **Then we'll have to switch strategies. Odd, how are you doing?

_Odd gets an unfortunately clear perspective of his rapidly decreasing distance from the protective shield of Moriarty's infected zone. _

**Odd: **Oh fine, aside from the fact that the Skid and the currently fragile program that may be the last hope for humanity are spiraling down to destruction.

**Yumi: **Can you start the engines?

_Odd struggles to restore the Skid's basic functions. The back thrusters start to heat up. _

**Odd: **I….think so.

**Yumi: **Then accelerate as hard as you can towards us. _She turns to Ulrich. _Get ready to move out of the way.

**Odd: **Are you sure this is a good idea?

**Yumi: **This is my ONLY idea!

**Odd: **Point taken, let's do this.

_Odd puts revs the accelerator as much as possible. The cord wrapped around the Skid's wing tightens to its limits. Emmanuel's momentum slows down considerably. Ulrich and Yumi's Nav Skids jerk both to the left and right respectively. _

_An enormous projector screen right outside the arena broadcasts the performance in HD. Though the Subdigitals are no particular fans of the Order, the mob of purple and black outside still cheer loudly and aggressively for France. Their volume escalates and they cast threatening looks and gestures at the outnumbered Outcast group in front of them. Their nationalist frenzy instensifies until it becomes clear that their passion has nothing to do with the song. Mathias stays with the Kadic Order clan, leading his people in the absence of its true leaders. Shortly after the song begins, Henri pulls Mathias aside from a moment. Despite his need for secrecy, he is forced to speak somewhat loudly for Mathias to hear over the entire crowd. _

**Henri: **We have a problem.

**Mathias: **What are you talking about?

_Henri moves closer to make sure what he says is kept confidential. _

**Henri: **It's Herb. He's here. We've spotted him weaving in and out of different school branches.

_Mathias' expression sours rather quickly. He looks back at his group, and then turns back to Henri. _

**Mathias: **There's no way he will resist the opportunity to find us and try to take charge. We can't have that happen. Get Paul Gilliard and others you can trust with this information and find him now.

**Henri: **Okay.

_Henri disappears into the crowd. Not much later Henri, Thomas, and Paul reappear, holding a struggling Herb in their possession. Herb viciously and vainly thrashes about with venomous hate smoldering on his face. Mathias glares down at his prisoner without pity or patience. _

**Mathias: **What are you doing here?

_Herb lowers his head, refusing to look Mathias in the eye. _

**Herb: **Let go of me.

**Mathias: **What are doing here?

**Herb: **Let go of me.

_Mathias, fully intolerant of being toyed with, grabs the top of Herb's head and moves his face within centimeters of his. _

**Mathias: **Are you deaf?! I said what are you doing here?

**Herb: **Let go of me and I'll tell you.

_Determining that Herb will not bow to threats and that he'd prefer not to waste his fists on him, Mathias motions for his guys to let go of him. Herb wastes no time dusting off his sleeves. _

**Herb: **Thank you. _He adjusts his collar back to near perfection. His hands move dexterously around his neck. The almost robotic movement of his fingers slightly unnerves Mathias. Herb's face also gives ample reason for concern. The unusual serenity in his features proves to be very troublesome. Denial and desperation appear to poke through a slowly crumbling façade. _You'll be happy to know I'm not here to steal the show.

**Mathias: **Doesn't matter. Klotz made it very clear that you were not to come here.

_Herb tries to conceal a deranged smile, but it takes shape regardless. _

**Herb: **Maybe as a member of The Order. But he can't stop me from coming here on my own accord.

**Mathias: **Excuse me?

**Herb: **I am here on personal business.

**Mathias: **I don't know what you're talking about and I don't care. You are in an Order rally and you don't belong here. _He signals the others. _Show him the way out. 

_Henri and Paul return to grab him, but Herb will have none of it. Without warning, he produces a taser from his left pocket. Paul Gilliard hits the ground in a flash, unable to move from the attack. Henri and Thomas watch their comrade fall to the ground in disbelief. Once they get over their initial shock, they back up in horror. Herb gleefully watches over his handiwork. His sense of twisted pleasure transforms into a manic euphoria. He starts to laugh uncontrollably. The feeling of coldness in his laugh disturbs all of those around him. Then, to add violence to insanity, Herb thrusts out a small serrated knife from his right pocket. The sharp blade is directed towards Mathias, who quietly loses a few years off his life in those brief seconds. _

**Herb: **Stay back! _He points the knife around for all to see. No one wants to move in to stop him. The armed psycho shouts louder. _I'M SERIOUS!

_Mathias stays absolutely still. He can say nothing. The image of the knife reflects in the lenses of his glasses, sending inexhaustible waves of terror into his mind. Deep in his thoughts, he comes to the conclusion that those around him have come to: a serious line has been crossed. Herb, sensing that he has won, laughs again. _

**Herb: **You can't stop me. No one can stop me. _His grip on the knife trembles with deadly instability. _I will get him…_He explodes into a berserk anger. _I WILL MAKE HIM PAY!

_Herb dashes back into the crowd, evading any capture. When he leaves, Mathias recovers his ability of speech. _

**Mathias: **What are you talking-?!...WHO ARE YOU GOING TO-?!

_Realizing he has lost his opportunity to grab him, Mathias tries to signal for the other group Order leaders to sound the alarm. But just then the massive crowd begins another loud chant, making it impossible for the message to be sent. _

**Mathias: **Damn it! _He turns to the Order members who saw the incident unfold. _Find him! Call the police! HERB IS GOING TO KILL SOMEONE!

_Ulrich and Yumi swing around the Skid and fire simultaneously at Emmanuel. Sensing the danger, Emmanuel releases the cord around the Skid and breaks free of Odd. The two torpedoes collide into each other and explode. He does an about face and launches a missile at Ulrich. The Lyoko Warrior spins his Nav Skid out of the way, but the missile turns and follows him. Ulrich swears. _

**Ulrich: **It's got me on the run!

_Before Yumi can counterattack, Emmanuel maneuvers behind her and launches another one. She forces her Nav Skid to veer about haphazardly to avoid the weapon. _

**Yumi: **Me too!

_The Skid spins around back to the action and then stops. Odd's companions are moving around wildly with the missiles hot on their tail. When Emmanuel refocuses on his main target, Jeremie gives Odd some important instructions. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, do you see the green switch to the right of the controls?

_Odd looks around. _

**Odd: **Yeah, I see it. Is that new?

**Jeremie: **Very much so. Flip it on.

_From the bottom of the Skid, a large amount of round metal flak spills out in all directions. It blankets the surrounding area of the Network. The missile that Emmanuel fires at Odd runs into the flak and explodes. The other two missiles pursuing Ulrich and Yumi are promptly destroyed as well. _

**Ulrich: **Jeremie, you are the man!

**Jeremie: **Don't congratulate me just yet. Emmanuel is still very much a threat.

_Moriarty's servant, infuriated by this additional setback, hightails it out of the sea of flak. Ulrich and Yumi pursue him in earnest. _

**Yumi: **We've got him on the run now!

_Emmanuel fluctuates his movements just enough to avoid having his enemies lock onto his position. _

**Ulrich: **Hold still!

**Yumi: **Don't worry, he can't avoid us forever.

_Once the chase gets further and further away from the Skid, Odd begins to get nervous. _

**Odd: **Wait, you need to think this through!

**Ulrich: **No time. We have to do it now!

_The Skid reluctantly follows them from behind. They start to pull away from their comrade. _

**Odd: **But he's leading you on! This could very well be a tr-

_The enemy Nav Skid's engines shut off abruptly. Unable to stop in time, Ulrich and Yumi blow past him. Emmanuel hits the ignition again and hones in on their six o'clock. _

**Ulrich: **Oh crap! We're dead!

_Their enemy's torpedoes warm up. However, before they can go off, the entire Nav Skid instantly erupts into nothingness. Ulrich and Yumi stare at the empty space behind them, initially unable to process what has happened. Back in the Skid, Odd takes his hand off the trigger. He lets out a somber sigh of relief. _

**Odd: **We got him.

_Several seconds pass with no words spoken. The Network inside Moriarty's sphere of power becomes eerily quiet. Jeremie eventually breaks the silence. _

**Jeremie: **Well done Odd. You did what you had to do. _He then speaks to the others. _As for you two, you should know that you must be on guard at all times. Right now you are the only ones who can finish this. And speaking of finishing…_The long awaited green exclamation point appears on Jeremie's monitor. _The Cannae Initiative is ready for action again. _He uploads the program through the Skid, which in turn passes it on to Yumi and Ulrich. One of their torpedo symbols on each of their Nav Skid computers turns green, indicating that they are armed with the Moriarty destroyer. _Remember, time is of the essence. Use them well.

_All three warriors in the Network now encounter a heavier weight on their shoulders than they had before. Their minds freeze from the still overwhelming reality that now is zero hour. Odd moves closer to the Nav Skids to observe Yumi and Ulrich's reactions. The two show no clear emotion. Odd closes his eyes. There are no words for such a feat that so intertwines boundless hate, absolute necessity, and overbearing dread. He looks up in the direction of the core. _

**Odd: **Let's go. Moriarty is not going to kill himself.

_The trio ascends with Odd in the back. Visions of his dream return with painful clarity. He glances at his two friends taking the lead in their Nav Skids. His heart melts from an incalculable sorrow. With no time to break down from fear for himself and his closest friends, Odd shuts down everything in his mind that does not help with the mission. _

_Aelita and Natalya have survived the second wave of Moriarty monsters, though not easily. Aelita is down to half her lifepoints and Natalya's bow is damaged. The two try to rest while watching over Lyoko's core. _

**Jeremie: **Ladies, you have done your part magnificently. Lyoko is saved. Yumi, Odd, and Ulrich are on their way to destroy Moriarty with the Cannae Initiative as we speak.

_The absence of one name quickly unnerves Natalya. _

**Natalya: **Wait, what about William?

**Jeremie: **Oh…about that. He's still entertaining some uninvited guests somewhere in the factory's underbelly. Last time I checked he was doing pretty well. _Natalya does not appear convinced by Jeremie's argument, but he continues on regardless. _Anyway, just sit there and watch the core and you will be done with this for good.

_The top of the core chamber begins to rumble. At first it is a little shake, but soon the massive staircase itself starts to tremble. The ladies look up at the ceiling. Small sections of Carthage crumble and fall down, sometimes hitting the dual cube shields surrounding the Core of Lyoko. Alarm seizes Natalya's face as more bits and pieces of the ceiling fall off. _

**Natalya: **What is that?!

**Aelita: **Jeremie, it is far from over on our end. We have company.

**Jeremie: **I can see that. _Mystified, he watches the core chamber on his monitor lose its stability and quake violently. A massive amount of energy forces its way into the ceiling, causing some structural collapse. He leans in closer to make sure his eyes aren't deceiving him. _What are you doing now?

**Yumi: **Jeremie!

**Jeremie: **What? What's wrong? Are you under attack?!

**Yumi: **Not yet. _The scene shifts to the Network, where the three warriors push upwards to their goal. Though the turrets do not yet fire on them, the core fluctuates wildly. Disturbances move through the void. Red lines on the black databases glow with flowing energy. _But Moriarty's entire sphere has gone crazy. There seems to be a lot of energy on the move.

**Jeremie: **Energy on the move? _Jeremie connects the dots and then immediately hates himself for realizing that the worst case scenario is upon them. The firm confidence of victory in his blood chills in an instant. _Oh no. _He sends an emergency message to Aelita and Natalya. _LOOK OUT! The Leviathan is coming!

_Two pairs of terrible teeth poke through the core ceiling in Carthage. The beast attempts to squeeze its necks through the openings, but it proves to be challenging. Frustrated and enraged, the Leviathan lets out a terrible high-pitched screech. Aelita and Natalya quickly go to their knees and cover their ears, completely thrown out of whack by the raw power of the enormous monster. Jeremie watches the scene unfold in a terrified trance. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, how close are you guys to Moriarty's core?

_The turrets in the Network open up on the attack squad in the Network. Odd moves the Skid in front of Ulrich and Yumi, using its enhanced shields as a battering ram to clear a path for Jeremie's special delivery. The feline warrior keeps a death grip on the controls while his mind races at a million miles an hour. _

**Odd: **If we want to get there in one piece, I'd assume a couple of minutes at least.

_Jeremie checks the live feed of the Eurovision performance. The Subdigitals wave to a roaring crowd and start to exit the stage. The entire arena goes dark again to prepare for the next act. The Lyoko general puts his hand over his chest. His heart hammers at his rib cage while he sinks into his chair. The very air in his lungs seems to freeze. For several moments, Jeremie is unable to blink. _

**Jeremie: **Only o-one more p-performance to go. If the Czech band plays, it's all over. _His eyes glance over the performance list with a sinking feeling of unmitigated desperation. _After Spain performs its act, there will be nothing to-_Jeremie stops himself. He repeats the keyword again. _Spain. _His mind pauses, contemplating something absolutely…absurd. His tense hands loosen up while he continues to think. He checks the list again. _No, no I couldn't. That's outrageous. He wouldn't even be able to-_He cuts himself off again. _But if there's even the slightest chance…I have to take it…

_Back in Carthage, the twin Leviathan heads finally start to break through. The scaly necks slowly force their way through the narrow openings in the ceiling. The whole core chamber of Lyoko groans under the beast's enormous weight. The Leviathan lets out its dreadful screech again. It stares down at the shielded core like a predator ready to devour its helpless prey. Aelita activates her wings. A timid Natalya reaches for an arrow. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, it's ready to attack. We'll do all we can to bring it down, but it's not looking good right now…

_Jeremie checks his troops' progress in the Network. They are still a long way away from their target. Then he refocuses on the Eurovision coverage. The next act is bound to come on stage at any moment. The urgency of the situation eliminates all doubt in Jeremie's mind. _

**Jeremie: **At this point, what do I have to loose?

_In a box suite some distance away from Moriarty's, César and Isabel watch the concert with fading interest. The delay after the French performance continues with no sign of ending anytime soon. The prince consumes churros with chocolate, a common Spanish dessert, with increasing annoyance. _

**César: **Spain….late for its own performance. How typical.

**Isabel: **I'm sure it will start soon enough.

_Not pleased with this answer, César passes the empty plate in her direction. _

**César: **Go tell Felipe to get me some more.

**Isabel: **But you've already hate two platefuls…

**César: **Royalty does not need to be lectured on the amount of consumed churros. I demand another plate!

_Isabel sighs with exasperation. Before she can respond, the prince's phone starts to ring. Annoyed by another distraction to the performance, César answers the call with a clear lack of patience. _

**César: **_Has alcanzado al número del Príncipe de Asturias. __¿Qué quieres? _(You have reached the number of the Crown Prince. What do you want?)

**Jeremie: **Um…César? It's me, Jeremie?

_The voice of his former roommate lifts the bored prince's spirits considerably. He straightens his posture and engages his old friend. _

**César: **Jeremie, it's been a while. I thought you were going to the concert with your pink-haired beauty. What are you doing?

_Knowing that César is only interested in idle chit-chat, Jeremie cuts right to the chase. _

**Jeremie: **Listen, I don't have time to catch up. _He takes a deep breath. _I need your help. Scratch that, I really need your help.

_Completely unaware of what he's getting into to, César accepts Jeremie's plea. _

**César: **Sure, anything for you. What do you need?

**Jeremie: **I need you to keep the Czech Republic group from getting on stage as long as you possibly can.

_César blinks several times struggling to process the outrageous request. His expression is so bizarre that it catches Isabel's attention. _

**Jeremie: **César?

**César: **_Tío _(Dude [sort of])_, _ordinarily I would ask you what substance you are on, but that's so crazy you're even making me concerned.

**Jeremie: **Believe me…I'm not joking at all. This is absolutely serious. Lives…no, the security of the world is at stake. If the Czech group plays, the effects would be catastrophic. _Losing all sensitivity to secrecy, Jeremie blurts out the full magnitude of the situation. _The world as you know it would come to an end.

_The typical joking smile on César's face vanishes. He quickly becomes stern and agitated by Jeremie's words. _

**César: **If you're trying to copy my sense of humor, you are failing miserably. If this is some joke, it's not funny at all. You of all people should know-

**Jeremie: **I'M NOT JOKING!

_The absolute desperation in Jeremie's voice shocks César into silence. He finally decides to listen to what Jeremie has to say. _

**Jeremie: **Think about it for a minute. You've seen the crowds outside. You know the situation out there is tense. What better way to cause chaos then to do something horrible right at this fragile moment? Someone wants this concert to end in fear and violence.

_César gets out of his seat and starts to pace around. Isabel tries to get his attention to find out what's wrong, but he ignores her. Jeremie's warnings completely occupy his attention now. _

**César: **Who? The Order?!

**Jeremie: **More specifically, Dr. Renard. _César does not respond. He cannot. Jeremie continues to drive his point home. _I don't expect you to understand all of this, and frankly I wouldn't blame you. But you must understand politics. A terrorist attack, right at this fragile moment, is exactly what he needs to seize power in this country.

_Flabbergasted, the Spanish prince is forced to sit down again. Confusion and shock collectively floor him once the enormity of Jeremie's explanation hits home. _

**César: **_¡Dios! _(God!) Do you even know what you're saying? I know more than anyone that Renard's a jerk, but a terrorist?!

**Isabel: **What?!

**Jeremie: **If only he was just a terrorist. I'm afraid the truth is far worse than that.

_Exasperated by Jeremie's diversionary tactics of faulty explanation, César lashes out, demanding that he get to the heart of the matter. _

**César: **_¡Basta! _(Enough!) You have three seconds to explain to me exactly what is going on!

_In Lyoko's Core, Aelita flies up to engage the Leviathan while Natalya pilots the Overwing. Jeremie, seeing precious time run out before his very eyes, loses his patience with half-hearted explanations. With the rest of his options gone, he takes the gamble of the century. Foregoing all pretense of secrecy, he lays all his cards on the table. _

**Jeremie: **The Dr. Renard you know is more than a sham. He is a dangerous virtual entity known as Moriarty that is masquerading as a normal human being that uses the Internet itself and the intricacies of our interconnected world in an effort to take it over. The creation of The Order and all of his other political moves have been a front for world domination. And right now, an impending attack on the Eurovision concert will serve as his endgame to seize power. Once that happens, no one will be able to stop him. _Jeremie raises his head with confidence and continues. In the back of his mind, he knows that there is no stopping now. He has already crossed the Rubicon. The die is cast. _Aelita Stones, William Dunbar, Odd Della Robbia, Ulrich Stern, Yumi Ishiyama, Christophe M'Bala, Natalya Dikau, and myself have secretly been fighting him for months in a virtual world called Lyoko, which exists in a supercomputer in an abandoned car factory not too far from campus. With me being the only exception, every one of the students I have mentioned routinely goes into Lyoko via scanners and battles his forces as virtual avatars. Using the resources at our disposal, we have done our best to halt his schemes on Earth and Lyoko, but we are running out of time. _Before César can decry him as a madman, as the prince certainly wants to do at the moment, Jeremie pushes forward with his urgent message. _I know you must think I'm crazy, but before you hang up, listen to all of the things that I know. Our old history teacher, Gilles Fumet, was rendered insane to make a job opening at Kadic for him to take over. The hostage crisis at school was orchestrated to bring him into the national spotlight. The hostage takers were under his control. He created The Order as a foundation for public support of his ascent to power. The plague that broke out on campus was also his doing. He was trying to wipe out those who opposed him at the school. The only reason he survived the assassination attempt that killed Gustave Chardin is that he isn't human. And that's not all. Mr. Stern's tragic short circuit accident was no accident. It was a result of Moriarty trying to get a hold over his mind and access his finances. The destruction wrought on that island in Saint-Cloud was no freak lightning strike. Moriarty destroyed it in a battle with William. The terrorist attacks that have happened recently did not come from the Islamic Republic of France. That organization doesn't exist. It was masterminded by Moriarty to inspire fear. _Jeremie now directs his rant very close to home. _Radical Muslims didn't try to kill you. He did. _César's mouth opens and does not close. Shock seizes every facet of his being. His rational mind tries to dismiss all of this as insanity, but Jeremie's tone of authority and the sheer impossibility of making up something this complicated blur the lines between reality and fiction. _He wanted you out of the way because he knew you could be a problem for him given your privileged status. And you can still be a problem for him. That is why I am asking you, here and now-_In one last move, Jeremie makes sure to put the nail in the coffin of doubt_-TO STOP THIS CONCERT FROM GOING FORWARD!

_César's world is turned on its end in a record time of three seconds. _

**César: **_¡Joder! _(#$%&*)

_Jeremie doesn't give César any time to recover. He continues to press for him to act. _

**Jeremie: **You have plenty of reason to doubt what I'm saying but trust me when I tell you that we simply don't have time for you to question me. If we get through this, I will explain everything. But you have to do this for us in return. The free world is hanging by a thread and it will collapse if you don't do something NOW!

_César vacillates between labeling Jeremie's story as absurd and hanging up or plunging himself into the rabbit hole he has been presented with. He clings onto one last obstacle preventing him from acting. _

**César: **…Even if what you are saying is true, I don't have the authority to do anything! Spain's performance was picked months ago and I can't simply slow down-

_The prince is interrupted when a Eurovision aide suddenly barges into the room, much to the obvious chagrin of Felipe and the other bodyguards. With the pressure on him mounting, César turns his frustration onto the aide. _

**César: **_Por el amor de…¿Qué demonios quieres?! _(For the love of…What the hell do you want?)

**Eurovision Aide: **_Lo siento vuestra majestad, pero esto es una emergencia. Parece que el artista español, José Galdós, se ha hecho enfermo de un plato malo de escargot. Está vomitando sin parar en los camerinos. No puede cantar esta noche. _(I'm sorry Your Majesty, but this is an emergency. It appears that the Spanish artist, José Galdos, has gotten sick from a plate of bad escargot. He's vomiting without stopping backstage. He cannot sing tonight.) _César drops his harsh attitude and listens with rapt attention. __The messenger goes on._/_Como el representante español más importante aquí, según las reglas usted tiene que elegir un sustituto. _(As the most important Spanish representative here, according to the rules you need to choose a substitute.)

_The crown prince stands perfectly still with his phone still attached to his ear. His prolonged silence forces an increasingly frantic Jeremie to bring him back to reality. _

**Jeremie: **César, what's going on?!

_Before he can answer, Isabel voices her disbelief at the whole situation. _

**Isabel: **You're asking him to pick another musician NOW?! You've got to be joking…Spain's act is supposed to perform right this second! How in the world is he supposed to-?

**César: **No. There will be a substitute.

_Isabel and everyone else in the room stare at him, shocked that he has come up with a new candidate so quickly. _

**Isabel: **Excuse me?

**César: **_Felipe, tráigame mi violín. _(Felipe, bring me my violin.)

**Felipe: **_Sí mi Señor. _(Yes my Lord.)

**Isabel: **César, what are you-?

_César ignores her and turns his attention back to the Eurovision aide. _

**César: **Tell your bosses that Spain's performance is ready. And please send my apologies in advance to Pat Benatar.

_The aide, not fully understanding César, awkwarldly starts to back out of the room. _

**Eurovision Aide: **Um…yes sir.

_The messenger leaves and César speaks to Jeremie with the reckless confidence that he had been lacking for some time. _

**César: **Alright Jeremie, I'll play your game. But whatever you must do, do it quickly. I can only give so many encores.

_The prince hangs up without letting his friend reply and immediately checks his appearance in the mirror while Isabel walks up to him from behind to try and get his attention. _

**Isabel: **Oh no….You can't be serious! You can just waltz on stage with millions of people watching when you aren't even prepared!

_Felipe hands over the violin case to César, who casually grabs hold of it. _

**César: **Just watch me…

**Isabel: **But what about this whole thing of Dr. Renard being a terror-?

_César covers her mouth without a second thought. His expression remains calm, but there is a noticeable tinge of rising urgency in his voice. His irises reflect a newfound purpose that has little to do with his usual carefree self. _

**César: **Shh…..What you heard does not leave this room. In fact, you are not leaving this room. _He hands her his phone. _Answer it in case Jeremie calls. I'll be back soon.

_He exits the room, leaving her speechless. Felipe escorts him down the hallway towards backstage. _

**Felipe: **_Mi Señor, si sus padres supieran lo que iba a hacer usted, traerían de vuelta la pena de muerte y me colgarían en La Plaza Mayor. _(My Lord, if your parents knew what you were going to do, they would bring back the death penalty and hang me in the Plaza Mayor.)

_César cracks a faint smile. _

**César: **_Sí, pero es demasiado tarde para detenerme ahora._ (Yes, but it's too late to stop me now)_ /His smile quickly fades and is replaced by a look of developing anger and determination./ __Por la primera vez en mucho tiempo, un príncipe español va a la guerra. _(For the first time in a long time, a Spanish prince is going to war).

_In a different box suite, a glass filled with ice and vodka is thrown against the wall. The darkness in the arena infuriates Moriarty to no end. With ultimate victory so close to his grasp, the unexpected delay in his plans completely breaks down any semblance of the calm and collected mastermind. Furniture is tossed over in a fit of rage. He paces his room in front of the box window, impatiently waiting for all of his pieces to fall into place. Becoming uncomfortable in his suit, he tosses his jacket aside. He loosens his tie and then rips it off his neck. _

**Moriarty: **I swear, when all of this is said and done I will burn that godforsaken Iberian country off the face of the Earth!

_The megalomaniac contemplates forcing his Czech band on stage, but thinks the better of it. Still, his capacity to wait for his own grand finale is growing short. He has tasted too much of the banquet to be denied the main course. His mind wanders to the EMP underneath the stage. _

**Moriarty: **I could just…..no I can't. It has to be done right. _His voice assumes a lofty air as he dreams of his approaching grandeur. _The whole world has to see its peaceful complacency come crashing down. _He glares down at the dark stage. _Besides, they won't even turn the lights on yet.

_As if on cue, the stage begins to glow red and yellow. The host's voice can be heard throughout the arena. _

**Carlsson: **Ladies and gentlemen our apologies for the delay…

**Moriarty: **It's about time…

**Carlsson: **Tonight we have a very special treat for you. The performing artist representing Spain is none other than its very own crown prince, César Alfonso Victor de Bordón.

_Spanish citizens in the crowd suddenly break out into an uproar of elation. At the same time, Moriarty's fabricated insides turn inside out at the news. He presses his nose against the glass as the lights begin to illuminate the dimly lit stage. Stepping out of the darkness, César carries his violin and bow to the front. Behind him, a few extras serving as his guitarist, drummer, and pianist emerge from behind. After a short pause, César puts his violin up to his chin and closes his eyes. The crowd goes wild again. Meanwhile Moriarty is beside himself, refusing to believe that this is happening. His fingernails poke the glass, threatening to claw it to pieces. The prince looks over his shoulder and gives the go ahead to his hastily assembled crew from backstage. He mutters a few words under his breath. _

**César: **Dr. Renard, if what Jeremie has said is true, then you're going to regret failing to kill me.

_A thundering intro rattles from the stage as the guitar and drums ignite into an 80s rock anthem. The rhythm permeates the large arena with perfect clarity. Once the instruments in the back go into full swing, César follows with his own piece on the violin, matching the intensity of the others. After an initial cheer from the crowd, he launches into a male cover of Pat Benatar's "Invincible". _

**César: **_This bloody road remains a mystery_

_This sudden darkness fills the air _

_What are we waiting for?_

_Won't anybody help us?_

_What are we waiting for? _

_In the factory's depths William battles Dark William and Yumi near the steel girders that support the entire complex. The very atmosphere becomes electric as lightning blasts are exchanged among the three warriors. Dark William attempts to get in close and tries to strike his counterpart with a roundhouse kick. But William proves to be too nimble and dodges it with ease. He then counterattacks and pushes the dark shade into the underground canal with a splash. Dark Yumi grabs her enemy's shoulders from behind and sends an electric firestorm through his body. William screams in pain as the voltage attempts to fry his insides. But his constant companion forces him to handle the pain. _

**Xana: **You have two choices, slave. Die here, or turn the tables. Which one will it be?!

_William grits his teeth to the point that his gums almost start to bleed. His eyes light on fire with godlike energy and tenacity. _

**William: **I have come too far to die now!

_He finds the strength within to reverse the current, sending the electricity back into Dark Yumi, which makes her suffer the same pain as him. The female shade is then thrown up against a large concrete block underneath the girders. Before William can finish her off, his evil twin leaps out of the canal and aims the bottom of his right shoe at William's face. But the super-charged Lyoko Warrior once again avoids the kick and grabs his opponent by the heel. Dark William is sent sprawling into the concrete with Dark Yumi. William moves towards his prey as his hands light up with raw energy. Increasing waves of weakness start to slow him down. _

**Xana: **We need to finish them soon. This fight is pushing our limits.

**William: **I understand. This won't take long.

_The Leviathan strikes Lyoko's Core with a purple deluge of power emanating from its mouths. The first Lyoko shield immediately breaks. _

**Natalya: **If that happens again, Lyoko will be defenseless!

**Aelita: **Then we'll just have to make sure it doesn't get the chance.

_Aelita and Natalya fly around the heads like angry hornets, striking the monster with energy shields and arrows at every opportunity. The enraged monster now pursues the two insects with the goal of crushing them with one bite. Back at the arena, César jumps straight into the chorus. _

**César: **_We can't afford to be innocent_

_Stand up and face the enemy _

_It's a do or die situation _

_We will be invincible_

_The turrets fire at the Skid in a perfect symphony of laser fire. Red alerts light up the Skid's cockpit. _

**Odd: **I can't keep this up forever. _He looks up ahead. Moriarty's core has just now entered his line of sight. _And our target is still a long way!

_Jeremie keeps a bird's eye view of everything happening at once, including the concert. Though shocked at César's rash decision, he concludes that it was the best course of action. Every slight change in the situation fails to escape his attention. He can see the Skid's shields starting to crumble. _

**Jeremie: **If the Skid is going to survive, you're going to have to pull back. I'll try to restore the shields. Let Yumi and Ulrich make a run for it.

**Odd: **Are you sure that's a good idea?!

**Ulrich: **It's okay. We can handle it.

_The black databases start to swell and throb. Jeremie's monitor warns of a dangerous buildup of energy. His heart almost stops. _

**Jeremie: **No you can't! Moriarty is going to blow up the databases around you!

_The warriors only get a few seconds of warning. The databases become red and expand to their breaking point. _

**Yumi: **Oh sh-

**Odd: **QUICK! Pull up right next to me! I have an idea.

_Ulrich and Yumi obey without question. Odd increases the diameter of his weakened shields to protect both Nav Skids. He accomplishes just before the Network area erupts with several concussive blasts. The three hold on for their virtual lives. _

**César: **_This shattered dream you cannot justify_

_We're gonna scream until we're satisfied_

_What are we running for? We have the right to be angry_

_What are we running for?_

_When there's nowhere we can run to anymore? _

_William is forced to his knees. The two dark warriors hold him by his arms and bend them behind his shoulders, sending a spasm of unimaginable pain up his spine. Dark Yumi repeatedly kicks him in the back to coerce him to submit. _

**Dark Yumi: **SURRENDER! No human can take this abuse forever!

_The Lyoko Warrior compromises their death grip by shooting electricity through his arms. He searches deep within him to find the strength to fight on. _

**William: **I am no ordinary human!

_A red forcefield forms around his body that tosses the attackers aside. William shouts with a metallic roar that rejuvenates his body, mind, and spirit. A fist slams into the side of his face. Dark William picks him up by his shirt collar. _

**Dark William: **Do you think that show will intimidate us?! _He tears a giant hole in the middle of his shirt and reaches his right hand toward William's chest. _I'm going to send this blast straight into your heart!

_Dark William's right hand charges up. Right before he is ready to release the payload, William surprises him and bends the hand backwards, shattering the specter's wrist. _

**William: **Please….after you.

_Unable to stop the flow of energy, Dark William destroys himself. Now free from his grasp, William throws his jacket and ruined shirt to the side, prepared to face the last dark warrior. Dark Yumi remains incorrigibly spiteful and unmoved. _

**Dark Yumi: **Very well. The way I see it, I should be happy that I will get all the credit for destroying you.

**William: **The way I see it, you should be happy that you get to be the last to fall…

_Moriarty fumes as César devotes his entire soul to the music. The crowd responds positively and the flagwaving kicks into high gear throughout the audience. _

**César: **_We can't afford to be innocent_

_Stand up and face the enemy _

_It's a do or die situation_

_We will be invincible_

_The flurry of attacks by Aelita and Natalya do little more than augment the Leviathan's anger. Aelita flies around for another attack and hits one of the Moriarty eyes head on. She turns to Natalya. _

**Aelita: **NOW! Shoot at the other eye!

**Natalya: **Aelita look out!

_The other head swallows Aelita whole before she even knows what's happening. Now left alone, Natalya stares at the monster from her motionless Overwing. Both heads now focus solely on her. She can feel her knees tremble in front of its presence, and the entire core chamber periodically shakes from the enormous weight of the beast. Nevertheless, she moves in between the Leviathan and the Core, blocking its advance. Her hands shake as she notches an arrow and faces the greatest Moriarty monster head on. _

**Natalya: **I don't care how big you are….or how inexperienced I am. _An unprecendented amount of strength returns to her voice. The heads move ominously close to her. _I'm not the same helpless girl you kidnapped Moriarty. I'm a Lyoko Warrior, and I will not allow you to kill my friends!

**César: **_And with the power of conviction_

_There is no sacrifice_

_The smouldering Skid slowly sinks down into the infected Network zone. Alarms sound frequently inside the cockpit. Odd attempts to restart the Skid to no avail. He looks up as Yumi and Ulrich press on their attack run. The structural integrity of their Network sub begins to give. _

**Odd: **It's all up to you now. Just don't do anything drastic…

_While the turrets take their aim at Odd to finish him off, something catches the feline warrior's eye. One final Nav Skid is still attached to the doomed Skid. Before Odd has time to think, a laser barrage jolts him from his seat. His computer warns of imminent structural collapse. In his last virtual moments, Odd reaches for the docking release switch. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, what are you doing?

**Odd: **You never know. We might need it.

_The fourth Nav Skid undocks from its parent vehicle just before it explodes. A blue light envelops Odd while the smaller and empty vessel drifts further and further away from the line of fire. _

_The noise in the arena is so loud now that Moriarty can't even hear himself rage inside. César walks within touching distance of the front row without showing any signs of letting up on his performance. He lets the music do the work while his mind detaches itself from the fearful and dangerous reality of defying Moriarty in the most brazen way possible. _

**César: **_It's a do or die situation_

_We will be invincible_

_The Leviathan bears its two pairs of teeth. _

**Natalya: **I'm not afraid of you…

_The beast lets out its vicious high-pitched screech. The very chamber walls start to crumble, indicating that the Leviathan's enormous weight is taking its toll. Natalya nearly loses her grip on the bow. _

**Natalya: **Okay, so I'm a little afraid of you…But I can't let that stop me!

_The back of the monster's throats start to glow. Natalya moves slightly to the side and hits the right neck with an arrow. As planned, the angry Leviathan loses focus on the Core of Lyoko to vent its wrath on her. Two purple jet streams thunder out of the jaws of the enemy. Natalya barely maneuvers the Overwing away in time. The blast shakes the entire chamber again, nearly causing her to fall off of her vehicle. _

**Jeremie: **The southern pole won't be able to take much more of this!

_The Leviathan's jaws now move to swallow the core whole. Only a thin cub shield stands in between the beast and unimaginable defeat. In an instant, Natalya channels her panic into an unyielding drive to do what she must. _

**Natalya: **NO! –_She accelerates the Overwing and sideswipes the vehicle into the left head, knocking the monster back._-You will not win…YOU WILL NOT WIN!

_César's mood on stage becomes decidedly more somber and quietly angry as the song reaches a temporary lull. He glances up in the direction of Moriarty's box, which only infuriates his true archenemy even more. _

**César: **_Won't anybody help us? _

_What are we running for? _

_Blood drips down William's forehead, running across his face as if it were sweat. Dark Yumi dukes it out with her weary opponent. An electrical blast narrowly misses William's ear. He utilizes the momentum from his dodging motion to punch the dark shade in the stomach and send her reeling across the other side of the canal. William charges his hands up and tries to finish the job, but the sparks in his fingers suddenly die. Weakness overcomes him and he goes to his knees. _

**William: **Xana, what's happening?!

**Xana: **We've reached our limits. I can't afford to use any more electricity.

_Dark Yumi, still standing after the attack, flips backwards and uses the concrete block underneath the steel girders to launch herself back onto William's side of the canal. The Lyoko Warrior braces himself and holds his arms out in a defensive position. Nevertheless her direct charge knocks him several meters back past the steel girders and close to the wall. The bruised warrior can't even stand at this point. As he tries to sit up, the female shade reaches her electrified hands towards his neck. William grabs hold her wrists to hold her off, but his strength is slowly failing him. His futile resistance whets her murderous appetite. Her behavior becomes manic with malevolence and a twisted enthusiasm. _

**Dark Yumi: **Yes. YES! THE GLORY WILL BE ALL MINE! _She laughs to the point that her very jaw becomes unhinged and demonic looking. The metallic shrill in her joyous cackle sends a chill of disgust up William's spine. _YOUR DEATH WILL BE MY CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT!

_The face of the now weakened warrior exhibits signs of losing the will to fight on. His muscles ache to no end. His bruises and sores cry out for an end to the seemingly endless madness. The blood flows out of him with greater intensity. But even in the worst of moments, William still has his trump card. _

**Xana: **Slave! Look behind you!

_William obeys. Over his shoulder about two meters away stands a large metal box with the sign: DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE. A modicum of strength returns to William's limbs. _

**César: **_When there's nowhere_

_Nowhere we can run to anymore? _

_William summons the last bit of his strength to throw Dark Yumi off of him. He kicks her in the groin with enough force to send her colliding into the metal box. Her charged body triggers the voltage inside and fries her. The dark shade screams so loudly that William's ears are almost permanently damaged. She continues screaming as her body slips away into dark smoke. Her face becomes contorted from the overwhelming electrical charge. _

**Dark Yumi: **Ahh it burns! IT BURNS!

_At long last, Dark Yumi fades into absolute nothingness. A split second afterward, William succumbs to exhaustion and lies on the floor. _

**William: **That was my intention.

_In Lyoko Natalya avoids the Leviathan's blasts yet again by guiding the Overwing to move between them. Several more arrows into the beast's body keep its attention solely on her. Losing patience, the Leviathan forces its arm through the side of the cylindrical chamber. Caught off guard, Natalya loses the Overwing and lands on the circular staircase. The two heads soon corner her, leaving her nowhere to escape. The paw reaches forward, exposing more cracks in the chamber in an effort to crush her. Natalya rolls away and stands up to see the monster charging up its throats yet again. Quickly realizing that she has no time to move out of the way, Natalya adjusts her strategy. She takes out an arrow and notches it. _

**Jeremie: **Natalya what are you doing?! GET OUT OF THE WAY!

_Natalya, remaining as composed as a statue, shows no signs of obeying. Her virtual body glows a radiating shade of white. The Leviathan prepares to unleash its devastating strike while she refuses to budge. _

**Natalya: **No. It should've gotten out of my way…

_The monster fires. The tidal wave hits her straight on. Natalya digs her heels into the ground, struggling to absorb all of that energy. With her invincibility fully activated, she becomes brighter than the sun and then redirects the blast at the right head. At the same time, she turns her notched arrow at the left one and lets it go. The arrow strikes it in the eye. Both eyes are struck simultaneously, causing the monster to screech, this time in pain. Then, after a few seconds, cracks appear in the monster's armor. The cracks spread up the long necks into the ceiling where the rest of the body is hidden. Gradually the entire body ruptures and the beast falls apart. Its two heads fall to the bottom of the chamber and wither away. The monster's destruction shakes the entire chamber once again. Some of the stairs fall, but both the Core of Lyoko and Natalya remain standing. The conquering beauty stands guard with an audacious and sly grin on her face, almost goading Moriarty to try to test her again. For a moment, Jeremie is left speechless. _

**Jeremie: **Natalya…._He has no idea what to say, so the first thing that pops in his head comes out of his mouth…_If I were William, I would marry you on the spot.

_Several squad cars of the Parisian police push through an opening in the crowd to towards the front entrance of the arena. The unexpected arrival of the authorities temporarily quiets the opposing sides on either side of the metal fences. The imposing figure of Chief Benoit steps out of the lead car. Though his facial expression gives off no visible emotion, a certain anxiety in his eyes betrays the truth of his growing unease. He points to several officers keeping the two crowds apart._

**Benoit: **You over there, come with me! We'll need your backup.

_The officers hesitate, given that there are supposed to keep the peace in this tense moment, but the order of the chief remains firm. _

**Benoit: **Now!

_The officers follow Benoit and his officers into the building. Cameramen and journalists on the scene try to investigate what is happening, but they are quickly rebuffed. Jacqueline watches them with concern. _

**Jacqueline: **What's going on? Why would they need that many officers?

**Patrick: **Beats me. But they're must be at least twenty of them going in there.

_Mathias forces his way to the front of The Order crowd just as the final officers disappear from earshot. _

**Mathias: **Wait! STOP, YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO ME!

_He turns to the remaining officers on the scene, but they are too focused on keeping the crowd in check with their sparse numbers that they do not hear him. Before Mathias can scream his lungs out, someone grabs him on the shoulder. _

**Henri: **Mathias, look over there!

_Mathias looks to his right. While the police are distracted, the scrawny figure of Herb Pichon leaps over the metal fence and then jumps over the next one into the Outcast crowd. His rash and inexplicable action so stuns the Outcasts that they put up very little resistance to his unwarranted invasion. After a two second delay, some of the Outcasts scream when Herb pulls out his knife. The surprised police at first have no idea what has just transpired. Mathias finally manages to get their attention. _

**Mathias: **Someone jumped in the Outcast crowd and he has a knife! He's going to kill someone!

**Police Officer: **WHAT?! What does he look like?!

_Mathias, having waited so long to warn the police, falters a moment before answering. _

**Mathias: **He…he's wearing glasses and has a bad haircut…and he's wearing black and purple!

**Police Officer: **But you're all wearing black and-

_A second piercing scream cuts through the air. The officers pull out their weapons and force their way into the Outcast crowd. Mathias reads the reactions of those on the other side of the fence. They are frozen, unspirited, absolutely blown away by a sight that has no room for words. Moriarty's protégé chokes on his own horror and sinks to his knees. _

**Mathias: **No…

_The vanguard of the Lyoko Warriors, Yumi and Ulrich, begins to close the distance on Moriarty's Core. Their pathway between the black and swollen databases becomes narrower and narrower over time. It gets to the point that they can barely navigate through the Network side by side. Meanwhile the turret fire becomes more intense as they draw closer to Moriarty's vital weak spot. The two are close enough that they begin to merge their shields together for added protection. But the shields aren't strong enough for the strategy to last forever. _

**Yumi: **Jeremie, we need stronger shields!

_Jeremie's iron gaze stays only a few centimeters away from the monitor. His ground troops are getting closer to the target by the second and his head pounds with every heartbeat that seems to reverberate into his cranium. He diverts power away from the supercomputer for their personal use. _

**Jeremie: **I can try but the supercomputer is not a gas pump. There's only so much extra power I can give you. _Several alarms pop up on the monitor, warning of possible internal damage to the supercomputer. Jeremie feels his breath escape from his lungs in subtle gasps. _In fact, it's almost at the point of overheating!

_Up ahead, the path they are following becomes too narrow for both of them to continue together. Thinking quickly, Yumi eyes another detour that would lead her straight to Moriarty's heart. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, I'm switching lanes!

**Ulrich: **Got it.

_She hesitates for a split second. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich, before I-

_Ulrich explodes with bottomless frustration before she can finish her sentence. _

**Ulrich: **Is this really the time for conversation?!

**Yumi: **YES! I need to say something!

**Ulrich: **WHAT?!

_Yumi pulls her Nav Skid back in anticipation of her turn. A slight tremor of emotion leaks into her voice in the midst of this final showdown. _

**Yumi: **If you collide into the core….I'll never forgive you.

_Ulrich doesn't skip a beat in his response. He even cracks a half smile. _

**Ulrich: **I wasn't planning on it. And the same goes for you…

_Without wasting any more time on words or feelings, Yumi separates and the duo continue their attack run on their own. _

_César carries his momentum into the last few lines of the song, never losing the audience for a moment. Isabel watches the performance from the box, holding her hand over her mouth as she tries to sort the reason for the prince's sudden outrageous behavior. The lights on stage fluctuate wildly and envelop César and the band behind him in successive waves of bright red and yellow. _

**César: **_We can't afford to be innocent _

_Stand up and face the enemy _

_The collection of police officers files down the luxury hallway of the arena according to standard protocol. As they near their destination, Benoit stops and reaches for his pistol. _

**Benoit: **Have your sidearms at the ready…

**Police Officer: **But sir he's unarm-

**Benoit: **Just do it! Now is not the time for questions.

**César: **_It's a do or die situation_

_We will be invincible. _

_Yumi comes within one hundred and fifty meters of the large open area surrounding Moriarty's Core. Her sights lock on to the glassy sphere that embodies all of his malevolent power. Jeremie's forcibly tranquil and robotic voice filters through her Nav Skid. _

**Jeremie: **Yumi, you're the closest one. _Three second pause. _Take the shot.

_Her targeting computer registers a definite lock. She calmly makes the final adjustments. _

**Yumi: **Moriarty…_She activates her one Cannae missile_. _Her gun port lights up bright green as it prepares to fire the weapon_…You don't deserve any last words.

_Just before the torpedo is launched, Ulrich interrupts her with an urgent message. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, Moriarty's making the databases swell again!

_Her eyes dart to her right and left. Sure enough, the databases have become dark red and have swollen to their maximum capacity. _

**Yumi: **We need to move!

**Ulrich: **No time! I'm taking my shot right he-!

_Ulrich is cut off in a subsequent explosion that quickly spreads in Yumi's direction. With only seconds away from reaching the end of the tunnel, she pushes the Nav Skid forward as hard as she can. The chain reaction explosion follows her, but she manages to flee into the large area surrounding Moriarty's Core in time. She places her hands on the trigger, thinking of nothing else but what must be done. _

**Yumi: **I…I made it!

_But just as she takes the shot, the explosion of the databases behind her knocks her Nav Skid off balance. Her one Cannae Initiative missile misfires and barrels toward one of the four pyramid structures surrounding the core. It hits the wrong target, causing the pyramid to quickly dissolve into nothingness. The core trembles, sending pulse waves that further rock her Nav Skid, but the core remains intact. Yumi doesn't move. The shock of her second failure devastates her beyond the capacity of any human physical reaction. _

**Yumi: **I…missed. I've doomed everyth-

_Her last sentence is cut off when one of the turrets blows her up from behind. Moriarty's Core is left without a challenger to destroy it. Back in the lab, Jeremie pulls out his earpiece. With no one left in the fight for the Network, Jeremie slips out of his chair and falls to the ground. His entire face breaks out into cold sweat. Aelita and Odd try to pull him up from the floor, but he will have none of it. _

**Jeremie: **We…are finished.

_The utter despair in Jeremie's voice drains the heat from their bodies. The complete loss of hope from their own general zaps them off the much needed confidence that has kept them going this entire time. Nevertheless, Odd feels the need to intervene. _

**Odd: **That's not true. We still have that one drifting Nav Skid, remember?

**Aelita: **Yes! All you have to do is use the Trans-Network Cyber Bridge and use it to send one of us-

_Jeremie explodes in a wrathful act of desperation and throws his glasses halfway across the room. _

**Jeremie: **THAT'S A ONE IN A HUNDRED SHOT AT THIS POINT! Besides, even if I could, who would go?! _He stares at the two obviously haggard warriors around him. _You both are exhausted, and so am I. Ulrich and Yumi will take too much time to recover from their abrupt devirtualization. William's beaten senseless. Natalya is still in Carthage and she has virtually no experience in the Network. _He grabs hold of Odd's shoulders and shakes him violently. Tears come to Jeremie's eyes. _WHO DO WE HAVE LEFT?!

_Almost immediately, the three warriors hear a noise from above. They look up. Standing on one of the computer interface's support beams is a dark figure covered with grime and dirty water. He gazes down at those below him with an aura of righteous vengeance emanating from his physically and emotionally scarred face. All three warriors stare at the intruder with incredulity written on their shocked expressions. Their mouths drop. In spite of all logic, they recognize this creature of nobility, filth, and rage. _

**Christophe: **What…the…hell happened to the elevator?!

_In Moriarty's private box, the self-imposed star of honor falls to the floor, clutching his side in pain. For a moment his flesh almost caves in on itself, drawing tight around his bones. But eventually he is able to recover his mostly regular features. _

**Moriarty: **That Japanese witch! …That nearly killed me. _Though he is still in pain, he manages a smile. _But it's all over now. _He looks up at the ceiling, feeling the weight of his own delusional glory engulf him. _I won. _After some initial difficulty, Moriarty stands up. César is still singing, this time repeating the last bits of the chorus several times in order to delay him. Moriarty aims his electrified hand in the direction of the nuisance that has outlived its welcome. _Which means you won't delay me any longer.

**Felipe: **I do not think so. _Moriarty wheels around to see Felipe enter with his gun drawn. _I made an oath to the prince that I would protect him from anything, and that includes you…no matter what you are.

_Moriarty's annoyance reaches its unacceptable limit. In a flash, Felipe's firearm is magnetized to the ceiling. He throws Felipe against the wall and begins electrocuting him. _

**Moriarty: **I do not have time for you! Anyone who gets in my way now will die!

_Chief Benoit and several other officers enter the box as the scene unfolds. _

**Benoit: **Dr. Renard, you are wanted for questioning involving the death of Dr.-_His eyes cannot process the supernatural phenomenon happening in front of him. Some of the inexperienced officers drop their weapons at the sight._-My God…

_Moriarty, realizing he's been caught, comes very close to losing it entirely and sending half the arena into a blazing inferno. Instead of resorting to that, he drops Felipe to the ground and sighs. A wave of his hand makes the door to the box suite close on the officers. _

**Benoit: **Hey, let us in! You're under arrest!

**Moriarty: **As if anyone would believe you Chief. _He calmly adjusts his cufflinks. _And make no mistake. I'll be back to claim what is mine very soon.

_Moriarty holds his arms out at shoulder level and starts to dissolve into black smoke. Flesh, bones, and muscle evaporate into a red and black vapor that travels into one of the electrical sockets. Aside from his jacket, every other trace of him is gone. Benoit and his men break down the door. _

**Benoit: **FREEZE!

_No one is there except an unconscious Felipe. The officers cautiously enter the box suite. _

**Police Officer: **Sir, he's not in the restroom.

**Benoit: **Keep looking. Tell the other units to find a doctor for this man and block the exits. Dr. Renard is not leaving this arena without his hands behind his back.

_The trembling officer tries to speak up. _

**Police Officer: **But sir, that…thing he was doing…

_Benoit shuts down the query with a cool and stern stare of unyielding authority. _

**Benoit: **Listen to me. All of you…_Every officer in the room gives him his attention. _What you saw in this room is to be kept permanently quiet.

_The thousands of Outcasts and Order affiliates outside the arena have fallen silent. The police move into the Outcast crowd to the source of the disturbance. Mathias follows them close behind. They break up the masses gathered around the scene. Despite the authorities' best efforts, it is impossible to prevent anyone from seeing the full horror of what has transpired. The first thing Mathias sees is Delmas, who has been shoved to the ground with his daughter by his side. But to his confusion and relief, he is not apparently injured. Rather, Delmas seems far more concerned with the plight of another. He turns his head in the direction Delmas was staring and chokes. Herb's knife has found a target. But the butt end of the blade protrudes out of Jim's chest, only slightly below his heart. Jim remains standing, blocking Herb's deadly path to Delmas, but the painful contortions in his face reveal the true severity of the wound. Herb's hands still clutch the weapon, refusing to let go. Though his initial intensity has died down, the same crazy bloodlust does not disappear. Rather, he appears more disappointed and agitated that he hit the wrong man instead of feeling any compunction for his violent deed. For a while, no one moves as the blood continues to leak below the blade. Finally, one of the policemen grabs Herb from behind and pulls him away from Jim. Immediately afterwards, Jim loses his footing and falls to the concrete with the knife still sticking out. The police drag the still hysterical and clearly mentally incapicated Herb Pinchon away from the scene. _

**Herb: **That…that's what you all get! This is what you deserve!

**Police Officer: **WE NEED A PARAMEDIC OVER HERE NOW!

_Jim struggles to breathe as officers and then paramedics crowd around him. They start to push the bystanders aside. Jacqueline puts her face in Patrick's shoulder while he looks away. Every Kadic student present watches the horror with the increasingly desperate hope that their fears will prove to be ridiculous. But judging by the furious action of the paramedics, such a hope seems to be in vain. _

**Sissi: **Daddy….why?

**Delmas: **Jim….I-_The school principal who has aged so much over the past few months removes his glasses and lets them fall to the asphalt. He covers his eyes. _You could have stayed out of the way…

_Even while the paramedics try to save him, the noble gym teacher coughs on his own blood to reply. _

**Jim: **But then-_More coughing_-I wouldn't be doing my job sir.

**Paramedic: **We're losing him!

_Delmas starts to sob openly. Jim's breathing become more and more strained. As the seconds tick away, Jim's prospects look increasingly bleaker. The paramedics remove his outer clothing around the wound and try to stop the bleeding, but it has little effect. They give him oxygen but it does not work much either. Mathias falls to his knees and covers his face in shame. He briefly opens his eyes in Jim's direction. To his great surprise, Jim feebly smiles and gives him a thumbs up. Tears leak out of Mathias' eyes. He glances down at his black shirt with the purple insignia. A tidal wave of revulsion strikes him. In an instant he strips down to his white undershirt and throws The Order uniform as far as he can away from him. His body trembles. _

**Mathias: **We went too far. _Pause. _We went way too far…and I helped it happen. _His voice becomes high-pitched and frail. _I'm so sorry!

**Jim: **Y-Yes. _Mathias looks in his direction. Jim's gaze is distant and unreadable. The paramedics have all but given up on any sort of chance of saving him._-You…did go…too far. _He coughs blood and the paramedics have to remove the mask to prevent him from choking. _But…never too late…to change.

**Mathias: **What are you talking about? Look at what we've done!

**Jim: **Just a…gym teacher. World will…move on.

**Delmas: **Jim!

**Sissi: **Don't talk like that!

_Mathias stands up over Jim, his eyes still flooded with tears. _

**Mathias: **You mean more to us than than you'll ever know!

_Jim manages a goofy smile while the faces of the paramedics become more despondent. _

**Jim: **Then…prove it. _He stares Mathias right in the eye. _Rebuild…what Renard destroyed.

_A sad calm lightly rests on Mathias. He then straightens up and gives him a military salute, abandoning The Order sign of respect. _

**Mathias: **Of course. I promise.

_Jim shuts his eyes. He glances up. Life ebbs away from him while he stares at the moon. In his dying vision, it shines brighter than the sun. His fading hearing picks up a very soft tune that is mysterious and chaotic….yet beautiful at the same time. His face lights up with childlike wonder. _

**Jim: **Wow….I wish I could talk about this.

_His lungs give out just before the stretcher arrives. Jim's motionless body is hoisted up and slowly taken away in the midst of thousands of solemn witnesses, united by a common sorrow. _

_The scanner doors close on Christophe. Upstairs, the rest of the Lyoko Warriors monitor Jeremie's work with trepidation that cannot fully be fathomed. In the Network, the cyber bridge on the Lyoko access gate adjusts and targets one of the last remaining holes in Moriarty's shield. Jeremie's contraption begins to charge up. The general wipes his brow. _

**Jeremie: **Only one shot at this. Are you sure you want to do this Christophe?

_The determination in Christophe's heart, body, and soul will not permit any doubt. _

**Christophe: **I'm doing this…with or without your help.

**Jeremie: **If this is about revenge, we can't risk-

**Christophe: **I'm going…_He shuts his eyes…_You've done enough today. And he's done more than enough to me today.

_Jeremie shares a brief look with his fellow warriors. None of them protest. _

**Jeremie: **Well then, godspeed.

_The all too familiar process starts up. Scanner. Transfer. Virtualization. The Trans-Network Cyber Bridge fires its powerful white beam into the receding gap in the shield. The solitary Nav Skid Odd abandoned comes to life once Christophe is energized inside. He turns the small sub around in the direction of Moriarty's Core. _

**Jeremie: **The database explosion that took out Ulrich and Yumi has left you just enough space to slip through.

_Christophe doesn't speak. He acts. The Nav Skid takes off like a rocket in the direction of Moriarty's Core. The distance closes quickly. The Lyoko Warriors watch the spectacle with hearts pounding beyond the acceptable threshold. _

**Yumi: **He's going to make it!

**Ulrich: **There's nothing in his way…

_Before Jeremie can crack up and start laughing from disbelief and joy, Aelita crushes his rising spirits when she points to one of Jeremie's Eurovision cameras. _

**Aelita: **Look! What are they doing?!

_Jeremie twists his head to the camera view and his mind and heart once again sink into a frightful despair. The Czech band is working feverishly on their EMP device. The machine starts to light up. _

**Jeremie: **Oh no….

**Odd: **But I thought Moriarty was going to wait for them to go on stage!

**Jeremie: **Apparently César is taking much more time than Moriarty finds acceptable. They're starting up the bomb!

**Ulrich: **How much time do we have?!

**Jeremie: **Minutes…

_Before panic can begin, Christophe interrupts with an unnatural peace to his words. _

**Christophe: **It's okay. _He keeps his eyes on target. _That's more time than I'll need.

_Christophe keeps pressing the attack with only minor interference from the turrets. He continues the attack run until he is only seconds away from firing range. The other warriors bite their nails. Christophe locks on the glassy target. His fingers remain calm on the controls. But right before he hits the trigger, a sudden fluctuation in the Network knocks the Nav Skid off balance. _

**Christophe: **What's happening?!

_The computer monitor detects a massive cloud of churning chaotic energy heading straight for the core. Jeremie swallows with unmatched dread. He has seen this reading before. _

**Christophe: **Let me guess. I have some special company.

**Jeremie: **Unfortunately, you're right.

_Christophe closes his eyes. When they are opened, they radiate an energy and righteousness that is not off this world. _

**Christophe: **Good. This is just what I wanted.

_A dark black and red cloud churns right in front of the core. Out of its ugly amorphous form comes the shape of a skull four times the size of the Nav Skid. The burning eyes of Moriarty bear down on him, blocking any way to victory. Without a word, Christophe slows the tiny sub to a halt. Two seconds pass between them. Moriarty looks at him with amusement. A sudden outburst of laughter shakes the Network all the way to Lyoko. Christophe is unfazed. _

**Moriarty: **Really? At the very end of it all, this is the best the might Lyoko Warriors could send against me? _He looks up. _What happened Jeremie? Did the other warriors get scared? Were you forced to send the heroic nutcase against me? _His expression becomes hostile and full of wicked glee. _Oh it warms my heart to know that this_-He motions a tentacle arm in the direction of Christophe_-is your last stand. How utterly pathe-

_Moriarty's rant is cut off by a missile planted directly in his face. His form contorts in pain and rage. _

**Moriarty: **What a foolish gesture. Was that the rage of your dead parents talking?

**Christophe: **Yes. _He charges up all his available torpedoes save the Cannae Initiative one. _But this is the rage of all those you have hurt and killed during your inexcusable tyrannical reign of terror!

_Two more missiles pound into Moriarty. His tentacle arms writhe in pain and quickly target Christophe, who dodges the attacks as best he can. _

**Moriarty: **YOU FOOL! You know that those torpedoes are nothing more than bee stings to me. _His skull and eyes burn with greater intensity. _They just make me angrier!

_In an amazing display of ajility and purpose, Christophe manages to slip through the web of arms to reach the pyramid structures. He targets the remaining three. _

**Christophe: **Then let's see how this feels!

_Four torpedoes slam into the pyramids surrounding the core, causing havoc wherever they go. Moriarty howls with every strike, but he continues his ferocious attacks. A tentacle arm strikes the Nav Skid and makes Christophe spin around. When he recovers his bearings, he finds himself right in front of Moriarty's cruel soulless and smoky face. Jeremie and the other Lyoko Warriors cover their eyes. _

**Jeremie: **No…

_Odd looks away. _

**Odd: **This is not how it's supposed to end…

_Moriarty opens his mouth, releasing a jet of fiery energy that quickly engulfs Christophe's Nav Skid. The shields warn of imminent failure. Gritting his teeth, Christophe jerks the Nav Skid into reverse away from the blast. The sub then backflips and heads for the core. Within two seconds, however, a tentacle arm wraps around the Nav Skid. Moriarty wastes a precious few seconds gloating with victory in his grasp. _

**Moriarty: **Oh…so close…you were just so close.

_As the tentacle arm starts to crush the Nav Skid, Christophe checks his weapons. He has one regular missile left. _

**Christophe: **Gotta make it count.

_Christophe drains energy from his own Nav Skid into the shields, which expand and forcibly loosen Moriarty's grip. In his split second of freedom, he fires a torpedo directly at the tip of one of the pyramids. The subsequent explosion rocks the core and sends an electric shock throughout the entire structure. Moriarty's smoky form lets out a metallic scream and lets go of Christophe. The monstrous entity undergoes a painful spasm and starts to sink lower in the Network, leaving the Lyoko Warrior alone in front of an unguarded target. The other warriors on Earth are beside themselves. They watch with eyes wide and mouths shut. They cannot miss this moment. With Moriarty distracted, Christophe lines up his sights and locks on. The Cannae Initiative missile locks on to its target. _

**Christophe: **Mom. Dad. I wish I could have told you that I love you. I can't now. _His index finger reaches for the trigger. _BUT I CAN AVENGE YOU!

_He presses the trigger. Nothing happens. Unable to believe the setback, he tries again. Nothing. An error message pops up in Nav Skid computer informing him that the missile launching system is bugged. _

**Christophe: **Jeremie!

_A frantic and emotionally tormented Jeremie works to fix the small bug. _

**Jeremie: **ARE YOU (EXPLETIVE) KIDDING ME?! After all this, we're stopped by a tiny little bug in the Nav Skid! _He swears loudly and analyzes the problem. _Give me one minute…I WILL FIX THIS!

_Aelita points to the monitor. _

**Aelita: **But the EMP is less than a minute away from exploding!

_Christophe looks below him. From deep underneath the Nav Skid, a rejuvenated Moriarty is rising toward him. At the rate of his ascent, he is only fifteen seconds away. His ferocious jaw opens, ready to swallow his viscerally hated enemy. _

**Moriarty: **I WILL ERASE YOU!

_He then looks down at the Nav Skid computer. The Cannae Initiative missile is locked, but it is still active. He glances back at the core. In a flash, something clicks within him. An epiphany, a revelation of deep understanding directs his very being towards the core. All the sacrifices that he has seen, all the pain he has suffered and witnessed others suffer suddenly fills him with a purpose that is beyond himself. In that single moment, he becomes a Lyoko Warrior in the purest of forms: selfless, unyielding, and unrelenting. He grips the controls. _

**Christophe: **Guys, thanks for everything.

_The Nav Skid begins a collision course with Moriarty's Core. At first the warriors cannot say anything. Then some of them start to scream. Odd, now understanding what his prophecy truly meant, faints from the mental stress. _

**Jeremie: **CHRISTOPHE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

**All Warriors: **STOP! PLEASE STOP!

_Christophe registers their pleas with a pleasant smile. He is moments away from hitting the core head-on. _

**Christophe: **It's okay. I get it now. _He looks straight ahead. _I told you Moriarty would regret making an enemy out of me. And I stand by my word.

_Moriarty emerges from the depths. Desperation to the point of voracious animal instinct propels him to stop his adversary, but he is just out of reach. _

**Moriarty: **NO! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING!…I'LL REFORM!...I'LL HELP THE WORLD! NOT CONQUER IT! JUST DON'T KILL ME!

_Just before the tip of Nav Skid hits the core, Christophe shouts out one last message. _

**Christophe: **I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME MORIARTY! ENJOY YOUR PERMANENT STAY IN HELL!

…_.Impact. A sudden spontaneous explosion echoes throughout the Network. Green cracks start to form all over the core and the pyramid structures. They grow and spread until everything in Moriarty's infected zone of the Network glows as bright as the stars. In one concussive blast, the whole thing is undone. Moriarty, staring into the face of his own destruction, screams silently as his red and block smoky essence dissolves. He stares at his own tentacle arms which vanish in front of his hollow and horrified eye sockets. The tyrant virtual entity thrashes around as he caves in on himself. Moriarty and all his possessions in the Network explode, leaving nothing in its wake but a gap of neutral aqua green Network space. The tower in the Mountain Sector quietly becomes blue again. The Czech Republic band at the Eurovision concert collapses on the floor. The EMP dies without incident. Erik Carlsson comes onto the stage at Eurovision and announces a pause in the performance due to a recent tragedy outside the arena. While Jim Morales' body is taken away, The Order protesters retreat, scattering to the winds without their moral authority or their leader. The Lyoko Warriors stare at the computer monitor. Natalya, who supports William on her shoulder, cries softly. The others cannot react. Their emotional and physical strength has been pushed too far for them to have the capacity to mourn or celebrate. Jeremie removes his glasses and wipes them with his shirt. _

**Jeremie: **It's done. Moriarty…_He puts his glasses back on_…has fallen.

_In a private room in the Eurovision arena, police continue to question Mathias Burel, who is still very emotionally rattled. One of the two officers stands up from his metal chair. _

**Police Questioner: **So, despite the violence Mr. Pinchon displayed against his fellow students, you didn't think something like this could happen?

_Mathias looks down at the table. _

**Mathias: **We always thought he went too far…but not like this. _He slowly shakes his head_…Not like that.

_The officers share a brief look. _

**Police Questioner: **It sounds to me like your whole group was developing a serious history of violence. Did it ever occur to you that things might get out of hand?

**Mathias: **No. Dr. Renard…he…._He rubs his forehead_…when things started out, it was all so great. We weren't just students. We were something else. Something stronger. _Mathias pauses and looks off to the side. He slouches in his uncomfortable chair. _Then all of his promises got stuck in our heads. We kept growing. Our numbers increased daily. We had the honor of being the first school to start this whole thing. We were the Commandant's vanguard and-

_His voice trails off. _

**Police Questioner: **And before you knew it, you were caught up in a frenzy, was that it?

**Mathias: **We started doing things we never would have dreamed of doing. And we thought it was okay…

_The silent officer writes down a few more notes and then stands up. _

**Police Questioner: **Okay. We're going to take a break for a little bit. Do you want any coffee or something? No offense, but you look like hell.

**Mathias: **None taken, and yes that would be great.

_The officers leave the room. Mathias places his head on the table and turns his head away from the door. He closes his eyes, but a sparking noise soon prompts them to open again. Across the table, a single electric socket flickers with electricity. Mathias sits up and watches the strange phenomenon with concern. But before he can warn the other officers, the whole socket comes alive. A disorganized spectral mass crawls out of the wall, eventually forming the upper half of Moriarty. His face is missing half of its flesh, and his whole bodily structure fades in and out haphazardly. His jaw becomes unhinged while his hands turn into long misshapen nails that try to claw out of the electrical prison that is sucking him back in. His maddened and inhuman eyes focus on Mathias, who is on the verge of either screaming or having a fatal heart attack. _

**Moriarty: **Mathias…HELP ME!

_Mathias' skin turns ghostly white. The monster in front of him screeches madly and temporarily loses his own arms. He continues to fade in and out. _

**Moriarty: **You s-s-scum…YOU ARE MY SLAVE! ALL OF YOU ORDER FOOLS ARE MY SLAVES! OBEY ME! _He howls again. Mathias covers his ears and breaks out in a cold sweat. Mortal fear replaces rage in Moriarty's half-formed face. _THIS WAS MY TIME! MY MOMENT OF GLORY! _The socket sucks him back in like a vacuum. He claws the floor with all of his frantic might. _NO! NO I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!

_He vanishes. The room is silent again. Mathias doesn't take his eyes off of the electrical outlet for a moment. He softly whimpers and spends the next few minutes in a frozen and terrified catatonic state. Over and over the sight replays in his head, and deep down he knows that he will never forget it for the rest of his days. Five minutes later the officers return. _

**Police Questioner: **Hey kid, do you want cream and sugar?

_Without looking at the officer, Mathias shakes his head. His hands move down to his groin in an attempt to prevent the policemen from noticing the dampness in his underwear. _

**Mathias: **No…no coffee is no longer necessary.

_Away from the chaos, violence, and misery, Rosaire Dunbar prepares to lock up the church for the night. As he puts out the candle, a single worshipper of Filipino origin rushes in his direction. He grabs hold of the pew for support and points to the side of the church. _

**Filipino Worshipper: **Father, come quickly! I have just witnessed a miracle!

_Rosaire stares at the messenger in wonder, unable to believe his ears. _

**Rosaire: **A miracle? Of what kind?

**Filipino Worshipper: **At the statue of our Lord! Please hurry!

_Rosaire obeys the request and follows his fellow Catholic to the church courtyard outside. In the middle of the cloister, bathed in the light of the moon, lies a white statue of Jesus. Beneath the Savior's eyes, tiny drops of blood inexplicably fall down his face. Both men are struck with amazement and fear. They fall to their knees and cross themselves. The priest Rosaire turns his eyes to heaven, sensing a divine pain in the atmosphere. _

**Rosaire: **O Lord….what has happened this night that grieves you so?

**And so the climax draws to a close. Victory for the Lyoko Warriors…but at such a terrible price. Thank you all for your patience, but the story is not quite over yet. We have one more chapter to wrap things up and cover loose ends and other cool things you might enjoy. Thanks again for waiting. **


	28. Chapter 28

**And so it ends. It's been quite a wild ride. I started this project a few years ago on a whim. Now after all this time my work is complete, and I can hardly believe it. On a more somber note, I would like to dedicate this final chapter first to my cousin Reece and second to Monty Oum, the creator of RWBY. Since the time in between my last update and now, both were tragically taken from this Earth far too soon. In different ways they inspired me to keep on writing, so I wanted this last entry of my fanfiction to honor their memory. **

**Part 42**

_The surviving warriors sit in a huddle in the middle of the lab room. Behind them lies the computer monitor, which has been completely turned off. Every face gazes downward onto the floor. Almost half an hour goes by without anyone saying a word. In the middle of the huddle are eight sodas waiting to be consumed. Some of the warriors momentarily glance at the drinks and then look away. Odd buries his face in his hands, shaking his head despondently. Yumi leans on her left forearm, letting tears occasionally drip down her cheeks. Ulrich keeps his eyes closed and breathes slowly in and out. Occasionally his moments of Zen are interrupted by an outburst of sobbing which quickly cease once he regains his composure. Natalya taps her left index finger on the floor. Tear stains run down from her eye sockets. She has nothing left to cry. The shirtless and still wounded William leans back and lies on the floor to stare at the ceiling. His expression remains utterly hollow, devoid of any obvious physical or mental pain. Aelita sits next to Jeremie, burying her face in his shoulder. Jeremie keeps his head up almost against his will, refusing to give in to despair or relief. The beleaguered commander's face still retains the same intensity and inner torment as if his mind still believes that the battle has not been won. After several more minutes, William sits up, not saying anything. Another minute passes until finally, William reaches to pick up one of the sodas. _

**William: **Alright, I think we've sat here long enough. It's time to do this. _He stands up, holding the can at arms length. _Let's have a toast.

_Reluctantly, one by one, the warriors select their soda and stand up with him. Some refuse to make eye contact with the rest of the group. Jeremie's grip on the aluminum object becomes rigid and tight to the point of nearly crushing the can. His voice trembles as it slowly escapes his mouth. _

**Jeremie: **You are the greatest group of warriors…and friends that anyone could ask for. _He looks around the huddle, making sure to give everyone his attention. _Because of your courage and dedication, we-_He chokes up for a moment and for a solid thirty seconds he is unable to continue-_we stopped a madman from taking over the world. _He looks up at the ceiling. Tears finally start to break through the surface. _No matter what pain you feel right now, tomorrow, or for the rest of your life, at least remember that what we did here mattered more than we could ever comprehend. Ladies and gentlemen…we have won. So I say-_He pops open the tab, letting the soda fizz- _let us toast to Moriarty's defeat and the freedom of all humanity.

_Aelita slowly nods her head in agreement. She lifts her can. _

**Aelita: **To freedom...

_The others give a lackluster reply. _

**All Warriors: **To freedom.

_Everyone takes a sip. The group is quiet for a few seconds. William then steps into the huddle. _

**William: **I know it hurts us-_William quickly corrects himself_- no…it's killing us, but we must toast to Christophe. Without him…well you know what would have happened. We would have lost everything. _He sharply inhales through his nose and rubs his eyes. _Despite his lack of experience, he knew what being a Lyoko Warrior truly meant. Was he a perfect one? No. _He glances at the other warriors as his eyes start to water. _But none of us were. We all failed. We all lost our minds at various points because of our selfishness, stupidity, and unbearable pain. When Christophe killed Emmanuel…or thought he killed him, he started to understand just how awful this job is. When things got tough, I think he took a cue from me and blocked out almost everything that could have compromised the mission. And he kept on doing that, right to the very end. _His eyes widen after he experiences a mild epiphany. _Yes... Now that I think about it, I was sort of a mentor for him. I wanted to prevent him from sharing my fate as a new Lyoko Warrior, and for the most part he listened to my advice and warnings. He…probably even looked up to me. He tried to follow my stoic way of handling things, and perhaps because of that, he became a great warrior. _William falls to his knees, clearly distraught and at the point of breaking down. The tears slide down his pale cheeks. _But I can't be stoic any longer. I…I just lost a comrade. I lost a friend. _He begins to sob in earnest. _Moriarty, in his final act of pure evil, took him from me…took him from us. _William picks up the extra can of soda, the one meant for Christophe. The one that will never be consumed. He bends over with his head facing the floor. _Christophe…if you can hear me, I want you to know that you died a hero. _At this point, William's tearjerker speech begins to have a visible effect on the group. _And so, we will forever honor you as one. _He slowly stands and lifts his can in the air as far as his arm can stretch. _To Christophe, the greatest Lyoko Warrior of us all!

_The group of seven sadly yet passionately lifts their cans together with William. _

**All Warriors: **TO CHRISTOPHE!

_The Lyoko Warriors drink in silence, easing their pain with caffeine and the comfort of their community. It is a community unfathomably relieved by the end of their mission and yet equally burdened by the reality that an irreplaceable presence within their fold is now gone forever. _

_The collective campus hangover at Kadic sets in as Order and Outcast students alike solemnly return. Very few words are spoken among them. Mathias, still in his white undershirt, bears the chilly December night as they enter through the front gate. When they are assembled in the main courtyard, Delmas informs them that their parents will arrive in the morning for a much needed winter break. After everyone leaves, Delmas escorts his daughter Sissi back inside. Just as they enter the dark hallway near his office, he receives a phone call. The aged principal looks down at his daughter, wondering if it is okay for him to answer it. _

**Sissi: **It's okay. It might be important.

_Delmas picks up. _

**Delmas: **Hello.

**Basil: **Mr. Delmas, this is Alexander Basil from Lycée Jeanne d'Arc…

**Delmas: **Dr. Basil, please don't tell me you are still at that dreaded protest. _He turns on the lights in the hallway. _If you and your students need a place to stay for the night, I'm sure I could arrange something. Jim could prepare some be-_Delmas stops himself and takes a moment to clear his head._-Uh…I mean.

**Basil: **No. My students and I are fine…relatively speaking. _He takes a long pause before continuing. _Jean-Pierre, I know this is a bad time, but there's something you should know. Have you been informed that Dr. Renard has disappeared?

_Delmas escorts his daughter to his room as he listens. He grinds his teeth together in hate just at the mention of that hated name. _

**Delmas: **Yes. And he can stay that way for all I care.

**Basil: **He hasn't just disappeared. He's wanted for murder…

_Delmas nearly drops the phone. His verbal response is harsh and demanding in tone. _

**Delmas: **What?!

**Basil: **Hans Klotz has been killed, and the police suspect Dr. Renard was involved.

_Delmas stops walking. At the mention of this shocking news, something within him snaps. He loses all expression in his face and merely stares blankly down the hallway, leaving his daughter deeply concerned. _

**Sissi: **Daddy? Daddy what's wrong?

**Basil: **He's also wanted for assault. I've heard that he injured the Spanish prince's bodyguard pretty badly. The police will probably show up tomorrow to ask you some questions-_Basil stops when he finds Delmas' silence suspicious._-Mr. Delmas? Jean-Pierre? Are you still there?

_Delmas wordlessly hangs up the phone. With the motion and grace of a zombie, Delmas does an about face and starts walking. Sissi cautiously follows him. _

**Sissi: **Daddy?

**Delmas: **Go on to bed dear. Daddy needs some time alone.

_Sissi obeys, abandoning her father to whatever has possessed him. A few minutes later, Delmas enters the office and hits the lights. The fluorescent light fixtures flicker in protest for a few seconds, as if they have been disturbed from their slumber. Delmas sits down in his chair and roots around in one of his desk drawers. His right hand holds up a sizeable bottle of rum that has not yet been opened. He finds a glass in one of the cabinets behind him and stares at the bottle. He sighs. _

**Delmas: **Hello my little friend. _He holds the bottle up to the light. _You're the only one I can rely on right now…

_Eventually the campus, or what is left of it, settles down to sleep. Even the Lyoko Warriors, who arrive on campus quietly and unseen, go to sleep. The events of this last day have drained them to the point that sleep is the only possible reprieve. All of them collapse on their respective beds, from the dormitories in Kadic to the Ishiyama residence. They sink deeply into a dreamless sleep. But even within the protection of sleep, there is little mercy for the Lyoko Warriors. Shortly after midnight, Odd starts to shift uneasily on his bed. This shifting soon progresses to shaking and from there to violent spasms. Kiwi's ever alert ears pick up on the problem and soon the canine is barking up a storm. Odd's eyes open in an instant as he immediately becomes aware of his condition. He grabs his head and yells in agony, which jolts Ulrich out of bed. His groggy but deeply agitated roommate approaches him and tries to shake him out of it. _

**Ulrich: **Odd, snap out of it! You're not on Lyoko, you're safe here at Kadic! _He grabs hold of Odd's trembling hands and looks into his tormented eyes. _It's all over, remember?

**Odd: **No! It's my head! _A new spasm robs almost robs him of speech. He screams in a whisper. _It feels like my brain is on fire...

_Nervous sweat trickles down Ulrich's forehead while Kiwi keeps barking. The panic compels him to take out his frustration on the dog. A firm side kick forces the canine away from his master. _

**Ulrich: **Will you shut up for once?!

_Odd's spasms become more violent. His breathing sharpens and his cries of pain turn into a few muffled gasps for air. Overwhelmed by the perilous situation before his eyes, Ulrich flees the room to go get Jeremie for help. Meanwhile the epileptic episode continues much to Kiwi's alarm. Odd grabs hold of his bedsheets as if he is being strangled to death. His neck cranes backwad with his eyes locking on the ceiling in one last desperate attempt to overcome whatever is attacking him. Then, he becomes absolutely still. Kiwi moans and licks his master's hand to try to wake him. It elicits no response. Ten seconds later, the door is slammed open. Jeremie rushes to Odd's side. _

**Jeremie: **How long has this been going on?!

**Ulrich: **Less than a minute. But it's bad-_Ulrich covers his mouth and looks away._-It's bad…

_Jeremie holds up Odd's wrist and tries to find a pulse. The boy genius' knuckles soon turn white. He looks at Ulrich in horror. _

**Jeremie: **Nothing…

_Unable to handle the information, Ulrich quietly closes the door. He promptly bangs his fists against said door. _

**Ulrich: **No…No….No! _Ulrich bangs his forehead on the door and groans helplessly as Jeremie tries to perform CPR with desperation etched on his face. _We just beat Moriarty for good…We're finally done with Lyoko and at the price of one of our own. O God…don't let it be two...

_After a few desperate seconds when both think that all is lost, Odd springs up in bed and gasps. The sudden movement jolts Jeremie and Ulrich out of their despair and into utter confusion. Jeremie backs up, giving Odd some room to breathe. When they become comfortable with the idea that their comrade has successfully survived, Jeremie calmly tries to ease Odd's mind. _

**Jeremie: **Odd, you're going to be okay. You're with us now. Moriarty and Lyoko can now be distant memories for all of us.

_Odd furrows his eyebrows and gives both of them a pensive look. He rubs his forehead and stammers out a simple question. _

**Odd: **Who's…Moriarty? _In a single instant, Jeremie and Ulrich find that they are the ones unable to breathe. Odd's questioning look remains. _What's a Lyoko?

_The next morning, Natalya helps William pack in his room for the winter vacation. The privacy provides him the opportunity to reveal the news. _

**Natalya: **Are you kidding me?!

_William motions for her to be quiet as if the walls are listening to them. _

**William: **Yes. It's true. Jeremie told me himself.

_Natalya shakes her head in bewilderment and paces to the front of the room. _

**Natalya: **How is this even possible?

**William: **It was his psychological connection with Moriarty. Or at least, that's Jeremie's theory. In my opinion, it's the only thing that makes sense.

_Ulrich talks with Yumi over the phone while waiting outside the front gate in the midst of slowly falling snow. He carries a duffle bag over his shoulder and a suitcase is positioned at his right side. _

**Yumi: **So he remembers nothing?

**Ulrich: **No. He knows who all of us are. And he has a vague understanding that Kadic has gone through its worst semester in its history. But he is completely clueless about Lyoko and Moriarty. It's like the whole thing never happened…

**Yumi: **That episode must have erased it all from his mind, but how?

_Ulrich glances down the street to watch a few cars pass by. He shifts a little in place, letting the ice crack under his boots. _

**Ulrich: **We don't really know. In fact, we have no idea.

_Scene shifts to Aelita and Jeremie exiting the dormitory building pulling their respective suitcases into the walkway underneath the portico. They stop there for a moment to talk. _

**Jeremie: **But what if what happened to his memory was necessary? Like a failsafe for his mind…

**Aelita: **In other words, his mind got rid of all of his memories of Lyoko to prevent the psychological break from killing him, correct?

**Jeremie: **It's just a theory, but he was on death's door when I found him. Then, he came right back. But not his memories of Lyoko…

_Aelita covers her mouth for a minute and shuts her eyes. She tries to clear her mind and think rationally about the situation. _

**Aelita: **But there will be a bunch of holes that he can't explain. How is he going to remember Dr. Renard? What will he think of his time in the Outcasts? What will he think of what happened to Christophe? _She gasps. _What will happen if he tells the school we're not cousins?!

_Jeremie covers her mouth to prevent her from being heard. He checks the area around them. Students silently leave the dormitories with their belongings without any joy or hurry. He turns his attention back to her, looking her straight in the eye. _

**Jeremie: **I don't know. Maybe his mind will try to fill in the gaps. Maybe it won't. I don't know. The best thing we can do is make sure he doesn't have to face thos contradictions.

_Aelita looks away. _

**Aelita: **…That may be impossible. Have you not tried to jog his memory?

_Jeremie's expression sours. He uncomfortably rubs the back of his neck. _

**Jeremie: **Yes. Ulrich and I tried. But it didn't end so well.

_An hour and a half before all of these conversations, Odd puts a shirt on while Jeremie reads a book on Ulrich's bed under the pretense of passing time until it is time to leave. With a visual cue from Jeremie, Ulrich cautiously hands Odd a piece of paper. _

**Ulrich: **Hey Odd, I found this under your desk. Did you draw this?

_Curious, Odd grabs the paper. It is a color drawing done by him displaying his virtual avatar along with a Lyoko version of Kiwi. Several trees in the Forest Sector make up the background. The artist stares blankly at his work for a moment, not recognizing it. Ulrich tries to nudge him in the right direction. _

**Ulrich: **Does it…remind you of anything?

**Odd: **That's strange. I don't remember drawing this. _Suddenly his expression becomes entranced. His little drawing becomes an object of extreme interest and mystery. _Wait…isn't this Ly-

_Odd spontaneously starts to choke on nothing, prompting a barking spree from Kiwi. His hands shake once more and he appears at the point of collapsing. Jeremie throws his book to the side and grabs him by the shoulders. _

**Jeremie: **Quick! Get the drawing away from him!

_Ulrich obeys, ripping the paper away from his hands. Jeremie holds onto Odd in an attempt to get him to relax. Following some few terrifying seconds, Odd's breathing slows down to normal. Jeremie rests him at the foot of his own bed before he emerges from his catatonic state. _

**Jeremie: **Destroy that drawing. _He turns in Ulrich's direction, his face deadly serious. _And if he has anything else that might remind him of Lyoko, destroy that too. _He glances back down at Odd, who is still recovering. _It's far too dangerous for him to remember…

_Aelita listens to Jeremie's explanation with grim understanding. She drags her suitcase closer to her feet and rests her hands on the retractable handle. Across the courtyard she notices Odd greeting his parents. The buff Mr. Della Robbia pulls his son into an embrace. _

**Mr. Della Robbia: **Son, I'm so glad to see you. But we should have come here months ago…_He glances around the school grounds, sensing the aura of tragedy and loss_…this school is not the same place we enrolled you in. It gives me the creeps now…

**Mrs. Della Robbia: **It's all that monster Renard's doing. At first we didn't think he was a problem, but then the stories about him got stranger and stranger. But with the disease outbreak and all the terrorist attacks happening and the stories we heard all over Europe, it seemed like we couldn't even safely get to yo-

**Odd: **Mom…Dad, I get it. It's been a bad semester. _He rethinks his words for a moment. _A terrible semester in fact. I wouldn't be surprised if I get PTSD from this mess. But at least I was never bored.

_Mr. Della Robbia takes Odd's bag and they start to walk towards the exit. _

**Mr. Della Robbia:** We have a taxi ready to take us to the airport. And if you ask me, the sooner we get to Norway, the better.

**Mrs. Della Robbia: **Oh your sisters have been so worried about you!

**Odd: **All of them? Worried about me? _He can't help but smile. _Now that is a miracle…

_They all start to laugh at the joke, but soon Odd's laughing turns to crying. He stops and bends over, covering his face in his hands. His parents put their hands on his shoulders in an attempt to comfort him. Alarmed, Aelita begins to approach them, but Jeremie grabs her by the hand. _

**Jeremie: **No…wait.

_Aelita resists his grip in protest. _

**Aelita: **But he might…

**Jeremie: **He won't…

_Odd stands up again and wipes his eyes. He tries to force a smile again, but he falls short of his goal. _

**Odd: **I'm sorry. It's just….it's been too much. _He inhales sharply through his nose. _Too many people hurt. Too many dead. And now with Jim….and Christophe…

**Mr. Della Robbia: **Yes, we heard about the car accident…and the murder. That's too much for anyone to go through, no matter how old you are. You were strong to weather through it all, but now it's time for you to rest.

_Their only son perks his head up at the mention of this word. He spaces out for a moment. _

**Odd: **Rest….Yes rest would be really nice. _He furrows his eyebrows in slight confusion and then returns to the original topic. _Did…did they ever find his body…in the river?

_Mrs. Della Robbia shakes her head sadly. _

**Mrs. Della Robbia: **No. They're still looking. _Her negative reply only worsens Odd's mood. She lifts up his chin to make him look her in the eye. _But enough of that for right now. Let's leave…for good this time. You should never be forced to come back here.

_Odd regards the option with an air of ambivalence. _

**Odd: **I'm not so sure I need to, or should. The school could use me to make it like it was before. And I still have people who are counting on me.

_He turns around, meeting Jeremie and Aelita's spying gaze. At first he happily waves and takes a few steps forward to formally say goodbye. But suddenly his feet stop. His expression becomes wrapped in confusion when he tries to come closer. He loses himself for a moment, as if he's just realized that he might be dreaming. Unable to shake the feeling, he merely awkwardly waves again and heads back toward his parents. Before they leave the campus, Odd's backpack shakes. A small doggy head peeks out of the bag and barks. His parents stare at the backpack in bewilderment. _

**Mr. Della Robbia: **Kiwi?

**Mrs. Della Robbia: **Odd…what is your dog doing on campus?

_Odd rubs the back of his neck with a typical Odd-like guilt on his face. _

**Odd: **Uh….about that. Do you remember when I told you I left him with Elizabeth?

_The happy family disappears out of earshot, leaving Jeremie and Aelita only with the sound of falling snow and passing cars in the distance. In the wake of their silence, Aelita temporarily covers her mouth with her scarf. Jeremie remains calm and strangely tranquil. His girlfriend shifts slightly on the icy asphalt. _

**Aelita: **Should we be careful about contacting him?

**Jeremie: **I don't know. I think we should wait and see until after winter break to make any significant judgment call. _He hugs his shoulders together. _One thing is for sure. We will have to watch him closely in case he has another episode.

_Aelita shudders at the thought, realizing the practical challenge of doing so. _

**Aelita: **But for how long? For the rest of his life?

**Jeremie: **Oh don't be ridiculous. Just-_He shrugs his shoulders_-until he graduates I suppose. After that, the likelihood of him encountering anything to jog his memory will diminish considerably. And that's only if he comes back to Kadic. There are bound to many students dropping out before the break is over.

**Aelita: **And what about us? That wouldn't be easy for me whatsoever. Getting all the paperwork together the first time was a nightmare. I'd rather not risk my identity all over again.

**Jeremie: **Which is why…_Jeremie takes hold of her hand, sending a wave of warmth through her body_…I'm not going anywhere.

_Aelita blushes and looks down at the ground in embarrassment. She avoids his gaze for a moment and then gives him a flirtatious side glance. _

**Aelita: **Oh you…How did the nerdy boy genius at Kadic get so good at this?

_Jeremie takes her other hand and gently pulls her toward him. He focuses on her bright pink lips. _

**Jeremie: **I've had a lot of time to practice.

_He moves in to kiss her, but is quickly interrupted by the honking of a horn in the distance. They turn to see Mr. Belpois motioning to him from the street. _

**Mr. Belpois: **Come on sport! Your mom wants us to be home by lunch!

_Jeremie shakes his head and smiles. _

**Jeremie: **Dad…

**Aelita: **You have a great family. _They make their way to Mr. Belpois' car. _I can't wait to meet the rest of them.

**Jeremie: **Well you already know Patrick. He'll be there…with Uncle Richie and Aunt Louise.

**Aelita: **And grandparents?

**Jeremie: **Yes, but only on my mom's side.

**Aelita: **And your dad's?

_Jeremie frowns for a moment. _

**Jeremie: **Both of them are dead. My grandmother died when I was four, so I didn't get to know her all that well. Her second husband also died a few years before I was born.

**Aelita: **What about her first husband? Your grandfather?

**Jeremie: **He died a long time ago during the Battle of Bizerte in Tunisia. All we have to remember him is one faded photo in our living room.

_Jeremie and Aelita reach the sidewalk. Jeremie helps Aelita put her bag in the trunk. _

**Aelita: **Oh…I'm so sorry Jeremie. I had no idea.

_Jeremie closes the trunk. _

**Jeremie: **Yeah, but I guess it's always hard to miss someone if you never knew them. _He takes a long pause to look down the avenue at nothing in particular. _And God knows I already have enough people to miss.

_The pair's collective mood falls again, but Mr. Belpois unknowingly leaves them little time to reflect. He sticks his head out of the window to get their attention. _

**Mr. Belpois: **Son, we're not flying to Rouen, so let's get going. This school has caused you too much trouble to be hanging around here any longer.

_Jeremie lowers his voice so only he and Aelita can hear. _

**Jeremie: **On that we can definitely agree…

_Ulrich waits inside his mom's car which is parked outside the Ishiyama household. Yumi says goodbye to her family who stand just inside the gate. Mr. Ishiyama gives her a big hug. _

**Yumi: **Thank you for letting me do this. _She hugs him a little tighter. _It means a lot…

**Mr. Ishiyama: **It's no problem. This will be a very hard winter break for him and his mother. He could really use your company. And besides, you've never had an authentic Western Christmas experience before. This could be good for you.

**Yumi: **I have no doubt.

_Mrs. Ishiyama speaks up with the loving but slightly warning tone of a protective mother. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Yes, but just remember to…_She glances not so subtly in Ulrich's _direction...behave while you're gone.

_Yumi avoids eye contact with her parents for a moment. _

**Yumi: **Oh I will.

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Oh you better. _Her mother maintains a strict smile before delivering her threat. _Or we will let Grandpa tell you all the various personal details of his…_She chooses her words carefully_…past that we have forbidden him from mentioning.

_Grandpa Ishiyama, who stands in the doorway to the house, raises his cane in affirmation. _

**Grandpa: **And don't think for a second that I won't do it!

_Yumi's eyes widen at the warning. She quickly clears her throat and hugs her mother to get her mind off of that terrible thought. _

**Yumi: **I promise you it won't have to come to that.

_After she breaks off the hug, Yumi's gaze drifts to the kitchen window, where her brother timidly waves goodbye to her. He bites his lip and calmly walks back toward the center of the house. She refocuses on her parents. _

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **Just be patient. He needs time to sort things out.

**Mr. Ishiyama: **And so do you…So do us all a favor and have a wonderful time.

_Yumi puts on the happy girl façade and smiles like a typical teenage girl. She looks over her shoulder and waves goodbye before entering the car. _

**Yumi: **I'll call you as soon as I arrive in Amiens!

**Mrs. Ishiyama: **I'll hold you to your word. Have a great time!

_The car starts and ambles down the avenue in the direction of the nearest highway. Once her house has passed out of eyesight, she slowly turns toward Ulrich, who patiently waits for her attention. An uncomfortable darkness seems to linger behind Ulrich's smile, a darkness that does not escape Yumi's probing eyes. _

**Yumi: **Hey.

**Ulrich: **Hey…

_She tries to speak but her tongue fails her. All at once she realizes there is much to say but not at the moment, considering that Mrs. Stern is in the vehicle with them. Sensing that the two are struggling with conversation, the tired figure of Ulrich's mother peers at them through the rearview mirror. _

**Mrs. Stern: **Are you two alright back there?

**Ulrich: **We-_He assumes a deer in the headlights look for a moment_-I guess we are just a little bit out of it.

_Mrs. Stern stares straight ahead for a moment, focusing on the mostly light traffic occupying the streets of Boulogne-Billancourt. Her eyes drift onto the snow covered parked cars fixed to both sides of the sidewalk. When the silence becomes uncomfortable, she reaches for the knobs on the car stereo. _

**Mrs. Stern: **I know, let's listen to the radio for a bit.

_She initially encounters stations talking about the Eurovision tragedies and the allegations surrounding the recently disappeared Dr. Renard. After trying several other stations, she finally finds a sports talk show on the air. Satisfied, Mrs. Stern continues driving and lets the distant dialogue fill the vacuum. _

**Sports Announcer: **For those of you just tuning in, we're here with star ice hockey goalie Rémy Lloris, whose amazing penalty shot save last afternoon proved the deciding factor in the national team's victory over Italy. _Brief pause. _Rémy, thank you for joining us today.

**Rémy: **No, it's my pleasure.

**Sports Announcer: **Rémy, tell me about that moment. You're facing Italy's star forward in the last moments of the game. You know you are the only one standing in the way of him and a victory for Italy. What was going through your mind right before he started his attack?

**Rémy: **It's certainly overwhelming that's for sure. That kind of pressure is not something one can easily describe to someone who doesn't play the game. And of course there's always the prospect of failure in the back of your mind-_He verbally recoils at the thought._-Yeah I'd rather not talk about that. _In an instant, Yumi winces as if she has just been stabbed in the stomach. Ulrich turns to her and immediately realizes what just happened. He shuts his eyes, feeling a tear creep up in his left ear. _But luckily I did block the shot and we were able to win in overtime…

_Mrs. Stern turns down the volume almost to mute level and briefly looks over her shoulder. _

**Mrs. Stern: **Yumi? Yumi what's wrong?

_Ulrich places her hand on Yumi's shoulder. She is unresponsive for several moments and merely stares at the back of the driver's seat. Her boyfriend shakes her a little. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, are you going to be okay?

_Her hands briefly go through her scalp and into her hair. She then buries her face in her palms and slowly begins to weep. _

**Yumi: **You know the answer to that question.

_Ulrich unbuckles his seatbelt and wraps her in a strong embrace. His mother awkwardly stares ahead, refraining from offering any sympathy that would appear cliché and unhelpful. Ulrich leans in close to her. _

**Ulrich: **I know. I miss him too. I miss him terribly…

_Yumi chokes out words between sobs. _

**Yumi: **We..We'll never have Pencak Silat class…with him ever again. _She turns to him with two rivers of tears flowing from her eyes. _How much death do we have to go through? _She inhales sharply through her mouth. _I thought that we could make everything better once he was gone, but Kadic cannot be the same…ever. Not without Jim…

_Yumi continues to cry quietly, leaving Ulrich with little to do but wipe her tears. _

**Ulrich: **No. Kadic can never replace Jim. But we can remember him. As long as we remember-_His eyes begin to water_-he's not really dead. Not to us. _Ulrich wipes his eyes with his forearm and glances out the back window. He then refocuses on his girlfriend, who is still a complete mess. _I wonder if the others are having a better vacation…

_On the north side of the French metropolis, the Dunbar family sedan waits outside a high-rise apartment building. William sits in the back, nervously and somewhat despondently waiting for her to arrive. While Mr. Dunbar casually takes a business call, his wife beams with excitement. _

**Mrs. Dunbar: **Oh I can't believe we're finally meeting her!

**William: **Yeah-_A touch of trepidation enters his voice_-I can't either. But thank you for letting her tag along.

**Mrs. Dunbar: **We couldn't just let her spend a miserable winter break with her uncle. _She looks out the window with clear disdain. _What a terrible man! Judging by that building, he's certainly not hurting for finances. The least he could do is actually care about his niece!

**William: **Yes…we've been through that. _He clears his throat and scratches the side of his head. _By the way, have you already told Rosaire? And did he take it well?

_Mr. Dunbar continues with his phone call but rolls his eyes to signal that they have told him. His wife dismisses the concern with a wave of a hand. _

**Mrs. Dunbar: **Yes…He moralized a bit as usual, but don't you worry about him. He won't even show up until Christmas Eve dinner.

**William: **That will be interesting.

**Mrs. Dunbar: **Oh…_She hones in on the staircase window_-I think I just saw a young lady coming downstairs. I simply can't wait to meet your lively, kind-hearted, sweet-

_Natalya storms out of the building through the ornate French doors onto the sidewalk, clearly furious and ill-tempered. A window opens on the second floor, revealing a balding middle-aged Russian man who shouts down at Natalya. The blonde beauty turns around and fires off a string of abuse in her native language, much to the shock of William's parents. His mother turns white for a second. His father drops his phone. When her uncle goes on with his tirade, Natalya responds with a certain hand gesture that delivers a powerful message regardless of the language. She then drags her suitcase to the trunk and throws it in. After a rather painful pause for William, she enters the car with a million dollar smile acting like a few seconds ago never happened. _

**Natalya: **Hello Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar, I'm Natalya. I'm pleased to finally- _The Dunbar parents are still speechless. Natalya quickly gets the memo that things are not going according to plan. She tries to laugh it off. _Oh…that. I definitely shouldn't have done that last thing but-

**William: **It's not just that…

**Natalya: **Huh? What do you mean?

_William shifts uncomfortably in his seat, feeling the stares of his parents grow more oppressive. _

**William: **Well, you see my dad here once lived in Moscow for almost two years…And my mother studied Russian for four years in high school so…

_Recognition of the meaning behind her boyfriend's message hits her like a freight train. She starts to turn as red as a tomato. _

**Natalya: **So you mean…they understood…?

_William nods his head. Natalya bites her lip in embarrassment. With the awkwardness level reaching critical, she flips her hair over her shoulder and buckles her seatbelt. Once she is settled she calmly looks William's parents in the eye._

**Natalya: **He is still a _залупа _(Expletive).

_William checks a watch that doesn't exist. _

**William: **Oh is it lunch time already? Because I'm starving…

_In a white townhouse on the outskirts of Rouen, the Belpois family wraps up lunch. While Mr. Belpois occupies his son with casual conversation, a striking blonde woman with bright blue eyes tries to serve Aelita more sautéed fish from her crockpot. Her bright blue apron and oven mitts add a warm flavor of domesticity to the traditional French home. _

**Mrs. Belpois: **Aelita dear, are you sure you don't want some more?

_Aelita tries to politely refuse her. _

**Aelita: **No…no…I don't think I could eat another bite.

**Mrs. Belpois: **Oh I doubt that. I've seen the portions at Kadic and they're so small. I can't bear the thought of you going hungry.

**Aelita: **Oh trust me, the portions at the school are fine. And you can get seconds.

_Jeremie butts in at the right moment. _

**Jeremie: **Only problem is Odd usually eats everything that's left…

_Another helping of fish ends up on Aelita's plate in spite of her wishes, much to her chagrin. Mrs. Belpois goes back to the kitchen. _

**Mrs. Belpois: **Honey can you help me with the dishes?

**Mr. Belpois: **Can I take out the trash instead?

**Mrs. Belpois: **You can do both. Thank you so much for offering dear…

_Mr. Belpois grimaces, realizing he has fallen for one of his wife's old tricks yet again. He gets up from the chair. _

**Mr. Belpois: **I guess we'll be in the kitchen if you need us. _He mumbles under his breath as he leaves the room. _Me and my big mouth.

_Once they are alone, Jeremie wastes no time reaching over and squeezing her hand under the table. Aelita displays no reaction other than a faint smile. Her eyes dart away from her boyfriend to the window looking out onto the neighborhood street. A middle aged woman takes her garbage out across the street. Two kids skateboard down the sidewalk. A woman on a moped goes zooming by. Two motorists argue about their cars being parked too close together and whose fault it is. For her, the scene is almost surreal. _

**Jeremie: **Look at it. Normal life. We can finally have it now.

_She spins her head around. _

**Aelita: **You know nothing can be normal for us…

**Jeremie: **I know. But the ability to pretend-_He smiles somewhat wistfully_-that counts for something.

_They pause the conversation for a moment, listening to the clock on the wall tick away. Aelita pokes at her unwanted fish. _

**Aelita: **Now what?

**Jeremie: **What do you mean?

**Aelita: **What should we do?

**Jeremie: **As in right now?

**Aelita: **It is a vacation isn't it? What should we do to enjoy it?

_His face becomes utterly blank. _

**Jeremie: **I…haven't the slightest clue. _He looks around. _I forgot that this house was more than a little…dull.

_Aelita shakes her head in quiet exasperation. But at the same time, she shoots him a side smile. _

**Aelita: **Less than 24 hours of absolute victory and you're already bored? How typical of you…

**Jeremie: **Okay then, what did you have in mind?

_Aelita leans her elbow on the table, thinking deeply for a moment. Ten minutes later, the two are seated in the upstairs reading room playing chess. The light of the afternoon sun brightens the black and white chessboard while the two geniuses ponder their next move against their significant other. The pink-haired intellectual picks up her bishop and takes out one of Jeremie's knights. She smiles confidently, smelling a possible victory. _

**Aelita: **Things are looking bad for you Jeremie. I'm already knocking on your king's door.

_Jeremie imitates a stereotypical villain voice in his reply. For the slightest fraction of a second, Aelita thinks she hears a semblance of Moriarty's usual tone, but it vanishes just as quickly as she perceives it. _

**Jeremie: **Oh appearances can be deceiving my sweet. But make no mistake, I will conquer you.

_Aelita raises an eyebrow. _

**Aelita: **Excuse me?

**Jeremie: **….You know what I meant. _He moves one of his remaining pawns forward. _I heard Yumi was having a rough time. The news of Jim..._His mood sours rapidly_…I think it was too much for her.

**Aelita: **Yes…_She straightens up in her chair_…and what about you?

_He turns to face the light for a moment, blinking into the sun. Following a brief moment's reflection, he takes off his glasses and wipes his eyes. _

**Jeremie: **I guess I'll cry later. I've hit a wall Aelita. I can't summon any tears at the moment.

**Aelita: **Neither can I. _She uses a rook to take out a wayward pawn of his. _But I wouldn't be too worried about Yumi right now.

**Jeremie: **Why not?

_Mrs. Stern cruises through a luxurious neighborhood in Amiens marked with ornate, large houses shut off from the rest of the world with large brick walls with entrances flanked by statues of lions, eagles, and other symbols of European wealth and power. Seeing houses at least three times the size of her own fills Yumi with childlike wonder and disbelief. She temporarily unglues herself from the window to face Ulrich. _

**Yumi: **This is your neighborhood?!

**Ulrich: **Yes. When dad was still alive, he referred to them as the "peasants".

**Yumi: **Peasants? These people are anything but peasants. Why would your dad call them that?

_Mrs. Stern pulls up to a black wrought iron gate much bigger than the others in the area. Ulrich points to his left. _

**Ulrich: **That's why…

_Upon first sight of Ulrich's "house", Yumi's jaw nearly drops to the floor of the car. _

**Yumi: **Oh. My. God….

_Within the gates lies a large courtyard with an enormous white stone fountain in the center. Behind the fountain and snow-covered lawn is the main attraction: an enormous château style mansion marked by a slightly gold colored exterior and a striking black-tiled roof. The incredible ostentatious windows boast classical façades above the glass and two large balconies can be seen on each floor of the three-story monstrosity. The edges of the east and west wings to the house rise in Victorian-style spires that can be seen from many blocks away. As they pull up, a few professional gardeners wave to welcome Mrs. Stern's arrival. She pulls up the front steps which are guarded by two lifesize stone carvings of European knights in armor. Two valets open the doors to the car. _

**Valet 1: **Welcome home Mrs. Stern.

**Yumi: **Oh my God…

**Valet 2: **Shall I take your bag Miss Ishiyama?

**Yumi: **Oh….my God.

**Valet 1: **We have two strawberry smoothies chilled and waiting per your request Master Ulrich.

_Yumi steps out of the car, still dazed while the valets take care of everything for them. _

**Yumi: **Oh my-

**Ulrich: **Yumi-_She lightly touches her shoulder_-I know. It's a lot to take in.

_The valets take their belongings inside. Mrs. Stern and the young couple follow close behind. The interior of the house doesn't fail to blow Yumi away either. The deep blue front doors open to a wide open space with a floor of spotless and exquisite white marble. A sitting area and a dining room of French aristocratic design are positioned to their right and left, respectively. Several meters above them is a crystal chandelier of priceless quality hanging from a ceiling so high the entire entrance hall might as well be a basketball arena. About half a football field length's distance in front of them are two staircases leading to opposite sides of the second floor. While Yumi still gapes at the whole thing, a butler with a neatly trimmed black mustache and completely lint free suit hands Ulrich the smoothies. _

**Ulrich: **Thank you Craig

_The butler responds in an obvious but refined British accent. _

**Craig: **My pleasure Master Ulrich.

_Ulrich in turn hands the smoothie to her. She holds on to it robotically, hardly aware that it's even there. _

**Yumi: **How do you even find the bathroom in this place?

**Craig: **There are exactly 21 restrooms in the entire estate Miss. If you will allow me, I can direct you to the nearest one.

_Yumi shrugs and starts to follow him down the hallway. Ulrich hangs back a little. _

**Yumi: **Which one is the nicest?

**Craig: **They are all nice Miss. However the master bathroom on the third floor is the most breathtaking. But that is for the private use of Mrs. Stern.

**Yumi: **No problem. You still have 20 others…

_Several minutes later, Yumi exits one of the bathrooms near the kitchen on the first floor. _

**Yumi: **They weren't kidding. That bathroom was fantastic. _She stretches her arms. _I can't wait to take a bath here…_She picks up her smoothie from a small table across from the bathroom. At that moment, the main butler happens to pass by. _UhCraig? _She flusters a little bit. _Sorry I don't know your last name.

**Craig: **Last names aren't necessary here Miss Ishiyama. Anything you need?

_Yumi takes a look down the hallway, still spaced out by how large it is. She takes a sip of the smoothie before asking the question. _

**Yumi: **I just wanted to- _She pauses.-_Wow this is really good….to know where Ulrich went.

**Craig: **He retired to the upstairs indoor pool area on the third floor. He seemed eager for you to join him. _He points to his right. _Shall we take the elevator? I can show you your room should you wish to get changed.

**Yumi: **That sounds fine to me.

**Craig: **Splendid. _They begin to walk a few steps. He suddenly stops. _Oh and one more thing. He specifically requested that you were a specific swimsuit of your collection. I believe he referred to it as-_He appears slightly uncomfortable for a second_-"The Tigress"?

_Yumi's cheeks color a little bit. She glances to the side and sucks down more of her smoothie. _

**Yumi: **Uh…yes. Thank you for telling me that. _They enter an elevator with silver colored doors which close with a slight ding before going up. _I'm sorry. This must be a bit strange for you…having Ulrich's girlfriend over for all of Christmas…under the same roof as him…

**Craig: **Not at all…

_She eyes him with sudden curiosity. _

**Yumi: **It isn't?

_He stares straight forward with a stare that is suddenly remote and almost troubled. _

**Craig: **I have escorted many women around this estate before, often in situations that Mrs. Stern would prefer not to know about.

_Yumi frowns with understanding. _

**Yumi: **Oh…right.

**Craig: **…And many other unsavory characters whose identity and origins were better left unknown to me…for my own safety. In other words, Miss Ishiyama, although you have had terrible competition, you are already one of the best guests I have had in this house.

**Yumi: **Really? Did I really make that much of an impression on you?

_Craig smiles. _

**Craig: **Worthington.

**Yumi: **Pardon me?

**Craig: **My last name is Worthington. And you have already earned yourself a lot of points in my book for asking…

_In a large windowless room on the third floor, Ulrich floats in the pool kicking his feet as he stares up at the ceiling. The moving water reflects onto the ceiling creating a colorful display before him. He stands up and then does a flip in the water. When he comes up for air, the wooden doors for the pool area open to reveal Yumi walk in in a white robe and a white towel on her forearm. The doors close behind her on their own. Ulrich drifts closer. _

**Ulrich: **So…what do you think so far?

_She rolls her eyes. _

**Yumi: **"The Tigress"? Really? You're still calling it that?

_Ulrich shrugs. _

**Ulrich: **I guess.

**Yumi: **I can't believe you told that name to your own butler. We agreed not to talk about that to anyone!

**Ulrich: **Craig doesn't count. He already has enough secrets under his belt. He knows the drill.

_Yumi does not appear pleased with that answer. _

**Yumi:** As long as that "drill" doesn't look anything like what used to happen here…

_Ulrich draws close to the side of the pool and rests his elbows a few feet away from Yumi. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, I mourned my dad's passing. You encouraged me to. But I still don't want to imitate him.

_Yumi can't help but smile. _

**Yumi: **In that case…_She takes off her robe and lets it fall to the floor. Underneath is a black bikini with dark orange lines running down the top and bottom half of the swimsuit. The bikini is more revealing than her typical one pieces that she wears at the public pools. This one is personal, private, and only for certain eyes to see. Ulrich backs up a meter or so and takes a good look at her. _Well, what do you think?

_Ulrich cranes his neck to the side. _

**Ulrich: **I think you should come in.

_Yumi gracefully dips her feet in the water and gradually her entire torso submerges into the water. She wades toward Ulrich with the water at shoulder length. She goes under and surfaces centimeters away from her boyfriend. She pushes her wet hair back over her scalp and stares at him. Ulrich bites his lip and comes a tad closer. His tongue stumbles for words for a moment. _

**Ulrich: **You know that this mansion is huge.

**Yumi: **You've made that quite clear…

**Ulrich: **But I didn't take you here to impress you. _He motions around them, splashing some water around. _Look. There's nothing here. Just pool chairs that haven't been used in months. Only my mom and I are here now. The domestic help just fills the empty spaces and keeps the place looking nice for a family that is a shadow of its former self. This mansion is just a soulless giant. Nothing more.

_Yumi touches the side of his face. _

**Yumi: **Yeah. I think I get it now. I thought I did before but…_She shakes her head_…now I see it. You had everything you wanted. But nothing that you needed. In the end, this place is soulless.

_Ulrich touches her hand. _

**Ulrich: **It was soulless. _She feels the warmth of her skin. _Not anymore.

_Yumi feels that same warmth run from her hand to her arm and then into her chest. Her breathing quickens dramatically. For a moment nothing happens between them. Then Ulrich does the unexpected. He puts his hand behind her back and lays her on her back, letting her float on the water. Yumi looks at him with curiosity and some measure of anxiety. _

**Yumi: **What are you doing?

**Ulrich: **What do you think I'm doing?

_She looks up at the ceiling. _

**Yumi: **I assume you are going to kiss me.

**Ulrich: **I will. But what's the rush?

_While she floats, Ulrich runs his index finger over the lines in the palm of her hand. He then leans close to her ear. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi…

**Yumi: **Yes?

_He lifts his head up and looks her in the eye. _

**Ulrich: **When we separated in the heat of battle in Moriarty's zone, what were you thinking…about me?

_She shuts her eyes. The question clearly perturbs her. _

**Yumi: **I…I was terrified. I had this awful feeling that it would be the last time I would see you.

_Ulrich puts a hand on her stomach, gently moving his fingers near her navel. _

**Ulrich: **And what are you feeling right now?

_She doesn't answer right away, averting his gaze for a short period of time. _

**Yumi: **Excitement. Nervousness. _She takes several deep breaths. _My heart keeps pounding nonstop…now that we're finally alone.

_Ulrich takes her by the hand again. She meets his gaze. _

**Ulrich: **I swore to you that I wouldn't let Moriarty take you away from me. And I meant every word of it. But now that you are safe-_He chokes up, losing composure like a little child_-I almost can't believe it. _He heaves a difficult breath. _I had a terrible nightmare last night that I did lose you. That you were the one in the Nav Skid that exploded. _He stares up at the ceiling. A few tears hit the water. _And as much as I miss Christophe and Jim, a selfish part of me can't help but say, "I still haven't lost what matters most". I'm far too selfish to mourn them as much as I'm thanking God for keeping you alive. _He wraps both arms around her back and moves a centimeter away from her face. Yumi's heartrate skyrockets. _Just promise me one thing. Promise me…that this isn't a dream.

_Yumi quakes with conflicting emotions. Her fear, guilt, and relief create a frightful cocktail of sentimental chaos within her. But amidst all the internal noise, she longs for nothing more than to feel his lips against hers. _

**Yumi: **If it is a dream…I don't ever want to wake up.

_Ulrich pulls her in for a deep kiss. Hormones flow through them like a raging fire as they refuse to let go. That fire shows no signs of slowing down as they disappear below the surface of the water, still locked together in a loving embrace. _

_Later that night at the Belpois residence, Patrick and his parents have settled in for the Christmas holidays. While Jeremie, Aelita, and Patrick watch TV in the den, Mr. Belpois shares a drink in the dining room with Jeremie's 'Uncle Richie'. He is a middle-aged man several years older than his brother with black hair that is steadily turning grey. Yet his smile and conversation gestures demonstrate that a youthful vigor still dwells within him. Aunt Louise, a slightly plump woman with auburn hair, descends down the staircase. _

**Louise: **Honey, have you seen my blood pressure medicine?

_Her husband slowly inhales through his nose. _

**Richard: **No I haven't. And I'm not sure why I would have.

**Louise: **You didn't move it from my toiletries bag, did you?

**Richard: **No and what reason would I have to do that?

**Louise: **Don't act smart. _She puts her hands on her hips. _You're the one who put our things in the guest bathroom.

**Richard: **I didn't touch it…

**Louise: **Then can you not help me look? The doctor says I have to take it around this hour…

_The other Mr. Belpois repeats his usual mantra that has kept his marriage healthy all these years. _

**Richard: **Yes dear. I'll be up there in a minute. _Aunt Louise slowly goes up the stairs. Uncle Richie rolls his eyes. _I swear she can't remember anything.

**Mr. Belpois: **That's preferable to her remembering everything. _He raises his glass to his lips. _Trust me…

_In the den, the atmosphere seems to be quite dead. Jeremie and Aelita stare at each other rather awkwardly on the couch as Patrick quietly sulks in the corner. The game show that is practically at mute volume interests none of them. Far from being the happy family gathering, the misery in Patrick's eyes and the discomfort Jeremie and Aelita share is palpable. Aelita nudges Jeremie. He turns to her. She mouths the words "Say something" to him. Jeremie sighs, clearly not liking the idea. _

**Jeremie: **So…_He starts out slowly with a strong level of caution_…did your parents' trip from Caens go well?

_Patrick doesn't react at all to the question. _

**Patrick: **It's not a long trip, but how should I know? I was in Paris…

_The couple exchange glances. This is not going well. _

**Jeremie: **Yeah…um…_He desperately searches his brain for something easy to discuss…_Was traffic on the way back okay?

**Patrick: **It was fine…

_Patrick stacks his feet on the nearby ottoman in a slightly aggressive manner. The two on the couch can sense the negative aura around Jeremie's cousin growing stronger. A hint of anger takes form in his expression. Aelita clears her throat. _

**Aelita: **Do you come to Jeremie's house often for Christmas?

**Patrick: **Our families switch off every year. Next year we will be in Caen.

**Aelita: **Oh that sounds…nice. _She takes a brief pause. _Do you like it there…in Caen?

**Patrick: **Stop.

_Aelita shifts in her seat, taken off guard by the abrupt reply. _

**Aelita: **Excuse me?

_Patrick gets up from his chair. _

**Patrick: **Just stop…

_He wanders out of the den and opens the front door without a word. The two fathers in the dining room suddenly grow quiet, respecting the troubled teen's need for space. Shortly after Patrick's exit, Aelita eyes Jeremie. It doesn't take long for the boy genius to get the message and he doesn't like it. _

**Jeremie: **No way.

**Aelita: **Please…

**Jeremie: **I'm the last person he wants to see right now.

**Aelita: **You're his cousin-_She places a hand on his shoulder_-you need to say something…

_Jeremie falters for several moments. But after seeing that Aelita is not going to give up, he reluctantly puts his coat on. _

**Jeremie: **Fine-_He makes his way to the door_-but I'm not responsible for what happens.

_He step out and slowly moves down the front steps, unwillingly embracing the bitter December cold. Several meters to his left, Patrick stands still at the edge of the sidewalk, looking out at the rest of the neighborhood. Mustering up his courage, Jeremie approaches his cousin and stands next to him. The two are quiet for almost a minute. _

**Jeremie: **It's really cold out. You should go inside.

**Patrick: **I don't mind.

_Thirty more seconds pass. As the cold and unease continue to grip him, Jeremie decides that it is time to face the pink elephant. _

**Jeremie: **Listen I know these things take time but-

**Patrick: **Where were you?_ He looks Jeremie straight in the eye. _Where were you last night? Why were you and your little gang and even your little girlfriend nowhere to be found?

_Jeremie searches the asphalt for a moment. Coming up with a great lie would be futile in this case. _

**Jeremie: **I can't say.

_He slowly looks up, measuring his cousin's reaction. Patrick is silent, quietly absorbing a new source of outrage. Disbelief works his way into his features. _

**Patrick: **I never thought I'd say this, but I've lost respect for you Jeremie. _He turns his back on him. _I never figured you for a coward.

_Jeremie considers a rebuttal, but in the end he decides against it. He bites the insult with some measure of grace. _

**Patrick: **You helped create the Outcasts. It doesn't make sense that you would abandon us. It's not like you. And you know it. _He turns back around with clear anger dripping from every word. _What I hate more than anything is not that you weren't there, but that you didn't give me a reason why…

_Jeremie remains firm in the face of these unanswerable accusations. He puts his hands in his pockets. _

**Jeremie: **If I was there…if we were there…do you think Jim would have lived? Is that what this is really about?

_Patrick folds his arms across his chest. _

**Patrick: **No. Probably not. But there's one thing that you and I can't avoid. The Outcasts had two invaluable leaders. One gave his life for the sake of another. _He walks up to Jeremie's side, talking close to his ear. _And the other…well, let's just say he decided to stay home when he was needed the most.

_Patrick goes back inside, leaving Jeremie out in the cold. _

_That same night, Natalya and William sit on a small balcony outside the Dunbar's apartment overlooking the 15__th__ arrondissement of Paris. Bundled up in their coats, they listen to holiday music waft up from the street five floors below them. In the distance the two lovers can see the Eiffel Tower lighting up the city. Natalya wraps her arms around William's right shoulder and leans against it. William sits in quiet reflection as he tries to enjoy this tranquil moment. Though he enjoys having her at his side, her physical contact against his shoulder starts to hurt due to the lingering impact of his last battle. Nevertheless, he refuses to show his discomfort to Natalya. A few minutes later, Natalya slightly shifts her head. _

**Natalya: **Is it really over?

_William doesn't answer right away. _

**William: **Yes. _He runs his glove-covered hand over her cheek. _It has to be.

_She stares down at the street for a moment. Despite the recent national chaos, some people still walk about the city, enjoying the Christmas lights attached to stores and strung about on trees planted on the sidewalk. The appearance of normalcy unnerves her. She shifts in her seat. _

**Natalya: **It doesn't feel like it. _She shakes her head. _Not at all...

**William: **You can't just turn off your fighting instincts in one day. This is going to be a long, long process.

_Natalya's mood starts to decline. _

**Natalya: **I'm definitely going to have nightmares.

**William: **Unfortuantely, that's to be expected. No doubt you will have many sleepless nights. _He touches her chin and makes her look him in the eye. _But you won't be alone.

_Natalya suddenly turns bright pink. At first, William thinks the reaction is a natural blush, but the truly embarrassed look on her face makes him reconsider that initial assessment. Before he can say anything, she averts his gaze and laughs. _

**Natalya: **So…you're saying I'll never be alone…on those sleepless nights?

_William takes a few seconds to understand what he just said. Realizing his error, he covers his eyes with his left hand and attempts to clarify, stammering along the way. _

**William: **I m-meant…that you wouldn't be the only…only one dealing with night-

_Natalya can't help but laugh again at her boyfriend's completely failed attempt to recover himself. _

**Natalya: **Calm down. I know what you meant. _Her expression instantly sours. She leans against his shoulder again. Another spasm of pain runs up William's arm, but he endures it and doesn't say a word. _Still, there's nothing worse than waking up from a nightmare and being totally alone…_She looks up at _him…with no one to comfort you.

**William: **Ye…..Yes. But I believe I've gotten used to it.

**Natalya: **Well…some of us haven't.

_William thinks over this for a moment. Natalya monitors his facial reactions, hoping to get a peak into the inner machinations of his mind. _

**William: **You do have a point. But I've been dealing with Xana for a long time, so I think I am somewhat prepared. Although with all the stuff that's just happened, I may be wrong. _He turns to her and smiles. The slight shift delivers a sharp dagger of agony into his wounded side which he masks again with considerable effort. _The…one thing I do know is that you won't have to deal with those nightmares alone. _He pauses for a moment_. Oh wait, did I just do it aga-

_Natalya scoots closer to him and motions for him to be quiet. A heavy wind blows through the area, making both of them shiver. Her thighs brush up against his. William senses the touch and feels a lump in his throat. Because of this, Natalya is the first to speak. _

**Natalya: **That reminds me…Is Xana still around? I mean, we defeated Moriarty. Did he decide to go on his own?

**William: **Yes and no.

**Natalya: **Explain.

_William removes a glove from his left hand, exposing it to cold. He warms it up with a small electric spark that dances across his palm. _

**William: **I still have Xana's powers and I can sense his presence. But he's not saying anything. Usually I don't go a day without him saying something. But ever since Moriarty kicked the bucket, it's like he's been on radio silence.

_Natalya can't help but frown with this unfortunate news. _

**Natalya: **That's so disappointing. _She hugs him tightly. _Will we ever be truly alone? I mean…with Xana…isn't our relationship slightly-_She searches for the right words_-awkward?

_William tilts his head to the side and shrugs. _

**William: **If it makes you feel better, Xana really doesn't care about us at all. He only saw you as an opportunity to force me to use my powers. He hardly even mentions it except when-_He suddenly becomes uncomfortable_ _and cuts himself off._-I uh…nevermind. So, you like the view?

_Natalya rolls her eyes at his pathetic attempt to change the subject. _

**Natalya: **William, what does he say?

_He refuses to look her in the eye and rubs the back of his neck. _

**William: **Oh…it's nothing.

**Natalya: **It's obviously something if you won't look at me while you're talking.

_William sighs in defeat, knowing that he has been caught and there's no way getting out of it. _

**William: **He thinks I am being…irrationally hesitant.

_She looks at him quizzically, clearly not getting the message. _

**Natalya: **Hesitant to do what exactly?

_He stands up, hoping to gain some time before approaching the subject directly. _

**William: **Um…_A slight pivot of his shoulder blades finally breaks his composure. The pain is impossible to hide_…AHH! _He goes to his knees, his face contorting in anguish from the throbbing in his back and shoulders. He curses through his teeth_. (Expletive) Dark Warriors! 

_Natalya immediately bends down to help him, moving some hair out of her face to get a better look. The sight of her lover in that much suffering gives her a fresh current of panic, replacing the feeling of somber relief she had before. _

**Natalya: **William? William are you alright?! _She lifts his head up to get him to look at her. _Do you need to go to the hospital?!

_Despite his pain, he quickly brushes the thought aside. _

**William: **No…can't. Too many questions I can't answer. _He howls again for a second and covers his mouth. _Crap…my parents will hear me if I keep this up. _He bites on his hand as he waits for the intense soreness to pass. Natalya stays at his side, occasionally checking the windows to make sure the Dunbars didn't hear him. After a while, William starts to relax. The pain is not gone, but it is manageable. He tries to laugh at himself. _I've been trying to hold it together all day. Barely moving to avoid any suspicion. _He inhales through clenched teeth. _But I'm definitely still going to be sore on Christmas morning.

_Natalya touches the side of his face. A large purple bruise on the left side of his face is becoming noticeable. _

**Natalya: **My makeup is wearing off. I have some extra in one of the bathrooms if you need some more. _She gingerly runs her hand over his chest. _Come to think of it, let's go to the bathroom and check your injuries. We need to make sure none of them opened up.

_William purses his lips with a twinge of anxiety but soon sees the reason in her suggestion. _

**William: **Yes…Yes we probably should.

_Without attracting the attention of William's parents in the master bedroom, the two amble to the guest bathroom. Natalya drops their coats and her scarf on her bed before shutting the bathroom door behind her. She rolls up her sleeves and cautiously approaches William, who is awkwardly stands in the middle of the room. _

**Natalya: **Okay, I'm going to take these two layers off. It's probably going to hurt, but I'll go slowly.

_William nods in agreement. _

**William: **I get it. Just do what you have to do…

_Natalya nods and slowly reaches for the hem of his outer shirt. She pulls the shirt up his body until it reaches his armpits. She shoots him a look that warns that pain is imminent. _

**Natalya: **Okay, I'm going to need you to lift your arms.

_William winces as he tries to obey, biting his lip to bear the pain. Gently but quickly his girlfriend pulls the shirt over his head and removes it entirely. Now he is only left with a gray undershirt. _

**Natalya: **Alright. Time for round two.

_He leans his head up against the backtub and groans in pain and frustration. _

**William: **Uh….are you kidding me?! Do you know how painful it was to put it on this morning?

**Natalya: **I'm sorry. But we don't have a choice.

_The process goes much more painfully than the first time. William can't help but cry out and let Natalya muffle the noise by putting her hand over his mouth. Slowly but surely, the thin shirt is moved up his chest and arms. Natalya drops the garment to the floor on top of his thicker long-sleeve shirt. With her focus on William's shirtless body, she finds herself unable to look away. The multiple wounds and bruises over his chest and back fill her with a deep sadness. Her beleaguered, handsome warrior pushed himself to his limits for the sake of every free soul on Earth. Several electric burns on his torso testify to the intense battle he had with the dark warriors. William's chest heaves from heavy breathing. He takes a moment to rest and close his eyes, not looking at her reaction. Her lips quiver at the sad sight before her. She realizes that although he will certainly live, some of the scars will never completely heal. Overcome by emotion, she cries, letting a few tears fall in between William's knees. He opens his eyes just in time to see her carefully embrace him. She leans her head against his wounded chest. The warmness of her body relaxes him. Whatever discomfort she is causing does not matter to him. _

**Natalya: **You paid such a heavy price….to protect us.

_He places his hand behind her head, holding her close. _

**William: **I don't regret the price. Not even for a moment…They would have destroyed Lyoko and you along with it. So don't think for a second that I wasn't prepared for this.

_Her tears drip down to her face and onto his chest. They sit there for several minutes, lost in the relief and agony of their collective mental and physical trauma. The victors inhale the euphoric and chaotic air of freedom as participants in a war that has taken so much from them. Natalya kisses his cheek. _

**Natalya: **Thank you…

**William: **For protecting you?

**Natalya: **Of course. But I also thank you for paying a heavy price…and not the ultimate one.

_William kisses the top of her head and sits there quietly, not eager to move in any way. _

**William: **I was prepared to, but I am glad I didn't. _A single tear drops out of his right eye. He draws a sharp breath. _I wish I could say the same for Christophe.

_Natalya's face becomes downcast at the mention of their lost comrade. But before she can say anything, she senses a damp spot rapidly forming near her stomach. She straightens up and notices a blood stain on her shirt. _

**Natalya: **Oh no. _She turns to William's stomach. Sure enough, a wound has opened up, slowly leaking blood through the worn out bandage. _William you're bleeding!

_He looks down and hardly reacts. _

**William: **I figured as much.

**Natalya: **Hold on. I'll get some bandages. _She rummages around the bathroom cabinets until she comes across a box of large bandages for large cuts and gashes. As soon as one of them is removed from the box, she carefully lays it on William's stomach. In addition to that, she gives him some paper towels to put pressure on the injury. _There, that should do it.

_Eventually the bleeding grounds to a halt, much to her relief. But William starts to focus on the large blood stain on her girlfriend's clothing. _

**William: **Um, you should probably get rid of that.

_She looks down. _

**Natalya: **Oh…you're probably right. _Natalya casually removes her shirt, revealing a small white top underneath. To William's surprise, the material is surprisingly thin and like some of Yumi's shirts, it does not cover up her navel. The form-fitting garment hugs Natalya's chest tightly, leaving little room for speculation as to what is beneath it. Despite his injuries William is momentarily entranced by her beauty and embarrassed by her close proximity to his shirtless body. When Natalya flips her hair over her shoulders and looks at him, he tries to break off his stare, but it comes too late. She looks down, resulting in color flooding to her pale white face. Recognizing the awkward situation, she attempts to brush it off. _I…forgot I was even wearing this.

_William tries to keep his eyes off of her, but his pupils are unwilling to comply. _

**William: **Well I hope you thought you were wearing something under your shirt before you decided to take it off.

_She giggles like a little girl. _

**Natalya: **Oh…one can only hope William darling…_Rather abruptly, her attitude changes. She examines herself and stares at him in concern, feeling almost naked in front of him. _William…_She reaches to the straps of her top and touches them_…Am I…beautiful?

_Now suddenly nervous, William decides to waste no time with a reply. _

**William: **What kind of stupid question is that? Of course you are.

_She leans in close to his ear, letting the aroma of her lovely blonde hair brush against his nostrils. His heartrate doubles as she puts on her feminine charm. _

**Natalya: **Tell me why…

_Her cheek brushes up against his, making it difficult for him to think, much less answer. _

**William: **Every aspect of you is gorgeous….your heart, your mind-_He feels her chest getting closer to him_-your body. You've supported me even when you didn't know my secret. You loved me despite my past. And any girl that can singlehandedly take down the Leviathan drives me wild…

_His words entice her, drawing her lips closer to his. She feels incredibly warm so close to him and has no intention of drawing away. _

**Natalya: **You didn't judge me either William. And because of you, I found out what it meant to be a Lyoko Warrior. You taught me to be brave. You fought for me…blew up an entire island for me. I couldn't ask for anything else. _She gives him a light kiss. _I'm so in love with you…

**William: **As am I. _They kiss again. _How long do you think it will take my parents to realize that we're in the bathroom like this?

_She gives him a sly look. _

**Natalya: **If we're lucky, never…

_Unable to hold back any longer, the two gently but passionately kiss, refusing to break it off for a long time. _

_Some time late in the night, Jeremie wakes up to use the bathroom. His feet hit the rug and soon wander onto the colder wooden floor. The boy genius groans from grogginess. When he enters the restroom, he fumbles for the light switch for a few moments. After some time in the dark, blinding light finally greets him, causing him some discomfort for his eyes. Once his eyes adjust enough, he looks into the mirror. Facing him in the mirror is not his reflection, but a spitting image of Moriarty himself. The instant shock of the sight physically draws air out of his lungs, rendering him incapable of screaming or reacting in any other way. He trips backwards and ends up leaning against the opposite bathroom wall. A nasty case of the shakes grips him, running up from his trembling hands to his shoulders. Jeremie manages to point towards the enemy in the mirror and directly address him. _

**Jeremie: **You….not possible. You're dead…

_Moriarty shakes his head and looks down on Jeremie with mock pity. _

**Moriarty: **On the contrary, I am very much alive and here with you now.

_Jeremie looses control of his legs and falls. His hands grip the side of the bathtub. Paralysis seizes his muscles and face, making him appear like a petrified rock. _

**Jeremie: **No. No! I…we killed you! Put an end to you forever! _He gains a little bit of confidence as he grounds himself in that fact. _I watched it happen.

_Moriarty's voice migrates to a location behind his right shoulder. He turns in horror to see Moriarty talk to him from the bathtub. _

**Moriarty: **Poor, pitiful, stupid Jeremie. Do you really think taking me out in the Network is enough to kill me?

_Jeremie struggles to breathe. _

**Jeremie: **You…you're a virtual entity. _His voice takes on a harsher, more desperate tone. _You tied your entire existence to that Core. There's no way you could survive.

**Moriarty: **Oh no Jeremie. _The voice and image switch back to the mirror. _I was never foolish enough to do that. There's more to me than just some remains of code fragments drifting in the void.

_The Lyoko general tries to stand. He heaves with increasing dread and paranoia. _

**Jeremie: **If you attached yourself to another server, I will find it. I will hunt you in every digital nook and cranny out there. You have nowhere to hide!

**Moriarty: **I was not referring to anything digital. I am larger than that. I am-_He lifts his hands up and smiles in that despicable arrogant nature of his_-Moriarty.

_Jeremie blinks with confusion. He fails to understand, and that lack of understanding drives him crazy. He slams his fist into the door. _

**Jeremie: **What the hell…DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!

_Moriarty elevates his voice to the point that the entire bathroom vibrates. Jeremie nearly loses his footing. _

**Moriarty: **IT MEANS THAT I CAN NEVER TRULY DIE! _Jeremie presses his back against the wall as his chest expands and contracts from his strained, desperate breathing. _You may have destroyed my physical form. You may have even destroyed my virtual form. But that's not enough. _Moriarty starts to laugh, relishing in Jeremie's rising panic. _I am Moriarty. Don't you know what that means? I am no longer a person or a virtual entity. I am something more.

**Jeremie: **What? _His voice weakens from alarm and paranoia. _What…are you?

_Moriarty leans forward as if he were ready to come through the mirror. _

**Moriarty: **An idea. A dark thought. A whisper in the night, beckoning the nation of France…to come alive again.

_Jeremie takes a moment to fully process Moriarty's response. After thinking it over for a moment, he forces his breathing to slow down and stands up, refusing to look weak in front of his mortal enemy. _

**Jeremie: **A dark thought…and an idea can't use the Harbinger to take over the planet. Face the facts Moriarty. You lost. We beat you!

**Moriarty: **Then what am I doing here?

_Jeremie dismissively shakes his head. _

**Jeremie: **You are nothing more than a figment of my imagination. A mental representation of my fear come to haunt me…

**Moriarty: **If that's the case, then I have won more than you think.

_The boy genius snarls in frustration and pounds his palm against the bathroom counter. _

**Jeremie: **YOU…ARE…DEAD!

**Moriarty: **Maybe, Jeremie. But I'm not the only one…

_In a flash, Moriarty transforms into a bloody and zombified Christophe. Jeremie's aggression ebbs away instantly. He backs away from the mirror, traumatized by the image of the fallen warrior in front of him. _

**Jeremie: **No…

_Christophe starts to claw on the other side of the glass, pleading with his dead and glazed eyes for help. _

**Christophe: **Jeremie…why? Why couldn't you save me?

_Jeremie puts his hands over his ears and shuts his eyes. _

**Jeremie: **No, go away!

**Christophe: **Why couldn't you fix the bug in time? I could have lived…

_The beleaguered general's eyelids strain from the effort to avoid facing the apparition. _

**Jeremie: **I…did everything I could. I swear!

_Christophe continues to claw on the glass, creating an unbearable scratching sound. _

**Christophe: **It's so cold here. And I'm so lost…How will I ever escape?

_Unable to bear it any longer, Jeremie screams. He pops up in bed, delirious and panicked with no ability to understand his surroundings. It takes him several seconds to recover and realize he was dreaming. He feels his forehead and chest. Both are baked in sweat. He shakes from the intense psychological strain he was subjected to. With the image of Christophe's living corpse still haunting his mind, Jeremie closes his eyes in deep emotional pain. _

**Jeremie: **I…I'm so sorry. _He chokes up and hugs the sheets close to his body. _But there's nothing I can do.

_Next morning. Two days before Christmas. A late night snowfall adds another layer to the white frosty ground in Amiens. The morning starts out uncomfortably cold, but in the late morning the arrival of the much desired sun through the grey clouds starts to warm up the town to a tolerable level. Bundled in their coats, Yumi and Ulrich cross the bridge over the frigid Somme River, walking hand in hand. Only a few passing cars disturb their peace. Foggy breath follows them wherever they go, but the bright smiles they share with each other indicate that they don't mind at all. _

**Yumi: **That was possibly the best breakfast of my life.

**Ulrich: **You said that about dinner yesterday too.

**Yumi: **It's the truth. I didn't know it was possible to live this well.

_Ulrich shrugs, looking at the tower of the cathedral in the distance. _

**Ulrich: **Well it is. I've had to deal with a lot of crap in my life, but poverty has never been one of them.

_The pair stop walking. Yumi hugs her shoulders close to her body. _

**Yumi: **Yeah. There has been a lot of crap, hasn't there? _She puts a strained smile on. _But it's over. And now we can enjoy that wealth without having to worry about Moriarty, Xana, or your dad.

**Ulrich: **Oh…_Ulrich manages a laugh_…so there's a 'we' involved with the family wealth now.

**Yumi: **What are you talking about? _She acts slightly offended to defend herself. _There has always been a we.

**Ulrich: **True, but this is the first time you mentioned the family money as a part of our relationship. What brought that on?

_Yumi places her index finger near her lip and spends a moment lost in thought. _

**Yumi: **Um…it happened about the moment I walked in your front door.

_Ulrich nods in understanding. _

**Ulrich: **Fair enough. _He suddenly finds himself put in a loving headlock. _Hey! What gives?

**Yumi: **You idiot. _She gives him a slight noogie. _I fell in love with you, remember? Not your money. _She grins and looks up at the sky. _But the money is a really nice plus. I could really use a new paint job on the moped.

**Ulrich: **You're impossible.

**Yumi: **And I could use a good update on my wardrobe.

_With his head still in her grip, Ulrich spots a department store advertisement with a photo of a young woman dressed in nothing but a black bra and panties. He raises an eyebrow in questionable interest. _

**Ulrich: **Does the update involve anything like that? Because if so I'm completely on board.

_Yumi blushes and gasps in outrage. She pushes him into a pile of snow just past the bridge. _

**Yumi: **You are awful. First the 'Tigress' and now this? Is stuff like that the only thing on your mind right now?

_Ulrich pops up out of the snow, knocking some of it off his head. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi, most of my thoughts this semester have been about you and our fight with Moriarty. _He stands up. _Moriarty is dead, so that just leaves you.

_Yumi shyly smiles and looks away after that roundabout compliment. But suddenly her expression darkens. Ulrich scrutinizes her reaction. _

**Ulrich: **Is something wrong?

_Her gaze becomes acquainted with the ground. She rubs her left elbow with her right hand. _

**Yumi: **How? How can you forget about it so easily? We just defeated him. How are you not dealing with any stress or trauma right afterwards?

_Ulrich, seeing he has struck a painful chord without meaning to, walks forward and holds her hands. _

**Ulrich: **I'm sorry…I didn't realize…

**Yumi: **I've been having nightmares. _She shakes her head in self-reproach and tries to walk away. _I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything…

_Ulrich pulls her back. _

**Ulrich: **Hold on. _He looks her in the eye. _Why didn't you tell me this? _She goes a long time without responding, prompting him to continue. _We're under the same roof right now. You don't have to suffer like that alone.

_She inhales through her nose and exhales slowly. _

**Yumi: **I didn't want you to worry. I didn't want to ruin your…relief and happiness from defeating Moriarty. _She stares at the ground again. _But I've done the exact opposite.

**Ulrich: **Hey, come here. _He pulls her into an embrace. With his head on her shoulder, he speaks softly into her ear. _Let me make one thing clear. No matter what we go through, I will always be eternally relieved to be rid of Moriarty. But we have to accept that we can never be normal. _He breaks off the embrace for a moment and rests his forehead against hers. _That's why we need to look out for each other…for a long time to come. And don't think I'm completely healed. I still look over my shoulder. My battle instincts aren't gone, and I still miss Christophe terribly. And more importantly, I need you now more than ever.

_Touched and invigorated by Ulrich's words, Yumi kisses him and holds him again. Her eyes drift off in the direction of the cloudy sky. The sun continues to peak through, appearing to shine right on top of them. Her cheek brushes up against his. _

**Yumi: **Likewise.

_Christmas Eve. Natalya and William hold hands as they walk down the snowy streets of Paris. They maintain a slower pace than normal because William still appears to struggle with walking normally. Holiday music, sung in a slow, melodic, and soothing mood, fills the crisp air with unnatural but inviting warmth. The pale Russian beauty turns her head toward him. _

**Natalya: **How are you holding up?

_William smiles but his face is still marked with a definite grimace. _

**William: **The pain's not gone away by any means, but I certainly feel better than yesterday.

**Natalya: **Do you think you're healing naturally?

_He shakes his head. _

**William: **If I was healing naturally, I doubt I would be able to walk at all right now.

_Natalya looks forward. _

**Natalya: **Xana?

**William: **It's the only explanation. It's only been a couple of days and I feel so much better than I did before. _He looks up at the white cloudy sky with a slightly pensive look on his face. _Huh…

**Natalya: **What is it?

**William: **I just realized something. _She focuses on him with stronger interest. He meets her gaze._Xana. He fulfilled his end of the bargain. He really helped us defeat Moriarty for good.

_Natalya remains silent for a while. When she does speak, her tone is far more negative than William had expected. _

**Natalya: **So what are we to make of that? _She takes a pause. _That in the end, Xana showed he was capable of being good?

**William: **Hell no…

**Natalya: **Then what? That he was always evil and only helped us because if he was going to die without accomplishing his goal, then he might as well take Moriarty along with him?

**William: **Xana…was never evil. At least in the way we understand evil. He wanted something and he was willing to use whatever amoral means to get it. He saw how much power he could obtain and pursued it any cost because that was the only thing that made logical sense to him.

_Natalya gives him a strange look. _

**Natalya: **Sounds to me like you're defending Xana.

**William: **I'm not. But we have to remember where Xana came from. He was created to destroy, to fight Project Carthage and annihilate Moriarty from existence. As an AI, he was capable of learning, but since destruction and control were the only things he was exposed to, it makes sense that he wouldn't understand anything else. And when Schaeffer's use for his destructive capabilities waned, he decided to find a use for them on his own…

_The couple turn a corner and walk gingerly over an icy sidewalk. To their right and left are brightly lit shops, still advertising a last minute Christmas sale for the extreme procrastinator. A police vehicle moves past them in an oddly slow patrol around the neighborhood. _

**Natalya: **All of that was before my time, so I'm not sure what to say. _She sighs. William's heart does a somersault as he takes in a glimpse of her, observing her beautifully defined features that radiate a profound quiet sadness that only he can understand. He is struck with a longing that causes him to adjust his hand grip on her ever so slightly. _But if you feel that way, I see no reason why I shouldn't believe you.

_In front of them, several city workers are taking down Order propaganda posters. The sight is quite a pleasant relief for the two, but it sadly does not last. A mysterious stranger clothed in a beige hooded jacket approaches two of them unnoticed. In a flash, he hits one of them in the back of the head with his fist and body checks the other against the outer wall of a store. Before they can get up, he runs off in William and Natalya's direction. _

**Order Supporter: **THE COMMANDANT LIVES!

_As he comes within range of the couple, a furious stream of righteous anger breaks loose within William. He takes a step forward. _

**William: **Why that little piece of-

_Unexpectedly, William feels himself pulled in from behind into Natalya's unusually strong embrace. After recovering from his initial surprise, he painfully struggles to get free from her grip. The Order supporter runs past them, fleeing the possibility of pursuit in a matter of moments. The cop car pulls up to the sidewalk and the officer soon emerges to check on the injured. Enraged by the sudden interference, he looks over his shoulder and reprimands his girlfriend with his unrelenting eyes. _

**William: **Why the hell did you do that?! I could have-

**Natalya: **NO! _She cuts him off with an unrestrained passion in her trembling voice. She stares at the sidewalk, refusing to look at him. William's harsh gaze dissipates when he realizes that the thin white hands across his chest are shaking. He touches them, and they shake even more. _I couldn't. I couldn't let 're hurt. _Desperation creeps into her expression and body language, becoming more obvious with every passing moment. She leans against his shoulder. _What if something had happened? Did we defeat Moriarty to get killed over trivial things? No…._She buries her face in his jacket_...We defeated him to live…

_Later that morning, Aelita and Jeremie engage in another game of chess in the upstairs reading room. But this time the atmosphere is not so joyful and carefree. Jeremie's face remains rigid, completely tense during what should be a fun match. Aelita moves her knight forward. His general instincts, still incredibly sharp from the recent climactic showdown with Moriarty, immediately examine the implications of her move and possible counters. His mind hums uneasily, unable to enjoy the moment. His girlfriend becomes perturbed. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie, are you alright? _He doesn't respond. _You haven't said a word since we started.

_He hardly registers her question. He quickly starts to lose himself in a mental scenario crafted from his own subconscious. Instead of Aelita, the smug and ever superior Moriarty is his opponent. The dark grey light from the window turns black with only the faint lamp illuminating the table and their faces. The family chessboard becomes a two dimensional map of Lyoko. Moriarty's pawns now become monsters and his more important pieces transform into the dark warriors. On Jeremie's side, all his pieces are different repeating versions of the Lyoko Warriors he has pitted against Moriarty's forces time and time again. The game moves at a timeless pace; Jeremie can't tell if it lasts two minutes or two months. Finally, he moves his queen, which happens to be a figure of Aelita with her wings extended. Eyeing his king, which of course must be a figure of Moriarty himself, the boy genius manages a smile. _

**Jeremie: **Checkmate.

_Moriarty leans his head against his fist and frowns with a kind of false pity that always sickens Jeremie to his core. _

**Moriarty: **Don't you think that's a tad premature?

**Jeremie: **You're surrounded. Ulrich, my knight, has you pinned on the right. William, my bishop, has made sure you can't escape diagonally. My rook, Yumi, has blocked you on the left. Face it Moriarty, you've lost.

_Moriarty picks up his king piece and holds it up to what little light penetrates the room. He hums a tune to himself, much to Jeremie's irritation. _

**Moriarty: **I think you should know by now that I never lose. _The kingly piece of Moriarty dances in between his moving fingers. _I merely change one chessboard for another.

_Moriarty's words, feeding into Jeremie's greatest fears and doubts, grate on his nerves to the point of rage. He motions to the board again. _

**Jeremie: **Can you….just take a moment…to understand a very simple fact. YOU LOST! I WON! _He touches the board with his index finger. _Lyoko…is mine.

**Moriarty: **Lyoko…._Moriarty takes a long pause in order to prove his point_…is only one of two chessboards. _He lifts his hands and makes a circular motion over the board_. Observe. _The chessboard flips over. Instead of Lyoko, it is now a map of France. On his side, the monsters become the members of The Order. On Jeremie's side, although the Lyoko Warriors stay the same, they change into their regular clothes and several prominent members of the Outcasts also appear. All the pieces are facing each other, as if the game has just started, but Jeremie suddenly notices that a piece is missing. Sure enough, at the back of the board a square remains unoccupied. Moriarty holds up Jeremie's king piece, which happens to be Jim comedically dressed as a king, similar to the spraypainting masterpiece Ulrich and Jeremie crafted long ago. _Missing someone?

_A wave of righteous ire inundates Jeremie's senses. His eyebrows lower in outrage and his voice deepens substantially. _

**Jeremie: **Give…him…back.

**Moriarty: **Even if I wanted to, I'm not capable of bringing him back. No one is. Yet another one of your failures.

_Jeremie's fist hits the table. _

**Jeremie: **You are responsible for Jim's death! You're the one who poisoned Herb's mind and led him to kill Jim!

_Moriarty covers his eyes with his hands and shakes his head in exasperation. _

**Moriarty: **You still don't get it, do you Jeremie? Why are you paying so much attention to Herb? He was only the tip of the iceberg. Look at the rest of the board. _As if on cue, the figures of The Order move forward gradually, slowly marching forward towards their opponents' lines. In response, the Outcasts slowly back up in their squares. Moriarty laughs in amusement. _And the best thing is, since I killed your king, this battle was over before it even began.

_The skin of Jeremie's hands becomes icy cold. He reaches forward and tries to prevent the retreat, but his pieces won't respond. The Order turns into an unstoppable tide, an unconquerable horde that no force can stop. Jeremie's pieces start to fall off the board, having run out of space to fall back. His heart quickens and his mind becomes overwhelmed with panic, an all too familiar feeling he has come to loathe and dread. The boy genius backs up in his chair in protest of this scenario. _

**Jeremie: **This can't be real. The Order has been disbanded. Without you they're leaderless, undirected. And Herb's crime will only scatter them further. No…_Now it is Jeremie's turn to get more assertive_…You're the one who's lost before the start of the match. All your pieces are gone. This is an illusion.

**Moriarty: **An illusion you say? _Moriarty clasps his hands together and stares out the dark window, looking at nothing. _No, it doesn't work that way. Look past your prejudices and your fears. What happens when someone brews a combustible chemical reaction and then is taken out of the experiment? Will the explosive reaction magically be prevented? Or will it continue without him regardless? Think about it. _Jeremie eyes the board. As the chess pieces advance, the familiar black and purple insignia of The Order covers the map of France and even starts to spread eastward. It spreads like a plague, consuming everything it touches. Jeremie meets Moriarty's confident stare with one of reluctant caution. _You can't put out this fire.

_Jeremie, while still shaken, refuses to back down or show substantial weakness in front of his mortal foe. He leans forward. _

**Jeremie: **Even if someone tries to succeed you in France, I will stop them. I will do whatever is necessary to kill you and everything that has to do with your legacy.

**Moriarty: **Of that I am well aware. Just look at what you did to your pawns.

_Jeremie makes a face. _

**Jeremie: **Pawns? What pawns?

**Moriarty: **Now Jeremie, don't be callous. _He flips to the board back to Lyoko. Jeremie stares at it for a moment, confused. _Don't you see that someone is missing?

_Jeremie counts the victorious Lyoko Warriors one by one on the chessboard. One, two three, four, five, six….His eyes widen. There is one missing. His heart sinks to his stomach. _

**Jeremie: **No…no why didn't I see it before?!

_Moriarty holds up a chess piece of Christophe. _

**Moriarty: **Looking for this one? _Jeremie refuses to look. _You used him to win the game, don't you remember?

_The Lyoko general manages to aim a fatal glare at his foe with hatred and the pain of loss intoxicating his senses. _

**Jeremie: **Shut…up…

**Moriarty: **And there are plenty more where that came from.

_In spite of himself, Jeremie looks. On Moriarty's side, all of Jeremie's subdued pieces are lined up. All of them bear the image of Christophe. And every single Christophe served the role of a pawn. Jeremie feels part of his soul fall apart. _

**Moriarty: **Behold the price of your partial victory…

_The site of all the Christophe pieces drives him to the breaking point. Overcome with guilt and anger, he rises from his seat and tosses the entire board off the table, scattering several pieces onto the floor. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie!

_In an instant Jeremie snaps back to reality. He is back in his parents' house, with the board and all the chess pieces scattered on the floor. In front of him stands Aelita, watching him with increased concern. _

**Aelita: **What has gotten into you?

_For a split second, Jeremie does nothing. His face and mind are frozen by shock and accumulated trauma. Then his eyes well up with tears. He falls to the floor and places his forehead on his girlfriend's knees. He begins to cry. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita…please…_He stares up at her_…tell me I did everything in my power to keep Christophe alive.

_Aelita kneels down to meet Jeremie at his level. She holds him close and allows him to cry on her shoulder. Her cheek rubs up against his. _

**Aelita: **We did everything in our power Jeremie. We tried our best. But Christophe made his decision, and it was the only way…

_Jeremie starts to lose it, hugging her closer. _

**Jeremie: **But I…could have done better.

_Aelita's face contorts painfully in resigned sadness. She takes a deep breath. _

**Aelita: **You did more than any of us. So don't carry Christophe's death on your own. We all need to carry it. _She kisses him on the cheek. _Now try to calm down. You don't want your parents to hear you.

_Hundreds of kilometers north in a small cottage on the western Norwegian coast, the Della Robbia family settles down to watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, a classic Christmas Eve tradition for them. There are continuous arguments about the volume, lighting, food, and how much vodka Odd's sister Louise has pilfered from the cupboard. But somehow it always ends up working out. Odd lays back on the couch in a dreary state, letting the flurry of magic and incredible CGI battles overtake his imagination, filling him with a longing and weariness that he can't name nor understand…_

_Later that night. Odd's subconscious descends into a strange but incredibly vivid dream. A lush green valley opens up before him filled with forests and a few human settlements from a preindustrial time. A blonde boy from one of these villages journeys into the forest, looking for firewood. The trees are incredibly thick and the interconnected branches and leaves block out most of the sunlight. Before long the boy becomes lost and confused due to the thick tree cover. For a little while his heart gives way to fear, but that fear quickly changes to curiosity when he comes upon a single tree that is inexplicably frozen in ice. Inside a large hole in the tree lies an elf girl with pink hair. Instantly entranced by her beauty, the young wanderer resolves to free her. He prepares a torch and slowly thaws the elf girl out of the ice. When she wakes up, the elf girl regards her rescuer with modest gratitude. The blonde boy takes her by the hand, eager to take her back home to his village. But his enchantment with the frozen beauty has set in motion powers he does not understand. The once frozen tree appears to moan and then turns black and rots rapidly before their eyes. The forest groans malevolently and the branches of nearby trees sway in displeasure. To their horror, the howling of wolves penetrates the silence of the forests. Before they can run, two wolves approach them from out of the shadows, growling and bearing their teeth. Both have jet black fur but the one on the left glows with a red aura while the one on the right possesses a dark purple one. Their intent to harm and kill however, is the same. The explorer and his new elf friend flee from them and the wolves give chase. The blonde boy accidentally drops his torch, causing the forest to rapidly erupt in flames. The inferno soon threatens the nearby towns and villages scattered throughout the area. Meanwhile in a nearby clearing, the blonde boy and the elf girl are backed up against a rock face with nowhere to go. Both wolves stalk them patiently from behind a wall of flame. Right before they attack, six stone guardians of the valley positioned in different locations throughout the forest come to life. The warriors come to their rescue and drive the two wolves back. One of them, a scrawny bowman, approaches the purple wolf too recklessly, not heeding the warnings of the other guardians. The wolf stares at the bowman with his soulless eyes, overwhelming him with his dominant will. Captivated by his power, the bowman turns on his comrades. He strikes the two swordsmen in their sides and then aims another arrow at the elf girl. Terrified, the elf girl holds onto her companion. The bowman pauses. The pure beauty of this mysterious girl enthralls him as well, slowly chipping away at the wolf's control. He cannot bring himself to fire. The wolf tries to influence him again, using jealousy and bitterness as weapons to force his will upon him. For a brief moment, it seems to work as the bowman pulls back on the string. But he spins around and launches the arrow into the wolf's foot instead. The beast howls in pain and rage and prepares to pounce onto his rebellious servant. The bowman notches another arrow in anticipation of the battle. _

…_..The dream ends. Odd wakes up slowly and in a haze, unable to process the absurd dream he had. He looks out the window. Even though it is nearly seven thirty in the morning, the sky in the far north is still very dark. He looks to the west in the direction of the sea and sees nothing but a dark abyss. Still overwhelmed by his dream, he rubs his head. _

**Odd: **Okay, that's the last time I mix rakfisk with gravy right before bed. _He eases himself out of bed and gets dressed. The rest of his extended family is still sound asleep, resolved to sleep in several hours longer. Odd bundles up and walks out the back door of the cottage, greeting the highly unwelcoming and bitterly cold Norwegian air. He trudges across the frozen ground in his boots until he reaches the edge of a steep ravine overlooking a large fjord. A little sunlight from the east lights up the water, giving it a glistening gleam. The lost warrior looks out in the distance, deeply pensive and confused by the images of his vivid dream. A few moments later, a wolf howls in the distance, calling out to its pack. Alarmed by the sudden noise in the quiet landscape, Odd instinctively places his left hand over his right wrist and looks around. It lasts only a second, but he quickly regains himself and looks at his strange posture in confusion. He cannot explain why he grabbed his wrist, nor does he remember making a conscious decision to do so. He shakes his head, unable to solve the mystery. As he heads back to the cottage, he stops and smiles. _Oh yeah, I totally forgot. _He turns around, looking in the direction of the fjord. _It's Christmas…

_Christmas day at the Belpois household. Bright sunshine reflects off the icy snow coating the roads and sidewalks. By the time midday rolls around, the extended family has finished their large breakfast/lunch meal and are cleaning up. Most of the family washes the dishes while Uncle Richie plays the piano in the other room, enchanting the entire first floor with Christmas music. His wife berates him for not helping out with the cleanup, but no one else seems to mind the cheery atmosphere coming from the sweet melody. Jeremie shows up to the sink with a stack of plates while Patrick scrubs the dishes already in there. His cousin graces him with another unwelcoming look that Jeremie still has no response to. Aelita, who is wiping down the kitchen table, watches the exchange with quiet sadness. The boy genius starts to walk away, but then stops. He inhales deeply. _

**Jeremie: **Patrick.

**Patrick: **Yeah?

**Jeremie: **Whether you forgive me for what we did or not, I want to let you know that what you've done over these past few months was very brave. You helped found the Outcast branch at your school, even though you knew you would be inviting conflict in the process. Because of your efforts, other students across the country gained the courage to follow Kadic and Lycée Jeanne d'Arc's example and fight The Order. You came to the final showdown against them, knowing you would be outnumbered and overwhelmed. But you did it anyway-_Jeremie looks over his shoulder in admiration_-and that is something no one should take for granted, including you.

_He leaves the room with Aelita following him soon after. Patrick stares out the window above the sink almost without blinking. He turns off the hot water and grips the edge of the sink. A small tear emerges from his left eye and drops into the sudsy foam below. _

_Jeremie enters the den, where his father is watering the Christmas tree one last time. He glances over at Jeremie. _

**Mr. Belpois: **Oh son, perfect timing. Your aunt wanted to see that photo album of you and Patrick when you were babies. Can you bring it down from the attic?

_Jeremie grimaces with obvious discomfort at the idea. _

**Jeremie: **Do I have to? I don't exactly want Aelita to see any embarrassing photos of me.

**Mr. Belpois: **Sorry, but there's no getting around it. Might as well let the women in the house look over it and laugh before your girlfriend notices.

_The retired Lyoko general reluctantly accepts his fate and ascends the staircase. He reaches the end of the hallway on the second floor and turns to his right. He opens the attic door from the ceiling to reveal a wooden staircase that he climbs with caution. Once he reaches the top, he is greeted with a musty darkness. After fumbling around for the light, he manages to find the switch and turn it on. Jeremie blinks for a few seconds as the light illuminates the small attic. Old boxes, knickknacks, and paintings covered in protective plastic fill the windowless space. A cloud of dust approaches his face, causing him to cough and sneeze heavily for a few moments. He steps forward with the wood creaking underneath his feet. Rubbing his nose in irritation, he glances aroud. _

**Jeremie: **Okay, was it in the green crate or the box with the red tape? _He stares at the two containers for a moment. Unable to remember which one, he shrugs and picks the box with the red tape. After unsealing it, he peers in to see a number of old framed photographs. Through a small space in the middle, he can see a photo album at the very bottom. Jeremie rolls his eyes in annoyance. _Oh because of course it makes the most sense to put it at the very bottom. _He starts digging around to get to it as opposed to removing the photographs in the way. In his attempt, he cuts his hand on something. _Ow! _He pulls out one photo frame. The edge of the frame is chipped, thus explaining his cut. Once he examines the wound and sees it is not serious, he takes a look at the photo that has caused him so much trouble. To his surprise, it is a black and white family photograph of his father and Uncle Richie as children along with his grandmother and step-grandfather. The two appear to be around seven and fourteen years of age, respectively. The entire family poses on a white deck with the image of the sea in the background, presumably the Mediterranean. _Oh…how nice. But it looks like my step-grandpa was even fatter than I imagined. _As he admires the family memoir, he notices that the frame is cracked in half on the right side, exposing the photo to the elements. _Well that's not good. _He reaches inside the frame. _Mom should really get this fix-_He stops. As he touches the family portrait, he realizes that a part of the photo is folded back. Intrigued, he takes the whole thing out of the frame and unfolds the hidden flap…_

…_.Breath escapes from his lungs. His eyes lock on to a new, unknown figure standing next to his Uncle Richie. This blonde, teenage looking individual seems aloof and discontent with the others, but he is without a doubt with them…as if he was part of the family. Jeremie examines the photo again. The family is still there. His father and uncle are still smiling innocently with their fat stepfather and gentle mother behind them. But the presence of this fifth, unwanted person, reluctantly acting as a member of the family, remains there, engulfing Jeremie in a confusion and shock that is foreign even to him. Once it becomes clear that the fifth individual…this third sibling…is not an illusion, his blood starts to run cold. This sensation turns icy when he examines this possible older brother more closely. His expression, which at first merely resembles that of an angsty teenager, carries a certain darkness that unnerves Jeremie to his very core. Even more disturbing, the physical attributes of the teenager's face seem just the slightest bit familiar. For about ten seconds, he fails to identify this tinge of familiarity. Then, somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind, a primal instinct screams in horror. _

_Without considering his actions, Jeremie races down the ladder with the photo, nearly falling off. He stumbles down the hall, almost unable to walk. When he reaches the staircase he grabs hold of the rail. The entire house starts spinning, and only his firm grip keeps him from falling from dizziness. His heart races so hard that he can feel the pulsing of blood in his temple. By the time he gets downstairs, he pants from a fatigue he cannot understand. As he makes it to the last step, Uncle Richie enters the room as his father flips to the weather channel. The initial smile his uncle gives him turns to concern when he sees how pale Jeremie has become. _

**Richard: **Jeremie, are you feeling alright? You don't look so good.

_Jeremie doesn't answer. He continues to hold onto the rail for dear life with his eyes widened beyond their usual limit. His father turns his head, sharing his brother's alarm. _

**Mr. Belpois: **Son, what has gotten into-?

_Jeremie holds up the photo. The brothers immediately grow silent, as if they have lost the ability of speech entirely. _

**Jeremie: **Explain…this…_The two siblings share a look that the burdened boy genius can't decipher. A terrible three seconds passes, three seconds past Jeremie's patience. _Explain this photo!

_Uncle Richie holds his hands up as a way of calming Jeremie down. _

**Richard: **Okay….okay. Just take it easy for a second. We'll explain everything. _Mr. Belpois stares at his brother in shock. _There's no going back now. He's seen too much. But we need to bring everyone together. Patrick needs to hear about this too.

_Twenty minutes later the entire Belpois clan in addition to Aelita gathers at the dining table. Uncle Richie and Jeremie's father sit at opposite ends of the table. The room is deathly quiet. The only noise that fills the gap is the ticking of the grandfather clock which continues at its slow, monotonous pace, much to their unease. Jeremie sits in his chair, wearing an absolutely blank face of dread while Aelita holds his cold hand under the table. Uncle Richie rests his elbows on the table and positions his clenched fists over his mouth. His wife Louise rubs his shoulder as the older brother takes a deep breath. He looks at his son and nephew in turn. _

**Richard: **Patrick….Jeremie…This is very difficult for me to say but….Michael and I were not the only children born to your biological grandparents. When we were children, we were actually a family of five, not four. We had a brother, an older brother born along with us in Algeria at the end of the French colonial period. He grew up with us, and we loved him like brothers should…

_Patrick interrupts in a violent outburst of disbelief. His right fist hits the dining room table. _

**Patrick: **What the hell do you mean you two had another brother? Are you telling me I have a second uncle and you didn't tell me?!

**Louise: **Patrick, please, let your father explain.

_Richard grimaces at his son's justified anger before continuing. _

**Richard: **As I was saying, we did have an older brother. But he had personal problems that caused friction in the family, especially with our stepfather Gautier_…Jeremie silently croaks as the framework of a ghastly tapestry begins to come together_…You see, this…third sibling of ours joined extreme right-wing groups in Marseille because he hated all foreigners. The reason being that…during the Algerian War…guerrillas from the other side entered our home when we were children and executed our father right in front of us.

_Mr. Belpois takes over for a moment. _

**Mr. Belpois: **I was just a baby when it happened, but Richard saw the whole thing…when he was seven years old.

_Patrick starts to shake. Jeremie's thousand yard stare grows more intense and empty. _

**Patrick: **But…you said grandpa died in action in the Battle of Bizerte.

**Richard: **That was a lie on our part. We didn't want you to know the whole truth.

_Patrick buries his face in his hands. The weight of this drastically unexpected information begins to crush him. _

**Patrick: **But…why? Why would you-?

**Richard: **Our stepfather Gautier fought a lot with our brother over this. He didn't approve of his actions. He pushed our family to the point that he was kicked out of the house, permanently. After that, despite our poor mother's protests, Gautier didn't want to hear any mention of him again.

_With the tapestry growing more horrifying by the second, Jeremie finds his lips moving against his will. _

**Jeremie: **His name….

**Mr. Belpois: **What was that?

_His hollow eyes turn to his father, radiating a fearful revulsion that is beyond words. _

**Jeremie: **What was…his name?

_Mr. Belpois pauses for a single moment and then answers. _

**Mr. Belpois: **André…André Belpois.

_Jeremie and Aelita nearly come undone from sheer fright. Instantly the pieces of the tapestry come together in horrifying clarity. Odd's dream narratives suddenly align with this one. The execution of Moriarty's father, the fights with a stepfather also named Gautier, the similarities in the photo, the name. Every single coincidence cascades in Jeremie's thoughts until they break the seams and overflow. Just as Jeremie is about to lose it and scream, one last thread of doubt desperately holds on. He fumbles for details, certain contradictions between the two stories that he puts one final hope in. He prays for all he's worth that somehow, some way this is a horrible coincidence, that this André Belpois is not the Moriarty he knows all too well. For if not, he concludes that his heart will certainly stop. Aelita whimpers ever so slightly, unable to register anything but the nightmarish truth that is being exposed. Patrick finally breaks the silence. _

**Patrick: **Did you ever see him again?

**Richard: **Once. André returned after pursuing a brief career in the French army. But our stepfather remained unmoved, and he left almost as soon as he came. The damage had already been done, especially to Michael.

_A slight ray of hope pierces through the darkness for Jeremie. One major discrepancy comes into play: his father's name. Mr. Belpois' first name is Michael, not Damien. He desperately reaches for this ray of light, only to watch it vanish before his very eyes. _

**Mr. Belpois: **Because I resented the group, Ordre Nouveau, for bringing my brother into their midst and breaking apart our family, I ran afoul of them as a teenager. At one point, they beat me up pretty badly and even threatened to kill me. Even when I went to university, I still feared them, and as a precaution, I changed my first name to Michael. Before that, my name was actually Damien.

_Jeremie's stomach nearly exits out of his mouth. With that final blow, he realizes there is no hope. While on the outside he remains hollow but attentive, on the inside his mind descends into a bottomless chasm of unending terrors that rip his soul asunder. Aelita bends her neck ever so slightly. She swallows uncomfortably, trying to resist the urge to vomit. The family table is silent for a long time. Patrick examines the expressions of the Belpois elders, including his mother and aunt. Their dark but sympathetic expressions at the children inform him of one key fact. _

**Patrick: **You knew…_The adults do not respond_…All of you knew this, and you kept it a secret from Jeremie and I. _He rubs his temples with his forefingers. _How…how could you do this to us?

**Louise: **Honey, we didn't mean to upset you-

**Patrick: **No! This makes no sense. Grandma and Gautier are dead. Why keep this a secret from us? We were old enough to handle it many years ago.

_Mr. Belpois' face becomes clouded with a dark, ugly fear. The usual sense of warmth starts to drain rapidly from his features. _

**Mr. Belpois: **No, you weren't.

_Patrick grinds his teeth together as he quickly loses patience with everyone. _

**Patrick: **Uncle, with all due respect-

**Richard: **There is another reason why we don't speak of it. _He rubs his hands together nervously. _It involves what happened to him. Or…should I say, what we believe happened to him.

_Patrick suddenly becomes pale. _

**Patrick: **You mean, our uncle is dead?

_Jeremie twists his head ever so slightly to hear the response he loathes more than death itself. _

**Richard: **More than likely, yes. Or possibly locked away in a prison so deep and unknown that he might as well be dead. You see, we never heard anything from André again after he came back from the army. But more than twenty years ago, before you two were born, several men in black approached both Michael and I, demanding the whereabouts of our long-lost brother. They said they were from a special government agency and nothing else.

**Patrick: **So…what did you do?

**Richard: **We told them the truth. We said we had no idea what had happened to André since our last encounter in Marseille. _Jeremie's uncle pauses for a moment, staring intently at the table. _But they proved to be rather…persistent. Before we knew it, both of us were being watched. Wherever we went, restaurants, stores, our places of business, we were being followed. After a while it became clear to us: André had become a foreign spy, and we were being punished for it. But that knowledge didn't protect us. They kept wearing us down for weeks, until finally, they went for the killer blow.

_Before Patrick can ask what "killer blow" means, Mr. Belpois starts to break down. Tears start streaming out of his eyes and he covers his mouth to stifle his moans of past trauma breaking through the dam of buried memories. Mrs. Belpois tries to comfort him but it proves useless. If Jeremie were not already mentally stretched beyond his limits, he would have been astonished at the sight of his father losing all composure. _

**Mr. Belpois: **One night in October…several months before we got married…I…they…took me by surprise when I left work and forced me into a black van and covered my head with a brown sack. They took me somewhere, I don't know where. I don't even remember how long it took. Time-_He starts shaking and his voice trembles_-ceased to exist. Before I knew it, I was placed in a dark room with a single light pointing directly at me. They grilled me verbally, demanding to know where André was. I repeated what I had said before…that I knew nothing. Their tones became even more hostile. They told me they could make me disappear without a trace. That the police wouldn't be able to save me. _He reaches for a cup of tea on the table and drinks it slowly, letting it calm him down some before continuing. _At this point I was terrified, but I stuck to my story. When the men in black saw they weren't getting anywhere with me, they tormented me by threatening to take away the one thing most precious to me-_He chokes on his own sobs- _my fiancée. At that point…I lost it. I broke down, cried, begged, pleaded, and wailed to not do that, not to take her away from me. I swore upon heaven and earth that if I knew anything I would tell them, that André meant nothing to me any more, that I didn't consider him to be my brother, but a traitor to his family and his country. And then…everything went dark. The next morning I woke up in bed, covered in my own sweat and not knowing how I got there. But I knew I had come this close…to losing everything.

_As Mr. Belpois continues weeping, Richard delivers the conclusion of the hidden family affair. _

**Richard: **That's why we said nothing to you. We feared these men in black and what they could do to us. So we kept it quiet and moved on with our lives. André is dead, or at the very least he is dead to us. _Anger crosses this gentle man's brows. _He nearly destroyed our family_-He looks right at Jeremie_-and he was, without a doubt, a monster.

_Jeremie says…nothing. Sinking into a dreamlike state, he excuses himself from the table. No one attempts to stop him. Carrying the weight of lead on his legs, he goes up the stairs. He enters the bathroom, closes the door, opens the toilet lid, and vomits. He leans over the commode, vomiting some more. His stomach revolts so violently that for several moments he is sure he is going to die. However, Aelita enters the room and holds on tightly to Jeremie. In his state, he can feel nothing but her warmth. She trembles as well. After a while, Jeremie feels the strength to sit up and look at his hands. His eyes target them with horror as he struggles with words. _

**Jeremie: **I…was right. _He can't breathe for a second. _The blood of a monster…in my veins. _He gasps_…Nephew…

**Aelita: **I can only tell you what you told me…when I thought I was his daughter. You are not him.

**Jeremie: **Moriarty….is a Belpois…

_Aelita and Jeremie remain secluded in the latter's room for several hours. Jeremie sits on the floor against his bed, holding his hands on his temples. Aelita sits on the bed and stares out the window, observing the arrival of the early evening. Hours pass with them hardly saying a word to each other. Then, a little before 18:00, the Lyoko general speaks up. _

**Jeremie: **Worst Christmas…ever.

_Aelita glances over her shoulder. _

**Aelita: **I disagree.

**Jeremie: **Why?

_She looks out at the snow falling over Rouen. The white rooftops in the old French city glow brightly with Christmas lights that will soon be packed away for another year. _

**Aelita: **We lived to see it, and that was never a guarantee. _She sighs. _This Christmas is a blessing, even though it feels like a curse.

_Jeremie lifts his head up slightly. _

**Jeremie: **I used to stay up at night, dreading the growing possibility of defeat. But I never imagined that victory would be almost as bad. Or how high the cost of it would be…

_Gentle hands touch his shoulders. A sweet voice draws close to his ears. _

**Aelita: **Without you, we never would have won the war.

**Jeremie: **And how did I win the war for us? By killing my uncle.

**Aelita: **If you had known he was your uncle, would you have hesitated?

_He shakes his head emphatically. _

**Jeremie: **No, but I at least would have a bad taste in my mouth when it was over.

_Aelita hops off the bed and sits down by his side. The shock of the previous few hours has gradually hardened into a sad resignation. _

**Aelita: **There's one thing I don't get.

**Jeremie: **What's that?

**Aelita: **Moriarty had to know he was your uncle. Something like that couldn't get past him.

**Jeremie: **Of course.

**Aelita: **So why didn't he use that against you? He used every psychological weakness possible against us. Why did he not take advantage of that?

_Since the matter had not crossed previously Jeremie's mind, he struggles to answer. Before he can answer, both of their phones vibrate at exactly the same time. The timing immediately unnerves them and they exchange looks. _

**Aelita: **It must be from the group…I mean, it has to be…

_Jeremie reaches for his pocket. _

**Jeremie: **I'll check first.

**Aelita: **No! You've been through enough today. _She grabs her phone from her purse. _Let me do-

_Jeremie's reflexes react just in time as an ear piercing scream escapes from Aelita's lips. He covers her mouth as her wail collides against his right palm. After he silences her, the frightening content on her phone enters his vision. Before he can read the text message, the symbol of Moriarty burns into his retinas. Instead of panicking like his girlfriend, he swallows the new information with cold, calculating understanding. _

**Jeremie: **I should have known. The war's not completely over yet…_The text message sent to all of the living Lyoko Warriors reads: Wishing you all a Merry Christmas from the dark chasms of Carthage –M. _We were so lost in grief we forgot to shut down the supercomputer.

_In the nearby city of Amiens, Yumi Ishiyama runs through the icy streets. She stops at every street corner, every park, every shopping district in a mad search for her boyfriend. Weary from her constant running, she stops at a city fountain that has been shut down for the winter. Though she is bundled up, the cold is oppressive, making her increasingly more desperate every second. She howls out his name, expelling fog from her breath. _

**Yumi: **ULRICH! _No response. She looks around her. It's Christmas evening and all the shops are closed. There are hardly any cars on the roads. The city appears to be completely quiet. _ULRICH WHERE ARE YOU?! _She runs back to the bridge but still doesn't see him. She is almost at the point of tears. _Please…for the love of God…come back.

_Just as she is about to resort to her last resource and call the police for help, she hears someone slide and fall around a hundred meters in the distance. Yumi turns her head and witnesses with horror that Ulrich is slowing ambling in the direction of the highway in his short sleeves and pajama pants, determined to continue on in the cold. She nearly screams but stops for fear of alerting him. Instead she moves as quickly as she can without being spotted, trailing his every move. This pursuit continues for about a minute and a half until the two are within eye distance of the French Autoroute, the road artery to Paris. Terrified at the thought of him reaching the highway, she finally sprints and tackles him from behind. Ulrich immediately responds with violent resistance, but she holds on with a firm Pencak Silat hold. _

**Ulrich: **Let me go! _He curses wildly. _I HAVE TO GET BACK TO THE FACTORY!

**Yumi: **No you don't! THIS IS INSANE!

_Ulrich's face appears almost frozen in a coat of frost, but the crazed intensity in his eyes does not let up. _

**Ulrich: **He's out there…plotting…waiting…I have to go back. _He nods his head as if confirming the false lucidity of his absurd plan. _I have to end this!

_He nearly breaks free but Yumi holds on for dear life. _

**Yumi: **No you don't! _She tightens her grip so her mouth is closer to Ulrich's ear. _Jeremie told us that the only thing left of Moriarty is his personality cortex in Sector Five. He's powerless. We can return next semester and finish him then. _She starts to shout in order to snap him out of his madness and rabid struggling. _YOU DON'T NEED TO DO THIS TO YOURSELF!

_Ulrich has surpassed the point of listening. His expression matches that of a wild, hunted animal: confused, frightened, and convinced he will be attacked at any moment. _

**Ulrich: **He's healing…getting stronger. _Ulrich starts to expend all of his strength to try to get free. _If he can send that text message to us, then it's only a matter of time before he can threaten the world!

**Yumi:** Jeremie has-

**Ulrich: **JEREMIE KNOWS NOTHING! He's been wrong about Moriarty before and he's wrong now! I have…to kill him…

_Ulrich breaks loose momentarily but Yumi takes advantage of his weakened and delusional state and pins him on the icy sidewalk. She remains on top and leans down centimeters from his face, letting him know with her shouts and tears the pain he is causing her. _

**Yumi: **EVEN IF IT COSTS YOU YOUR LIFE?! _Ulrich stops fighting, having been jolted out of his singleminded quest momentarily. Icy tremors shoot up and down his spine as he hugs his arms together. _Look at yourself! You're going to die of cold out here. _She points south in the direction of the highway. _You wouldn't last a kilometer, much less the entire distance to the factory! So please…_She puts her face close to his, trying to share her warmth and tormented passion to save him from his suicide mission_…stop.

_Ulrich, blocked by his physical and emotional limits, starts to see the futility of his actions, but he remains unconvinced. _

**Ulrich: **Moriarty…he…he will come back-_His lips are becoming numb, making it difficult for him to talk_-Christophe and Jim will have died for nothing. Is that what you want?!

_A firm back-handed slap painfully answers his query. She grabs his shoulders and shakes him. _

**Yumi: **Don't you…dare speak like that! If you had listened to Jeremie before running out of the mansion like a lunatic, you would have heard that the use of the Cannae Initiative has stripped him of any effective power on Earth or on Lyoko. And as for Christophe and Jim…_She sheds her outer jacket and lays it on top of him…_they would never want another casualty added to this war. _She stands up, motioning to the highway. _So go ahead, sacrifice your life for nothing. Leave me alone to deal with the trauma of everything. Add another gravestone for your mother to visit. Or come back with me where it's warm, and live another day so we can face whatever's waiting for us at the factory together.

_Twenty seconds pass between them in silence. Though Ulrich is reluctant to accept it, Yumi's outer coat is a welcome relief from the beating the icy air has given him. The brutal, protective gaze coming from Yumi intimidates him, forcing him to realize his folly. Several seconds later, he gets up and lets her walk him back. _

**Yumi: **Let's get you home.

_They trudge back to the large property. The effects of exposure have begun to do a number on Ulrich, as he is already shivering violently. But Yumi is not doing much better. Having discarded her outermost layer, the merciless wind wears her down. Her teeth start to clatter as she supports Ulrich on their way back. She quickly realizes that they have wandered farther from the mansion than she thought. Ulrich breathes into his hands to keep them warm. As the temperature continues to drop, Yumi pictures warm things in the mansion to keep her focused: fireplace, blankets, a hot bath. These mental images keep her going even while Ulrich begins to lose his strength. He feels so cold his mind almost becomes feverish. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi I'm…I'm sorry…don't know what came over me.

**Yumi: **Don't worry about that now. _They approach the side gate to the massive Stern residence. _Just keep walking a little farther. We're almost there.

_They cross the snow covered grass and approach a back door. Yumi rings a bell, praying that someone will answer before they catch their death of cold. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the butler Craig Worthington answers, immediately horrified at their present condition. _

**Craig: **What on Earth?!

_Yumi enters with Ulrich without a word, relieved to be inside. Craig shuts the door. _

**Craig: **What were you thinking going outside dressed like that?! When Mrs. Stern finds out that you two did this she will surely have my head!

**Yumi: **Please…_Yumi is still trembling_…don't tell her about this. Ulrich-_She motions to him_-was just not acting like himself. The multiple tragedies have gotten to him.

**Craig: **Master Ulrich, is this true?

_Ulrich briefly looks up at him and nods. _

**Ulrich: **Y-Y-Yes. I…I don't know what came over me. It won't happen again.

_Still not satisfied, Craig aims his strict gaze at Yumi, who pleads at Yumi with his eyes. _

**Yumi: **Please…just let this one go. I'll take care of him. Just don't say a word of this to Mrs. Stern. That way we stay out of trouble-_She manages a smile_-and you keep your head.

_Craig thinks the proposition over for a moment. Seeing that the two are shivered to the bone and that it is still Christmas, he relents and adjusts his posture, putting his hands behind his back. _

**Craig: **Very well. I will fetch you both some blankets.

_A few minutes later, Yumi bundles Ulrich in blankets in his large, luxurious bedroom. The two sit on his black leather sofa facing the flatscreen TV, attempting to get warm together. Yumi covers herself with a blanket and trembles. _

**Yumi: **I…hate…the cold.

_Despite his best efforts, Ulrich still can't seem to get warm. His face turns pale and almost sickly, suggesting that he is at risk of becoming ill. He shuts his eyes and rubs his feet together. _

**Ulrich: **No good. No good….stupid…I'm so stupid!

_Yumi leans forward and touches his hands which are holding onto the blanket for dear life. They are ice cold, much to her alarm. _

**Yumi: **Your body temperature is still too low. We have to do something else to warm you up.

**Ulrich: **B-B-Bath…

**Yumi: **You want a hot bath? _Ulrich nods his head in growing desperation. Yumi turns her head to his expansive bathroom. _Okay. _She gets up. _I'll start the hot water. Just stay there for a second.

_Still clutching her own blanket, Yumi hobbles to a large personal bathroom with walls painted solid white. Ceiling lamps brighten the entire space and unlit candles rest on the counter. To her right rests a large bathtub more than twice the size of hers back home. At first the sight is a much needed comfort, but once her bare feet enter the room, the unexpectedly cold tile floor sends another unwelcome chill up her spine. She hurries to the edge of the tub and twists the faucet, turning the hot water almost to its maximum. The initial blast of cold water on her hands gives her such an unpleasant jolt that her breath stops short for a moment. Though the water gradually warms, it is far too slow for her tastes. She keeps her hand under the water to test the temperature. When it is finally up to her standards, she plugs the drain and lets it fill up. Given the size of the tub, it does take a rather long time to do so. All the while, the chill in her own body makes Yumi remember other freezing moments of her life, like the Xana blizzard at Kadic that nearly killed her or her imprisonment in a cold room by a possessed Delmas. She tries to block out the memories and focus on the hot water, which is looking more and more appealing every minute. The steam from the rising liquid intoxicates her senses. She dips her hand in and her brain reacts a wave of pure pleasure. By the time the tub is filled and she turns off the water, a strong hunger develops inside her, goading her to take off her clothes and just dive in. She becomes so lost in temptation that she doesn't even hear Ulrich enter from behind. _

**Ulrich: **Is it r-ready?

_Yumi's cheeks turn a bright shade of red when she considers what she was about to do. Feeling ashamed, she gets up from the tub and starts to walk away. _

**Yumi: **Uh…y-yeah.

_She glances at him. His eyes lock on to the tub, letting her know right away that he is not going to waste any time getting in. The thought sends a different chill up her spine. Swallowing nervously, she tries to excuse herself. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi?

_She freezes in place, feeling her heart leap to her throat. _

**Yumi: **Yes?

**Ulrich: **There are s-some towels in the closet. Can you g-get one for me?

_She nods her head mechanically and goes to the bathroom closet. As she briefly examines its contents, she notes with alarm the sound of Ulrich removing his clothing. Her blush and discomfort intensify. That sound is quickly followed by a small splash and a loud "ahh" as her boyfriend sinks into the water. Normally she might have yelled at him for not waiting for her to leave, but no words come to her mouth. Her body, engulfed by cold and embarrassment, simply leaves a towel at the foot of the tub without allowing her eyes to look in his direction. Meanwhile Ulrich is beginning to recover as the water warms his insides, but he quickly sees the folly of his rash action. Being so close to her, vulnerable and exposed, nearly makes him pass out with shame, but at the same time, a definite biological urge to make her stay bombards his mind. Yumi then goes for the door, but stops short as a sneezing attack overtakes her. The chill inside worsens and her body longs to get warm immediately. Ulrich timidly sneaks a glimpse at Yumi and senses the problem. With a mixture of desire and chivalry, he decides to take the first step onto thin ice. _

**Ulrich: **You…don't look so good. Are you going to be ok?

_Yumi's throat warms to an uncomfortable degree. She wants to leave, but her legs won't respond. _

**Yumi: **I just…stayed out there too long without my big jacket. I'll be fine once I take a bath…_She emphasizes the last words of her sentence_…in my room.

**Ulrich: **In a house this big, that's a long distance, and you'd have to fill up another massive bathtub. _The voice of reason in his mind begs him to bite his tongue, but words tumble out of his mouth before he has time to think. The hot water rejuvenates every part of him, giving him a boldness he has never experienced before. As Yumi stands there, frozen in place, instinct finally pushes him over the edge. _You…don't…have to leave.

_The bathroom becomes deathly quiet. Yumi doesn't move. She hardly breathes. Paradoxically, in spite of her present condition, her mind and lower half begin to burn. Her conscience lectures her, her reason warns her, but her thoughts become so jumbled that they become lost in the noise. She glances over her shoulder, looking at Ulrich. He looks at her, gaging her response. Indecision chokes her, leaving her paralyzed. Eventually she reaches the point where she believes she must make a decision or permanently freeze in that spot. At that moment, the noise inside her head is silenced. Without a word, she closes the door and turns around to face Ulrich, letting her gaze absorb all of him. First, she discards her blanket. Then, she slowly and silently disrobes completely. Her boyfriend's heartrate accelerates threefold. Once she is completely exposed, she encounters one last second of hesitation. But the warm water pulls her closer, erasing the last bit of resistance. She sinks her feet in, one after the other, and lowers herself. The heat first shocks and then enthralls her so much that she can't help but let out a sigh of relief. Every inch of her revels in the feeling. Once the initial warm feeling passes, she opens her eyes, looking at Ulrich from the opposite end of the tub. The instinct to cover herself strikes her, but she knows that is fruitless; he has already seen everything. She sinks in the water till it reaches her chin. Her mind races, yet she is strangely calm. Neither one make a move toward the other. Ulrich glances to the left and right timidly, having succeeded in one respect but unsure on how to proceed. The uncertainty drives him mad to the point that he forces himself to gain the courage to approach the matter directly. _

**Ulrich: **Yumi…

**Yumi: **Yes?

**Ulrich: **I just want to let you know…you don't have to do anything if you don't want to.

_Yumi looks at him from across the small pool of water as his words wash over her. Though her body has started to warm up, she wants to be warmer. Though they are uncomfortably close, she wants to be closer. Though she knows him more than anyone, she wants to know him more. In that instant, Ulrich remembers the first encounter, the first takedown from her that rattled his world and his pride. He recalls the first time he taunted her to enter the scanner, and how Xana and Lyoko changed both of their lives forever. Every moment of battle in Lyoko and on Earth against countless threats and dangers, every time they've cheated death fills him the desire to be fully alive. She reminiscences on their various moments of near passion, her frustration with his jealousy, and finally the admission of mutual attraction. Moriarty's reign of terror and the fact that it nearly destroyed them enter her thoughts, reminding her how lucky they are to have exited the flames alive. Filled with divine gratitude, she leaves aside all doubts aside and moves forward to his embrace. The two unite, bearing each other's impossible burdens as they abandon their fears and personal restraints for the sake of the here and now. _

…_.An hour and a half later, the two sit bundled up in the same blanket on the couch, watching TV. She leans against his shoulder and he runs his fingers through her hair. She shifts with slight discomfort. _

**Yumi: **Ulrich…

**Ulrich: **Yes?

**Yumi: **You don't think it would be possible for both of us to be with someone else, do you? I mean at this point…

_Ulrich briefly considers the question and nods his head. _

**Ulrich: **No, you're right. We've seen too much, been through too much to get along with anyone else. No one would be able to understand and share our nightmares. For better or for worse, we can either stick together, or be alone. And I don't want to be alone…

**Yumi: **So, this won't change anything…will it?

_Ulrich leans forward and kisses her. _

**Ulrich: **Not a chance…

_A couple more days pass. Aelita peruses a novel in the reading room in an attempt to clear her mind from the Christmas day events. Thankfully, the plot is boring enough to lull her into a state of near sleep. As she nods off on the upstairs couch, she overhears a conversation in the kitchen. _

**Mr. Belpois: **Honey, have you seen my bottle of Sainte-Croix Merlot? I can't find it.

**Mrs. Belpois: **Are you sure you didn't serve it last night?

_Aelita opens her eyes and sits up to listen. _

**Mr. Belpois: **No I'm fairly sure I served pinot noir last night. What happened to that bottle of wine?

_Aelita raises an eyebrow, puzzled at the mystery. She opens the book again and tries to read, but the investigation downstairs has not let up. _

**Mr. Belpois: **I am certain I put it in the wine refrigerator a couple of days ago.

**Mrs. Belpois: **Well, you let Patrick have a glass last night and he went off with his friends today. You don't suppose he…?

**Mr. Belpois: **Now hold on…we can't accuse our nephew without any evidence. I'm sure it's around here somewhere.

_At this point, Aelita's curiosity has risen beyond the point of being able to ignore it. She puts the novel back down and ponders the whole thing. No good Frenchmen would easily misplace a good bottle of wine, and they don't simply disappear. She turns her head in the direction of Jeremie's room and then remembers that he had shut himself in for several hours. A suspicious thought enters her mind, which she immediately suppresses. But the idea remains present, piquing her concern and interest until she finds herself in front of his door, knocking. Jeremie's voice, which sounds a little more cheerful than usual, quickly answers. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita? Is that you? Come in, come in!

_Aelita walks in. Her mouth drops. Jeremie is standing by his bed, holding a half-empty bottle of wine, completely drunk. His cheeks are slightly flushed and he wobbles a little bit in her direction, trying to hug her. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita…baby…_He embraces her with the stolen bottle of wine still in his right hand. Aelita remains paralyzed_…I'm uh…I'm sooo glad to see you.

_The Lyoko princess recovers enough sense of mind to gently close the door behind her and calmly ask the obvious question. _

**Aelita: **Jeremie?

_His head bobbles around her shoulder as he answers. _

**Jeremie: **Y-Yes….?

**Aelita: **Did you steal a bottle of wine from your dad and…drink half of it?

_He eyes the bottle still in his hand, almost as if he's surprised it's there, and examines how much he has consumed. He stumbles back near his bed and falls backwards onto it. _

**Jeremie: **Yep. I'd say so. _He holds his forehead as stares at the ceiling. _Oh God….now the room's spinning….

_The bottle is quickly snatched from his hand, much to his annoyance. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita-_He starts to adopt the whining tone of a child_-why did you do that?

_She proceeds to shout in a whisper at him. _

**Aelita: **You're drunk!

_The intoxicated boy genius points upward in confidence. _

**Jeremie: **Yes….yes I am!

_She shushes him given that he has no perspective on volume at the moment. _

**Aelita: **Be quiet! Do you want your parents to find out?!

**Jeremie: **I don't have the desire…or the ability to care.

_The bottle appears centimeters from his face in an accusatory fashion. _

**Aelita: **Why did you do this?!

_Jeremie musters the strength to sit up and meet her concerned and increasingly angry gaze. He gives her a look to suggest that she is the fool, and not him. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, my uncle is a pyscho…sociopathic murderer who nearly brought the world to his knees, and not too long ago I almost followed his example. _Genuine sadness break through his drunken façade of joy. _So many people are dead…because of us and our fight with h_-He struggles to finish the sentence_-him…And I can't bring Christophe back, no matter how much I want to. _He holds his hands up in surrender. _So tell me, what else am I supposed to do?

_Aelita lowers her arm, letting the Pinot Noir bottle hang by her side. She breathes deeply to settle her nerves. _

**Aelita: **There are…other ways to deal with this.

_The intoxicated general bursts out laughing, prompting Aelita to silence him once again by shushing. Then, as soon as it began, the laughing recedes into a cold expression reeking of bitterness and ache. _

**Jeremie: **Really Aelita? _He supports himself by resting his left hand on the edge of the bed while his head droops down. _That's what you say to people who have lost loved ones to tragic but…natural circumstances. That's what you say to people who lose their jobs or who are dealing with depression. Not those who f-fight a pscyho-monstrical entity who g-grinds them down until there's nothing left. _He gazes up at her, completely lost_. What are we supposed to do? _He places his hands over his chest, motioning to himself_. What am I supposed to do? How can I for…forget?

_Aelita does not answer immediately as she fumbles for an answer. _

**Aelita: **We…we endure and help each other endure. That's all we can do.

_Jeremie shakes his head, letting it fall almost to his knees. _

**Jeremie: **No, no, no, no. If endure is the best thing we can do…endure hell with nothing substantial to ease the pain-_He forces enough agility to grab the bottle out of her hands_-then whatever this bottle does to me is far better than the alternative.

_She folds her arms across her chest as he takes another gulp. _

**Aelita: **That's a weak argument.

**Jeremie: **W-Weak argument? _He points at the label. _Look at this! We are F-Fr-Fre…

_He trails off, confused. Aelita offers a suggestion. _

**Aelita: **French?

**Jeremie: **Yes, French! Our wine is famous all over the world. But why do we make wine? What is the point of wine? Or alcohol in general?

**Aelita: **For the taste…or for the benefit of having a relaxing beverage…

**Jeremie: **That's absolutely ridiculous. _He slowly counts by holding up his fingers. _Tea is relaxing. Coffee is relaxing. Soda is relaxing. Wine…Sure you can use it to relax or enjoy it with food but what is its real purpose? What was its initial purpose?

_He eyes her questioningly, slowly forcing her into a corner in the argument. She glances at the floor periodically. _

**Aelita: **To..to take the…edge off.

**Jeremie: **Exactly. People drink to take the edge off. So-_He motions the wine bottle in her direction-_why don't you take off the edge…_He blinks a few times and corrects himself_…take the edge off like me?

_She moves toward his door and groans with disbelief. _

**Aelita: **You're absolutely crazy. Let me know when you sober up and maybe…maybe I'll hide this whole thing from your dad.

**Jeremie: **You're missing out…

_She puts her hand on the door knob. _

**Aelita: **No I'm not.

**Jeremie: **Doesn't the scientist in you want you to experiment a little? To feel what I'm feeling right now?

_She opens the door and lectures him from over her shoulder. _

**Aelita: **It's just an illusion. A drug. It won't solve your problems forever. In a few hours you'll come back to reality, and then what?

**Jeremie: **Aelita…_He inches forward on the bed in her direction, looking at her directly in the eye_…I'm under no illusion that this will last. I just want to be free for a few hours. Be free from all the heartaches and nightmares, just for a little while. Don't you? _Aelita's firm gaze has not ebbed but she has also not left the room, cueing him in on the idea that she may be listening. _I know you're in pain. We both are. It's our Holiday Break. Can't we just be normal teenagers, just once? Just for a little bit? _As his girlfriend's unrelenting expression begins to crack, he goes in for the kill. _Don't we at least deserve that?

_Aelita wavers for a moment as she ponders her response. When appeals to morality seem to fail, she turns to legality. _

**Aelita: **We're a little too young to be drinking.

**Jeremie: **I hate to b-break it to you, but normal teenagers our age drink. And we were way too young to be fighting all kinds of evil in Lyoko and the Network, so the_-He pauses for a short period of time to find the right expression_-ship is already out of the bottle. You can't put it back in.

_The tired Lyoko princess, cognizant of her own exhaustion, slowly closes the door as temptation begins to take a hold of her. Jeremie creeps up on her shoulder and holds the bottle in front of her face, which doesn't help matters. _

**Jeremie: **Come on, at least try a little bit. No one says you have to get drunk.

_Aelita gazes at the dark purple liquid in the bottle. With the forbidden item so close, she growls in exasperation and takes it. _

**Aelita: **Alright. _She stands upright and faces Jeremie as a way of establishing her discipline. _Okay, but only a little bit.

_An hour and a half and "a little bit" too much wine later, Aelita and Jeremie are sitting against the bedroom wall, laughing to no end. The original bottle of wine is gone and after throwing most of their inhibitions out the window, Jeremie had the sense of mind to steal yet another bottle from his father. Their speech has been slowed and slurred gradually over time. Aelita's face is even more flushed than Jeremie's. She pushes his shoulder. _

**Aelita: **No! I don't care what you think, naming any game between us "Scyphozoa" is just too weird!

**Jeremie: **But you made that game…

**Aelita: **No I didn't!

**Jeremie: **Uh-huh, yeah you did.

_She rejects his claim in a completely overdramatic fashion that includes falling over onto his knees. _

**Aelita: **I did not!

**Jeremie: **You totally did! Don't lie to me!

**Aelita: **I'm not lying! And if Natalya were here, she would say I'm not lying. _She suddenly gets an extremely brilliant idea. _Hey, let's call her!

_Ordinarily Jeremie would immediately reject this idea, but proper judgment has long since abandoned him. _

**Jeremie: **Sure, let's do it! And we can talk to William too!

_Back in the Dunbar apartment in the heart of downtown Paris, William rests on a chair in his room, still recovering from his injuries. A sharp laughter echoes outside his closed door. He squints his eyes in minor annoyance as the door opens. Natalya peers in, holding her phone. _

**Natalya: **You're not going to believe this.

**William: **Ah can't it wait? I want to sleep.

_His Russian girlfriend tries not to crack up again. _

**Natalya: **No. No it can't…

_She places the phone on the armrest and puts it on speaker. Immediately Jeremie and Aelita pipe up with little concern for volume. _

**Aelita & Jeremie: **WILLIAM! Is that you?!

_He shoots Natalya a look before answering. _

**William: **Um…yes. How are you doing?

**Jeremie: **We're doing so….grrreat. Everything is just-

**Aelita: **Wonderful!

**William: **You seem a lot happier than I would expect…considering the circumstances.

_The drunken slowness to their voices filters through the phone with greater clarity. _

**Aelita: **You know we just…can't worry about that. We'll go back to the factory one more time and-

**Jeremie: **And then everything will be just fine…

_William moves the phone to the side for a second and whispers to Natalya. _

**William: **Are they drunk?

**Natalya: **Oh yes…very much so.

**William: **No way…

**Natalya: **I've seen it too many times not to recognize the signs.

_William takes hold of the phone and points to it. Natalya sits at the edge of his bed. _

**William: **What do you want me to say?

**Natalya: **Ask them what directly if they've been drinking.

_The injured warrior clears his throat. _

**William: **Aelita, Jeremie, I know this question sounds outrageous but have you had anything to drink lately? As in alcohol?

_Aelita gasps like an excited school girl. _

**Aelita: **How did you know?!

**William: **Call it a lucky guess. What have you been drinking?

**Jeremie: **P-Pinot noir. Oh wait-_He pauses_-This one's actually a Cabernet.

**William: **Uh-huh. And just out of interest, why did you decide to call us?

_The voices on the other line pause in silence. _

**Jeremie: **Um…I don't remember. Aelita why did we call them?

**Aelita: **I don't know either. Didn't you call them?

**Jeremie: **But this is your phone, isn't it?

_William and Natalya attempt to stifle their laughter. Natalya motions for William to keep them talking. _

**William: **So, just out of interest…Aelita, has Jeremie moved on to boxers?

_As they expected, Aelita has absolutely no filter. _

**Aelita: **Nope! He still wears briefs!

**Jeremie: **Wait…you're not supposed to tell them that!

_The duo back in Paris break out laughing. _

**Natalya: **Oh really Aelita? Do tell…

**Jeremie: **Ignore her she's a bit-

**Aelita: **STRIPES!

_Natalya and William stare at each other, totally confused. _

**William: **Pardon me?

**Aelita: **He has pairs with stripes on them now!

**Jeremie: **Aelita! I don't talk about your underwear!

_Natalya, smelling blood in the water, goes in for another bite. _

**Natalya: **Could you talk about it?

_The line is silent again, leaving William and Natalya to go through another bout of laughter. _

**Jeremie: **I see…what you're doing here…You can't just mess us with us. We're smarter than that.

_William, emboldened by the challenge, smiles broadly at Natalya. _

**William: **Oh really? Aelita, how many Lyoko programs have codewords that refer to you and Jeremie's relationship?

**Aelita: **25!

_Natalya laughs so hard she falls off the bed. _

**Jeremie: **Aelita, you need to shut up!

**Natalya: **I don't think she can! _She takes a moment to regain her composure. _Aelita, have you ever stayed in his room past school curfew?

**Aelita: **Of course.

_Natalya gets closer to William's armchair and speaks in a seductive tone into the phone. _

**Natalya: **What about the whole night?

**Jeremie: **Aelita….

**Aelita: **T-Technically yes but we were…working.

**Natalya: **Oh I'm sure you were.

_That final punch sends the two in a frenzy of laughter, so much so that it actually hurts William's side to some degree. _

**Aelita: **Oh you think you're ssso smart Natalya. Then answer me this. How far have you gone with William?

_Natalya stands up and shrugs. _

**Natalya: **I don't have to answer that question.

_Aelita and Jeremie start to whine like little children. _

**Aelita & Jeremie: **NO FAIR!

**Natalya: **Tough. _She gently eases herself onto William's lap. _But I tell you what, send a picture of you two holding the wine and smiling and I might tell you…

**Aelita: **Okay!

_There is another pause on the line. William gives her a mischievous look. _

**William: **You're totally lying.

_She kisses him on the cheek. _

**Natalya: **I have taught you well my apprentice.

**William: **You're awful.

**Natalya: **I know. Have they sent it yet?

_He checks the phone. It soon registers that a proper selfie has been sent to them. _

**William: **Got it!

_She leans over and yells into the phone. _

**Natalya: **SORRY GOT TO GO BYE! DRINK PLENTY OF WATER! _William hangs up and the pair have one final laugh at the other couple's expense. Natalya takes a look at the photo and covers her mouth._ Oh we simply have to hang on to that one!

**William: **Yes, that may come in handy one day. _Natalya tenderly leans against his shoulder. He kisses her. _I love you...

**Natalya: **Likewise…

_He rolls his eyes. _

**William: **'Likewise'? Aren't you supposed to say something more profound like 'I love you too'?

**Natalya: **No. Too cliché for me. _While she lies close to him, her light expression begins to darken. When her face becomes clouded with worry, she shifts uneasily. William grunts in pain. _Oh I'm sorry, did I hurt you?

**William: **A little bit…_The telltale signs of concern on her face make itself known to him. _Is something bothering you?

**Natalya: **Do you think…do you think Moriarty can come back?

_Out of respect for the gravity of the question, William doesn't answer right away. _

**William: **Jeremie said he's limited to that narrow corner of Sector Five after his Network Core was destroyed. And I take his word for it.

**Natalya: **You trust him?

**William: **Yes, I have faith in him.

_She turns her head away from him. _

**Natalya: **He's been wrong before…and made many mistakes.

**William: **Very true. But I choose to trust his judgment. Despite his mistakes, he's the reason we've survived so many battles with Moriarty and Xana.

_Tremors sneak up Natalya's spine and a single tear escapes from her left eye. _

**Natalya: **I don't want to fight again...

**William: **I don't either. But if you don't believe Jeremie, believe Xana. He hasn't spoken a word to me even after we figured out Moriarty wasn't technically dead. If there was a problem, I believe he would have done something by now.

_Natalya's gaze seems empty and distraught. She tries to remain strong as William gently touches her shoulder. _

**Natalya: **Yeah, you're probably right.

_Back in the Belpois household, Mr. and Mrs. Belpois confront Jeremie and Aelita while the two culprits sit on the couch. Both of them hold their heads and slump over the couch cushions, clearly hung over from their little experiment. The parents are less than pleased. Jeremie's father holds the two bottles that have been stolen. _

**Mr. Belpois: **I know you two have been through a lot lately, but there is no excuse for this. No excuse! Since it's the Holidays I'll go easy on you this time, but it better not happen again.

**Jeremie: **Oh my head…

_Aelita buries her face in her pillow. _

**Aelita: **I want to crawl into my bed and just die.

**Mr. Belpois: **But if you ask me, most of your punishment is already happening.

**Aelita: **I'll never drink again…

**Mrs. Belpois: **Part of the reason we don't want you two drinking is that you don't understand moderation at your age.

_Jeremie holds his stomach and groans. _

**Jeremie: **Yeah…I think we get that now.

_Later that night, Natalya tosses and turns uncomfortably in the Dunbar guest bed. In the vulnerability of sleep, deeply hidden fears and terrors slither out of her subconscious and terrorize her waking dreams. The vividly dark memories of Moriarty and his despotic reign over Kadic and their souls invade her mind. At one point, she finds herself drowning in the Network surrounded by Moriarty's smoke cloud which tries to swallow her. Soon afterwards, she imagines all of Russia burning in an ocean of fire that can be clearly seen from space. And behind the conflagration stands her lab coat-clad enemy, smiling and laughing despotically while everything before her dies. Next the Leviathan charges her back on Lyoko, but this is no moment of triumph for her. Moriarty's face replaces the Leviathan's two heads, staring down at her with murderous glee. She has no bow and arrows. Nothing stands in his way. She can only stand still as he crushes the life out of her. The tormented young Russian girl sits up in bed, sweating and breathing heavily. She looks around, holding the sheets close to her. The room is dark and still. Some lights from the Parisian nightlife filter through her window. She breathes easy. _

**Natalya: **It was just a dream…

_Just as she is about to relax, the curtains flutter unnaturally. Her eyes open widely. She hadn't left the window open. Before she can react, Moriarty appears on top of her bed and begins to strangle her. Natalya tries to cry out in terror but nothing comes out of her lungs. She grows desperate for air as Moriarty penetrates her with his soulless eyes. _

**Moriarty: **Maybe right now, but it will be real soon enough! _His face changes to that of one of the masked figures who took her father when she was young. _Don't you know? I was just getting started!

_Natalya wakes up for real this time, frantic and crying. She quakes in terror, completely petrified by her nightmare. Several moments later, a completely unconscious William snores away when he senses a light tap on his shoulder. Barely registering it, he rolls over and tries to keep sawing logs, but then his arm is pushed with more insistence. He slowly sits up, groggy and confused. _

**William: **What the hell? It's like three in the morn-

_He stops short. Beside her bed stands Natalya, trembling greatly in her white nightgown with her gaze aimed at the floor. Before he does anything else, William pinches himself. No, he is not dreaming. Yes, Natalya is standing in front of his bed in a nightgown. His mouth becomes dry as he prepares to address the obvious. _

**William: **Natalya are you-?

**Natalya: **I can't…

_William raises an eyebrow. _

**William: **You can't what?

**Natalya: **I can't…_She musters the courage to say it out loud_…be alone right now. The nightmares…I can't…

_As his mind clears, William recognizes the telltale signs of absolute terror. _

**William: **You've been having nightmares?

**Natalya: **May I stay here with you tonight? _She lifts her head and her eyes plead with him. _Please…?

_Now William's throat becomes very dry indeed. But in spite of his discomfort, his protective nature will not let him say no. _

**William: **Of course…

_He moves over on his queen-sized bed and lets her slip into the covers. Without delay she gets comfortable and holds onto him, not showing any reluctance. The closeness of her body makes William tense. His heart races, but to his surprise she suddenly breathes easy, relaxing in his embrace. Her proximity to him has eased her fear. _

**Natalya: **Thank you…

_William manages a smile. _

**William: **Sure thing. _His desire makes it really hard for him to think. _I'm not going to let you suffer alone.

_She pulls her head closer, touching her cheek to his. Now it's impossible for him to think. He closes his eyes and reminds himself to breathe. Natalya shifts her legs slightly under the covers. William cautiously puts a hand behind her back and draws her closer. She welcomes the move and smiles. But she is now close enough to sense his growing unease and shiftiness. She opens her eyes and sees that his are wide open. Natalya shakes her head. _

**Natalya: **William, I was not born yesterday.

**William: **I know. Bad timing, I'm sorry…I just didn't see this coming so-

_She kisses him deeply on the lips and cups his cheek. _

**Natalya: **Why are you apologizing? _Her chest rubs up against his. _You are a guy. I understand. Don't you think I feel it too?

_William's lower half becomes inflamed with feet gently touch. _

**William: **Well sort of…but I don't like to assume things.

_She tightens her embrace and smiles. _

**Natalya: **You are still a terrible liar. But I like that about you. _She briefly reflects on the nightmares and rests her head on the pillow close to his head. _And I just want to let you know, even though Moriarty hurt me a lot, I don't regret following you into that factory. _Her eyes become wet with tears. _I only wish Christophe hadn't followed me.

_William shifts in bed to face her directly. _

**William: **Like I've said before, if you hadn't brought him along, we would all be doomed. He saved everyone. And so did you. You killed the Leviathan!

_She smiles. _

**Natalya: **Yes. That was pretty crazy. But I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today without you. _Her hands lightly touch his stomach. He grimaces. _Oh…sorry. I'll be gentle.

_The winter winds rattle against the shutters of William's room. Natalya, still jumpy from the nightmare, holds onto William tightly, which does not ease either his physical or mental discomfort. _

**William: **Um…gentle?

**Natalya: **Sorry. I'm still not dream…was so awful. He jumped onto my bed and choked me. _She shudders underneath the covers. _I had to stare into his soulless eyes…

**William: **I'm here now. If he tries to do that again, he'll die all over again. Besides-_He cups her cheek_-Moriarty has just as much of a reason to fear you as me. I never defeated the Leviathan. You did. Whatever's left of Moriarty now, he's the one who's scared of you.

**Natalya: **Even so, I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep the rest of the night…

_Her gaze examines William's reaction. Her boyfriend's eyes lock onto the ceiling. His right hand scratches the back of his head. _

**William: **That's fine. You can just stay here….no big deal…

_An uncomfortably long silence passes between them. Neither of them make a move. _

**Natalya: **It will be…several hours before sunrise…

_William nods in silent agreement. _

**William: **Very true. _He pauses. _And we have a priest sleeping in the next room. _Awkward silence follows. _Just thought I'd through that out there.

_Natalya giggles. _

**Natalya: **Ah yes…your brother Rosaire. But I am not Catholic. I was raised Russian Orthodox.

**William: **Which means…what exactly in this situation?

_Her fingers gently massage his back. William's heart flutters in response._

**Natalya: **William. _Her tone becomes serious. _I've never felt so strongly for a guy like I have you. When I first met you, I was intrigued by your dark, secretive nature. During the hostage crisis, I came to respect you. When I saw you come out of the water that time at the pool, I wanted you. When you saved me my first time on Lyoko, I knew for a fact that I had found the right one. _She pulls up close enough to him to whisper in his ear. _What I'm trying to say is that…if you want to stay here and just talk, I understand. But if you had other ideas…

_The demands of human biology will not stop pounding at his cerebrum. Frustrated and conflicted, William closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He stares into her eyes. _

**William: **When I first saw you, you automatically got my attention. But I had a mission to uphold, and I couldn't afford to get distracted or put you in danger. I tried to resist you, but I failed. I tried to suppress my feelings but I couldn't. I couldn't resist then-_He kisses her passionately_-and I can't now.

_Natalya's eyes and face glow like the hearth of a warm, inviting home. _

**Natalya: **I love you.

**William: **Likewise.

_With hearts wide open, Natalya and William surrender to each other's rhythm and soul…_

…_Sunrise enter's William's window. The city of Paris gradually hums back to its morning routine after a slow, languid start. William blinks several times before his eyes fully open. The room remains mostly dark but retains its warmth and inviting nature. After a brief moment of adjustment, he rolls over to see Natalya sleeping comfortably by his side. His mind recounts the events over the last few hours and confirms that what he experienced was not a dream. He gingerly moves his hand through her light blonde hair. Natalya holds the pillow tighter and continues sleeping. William stretches and eases back under the covers. He doesn't want to leave the bed…until his stomach growls. Hunger wakes him back up, demanding an early morning snack. The retired warrior looks at the clock which reads 06:45. He still has at least two hours before his parents wake up. Not wanting to wake Natalya up, he quietly eases out of bed and puts on shorts and a T-shirt. The door to his room slowly opens. His head peaks out. No one is in the kitchen. Softly shutting the door behind him, William tiptoes into the kitchen and reaches for a banana. As he is about to chow down, his heart is stopped by an unexpected voice. _

**Rosaire: **You're up early.

_William freezes in place. In the living room, his older brother reads his Bible in a chair by the window. The young Catholic priest observes him with an apparently innocent curiosity. _

**William: **Just uh…little something before breakfast. What are you doing up?

**Rosaire: **I always get up around 6 to spend some time in quiet prayer and reading.

_The younger brother cautiously glances at his bedroom door, relieved that he left it closed. He takes a bite out of the banana. _

**William: **Oh…that's nice.

**Rosaire: **Sleep well?

**William: **Fine. Fine. Fine…_He clears his throat._ What about you?

_Rosaire gives him a slight smile. _

**Rosaire: **I rested well, thank you. _He places his Bible on the coffee table and stretches on the couch. _I think Mom will make me stay an extra day. After that, I will go back to my own place. There are many who need comfort this time of year.

_William's heartrate relaxes somewhat as his mind drifts to more somber thoughts. _

**William: **Yeah I'd say I'm well aware of that.

**Rosaire: **God is heartbroken over our multiple tragedies. I can feel it. _He looks William in the eye. _And you're hurt too.

_William turns to the side and takes another bite of the banana. The many deaths associated with their fight with Moriarty oppress his thoughts, placing a large weight on his conscience. _

**William: **It's been rough for sure. My school, this country has gone through too much. And I had a feeling someone would die at that rally. I wish I had been wrong.

**Rosaire: **With so many deaths at Kadic, I'm surprised your school is still functioning. And now the police are scouring the country for that dreaded charlatan to no avail. _He takes an uncomfortable pause before continuing the conversation. _You were…friends with the student with the last name M'Bala, right?

_The mention of his fallen comrade makes William suddenly lose his appetite. He discards the rest of the banana in the trashcan. The pain of loss gradually sinks into a numbness that he cannot shake. _

**William: **Christophe…

_Out of respect for his brother's feelings, Rosaire avoids eye contact. But the quiet solemnity of his voice exudes a genuine sympathy. _

**Rosaire: **I can't imagine how difficult it must be for you. Life should never be cut short at such a young age. _His fingers run over the cover of his Bible. _It wasn't how it was meant to be…

_A drop of bitter cynicism filters through William's words. _

**William: **And yet it happens anyway.

**Rosaire: **It wasn't God's will for him to die.

**William: **And yet it happened…anyway.

_Rosaire's hand withdraws from the Bible. His stiff posture slackens and he glances out the window toward the sun. _

**Rosaire: **Sometimes mercy comes in cruel forms that we do not understand. But think about it from his perspective. Could you imagine living after you witnessed the horrible deaths of your parents? Perhaps God shortened his agony by allowing him to die in the river. _He stares directly at his younger brother. _You've dealt with a lot this year. But ask yourself this: In spite of your troubles, have you lost what matters the most to you?

_William withdraws into a sudden silence. In a brief moment of reflection, his mind wanders back to the sleeping beauty in his bedroom. Waves of relief mixed with guilt roll over him. Though he is reluctant to admit it, the suffering inflicted on him could have been much worse. He wanders from the kitchen to the living room to face his pious older brother. _

**William: **No. You're right. I haven't lost everything. And as crazy as it sounds-_William finds himself stunned by the discovery of a hidden gem within the muck of his trials_-had it not been for Renard's insanity, I don't think Natalya and I would be where we are today. _A smile forms on his lips. _She and I have helped bear each other's pain so well. We've gotten very close to each other.

_Rosaire nods in agreement. _

**Rosaire: **So it would seem.

_The hint of a certain moralizing inflection in his elder brother's voice catches William's attention. His gaze moves in the direction of Natalya's guest room…and his heart stops. The door has been left wide open, and from Rosaire's vantage point, it is crystal clear that she is not there. William's feet glue to the floor in a horrified paralysis. Lumps form in his throat. He knows there is no way of hiding it. He starts to stammer while Rosaire observes him calmly. _

**William: **Uh….I….

_Around the same time, Natalya rises from William's bed and pushes the hair out of her face. She stumbles out of bed. _

**Natalya: **Bathroom…

_Meanwhile William attempts some verbal gymnastics to pretend that he hasn't noticed Natalya's open door. _

**William: **So…uh…heard any good confessions lately?

_Rosaire, slightly amused, starts to play along. _

**Rosaire: **Not really. Were you planning on making one?

**William: **Well…no of course not. Why would I-_The toilet flushes in the bathroom connected to William's room. The noise is clearly audible for both of them. His tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth_-um…that must have come from Mom and Dad's room.

_Rosaire points in the opposite direction of his bedroom. _

**Rosaire: **Mom and Dad's room is that way…

_William completely freezes up. With no possible lie to turn to, he remains still as a statue, wanting to wish the whole thing away. Rosaire, on the other hand, takes his coat and heads toward the door. _

**Rosaire: **I think I'm going to take an early morning walk. I sometimes enjoy this brisk weather.

_Rosaire struts out the front door, placing a hand on William's shoulder before he exits. Several moments later, Natalya exits out of William's bedroom door. Her arms wrap around him. _

**Natalya: **What are you doing walking around this early? You might have gotten us caught…

**William: **Right. I could have gotten us caught…

_January. The beginning of the second semester draws near. The sky this particular morning is bright and clear. The roads are free of snow but a thin layer of ice remains on the sidewalks, making it rather difficult for pedestrians to move about. At the bridge to the factory, Jeremie and Aelita lean against the rails. Jeremie clutches his laptop bag, keeping it close to his side. Aelita keeps her hands in her jacket pockets. Their breathing quietly emits fog from their mouths and nostrils. _

**Aelita: **Are they late?

_Jeremie checks his watch. _

**Jeremie: **No. We're still early.

_His fingers dig into the fabric of his bag. Aelita watches the city skyline to the east. _

**Aelita: **We can do this. You have the program ready.

**Jeremie: **Yes. The program has been prepared. That doesn't mean I am. _He pinches the skin of his forehead with his thumb and index finger. _Still, we are very lucky. The notes I had overlooked from the book I took from the Hermitage were very helpful. Those codes just might be the key for us to properly end this. _He glances in her direction. _I suppose it was your father's last gift for us.

_Aelita's facial features retreat into a stoic expression. _

**Aelita: **The question is…will we use it?

**Jeremie: **That…is for the rest of the group to decide.

_The manhole cover to the sewer system opens up. Ulrich and Yumi climb out and casually approach the other couple. All four of them exchange knowing glances toward each other. Jeremie motions to the entrance. _

**Jeremie: **Come on. Let's go inside and wait for the others. We'll attract too much attention if all of us wait on the bridge.

_They approach the ropes that lead to the factory floor. Jeremie and Aelita quickly descend. The other two pause for a moment. Yumi grabs hold of the rope. _

**Yumi: **Let's make today the last time we use these ropes. _She forces a smile. _I remember you used to hate swinging down from this height.

_Ulrich grips the rope tightly. _

**Ulrich: **I still do.

_The warriors loiter on the factory floor. After about ten minutes, William and Natalya join them. As soon as they hit the floor, Jeremie's displeasure unveils itself in a starkly dry tone. _

**Jeremie: **You're late.

**William: **Sorry, I was helping Natalya unpack her stuff.

**Jeremie: **You arrived on campus an hour ago…

**William: **Clearly you don't understand how much stuff this girl brings…

_Natalya lightly slaps him on the shoulder. Before any light conversation can continue, Jeremie's phone beeps. He checks his messages. _

**Jeremie: **He's here…

_He puts his phone back in his pocket. _

**Ulrich: **Are you sure this is a good idea? Letting him come here…?

**Jeremie: **Not really. But I don't exactly have a choice. I made a promise…and he did help us when it mattered the most.

**William: **That's true. But still…

**Jeremie: **Too late to back out now. It's already settled. _He taps his laptop bag. _I'm far more concerned about how other aspects of this day will go.

**Yumi: **You said you've been working on a solution. What exactly does that-?

_Jeremie quickly silences her with a harsh stare. _

**Jeremie: **No. Not a word of this until we get to the lab room.

_Following a tense moment of silence, a figure from above latches onto the rope and swings down. He lets go close to the ground and quickly adds an acrobatic front flip to his landing. After finishing his routine, the royal and rather theatrical prince adjusts his collar. _

**César: **Sorry about that. Couldn't resist.

_The group gives a mostly mute reaction. William nods his head. _

**William: **If it weren't for the fact that humanity was in danger, I might have found that thing to be pretty fun.

_To the warriors' surprise, a rather large man drops down from the rope onto the floor. The ever loyal Felipe takes his place at his lord's side. _

**Aelita: **You brought your bodyguard?

**Jeremie: **Whoa! Whoa…we didn't agree to this.

_César waves his hands in an attempt to make them calm down. _

**César: **I know. I know. But I couldn't just sneak away from him without telling him anything…

**Felipe: **I let him get away with it once-_A slight shudder ripples its way through his body_-and only once…

**César: **_No sé tan dramático. _(Don't be so dramatic.) Madrid is still in one piece…Besides he was attacked by Renard too. He's already seen a lot.

**Felipe: **It is true. He would have fried me from the inside if the police had not interrupted him.

**César: **And he is an expert in keeping secrets! _He leans on his shoulder with a slightly guilty smirk on his face. _He is really good at keeping his mouth shut about stuff.

_Felipe groans uncomfortably. All the warriors turn to Jeremie, who eventually shrugs. _

**Jeremie: **I suppose it couldn't hurt. Follow me.

_The group makes its way down to the boiler room with Jeremie leading the way. The damp stillness in the air increases the discomfort of some of the older warriors, who have had bad run ins with the place. César and Felipe, having seen the place for the first time, observe their surroundings with a mixture of intrigue and unease. _

**Jeremie: **You'll have to forgive us for taking this path. We did have an elevator. But recent events have…_He coughs_…put that out of commission.

**William: **Sorry…

**César: **Um…translation?

**Ulrich: **It's a big pile of scrap metal at the bottom of the elevator shaft.

**César: **Ah…

_They enter the lab room through a small entrance with a ladder leading down. Aelita enters first and starts up the main monitor. She is quickly followed by the two guests, who marvel at the whole thing. _

**Felipe: **Incredible…

**César: **Unbelievable…This technology is…decades before its time!

_Jeremie approaches them from behind. _

**Jeremie: **It was decades before its time more than a decade ago. Gentlemen, welcome to the command center of the greatest quantum supercomputer on Earth. _He motions to Aelita, who turns on the holomap of Lyoko. _The brainchild of sheer genius…

_César's mouth drops. Felipe crosses himself. _

**César: **_Santa María Madre de Dios_…(Holy Mary Mother of God…) Jeremie…you were not raving like a madman after all.

**Jeremie: **I wasn't raving-_He adjusts his classes as he circles behind the command chair_-but I am definitely a madman. At least after the last semester…

_César takes a step back and tries to breathe. _

**César: **I have so many questions…I don't know where to begin.

**Jeremie: **Well, while you're thinking, I have something to setup. _He taps Aelita on the shoulder_. Aelita, if you would be so kind.

**Aelita: **Of course.

_Jeremie hooks up his laptop with all of its new content onto the main monitor. Several minutes of setup go by. The holomap switches from a view of Lyoko to Carthage. The baffled prince spends his time taking the whole thing in. _

**César: **You told me you would tell me everything, and obviously this is the brainchild of sheer genius. But whose genius was it that created this masterpiece?

_Jeremie puts on the finishing touches of his setup. _

**Jeremie: **It was the work of two brilliant men. One an upright and devoted scientist who worked for the good of mankind. _He looks over his shoulder. _That would be Aelita's father, Waldo Schaeffer or…as he was later known, Franz Hopper. The other…was a monster who did everything possible to bend the world to his maniacal whims. _He faces César. _The one you know as Dr. Sébastien Renard. And speaking of which…_He opens an auditory channel to Sector Five_…let's see if he's there. _He freezes for a second, staring at the mute screen. For a few moments, his voice fails him. But he manages to steel his nerves and prepare for what he hopes to be one last unpleasant conversation. _Moriarty, are you there?

_One second goes by and silence continues on the other line. But sure enough, a rather familiar and agitated voice answers with raw venom. _

**Moriarty: **Of course I'm here. I can't exactly go anywhere…

_Even though he had prepared himself for this, chills go up and down César's body. _

**César: **That is his voice…No doubt about it, it's him.

**Moriarty: **Oh great…you brought the buffoon and his pet gorilla.

**Felipe: **_Cabrón. _(Bastard.)

**Moriarty: **It's been a long time. Hello Jeremie.

_Jeremie replies in an equally wry, spiteful tone. _

**Jeremie: **Hello…uncle…

_Silence greets them for several seconds on the other line. For a brief moment, Jeremie entertains the thought of Moriarty denying the connection, but his enemy quickly disappoints him. _

**Moriarty: **So….you finally figured it out. I was certain you would connect the dots eventually.

_Now that everything has been confirmed, Jeremie suddenly becomes calm and lets the truth pass over him. _

**Jeremie: **You knew the entire time, and you never told me. That's-_Jeremie shuts his eyes for a moment_-very out of character for you…Out of all the things to use against me, that seems to be number one. And yet you passed up the opportunity to torture me with it.

**Moriarty: **Come on Jeremie…don't be a fool. Use your head. A true master always saves his trump card for last. I was saving that for my victory. For my last gloat if you will…

**Yumi: **A victory that never happened-_She can't help but revel in the fact just a little_-Were you that confident you would win?

_Moriarty seethes in silence for several seconds. His retort drips of malice and bitterness. _

**Moriarty: **How observant Miss Ishiyama. But even I'm surprised at your callousness. The living have the privilege to boast, but your dead have nothing to celebrate…

**Aelita: **They are dead because of you…

**Moriarty: **And your point is?

_Aelita's blood boils in every vessel of her body. She raises a clenched fist as if preparing to hit Moriarty in the flesh. _

**Aelita: **You can't even imagine the damage you've done to Kadic. Delmas is pretty much broken, and Jim, the only one who could repair the disaster you created, is dead because of you!

_Moriarty stays silent for a few moments. The change in the tone of his voice indicates confusion. _

**Moriarty: **Now I know I was pretty busy the night of our last encounter and I killed or tried to kill several people, but refresh my memory. When did I kill Jim again?

**William: **Because of your influence, Herb went insane and tried to kill Delmas during The Order marches. Jim intervened and took the knife blade for him.

_Moriarty briefly absorbs this information and then whistles. It is a whistle of genuine surprise, but there's not an ounce of sympathy or guilt in him. Rather, he follows the whistle with a slight chuckle, implying that he is actually impressed. _

**Moriarty: **I knew he was crazy, but that…wow. I suppose the little freak had a spine after all.

_César shudders to hear a former teacher to speak so heartlessly about human life, even though the great manipulator happened to be one he hated. _

**César: **A gym teacher is dead and a student will spend the rest of his life in a mental ward. And you feel nothing?

**Moriarty: **Jim's death is inconsequential. I would have killed him eventually anyway. Besides, I'm not the one who took his life.

_Revulsion beyond comprehension attacks the psyche of Schaeffer's daughter. Enraged by his half-hearted plea of innocence, she refuses to let him escape responsibility. _

**Aelita: **Even if you didn't personally do it-_Her tone increases twofold in aggression_-you started the madness that allowed it to happen! The bombings! The violence! The fear! The hatred! _She trembles with rage as she recalls everything. _You caused it all…

_Moriarty answers the accusations with a cold, scientific analysis of them. _

**Moriarty: **Humans are so easily manipulated, especially if fear and prejudice is involved. If one person can ignite the fire and then watch it spread several times over until it has progressed into an inferno, then what does that say about our species? But…enough about philosophy. You already know my guilt. The question is…what shall you do to me? I loathe the idea of being trapped in this tiny sphere forever, hardly able to do anything. I can barely send a text message from this hellhole! And I doubt you'd let me stay in Lyoko forever, ready to wake up whenever some poor sap turns on the supercomputer again. So-_Moriarty tranquilly addresses the group again with the question as if it will not affect him at all_-what shall become of me?

**Jeremie: **That is what we're here to discuss. And you're going to listen helplessly as we talk over everything.

_Moriarty chuckles a little. _

**Moriarty: **A sham trial at its finest…

**Jeremie: **This is no trial. _He reawakens the authority of a general in his voice. _You've admitted that you're guilty. Now the jury just has to reach a verdict.

_At this point, Natalya raises her hand. _

**Natalya: **Um…I'm sorry, but what do you mean by verdict? We have the Cannae Initiative and Moriarty's technically still alive. Shouldn't we just get rid of him now?

**Yumi: **That's exactly what I was thinking. _Her expression becomes firm and unyielding in her straightforward conviction. _What do we need to talk about? Just send Aelita to the Celestial Dome and have her flood all of Carthage with the Cannae Initiative. We could be done with it just like that.

_Moriarty absorbs her merciless advice stoically and sarcastically. _

**Moriarty: **I do so enjoy it when she demonstrates her…unshakable moral compass.

**Yumi: **Preferably sooner rather than later…

_César, who is still a little distraught over the whole situation, decides to interrupt. _

**César: **Uh…he does realize you're talking about killing him, right?

**Moriarty: **Hey, no one said I couldn't make comments about my own execution.

_Jeremie clears his throat so the group's attention returns to him. He straightens his posture and patiently explains the situation. _

**Jeremie: **You're right Yumi. We could do that. We could just use the Cannae Initiative and wipe him out here and now…

_He takes a long pause that seems to last longer for the warriors than it actually does. _

**William: **Why do you get the feeling you're about to offer us a second option?

**Jeremie: **When Moriarty informed us of his continued presence in his personality cortex, I recalled that Waldo Schaeffer had left some extra information on something other than the Cannae Initiative in the book I recovered from the Hermitage before it burned down. I was curious, so I looked back at my old notes to take a closer look at this unrelated data. And what I found was some slightly encrypted lines of code that, if uploaded properly into the scanners, can reverse the state of eternal virtualization.

_The warriors take a while to process this new information. Aelita, having known this information already, anxiously observes their reactions. _

**Yumi: **Are you saying, we could recover anyone who was eternally virtualized? As in…we could materialize-_She becomes baffled by her own words_-Moriarty?

_Jeremie nods. _

**Jeremie: **And if I can locate him in the Network, Emmanuel as well.

**William: **But that means_-His face lights up with an abandoned hope_-Christophe is not totally gone! _Astonishment quickly turns to anger. _And if that's the case, how could you not tell us immed-?!

_Jeremie instantly slams his palms against the armrests. _

**Jeremie: **I CAN'T SAVE CHRISTOPHE! _His initial outburst of volume lowers to one of quiet despair. Aelita places a hand on her right shoulder. _I…already tried. The program only works if I can find a trace of virtual DNA in Lyoko or the World Network. Emmanuel and Moriarty fit that description. Christophe does not. The Cannae Initiative ripped him apart until there was nothing left. And even if there is, even this supercomputer doesn't have the capability to detect something that small. No…Christophe is gone. _The warriors accept the unavoidable truth anew in silence. César bows his head in sorrow while Felipe mumbles a silent prayer for Christophe's soul. A few moments later, Jeremie's voice regains its strength as he changes the subject. _But as I said, Moriarty can be returned to Earth in his original human form. No powers. No monsters. Just a normal human being.

_Ulrich stares at Jeremie skeptically. _

**Ulrich: **And what would be the point of that?

**Jeremie: **So he would face justice…real justice, in a human court. _When the group gazes at the general as if he has lost it, Jeremie takes a deep breath before elaborating on the idea. _The world will never understand the full extent of Moriarty's cruelty, but as of right now, the Parisian police are searching in vain for Dr. Sébastien Renard for a growing list of crimes, first and foremost the murder of Hans Klotz. If we could bring him back, he would be charged and locked away forever as he deserves.

**César: **I see. So you're offering to let him be dealt with the civilized way.

**Yumi: **Civilized way? _She repeats those words in disgust. _No offense César, but you haven't experienced what we have. You don't know what he's done to us. What we've suffered at his hands…

_The prince quickly becomes offended and responds in outrage. _

**César: **I'm sorry, did I just imagine watching most of my security team and several Spanish nationals being blown to bits in a coffee shop? Did I imagine him trying to kill me?! Do not insult me…_He points at the screen_…he has done great harm to me and my countrymen as well!

**Yumi: **He deserves to die…

_William regards the idea with enthusiastic approval. _

**William: **Agreed. Plus, if he could send us a message, what else can he do? What if he's pretending to be powerless in order to get out and cause more destruction? Who's to say that we've already won in this situation? _That thought inspires fear and dread back into the warriors' hearts. _He could still be plotting against us!

**Moriarty: **Hmm…interesting…

_William points out the response as evidence for his claim. _

**William: **You see?

**Jeremie: **William, given the damage the Cannae Initiative wrought on him, that's incredibly unlikely.

**William: **But is it impossible?

_All eyes turn to Jeremie, who admits the truth with some reluctance. _

**Jeremie: **No, I can't guarantee that it's impossible.

**Ulrich: **No way. I won't go along with this unless there's no risk of him regaining power at all. We should kill him. Now.

**William: **Let's just be done with it Jeremie. _There is not a drop of hesitation in his voice. _The world will not be safe until every last shred of him is gone.

**Yumi: **We can't let Christophe's death be in vain.

**Moriarty: **That is also true. It would be a shame for such a theatrical display to go to waste.

_Ulrich glowers at the screen in disgust. _

**Ulrich: **Exactly whose side are you on?

**Moriarty: **My side and mine alone. But it makes little difference to me what happens since I have been drained of power-_During a brief pause, Ulrich can almost sense Moriarty's insidious smile behind the monitor._-…or have I?

_Ulrich curses between clenched teeth. _

**Ulrich: **I hate it when he does this.

**Jeremie: **Do not bother to engage him. His true intentions at this point are inscrutable. To him, this is just one last game he can play on us.

**Moriarty: **Such a wise observation from my precious nephew.

_The Lyoko general ignores the despicable term of endearment from his enemy. _

**Jeremie: **Killing him is one of the two options, yes. But there needs to be a majority vote for that to happen.

_Yumi approaches Jeremie, getting up close to his face. _

**Yumi: **If that's the case, then what's your vote? _Her gaze penetrates him, attempting to draw out what she deems to be the acceptable answer. _You want to kill him, right?

_Jeremie remains silent for several seconds. Despite her intimidation tactic, he firmly stands his ground. _

**Jeremie: **No. I want him to be materialized.

_Yumi's eyes widen with disbelief. It takes a while for her brain to believe her own ears. _

**Yumi: **You can't be serious…

**Jeremie: **I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of developing this solution if I didn't believe in it.

**Moriarty: **Excellent Jeremie. I knew you wouldn't kill your dear uncle.

_Jeremie looks over his shoulder and quickly rejects that idea. _

**Jeremie: **Don't flatter yourself. I would have no problem eliminating you should the vote go toward your elimination. But letting you perish instantaneously seems too merciful for me.

_Yumi, still shocked at Jeremie's decision, looks to the two remaining voters for a response. _

**Yumi: **Well, we only need one more vote to get rid of him. Aelita? _The pink-haired girl cautiously meets Yumi's gaze. _I trust you have a more logical answer to the problem.

_Aelita inhales through her nose and then averts her gaze. Yumi, already sensing her answer, shakes in barely restrained fury over her merciful stance. _

**Yumi: **Have you completely lost-?

**Aelita: **I helped Jeremie develop the program, Yumi. I've already made my decision. He deserves to face the fullest extent of the law.

_William rubs his temples, trying to process what he's hearing. _

**William: **But Aelita, your father-

**Aelita: **Would want to see him tried for crimes against humanity. He only resorted to eliminating Moriarty when all other options were exhausted. _She looks around the group. _But we do have another option. And we should take it. After all, we need to be better than him.

_With Aelita's position fully clarified, all attention inevitably focuses on Natalya. Understandably she nervously looks at the floor, avoiding any uncomfortable stares. Painfully awkward seconds go by with no response. Still, she refuses to make any statement. Finally, William attempts to ease her into speaking. He reaches his hand toward hers. _

**William: **Natalya?

_She immediately withdraws her hand. William is taken aback by her coldness. She rubs her left shoulder and stammers a few times before answering clearly. _

**Natalya: **I'm sorry. But I can't agree to killing him like this. Aelita and Jeremie are right.

_Ulrich and Yumi stand in stunned silence, slowly absorbing the news of the stalemate. William appears genuinely hurt by her refusal. _

**William: **But…how? How could you-?

**Natalya: **I may love you. But my decision is my own. What Moriarty needs is a slow incarceration, not an immediate execution.

**William: **But if there's even the slightest chance that he can regain power, he'll-

_She stares him in the eye and cuts him off. _

**Natalya: **He'll do what, William? Turn the masses toward him again? In case you've forgotten, he needs the people to succeed. Even if he has some power left, it will not get him far. _She faces the entire group and confidently proceeds with her monologue. _It is true that there are still some in France who support him. We've all seen the graffiti that says "The Commandant lives". But if you kill him, will that solve the problem? Will that clean up the mess he's caused? _She shakes her head. _No. You will only make him a martyr. He will be a symbol for extremists to rally behind. If he dies here and now, we might never see the death of his legacy. But if we bring him back to our world, show him for the powerless coward that he really is, the humiliation will deny his supporters a martyr to follow. Then, and only then, will we be able to win completely.

_Following her strong speech, the lab room stays deathly quiet for about half a minute. Then, Yumi trails to the back of the room, pacing in exasperation. _

**Yumi: **Okay Jeremie. Now we have a tie…what are you going to do now?

**Moriarty: **Ah yes please, Jeremie. Tell us. I'm just dying to know…

_In spite of the tense situation, the Lyoko general maintains his composure. _

**Jeremie: **Luckily I saw this coming and came up with a plan to solve it. _He turns to the Spanish prince. _César, what do you have to say?

_César's expression becomes blank. His eyes dart back and forth between the warriors, unable to comprehend what he is being asked. _

**César: **You are asking me?

_Some of the warriors concur. _

**Ulrich: **You're asking him?

**William: **You want him to break the stalemate?

_Moriarty groans at the thought. _

**Moriarty: **You've got to be kidding me…

**Jeremie: **I'm not kidding. _He leans forward and rubs his hands together. _In many ways, this makes the most sense. Every warrior here has dealt with too much to make a completely rational decision about Moriarty. César, you have suffered from Moriarty too, so you are no stranger to his sociopathic violence. But you haven't fought him day in and day out like we have. However, I've told you everything that he's been capable of, so you are also aware of the risks. My point is…if we can count on anyone here to be arbitrary in this situation, it's you.

_César faces his bodyguard, who sort of shrugs, not knowing what to do. The prince, now somewhat timid, walks forward closer to the command chair. _

**César: **Are you sure you want me to do this?

**Jeremie: **I'm sure. _He motions to the monitor. _His fate is in your hands now.

_César winces uncomfortably in response. _

**César: **Right…No pressure at all.

_Jeremie backs his command chair away from the main monitor, leaving César alone to face Moriarty and deliver his sentence. His breathing and heartrate increase substantially. Moriarty's taunting comments do little to ease his anxiety. _

**Moriarty: **So…this is how it ends. I'm judged by a phony future monarch without any backbone to speak of. Tell me César, are you really capable of killing your former teacher? _The prince trembles in place as his mind races. His hands shake against his will. Moriarty, utilizing the last weapon in his disposal, his rhetoric, tries to weaken his resolve. _You are no Lyoko Warrior, and you know it. You fled like a coward when things got tough at Kadic. Now are you ready to have blood on your hands?

_César has trouble swallowing in the face of the mounting pressure. But once he remembers the pain and barbarity of the bombing he witnessed, he recovers his resolve. He puffs his chest out with a deep breath and boldly raises his voice. _

**César: **André Belpois, on behalf of the people of France, Spain, and many other nations affected by your atrocious crimes, I will announce your sentence. It is my firm conviction that you must face the most severe punishment possible-_The weight of the dead air grows a hundredfold during his brief pause. At the last moment, César's expression softens_-within the confines of the French judicial system.

_A great relief passes through the room following the appointed judge's decision. Moriarty says nothing. Jeremie adjusts his position in the command chair._

**Jeremie: **So it's decided. We will materialize Moriarty.

_The tension in the room settles down now that the decision has been made. But the peace does not last very long. About four seconds later, something resembling a hurricane goes off in William's head. The familiar presence that has been dormant for so long awakens from hibernation like a provoked grizzly bear. Inside William's mind, the essence of Xana in the red cave coated with wires makes his position loud and clear. _

**Xana: **NO!

_William bends over as the malevolent entity goes straight for his mind. He howls with a metallic edge to his voice. Felipe forces the prince to back away from the beleaguered warrior. Natalya covers her mouth in terror. _

**Natalya: **William?!

_After much struggling, William manages to overcome Xana's attempt to control his mind. But the old multi-agent system instead withdraws to his right arm and takes over the nerve endings and muscles in that limb. His right arm then flails around against his will and grabs hold of Jeremie's shirt collar. Some of the warriors scream while Ulrich and Yumi try to ambush him from behind. _

**William: **STOP! Don't come any closer! _His face becomes pained as he struggles to expel Xana from his arm. _If you try to interfere, Xana might kill Jeremie.

_The warriors remain paralyzed as William tries to force his arm to let go. Felipe keeps the horrified Spanish prince far from the scene. Xana bombards his host with his flexible demand. _

**Xana: **I CANNOT ALLOW THIS! My programming will override your own body if necessary in order to achieve my objective. Moriarty must perish!

_William's arm muscles strain from the intense battle for dominance. Still in command of the rest of his body, he warns Jeremie of Xana's intentions. _

**William: **Jeremie, Xana wants Moriarty dead…_He groans under the mental pressure_…and he's not taking no for an answer!

**Moriarty: **Leave it to Xana to be the most undemocratic in any situation…

_While initially shaken, Jeremie quickly recovers and tries to control his breathing. He looks at William from his command chair and speaks slowly and clearly. _

**Jeremie: **Xana…there's no need for this. The fight is over.

_Xana's reply is inaudible to everyone but William, who hears it loud and clear. _

**Xana: **Unacceptable! Moriarty must be destroyed…

_William's arm lifts Jeremie in the air. _

**William: **You're going to have to give him something better than that!

**Jeremie: **Just what are you planning on accomplishing here? What do you hope to gain by killing Moriarty?

_William starts to sweat as the confrontation lags on. _

**William: **He says…it will fulfill his purpose. To end the Moriarty threat once and for all.

**Jeremie: **The threat is over.

_Xana quickly rejects that notion and intensifies his demand. _

**Xana: **FALSE! Victory can only come through total destruction of one's enemy! It is the only logical path.

_William relays this information to his captive. Jeremie shakes his head in disagreement. _

**Jeremie: **Maybe that's the case for you, but not for human beings. Schaeffer may have created you to destroy Project Carthage and Moriarty, but that was during a time of war. Look around you…the war is over.

_The multi-agent program growls within the dark recesses of his host's mind. _

**Xana: **NO! IT'S NOT LOGICAL! He must be wiped out. That was my mission! My only reason for creation: TO DESTROY!

_William tries to counter his arguments out loud for all to hear while his right arm's veins swell from the internal struggle. _

**William: **But we've already destroyed him! We've destroyed his source of power.

**Xana: **Not yet! There must be no trace left! That is victory…Even you acknowledged he needs to be annihilated slave!

**William: **We've already reached an agreement. _His left arm locks hold of his right and tries to pull it off. _Why do you need to eliminate him entirely?!

_Moriarty butts in, offering his two cents without asking permission…as usual. _

**Moriarty: **Because nothing makes sense to him unless it is done 100%. His creator was an anal perfectionist. In a certain violent way, Xana is merely following his modus operandi.

_Still held prisoner in the air, Jeremie attempts to reason with Xana one last time. _

**Jeremie: **So…what I am hearing is that you want a perfect victory. Alright. Let me explain to you what your concept of perfect victory looks like. In 1945, the Allies scored a decisive victory over Nazi Germany. They forced their remaining military forces to surrender, and their population was put under occupation for some time. That was when World War II ended in Europe. However, if you were in command, you wouldn't have stopped until every last German was wiped off the face of the Earth. You would have killed them all! But the Allies didn't resort to your level of barbarity. Why? Because human civilization is better than that!

_Xana stays silent for some time before mustering a response. William relays it to Jeremie. _

**William: **He reminds you that he isn't…human.

_Jeremie concurs with a nod, which is slightly difficult under the circumstances. _

**Jeremie: **True enough. But you've changed. The old Xana I knew would have tried to kill me by now, but you've hesitated. And even now that you're sure I won't change my mind, you've still held back.

_Xana, finding the claim to be somewhat perplexing, eases his determined aggression slightly. _

**Xana: **What are you trying to say?

_As soon as William finishes Xana's sentence, Jeremie nails his point home. _

**Jeremie: **You've lived with William for too long, Xana. You've seen what it's like to be human and whether you like it or not-_He gives his invisible captor a snide smile._-a little bit of humanity has rubbed off on you.

_Xana snaps at the comment and slams Jeremie against the command chair, prompting some shouts of alarm from the other warriors. The enraged multi-agent program manages to slip through his host's voicebox. _

**William/Xana: **LIES!

**Aelita: **Jeremie, don't provoke him!

_Jeremie pays no heed to the warning_

**Jeremie: **IT'S THE TRUTH! Your desire to vanquish Moriarty is not just your programming, it's your obsession! You couldn't stand the thought of him succeeding where you failed! That's the real problem here. And it sounds pretty emotionally-driven to me. _He points to William. _And what about your host? You may call him 'slave' but you've relied on each other pretty heavily during many battles. Up until this point you've cooperated with him, at first out of necessity but I believe it became natural to you. You've come to rely on him. And now look at you. You've reacted violently because deep down, you're scared, that's right, scared that I might be right.

_For a few heart pounding moments, some warriors fear that Xana will lose control. Within the dark cave inside William's mind, the conquered entity wavers between murderous rage and deep confusion. In the process, he spends less effort on keeping the death grip on Jeremie. William's right arm slackens just a little. _

**Jeremie: **We've achieved a human victory here. _He motions to the group that decided Moriarty's fate, especially César. _We used democracy, morals, and justice to decide Moriarty's fate. We didn't all agree, but that's part of being human. And if you could just try to see what victory means like we do, then you might understand why we have chosen the way we have.

_Sensing that Xana's rage has started to ebb, William voluntarily gives up his vocal chords again. _

**William/Xana: **You…destroyed me. There was no mercy in your victory over me.

**Jeremie: **If we utterly destroyed you, then how are you talking to me? _The Lyoko general pauses in order for Xana to absorb the message. _If we were as committed to eliminating you as you are to kill Moriarty, we would have executed William a long time ago to get rid of you. But we didn't. Are you still a threat to the world?

_Xana hesitates to answer but eventually does so. _

**William/Xana: **No. I exist in a way, but I can never regain my true power.

**Jeremie: **And Moriarty will still exist but suffer the same fate as you. Life imprisonment. So why don't you let me make you two even?

_After some consideration, Xana decides to withdraw. He fades into the back of his host's mind, disappearing once again without a word. William recovers control of his arm and instantly lets go. The muscle strain from those tense few minutes creates spasms of pain up and down his arm. Jeremie, on the other hand, settles down quickly while the rest of the group slowly relax. _

**William: **He's…gone.

**Jeremie: **I know. _He begins the startup sequence for the acquired program. _Now, let's put a real end to this. Are you ready to come home…uncle?

_Moriarty's reply is curt and spiteful. _

**Moriarty: **Of course not! Nothing good waits for me on the other side.

**Jeremie: **That's the spirit…

_An hour later, the eight member coalition gathers around a single scanner that lights up and smokes heavily. Jeremie climbs the ladder from downstairs. _

**Jeremie: **It should be any second now.

**Ulrich: **I call the first punch!

**William: **I got second!

_Natalya begins to revel in the idea as well. _

**Natalya: **I want to give him a kick right in his-

**Aelita: **Guys, let's just make sure he gets to the police station alive, okay?

_The door finally opens, revealing a single hand groping for support. It is quickly followed by the exit of a rather feeble figure wearing a faded lab coat. His hair seems to have receded a little and his haggard face makes him look slightly older than they remember. But it is without a doubt Moriarty, albeit far less impressive than the pseudo-human form he adopted earlier. He tries to walk but falls on his knees. _

**Jeremie: **Not easy being yanked back home after more than a decade, is it?

_Moriarty's eyes glow with indignation. He glares at Jeremie and opens his mouth in preparation for a vicious rebuttal. But no words come out…only a muffled passage of air. He covers his mouth as his face lights up in terror and shock. He tries again but he remains as mute as before. The group looks at each other in surprise. _

**Felipe: **What's wrong with him?

**Ulrich: **Cat got his tongue?

_Moriarty desperately tries to form audible speech, but nothing happens. Desperate, he screams for all he's worth, as his strained facial muscles demonstrate. The only thing the warriors can hear is a faint wheezing noise. The defeated mastermind hyperventilates and digs his fingers into his scalp in panicked frustration. _

**Jeremie: **No. He's lost the ability to speak…

_Felipe holds Moriarty's arm behind his back firmly and leads him across the factory bridge to the car. His prisoner's face becomes fixed in an expression of bitter hate, but he puts up little resistance. _

**Felipe: **I'll drop him discreetly at a place that the police are sure to find him. He'll be taken care of.

**Jeremie: **I'll go too. There are a few streets I know near the station that might be a good place to leave him.

_The three take off in the car, leaving César and the rest of the warriors on the bridge. The prince appears somewhat indignant. _

**César: **Unbelievable. I have to walk?!

**Ulrich: **I don't think your bodyguard wants you riding in a car with a mute sociopathic mass murderer, powers or no powers.

**César: **That's still no excuse!

_Aelita receives a text from Jeremie. _

**Aelita: **I know where they're taking him. _She puts the phone back in her purse. _Follow me.

_They walk down the sidewalk next to the Seine River and factory. At the back of the group, William receives a message from his unwelcome guest. _

**William: **Slave, I wish to speak with you.

_He stops walking. His hand rests on the stone wall overlooking the river. He looks out at the water. _

**Natalya: **You coming?

**William: **Go on without me. I'll catch up. _Both hands rest against the wall. _I need to have some words with an old friend.

_Quickly understanding the meaning of his words, Natalya leaves William be. The group soon disappears out of earshot. Xana instantly fills the void of silence. _

**Xana: **My methods in the fact-

**William: **What the hell was that?! _He paces next to the stone wall, having an angry conversation with himself. A few pedestrians briefly notice this scene but quickly walk away. _You nearly made me kill Jeremie!

**Xana: **I was desperate to eliminate-

**William: **WE HAD AN AGREEMENT! You don't use my body without my permission! After all this time of us working together, you try to control me.

**Xana: **I simply had to-

**William: **You're no better than when we killed you with the multi-agent program!

**Xana: **It was a mistake!

_William stops his ranting, stunned at what he just heard. A few seconds are needed to process it. _

**William: **Did you just admit you made a mistake?

**Xana: **Yes.

**William: **Xana, the fearsome artificial intelligence, enemy to the free world, has the humility to admit he messed up?

**Xana: **Essentially.

_William throws his hands up as a sign of surrending to confusion. _

**William: **I give up. You're impossible.

**Xana: **Jeremie was right. It was foolish to try to extinguish Moriarty when the threat had already passed. I have seen him for what he is: a pathetic, powerless human. I should not have wasted my efforts attempting to enslave your body to my will.

_William shakes his head in exasperation. _

**William: **You still have no respect for humans.

**Xana: **André Belpois is a pathetic human. That does not mean…all humans are pathetic.

_His host raises an eyebrow with interest. _

**William: **Oh?

**Xana: **Slave, I remained dormant for a while, waiting until I was sure Moriarty was no more. But when I intervened, I recklessly wasted my energy trying to fight your control. Now I…_He approaches the truth with some possible trepidation. _I feel like I am starting to fade.

**William: **As in…die?

**Xana: **I will more than likely cease to exist, yes. But I thought you should be informed before that takes place. This may be the last time you hear from me.

_To his alarm, William finds himself almost sad at the thought of Xana disappearing. His presence, while aggravating and unwanted, has become somewhat normal for the hapless host. He leans against the stone wall. _

**William: **Well, thank you….for informing me. _Pause. _Don't think I'm going to miss you.

**Xana: **The feeling is mutual. But I-_He says the following with some reluctance_-must give credit where it is due.

**William: **Meaning?

**Xana: **You were…a valuable asset. I could not have fulfilled my purpose without you. Ignoring our partnership is the reason why I shall soon fade. But it matters not. I have no place anymore. I know only destruction and control. It was what I was designed for. That time has passed.

_William awkwardly taps his fingers on the stone ledge. _

**William: **So I guess this is goodbye.

**Xana: **Goodbye…William Dunbar. _Long pause. _I will never conquer Earth, will I?

**William: **….Nope.

_The presence within the deep cave in his mind lingers in disappointment. _

**Xana: **Pity. Instead I engaged in a rather close up study of…human mating.

**William: **Yeah that's right. Wait…WHAT?! _In a single moment, Xana quietly fades. William's mind is soon left only with his thoughts. _Um…you want to run that by me again?...Hello?

_Ten minutes later a Parisian police car patrols the neighborhood around Boulogne-Billancourt after stopping for coffee. They respond to a possible parole violation before proceeding down a narrow street on their way back to the station. But a disheveled individual leaning against a rock wall blocks their way. They stop the patrol car. _

**Police Officer 1: **Oh great…this bum won't move

**Police Officer 2: **He's probably asleep.

_Officer 1 opens the car door. _

**Police Officer 1: **Better wake him up before someone else runs him over.

_The officer walks up to the apparently sleeping homeless man. He callously kicks him in the shin to give him a jolt. _

**Police Officer 1: **Hey! Get out of here. You're blocking traffic.

_The man turns his head to the other side. The officer almost falls over when he recognizes the face of the suspect the police had been hunting for weeks now. His partner quickly gets out of the car. _

**Police Officer 2: **That...that's Dr. Renard!

_The stunned officers reach for their handcuffs. Moriarty offers no resistance. _

**Police Officer 1: **You are under arrest! _They move him to the squad car. _You have the right to remain silent.

_Moriarty inaudibly mutters something foul, no doubt a comment about the irony of that statement. Felipe and Jeremie watch the police car zip in the direction of the station from the corner of the alley while the other warriors and César hang further back. _

**Jeremie: **It's over. It's finally over…

**Felipe: **He won't be able to do any more harm. _They walk back to their group. _But given what I've seen so far, I wonder what he'll leave behind.

_During his very short walk back to the rest of his team, Jeremie's legs suddenly become limp and wobbly. Sensing that he will fall, Jeremie supports himself on the side of a building and drops to his knees. _

**Felipe: **Are you alright?!

_Months of surpressed trauma reawaken with a fury now that the threat has passed. His muscles shake tremendously as the tears of loss break through once again. He cannot stand or move. It takes time for him to form words as relief and horror do battle in his overwhelmed conscience. _

**Jeremie: **No. I need a moment.

_The warriors quickly come to his aide. Aelita kneels down and embraces him. More hugs are passed around. César offers his hand and slowly the officially retired Lyoko general regains the ability to stand up. Jeremie glances over his shoulder. Moriarty is still gone from his sight and will stay that way. The afternoon sun aboves them warms up the winter air. The remaining warriors breathe it in, letting it refreshen their bodies and souls for the first time in a long time. Jeremie lays his hands on Aelita and William's shoulders and gazes up at the clear blue sky. _

**Jeremie: **We are free…

_Aelita's Diary- June 7, 2084: 1600 hours-Final Log_

Dear Xavier,

Two years ago I promised to give you a complete firsthand account of the Lyoko Warriors' trials during the period of Dr. Sébastien Renard's rise and fall in France. I know your grandparents didn't like to talk about it, and frankly neither did I. But after your grandmother Natalya died and I became the only one left, I knew that I had to explain everything lest these stories be lost forever to history. I used to want these painful stories to die, but now that my own time is drawing to a close, I realize that the descendants of the Lyoko Warriors deserve to know the truth about their legacy. Your mother and uncles received only rudimentary information about Lyoko, Xana, and Moriarty from William and Natalya. Like me and the other warriors, they wanted to protect the world from the knowledge of what took place. But as we learned as adults later in life, it did not protect the world from Moriarty's aftershocks.

The imprisonment of Dr. Renard, as you may or may not know from history, caused shockwaves throughout the country and the rest of Europe.

_Cameramen swarm around the police as they deliver Moriarty to prison. He makes eye contact with no one. Reports of the event is soon on every major news station in the nation. In Kadic, students and faculty who both supported and hated him watch the TV in the rec room and respond with silence. Delmas watches from his own small television in his office and breathes easily for the first time in many months. _

He didn't say a word to police or the judicial authorities, because he couldn't…Jeremie explained that the materialization program wasn't foolproof. An error occurred which robbed him of his speech. Doctors tried in vain to figure out why he had become mute. Debate raged both in political and social circles in Europe and beyond as to what had happened to him while he was in hiding. Moriarty, for his part, refused to give any answers of the sort. But being the quick scholar that he was, he managed to learn how to communicate his defense in other ways.

_In a French courtroom, Moriarty answers questions via sign language. _

In retrospect, we might have been able to fix his larynx somehow if Jeremie had held onto him and attempted to correct the error in the materialization sequence. But at the time, having been victims of countless moments of verbal abuse and torture from our enemy, we thought it was poetic justice and decided to leave him be. Unfortunately, that proved to be a mistake.

_A small crowd gathers around the police station, demanding Renard's release. Police in riot gear stand fast around the building, preventing anyone from getting in. _

Because of the horrors, that had gone on at Kadic, no one there continued to support The Order. But some held on, stubbornly refusing to let the Commandant and his ideals die out. Jeremie thought that letting his pathetic uncle stroll around in chains would prevent the creation of any lasting support for him. But he was wrong.

_Moriarty is dragged out of the courtroom in chains. Some Order supporters outside deride him. A few carry signs that say 'Impostor!'. _

Those who remained loyal came to believe that Moriarty wasn't the Commandant at all. His inability to speak and fatigued appearance led some to conclude that he was a government impostor, sent to take the wind out of the sails for his movement. Conspiracy theories about his fate abounded. Some said he was still in hiding. Some thought he had assumed a completely different identity. Others guessed that he was under the protection of powerful politicians who believed in his mission. But they all agreed about one thing:

_Order sympathizers spraypaint 'The Commandant lives' on an alley wall in Paris. Similar purple graffiti appears in Lyons, Marseille, and several other French cities. _

They were convinced that Dr. Renard was out there, biding his time, waiting for the chance to return. 'The Commandant lives' became a common phrase amongst the right-wing radicals in France. Like a cancer it spread from city to city, infecting the minds of those who loved him and repelling those who hated him. By the time we graduated from Kadic, there wasn't a city or town in the country that didn't have that street propaganda somewhere in its midst. But for the time being the phrase remained an idle threat, and after a decade passed Moriarty's ideas as well as the graffiti messages honoring him had started to fade.

_Several days after Moriarty's capture, Mathias Burel delivers a brief message to the students and faculty of Kadic in the courtyard. The divisions in the school seem to have melted somewhat, for Order and Outcast members alike stand side by side while they listen to what the young student has to say. Sincere sorrow and guilt filter through the words of his speech. _

**Mathias: **As you already know, Mr. Delmas has given all students and faculty of The Order a clean slate as long as we renounce our ties to Dr. Sébastien Renard. I accept these terms, knowing I don't deserve to be treated so mercifully. And those of you who supported The Order should feel the same. We did wrong. _He bites his lip and stares at the floor of the wooden stage for a moment. _Terribly, terribly wrong. We blindly followed a man who turned out to be a liar and a murderer. To those of you Outcasts here, all I have to say is-_He chokes up for two seconds_-please forgive us. Forgive us…I beg you. If I could turn back the clock, I would…but I can't. Dr. Renard severely damaged Kadic, but if you are willing to accept us, together we might be able to undo that damage. _Hope comes alive on his face. A certain charisma of his starts to become contagious for the audience. _Let's rebuild this school, emotionally and physically, together as one group, not two. Dr. Renard destroyed trust on this campus, and I'm as much to blame as any Order member. But it doesn't have to stay that way. And if you could find it in your hearts to trust us again, then Kadic Academy can once again have a bright future.

_Everyone applauds, including Delmas, who is standing slightly to his right. _

Traumatized by Jim's death, Mathias Burel had taken upon himself to atone for The Order's sins. He voluntarily approached Delmas and offered to be the student leader to move the school in the right direction. Little did we know at the time that he had just set the foundation for a long, successful political career. And we didn't find out till later that he knew more about Moriarty than we realized. But we had other loose ends to fix back then.

_To the crowd's great surprise, Angeline Maillard screams and runs toward the woods. Her brother Emmanuel walks out, extremely dazed and confused. He moves with a very noticeable limp in his left leg. Angeline grabs onto him and cries with joy while her brother still has trouble recognizing what's happening. Faculty and staff are also blown away. _

Even though he was an avid supporter of Moriarty, we couldn't let Emmanuel rot in the Network. We managed to materialize him with the same program designed by my father. We avoided any complications by drugging him and then leaving him to wake up in the nearby woods. He had no memory of the events of his disappearance and couldn't answer any questions to police when asked. It became a mystery that no one ever solved. Delmas and the Maillard parents agreed to pull the two out of Kadic for their sake and for the sake of the rest of the school. They never returned, and to this day I don't know what became of them.

_The Lyoko Warriors graduate together and sadly part ways, though they stay in constant contact. Jeremie and Aelita stay together in their mid-twenties, entering adulthood while keeping their relationship alive. _

We moved on with our lives and struggled against the trials of the real world. Though to be fair, those trials scared us a lot less than most young adults our age. We had already been through so much…Jeremie and I became successful software developers, and I don't think it's arrogant to say we became very important in our field. Many technological revolutions in the early half of the century were due in part to our influence. Money poured in.

_Jeremie stops in a park next to a fountain on a nice fall afternoon. He smiles and stares at Aelita with a certain glint in his eye, prompting her to give him a strange look. He then gets down on one knee…_

Of course we didn't think money was going to give us happiness, or the ability to forget Moriarty's abuse.

_Aelita covers her mouth when he produces a ring and emphatically nods her head to say yes. Some onlookers clap as they embrace. _

Yumi once told me that despite the issues in our relationships, we were bound to each other. She was right. No one else could handle our problems…our history. So for better or for worse…we sealed the deal.

_At a loud party in St. Petersburg, a twenty-eight year-old William motions for Natalya to join him on the balcony overlooking the city on a summer evening. He gets on one knee. She gladly accepts the ring and immediately shows it to her Russian friends. _

William and Natalya moved to Russia and settled in St. Petersburg, taking jobs in the financial sector and fashion industry, respectively. All of their three children, your uncles Isaak and Nikolai and your mother Aurélie, were born there.

_They celebrate their honeymoon at a Bulgarian coastal resort on the Black Sea. They toast wine glasses looking out on the water. With children things get more complicated. They are a handful. As young parents, William and Natalya return to the house to see a severely distraught babysitter and children running all over the place. They groan in frustration. On another occasion, they are awaken by their second oldest Nikolai, who complains of having a bad dream. William rises from the bed and tucks him back in, telling him he has nothing to be afraid of. _

One of the problems they dealt with early on was their nightmares. All three of them complained of seeing "the metal man in the cave" who scared them terribly. But eventually, those dreams subsided.

_The children sleep soundly. William watches from the doorway to their bedroom. _

They were concerned at first, but whatever Xana influence that was passed on to their children did not stay long. And neither you nor your sister or your cousins have demonstrated anything that would suggest that Xana continues to exist at all.

_Ulrich and Yumi hang out on a yacht in Monaco. He takes her out on the water to see some spectacular seaside cliffs and proposes there. She gladly accepts. _

Ulrich inherited a large portion of his father's money and used what influence he gained to disrupt Mr. Stern's illegal empire. Unfortunately these actions angered members of his father's circle.

_The couple fly to Montréal and establish themselves in a luxurious and quiet housing development. _

For their own protection, they left France to enjoy a peaceful life in Montréal. Ulrich gained an important business position with the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. Yumi went on to become an economics professor at the University of Montréal.

_The two pose for a photo in front of Niagara Falls together with a young son who shares the dark hair and eyes of his mother but the facial features and skin tone of his father. _

They had one son, Christophe Stern, and for a while the three were very happy.

_Going back in the past, Odd Della Robbia hugs members of the old gang after their graduation from Kadic. _

We had to keep an eye on Odd for a while. We feared his life would be put in jeopardy if anything reminded him of Moriarty. At Kadic, that was a challenge. But we succeeded, albeit at the price of slowly…

_Odd tries to catch up with some of them after science class but they continue on without him. Aelita looks over her shoulder. Her friend looks somewhat hurt. She sadly turns her head and keeps on walking. _

distancing ourselves from him. We did our best to keep our connection alive with him, but it was hard.

_Odd starts hanging out with Bastien, Azra, Claude, and several others later in high school. They spend time skateboarding in the woods and in local parks. Aelita watches them laugh together in the Kadic courtyard from a distance. _

He really had it the best of any of us. He remembered nothing. He knew of Dr. Renard and his time in the Outcasts but thankfully his memory of Lyoko was never triggered again. He once complained of having strange dreams from time to time that suggested a very loose connection to Lyoko. Obviously I had to keep quiet.

_Odd arrives in a South American airport and looks around for any available taxi services. _

After graduation, Odd wanted some time to 'find himself'. For some reason he ended up in Buenos Aires.

_He explores Plaza de Mayo, the main plaza area of the city. Inspired by its beauty, he returns to paint a portrait of the Mothers of the Plaza marching to demand information on their disappeared children during 'La Guerra Sucia'. As a pretty Argentinian woman walks by, the city pidgeons are suddenly disturbed and fly everywhere. One flies in her face and she stumbles backward, knocking over Odd's easel. _

**Odd: **What the heck?!

**Marta: **_¡Ay Díos! __¡Lo siento muchísimo! _(Oh God! I'm so sorry!)

_His anger suddenly ebbs when he sees her breathtaking dark hair and olive complexion. The girl manages a smile and modestly runs her left hand through her hair. _

After meeting Marta, Odd's wanderlust disappeared. He settled with her in the city, teaching art at a local university and raising two children, Ramón and Sofía. Jeremie and I used to get Christmas cards from them frequently. From what we could tell, they had a happy life together. When things got tense in South America, I was informed that they had plans to go to Mexico. I never found out if they got there in time to escape the violence. But I know Odd. I'm fairly confident that they escaped the war.

_In her late thirties, Aelita enters a bar in the seedier side of Paris. She approaches the android barman who cleans a glass. _

**Aelita: **Where is he?

_The android points to a balding man with blonde hair at the end of the bar. He is hunched over drunk, sleeping on the counter. Aggravated and distraught, Aelita drags her husband out of the bar. She assists him up the stairs to their bedroom back home. _

I don't want to give the impression that our marriages were perfect. They were far from it. Jeremie and I never had kids. By the time science had advanced to the point to cure my infertility, we were in our forties and he no longer had any interest. It was probably for the best. He developed a serious drinking problem later in life.

_Jeremie sits on a couch in the middle of the night, staring at an empty liquor bottle. His face becomes buried in his hands. Even in his early forties, he starts to carry himself like an old man. _

The demons of his youth, the fights with Xana and Moriarty had taken their toll. He never forgave himself for the deaths of Christophe, Mr. Stern, and others he simply couldn't save. Fortunately, when his addiction became unmanageable, he had the strength to admit he needed help.

_A middle-aged Jeremie goes to rehab, successfully battling his old scars in the company of others struggling with the same. After a long healing process, he exits the facility and embraces his wife. _

He lived out the last decades of his life in peace. But the others had their issues as well.

_William and Natalya have a heated verbal argument in their home in St. Petersburg. Their three children, understanding the drill, retreat to play in their rooms. _

Domestic life didn't always work for William and Natalya. At times both became stir crazy with the same routine and took it out on each other.

_Natalya storms out of the house. William retreats into his home office and slams the door. Later, Natalya reenters the home while her husband watches TV. Following a brief awkward moment, they look at each other apologetically. _

Though somehow, they always managed to make up every time.

_A teenage Christophe Stern returns home very late at night, stumbling around in a drugged haze until he reaches the lights. As soon as he turns them on, he is greeted by his furious parents. _

Ulrich and Yumi experienced the trials of adolescence anew with their troublesome son. He got in with the wrong crowd.

_The concerned parents talk with him for hours, but Christophe is somewhere else, staring off into space as he slowly sobers up. _

Had he continued on the same road, he would have destroyed himself. Thankfully when one of his friends died of an overdose, he suddenly saw reason.

_Ulrich and Yumi struggle to get him to bed. Yumi cries as they shut the door behind them. _

But whatever domestic problems we had became minor in comparison to the horror the world would soon be subject to.

_A view of the Earth from space shows the Sahara Desert desertifying more and more over time, spreading to more of formerly Sub-Saharan Africa. The situation also becomes worse in other parts of the Middle East. Oil wells in Saudi Arabia are left to slowly rot. _

We watched helplessly as the climate warmed significantly during the 21st century as scientists feared. While richer nations were often able to adapt to rising temperatures, most of the Middle East and Sub-Saharan was devastated. Not only were their former homes made unliveable by the onslaught of an expanding desert, the oil industry collapsed with the world conversion to hydrogen, biofuels, and other alternate sources of energy. Many economies cratered, creating one of the largest refugee exoduses in world history.

_People from the region flee south to more fertile areas of Africa and to northern areas such as Europe, the United States, and Canada. More mosques pop up in every major city in Europe. Right-wing groups regard the newcomers on the streets with increasing hostility. _

At the same time, rising heat waves ruined crops in India. The government soon realized that they couldn't possibly feed its enormous population. Lines for the most basic food items soon became very long and contentious.

_Hungry villagers attack a UN Relief truck in desperation, overturning the vehicle in order to get bags of rice. Very soon large violent protests break out right outside the Indian Parliament. _

The international community did what it could. But it wasn't enough. The people of India and the surrounding regions were reaching the breaking point.

_In the Western Hemisphere, the Amazon River swells to create a small sea, swamping many square kilometers of precious farmland for Brazil. Many landless peasants are forced to retreat to already overcrowded urban centers. At a climate summit in Johannesburg, many leading nations push devastating punishments for further deforestation. _

Brazil soon encountered a similar problem. As sea levels rose, the world panicked and threatened some nations with rich environmental diversity in order to prevent its destruction at all costs. The South American giant was the hardest hit. To save the Amazon Rainforest, the UN threatened incredibly harsh sanctions if any deforestation continued. But the people of Brazil had already lost land, and now the landless peasants had nowhere to go. That and successive bad harvests put incredible stress on the nation. Resentment toward their government and the world that abandoned them grew astronomically among the population.

_Riots that last for days break out in São Paulo, Rio de Janiero, Brasilia, and other cities. At the UN General Assembly, the Indian and Brazilian representatives demand a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council as well as other benefits in order to satisfy their people. For the most part the pleas fall on deaf ears. At one point the Indian ambassador to the UN storms out, swearing that the rest of the world will pay for its folly. _

When diplomacy failed time and time again, extremism quickly took root.

_Massive crowds in New Dehli salute a towering man whose booming voice, charisma, and dedication to Indian traditions make him a natural born leader. His captivating speeches attracting thousands upons thousands of supporters begin to disturb foreign observers. _

A radical Hindu nationalist emerged on the scene in the mid 2040s, one named Samir Rao, a man whose name would forever live in infamy. His aggressive message to the Indian people was simple: "Fight or Die". As the Indian military grew rapidly in size once he seized power, it didn't take long for other nations to realize the real threat of his words. Meanwhile the New Popular Party in Brazil attracted numerous disaffected individuals with the promise of _Nova Terra _(New Land). American power had been declining in the region for some time due to many internal problems and increasing isolationism. The new order in Brazil sensed an opportunity to dethrone the weakening world superpower. Added to this dangerous mix was the revival of ultranationalism in Europe and Russia.

_Race riots break out in France and numerous other countries. Far right parties swell in size. New immigrants sometimes fight back, leading to violent confrontations that the police can barely control. _

I know this sounds like a history book to you, Xavier, but for us…

_Jeremie and Aelita watch the news reports in Paris with increasing concern. William and Natalya hurry their children inside the house when they see the radical paramilitary nationalists patrolling their neighborhood. Natalya cautiously watches them from the kitchen window. _

it was very real…And you must understand the connection between the outbreak of the Third World War and Moriarty. While he can't be blamed for all of its origins, in Europe it was a different story. Around this time, Herb Pinchon was released from the psychiatric hospital on the condition that he remain under house arrest under the care of his relatives.

_In a secluded home near the French Alps, a bitter middle-aged Herb Pinchon spends countless hours writing several hundred pages of his political ideas. He paces around his cramped office, going on long rants that his android assistant digitally records. _

In 2048, he published his manifesto you now know as the Provence Papers online. He laid out his beliefs on Europe's sociopolitical situation. He argued that Western Civilization was under existential threat by the seemingly endless waves of immigrants trying to get access to Europe. He argued that Islam would soon overwhelm the continent unless the true sons and daughters of Europe fought back. Most importantly, he repeated the once dead phrase 'The Commandant lives'. Herb did nothing to physically instigate the violence, but his ideology inspired many, including the radical Arnaud Martel, the new voice of the resurrected Order.

_People carrying black and purple flags once again stroll down the main avenues of Paris. Like his predecessor, Martel inspires the people with a gradually extremist form of political populism. _

The Order came alive more powerful and dangerous than ever before. 'The Commandant lives' no longer referred to Moriarty, but the new face of The Order, Martel. In fact…

_André Belpois, now in his early eighties, eats some soup in a maximum security prison. A much younger prisoner who has a tattoo of the sword fleur-de-lis symbol of The Order, approaches him from behind. The mute old man looks behind him just in time to witness his attacker stab him multiple times in the chest with an improvised weapon. The guards restrain the attacker, but the former master manipulator bleeds out before help arrives. _

The real Commandant died at the hands of another inmate who thought he was an impostor. All that time building up a radical movement in the end proved to be the thing that finally eliminated Moriarty once and for all. Meanwhile Arnaud's power grew while other ultranationalist groups and leaders popped up throughout Europe.

_At a Front National rally, now an associate arm of the larger Order organization, a bullet kills the speaker, creating mass pandemonium. _

And when a mentally ill Sudanese man killed the frontrunner for the Front National party, it proved to be the final straw for The Order. The stage was set for war.

_In a small airfield in Northern France, a private jet sent by Ulrich picks up Jeremie and Aelita, who carry what possessions they value with them. Aelita looks behind her, watching dark clouds forming on the horizon. William and Natalya along with their adult children fly from Moscow to New York, leaving their home behind. _

We fled to North America and stayed close to Ulrich and Yumi…waiting for the inevitable. 

_On March 25, 2050, the tense quiet in France erupts in conflict with several coordinated attacks by The Order paramilitary units stationed at strategic points all over the country. Gunfire and mortar shells terrorize the night. Entire neighborhoods of Muslim immigrants are torched, as are their places of business and houses of worship._

Less than half an hour after the violence started, Arnaud Martel hacked television screens all over the country, proclaiming the onset of the nationalist revolution. In less than 48 hours, many allied nationalist groups across Europe followed his lead. Most of the continent fell into civil war.

_On the border between India and Pakistan, the Indian air force strikes like lightning before their massive army moves in. Similarly, a line of Brazilian tanks crosses the border into Paraguay, Argentina, Suriname, and Guyana. _

Sensing opportunity from the international confusion and terror in response to the conflict in Europe that Moriarty had set in motion, India and Brazil made their moves.

_Far right nationalists in Eastern Europe, such as the Baltic states and Ukraine, line up some ethnic Russians for a firing squad. _

And when Eastern Europe's civil war threatened the lives of ethnic Russians living in their borders, the Russian army also moved in. World War III had begun.

_The old warriors watch in despair from the Stern mansion in Montréal as the world tears itself asunder. The fighting explodes on several fronts with no end in sight. While civil war rages in the west, Russian tanks roll through the east. India quickly reduces Pakistan and other neighbors to rubble. Their forces then target Southeast Asia and even China itself. Brazil expands in South America while the United States and their Latin American allies struggle to contain them. _

People of my generation had long expected that a World War III would result in nuclear holocaust. But that was not the case.

_In Earth's orbit, satellite grids belonging to world powers take out planned nuclear strikes, preventing the war from becoming the end of the species. _

Ronald Reagan's dream of the Star Wars program became reality long before the war. With the exception of Seoul, Pyongyang, and Islamabad, nuclear weapons stayed out of the conflict. Aggressor nations didn't want to ruin potential future real estate. Resources such as fertile land were already scarce enough as it was, so even those on the defensive feared unstabilizing the planet even further. For two years the stalemate went on, and the killing continued. As nationalists closed in on Paris, many of those in the safe parts of the world decided they could not ignore the slaughter any longer.

_In the mansion in Montréal, an older Ulrich checks the news of the war on a holographic screen over the kitchen counter. His hair is graying and he shows evidence of forming a gut. His tall robust son paces restlessly in the kitchen. _

**Christophe: **I have to go.

**Ulrich: **We've been over this. The answer is no.

**Christophe: **Look at that! _Buildings surrounding the Eiffel Tower are in flames. _How can I ignore that?! Martel might take the city if this continues!

_Ulrich turns off the holographic screen and places a mug on the automatic coffeemaker. _

**Ulrich: **Your mother and I have seen enough suffering. We are not sending you off to war. It's not your job to save the world.

**Christophe: **But you did!

**Ulrich: **And look what the results were! We save the world from a tyrant, but it still manages to fall into chaos.

_The younger Stern leans on the kitchen counter. _

**Christophe: **You and mom did what you could. You saved the world from a monster. Now it's my turn.

**Yumi: **Turn? _She emerges from the bedroom. _You think this is about having your turn? We wanted you to avoid having to go through what we did.

**Christophe: **But you can't! I can't sit back and watch while the enemy you fought become resurrected in this monster that's destroying France.

_Ulrich and Yumi exchange concerned looks. Ulrich sighs in exasperation. _

**Ulrich: **We have the resources to keep you here, far from the war. Why would you intentionally throw yourself into a fight you could avoid?

_In a moment of youthful wisdom, Christophe Stern tactfully gives them a hypothetical scenario. _

**Christophe: **If your parents tried to force you to stay out of the battles in Lyoko, what would you have done? _Both parents stand there, unable to come up with an answer. _Let me fight.

While most of Europe fell into chaos, the Iberian Peninsula remained peaceful. Much credit was given to the actions of Spanish legislators to prevent the far right groups from rebelling, but history often overlooks the actions of our old friend.

_An older César addresses the entire nation on television wearing the sash of a king. _

In a manner uncharacteristic of European monarchs, César travelled all over the country, desperately urging his people not to surrender to violence. He reminded them of the horrors of the civil war more than a century earlier and the long dictatorship of Franco. Thanks to his influence, Spain was spared the fratricidal bloodshed and became one of the leading nations in Europe following the war's end.

_French military units as well as volunteers are stationed near the Arc de Triomphe. Only a few kilometers away, the paramilitary groups of The Order are waging war. A government vehicle pulls up right next to the arch. A lead officer at the scene salutes. _

**Colonel: **Attention! The President of the French Republic!

_All soldiers and volunteers stand at attention. Among them is none other than Christophe Stern, who has developed a scar on his forehead. Secret service opens the car door. An older man with thick glasses and dark grey hair steps out of the vehicle. The young Stern faces an old parental foe now turned friend. _

**Mathias: **Soldiers of France, I'm going to make this message short. I know it's…highly unorthodox for a president to be this close to the front, but I have something essentially to say. _He points to the top of the arch. _A century ago, fascists marched through that arch and humiliated Paris. They will not do it again!

_The soldiers cheer with renewed morale. _

**Mathias: **Don't give them an inch! On ne passe pas!

_In a photograph outside the Élysée Palace, President Mathias Burel is seen shaking hands with King César. _

The secrets of our time were known by very few. But they happened to be a very important few. And they made sure nothing dangerous got in the wrong hands.

_Mathias Burel orders his security team to destroy the Harbinger. Its pieces are locked away, never to be seen again. At the factory a group of scientists go about a highly confidential mission of safely dismantling the supercomputer. The factory is then torn apart. _

When the possibility of Paris falling became all too real, Mathias ordered the supercomputer destroyed and the factory dismantled. All evidence of our old Lyoko days vanished. As for the war, the coup against the New Popular Party in Brazil proved decisive in ending it. Having lost a significant ally, the aggressors were forced onto the defensive. The combined forces of the United States, China, and its allies eventually won the day. Russia, India, and the far-right nationalist collective could not withstand both the Western armies and the overwhelming military strength of China in a war of attrition.

_French military personnel force their way into a secret Order stronghold. They find that Arnaud Martel has already put a bullet in his head. New Delhi and Moscow are almost destroyed. Silence reigns over the ashes and rubble. Back in Montréal, Ulrich and Yumi cry upon receiving a message of condolences from the front in France._

World War III came to an official close in 2054 with the execution of Samir Rao. But for Ulrich and Yumi as well as countless others, it was too late. Millions had perished. Words could not describe our pain and guilt.

_In the hospital, Aelita comforts Jeremie as he sits up in bed. The war is over, but the aftereffects are still broadcasted all over the news. Jeremie closes his eyes and breathes softly in profound sadness. _

When Jeremie's health declined, he began to question whether we had done good in the first place. After the violence of World War III, it became impossible to say we accomplished a greater peace for the world. But there was no way we could have prevented all of the madness. The planet's warming had contributed significantly to the disaster that unfolded. Moriarty's legacy had some part to play. But in the end, we had to let others finish the work we started. In the last years of his life, Jeremie accepted that.

_Aelita holds his hand. _

I stayed with him until his death at the age of 68. The other remaining warriors soon passed one by one until only I remained. Xavier, I don't tell you these things to make you depressed. I know you live in a fragile world still trying to pick up the pieces. But I want the story of us, the story of Moriarty, and the history of this latest war to serve as a warning for generations to come. Our descendants have the privilege of knowing that a group of naïve children faced monstrous evil and won. It wasn't a perfect victory, but we overcame staggering odds in order to secure a brighter future. The world needs a brighter future, now more than ever. Show them that it can be done. Give them hope. Tell them that even a group of boarding school students can save the world. Yes, that's right. I'm giving you permission to tell our story. I have saved all of Jeremie's video logs from the moment he found me in the factory looking for spare parts to the day we used the supercomputer for the last time to free Emmanuel. I also have a collection of personal stories written from memory that should give you a complete picture of what took place. I will send it to you soon. I meant to do it myself, but I only managed to get to the defeat of Xana. I would like you to fill in the stories about Moriarty and how his insidious games began. I know I'm asking a lot, but I'm sure you can do it. The stories that we have to tell are heavy and often disturbing, but they also say so much about what it means to be human. To make sure they don't become too dry and historical, I would suggest you turn them into some kind of narrative. Something to keep the readers going until the very end. Try not to leave anything out. Our story demands to be told, even though we didn't want it too. Demonstrate just how strong the human race can be. As for me…I think it's time I finally got some rest…

I can hear them, Xavier. All of them. Yumi, Ulrich, Natalya, William, Jeremie. And…Odd and Christophe! And so many others…They're all at a glorious banquet in this great golden hall and they've saved a place for me! They have seats of honor among the saints and angels. My nurse unit tells me I'm hallucinating from the illness but I know better. They're waiting for me. Soon. Very soon. Jeremie…everyone…I'm coming home!

_August 20, 2084- 1950 hours-Medical update on the Android Intranet_

_Sir, I hate to enter your office unannounced, but I regret to inform you that family friend Aelita Stones was pronounced dead as of five minutes ago. The hospice units will be contacting you shortly. _

Thank you CX-05. I appreciate it.

_Do you require time to properly mourn? _

No. I…have a better idea. Start an oral writing document. A big one…

_Will it be a journal entry Mr. Dunbar? _

No. More like a narrative….of sorts.

_How should I begin? _

Hmm…How about this?...William and Jeremie appear in the factory. Jeremie starts up the supercomputer. He returns to the control room while William heads for the scanner.Insert dialogue quote. Jeremie says, "William, are you in the scanner? I'm about to begin the test…"

**Thank you for being loyal readers of my work. Once again I apologize for the massive delays in uploading some of these chapters. The last semester in particular has been difficult for me in several ways. However, I never doubted that I had to see this story through to the end. I hope you enjoyed the Games of Moriarty! I will probably now be moving on to other original works that I have in mind. **


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